Intel ’s Arrow Lake CPUs did n’t make it on our leaning of thebest processorswhen they secrete to begin with this year . As you could translate in ourCore Ultra 9 285 K review , Intel ’s up-to-the-minute screen background offering fight to keep pace with last - gen options , particularly in games , and evidence strange conduct in apps like Premiere Pro . Now , Intel says it has fixed the issues with its Arrow Lake range , which describe for up to a 30 % loss in real - mankind operation compared to Intel ’s in - business firm examination .
Thecompany distinguish five issueswith the public presentation of Arrow Lake , four of which are resolved now . The latest BIOS and Windows Updates ( more details on those later in this story ) will fix Arrow Lake processor to their expected level of carrying out , according to Intel , while a unexampled microcode will proffer additional performance improvements . That firmware is expected to free in January , campaign beyond the baseline level of performance Intel expected out of Arrow Lake .
I ’m going to dig into all of the issues Intel find , but if you ’re just concerned with getting the best public presentation out of your Arrow Lake CPU , all you need to do is perform a couple of updates . First , ensure you ’re running on Windows 11 build 26100.2161 or later on . you could see your build version in theAbout this PCscreen in the Windows preferences app . Next , if you ’re using a Z890 motherboard , ensure you ’ve updated to the in style BIOS . Those two variety will restore Arrow Lake ’s performance , according to Intel .
Intel ’s Robert Hallock repay to Hot Hardware to reveal the changes , noting that the correct drivers and BIOS preferences were n’t usable to reviewers , which would excuse why CPUs like theCore Ultra 5 245Kperformed much lower than expected . I ’ll be test these update , but in the interim , here ’s what Intel says cash in one’s chips wrong .
Missing PPM package
Intel says the biggest outlet with Arrow Lake was an incorrect Processor Power Management , or PPM , package in Windows 11 . The PPM does a lot , and Intel says that it estimates this package alone account for anywhere from a 6 % to 30 % performance dip depend on the covering . Windows 11 physical body 26100.2161 include the update PPM parcel , so all you need to do is launch the former Windows updates on your PC to get it .
As for what live on wrong with the PPM package , it ’s monger ’s option . Intel mark spike heel in memory latency , incorrect C - states , and incorrect programming as just some of the problems with the impoverished PPM package . Shortly after release , I saw half a 12 users claiming higher performance sfter disabling cores and digging deep within the BIOS , and that was likely due to the PPM package . The processor was n’t conduct in the way it should , get big variations in examination results and poor performance in game .
Intel APO wasn’t working
After the liberation of the Core Ultra 9 285 super acid , I quiz Intel ’s software Optimization , or APO . This feature offers a functioning boost in a select number of game , and myprevious testing of the featureshowed boosts as gamy as 26 % in support games . I see no functioning hike with APO on the Core Ultra 9 285 honey oil , and on the face of it I was n’t alone . Due to the incorrect PPM package , Intel APO never worked as intended on Arrow Lake .
APO essentially did n’t work at all . The PPM package apparently tips APO off about game that are supported , and with that bundle absent , APO never run into effect . This issue is resolved with the right PPM package useable in Windows 11 habitus 26100.2161 , and Intel judge it accounts for between a 2 % and 14 % performance loss bet on the game .
Blue Screens for Easy Anti-Cheat
Although it did n’t encroachment public presentation , Intel notes that old versions of the Easy Anti - Cheat software program would make aBlue Screen of Deathwith Arrow Lake CPUs . Launching a biz with this software program would make the system to lock up completely . An updated Easy Anti - Cheat number one wood on the face of it solves the job , and Intel sound out it ’ll be available through a game update in claim that use the software .
Incorrect BIOS settings
Intel revealed several “ VIP setting ” in the BIOS that were n’t configure decently at release . These preferences include some basics , like Resizeable BAR , but also more advanced context like transient office limits and compute roofing tile ring frequency . Intel says these configurations were n’t universally toggled to their most performant state , causing variations in carrying out across motherboards and BIOS interlingual rendition . The company says that the most recent Z890 BIOs implement these options universally as defaults .
You just necessitate toupdate your BIOSin order to get the right circumstance . There ’s a moderately wide range of potential performance personnel casualty depending on which , if any , of these scope were falsely configured . Intel estimates the same 2 % to 14 % performance loss that it quote for APO , but it ’s concentrated to say if these preferences will make a huge difference in operation or not . It really depends on the individual hardware .
Looking forward
In accession to the above issues , Intel says it uncovered some additional operation improvement that it ’s make for into a firmware update . According to the company , this firmware will be useable through a BIOS update in January . Intel has n’t say how big these melioration are , but they go beyond what the above four issuance resolve . According to Intel , “ complete and stand for functionality is restored ” on Arrow Lake CPUs right now .
I ’ll be retesting Arrow Lake CPUs in short fiat , but Intel is doing the same . The company says it plans on offering operation data accounting for all of the novel changes to medium at CES 2025 next month .
