Arrow Lake's had three months of Windows and BIOS updates to fix its efficiency, and my testing shows in some video games, it's worse
Almost instantly after the launch of its Arrow Lake desktop CPUs in October 2024, Intel stated it will work on producing firmware and software program updates to enhance its lacklustre efficiency. The likes of the Core Ultra 9 285K not solely ran video games slower than Raptor Lake chips, the earlier technology of processors, but additionally worse than Intel’s claimed inside outcomes.
Near the top of December, Intel released a report on what it had identified as going wrong with Arrow Lake and what fixes had been coming to remedy all of them. So, as we method the three-month mark for the reason that Core Ultra 200S collection of CPUs first appeared, I wished to see simply how a lot better issues are.
To that finish, I’ve used an MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard, sporting the newest 1.A70 BIOS and all of Intel’s most present drivers. I’m additionally utilizing Windows 11 24H2, as some of the fixes are embedded inside working system updates.
In phrases of RAM and GPU, it is the very same setup I used after I first checked out the Core Ultra 9 285K in this MSI motherboard: 32 GB of DDR5-6000 CL32 and a GeForce RTX 4070. Enough jibber-jabber, let’s undergo all the brand new outcomes with our CPU gaming benchmark suite.
Cyberpunk 2077
Since October of final 12 months, Cyberpunk 2077 has been patched six instances, so some of the adjustments you may see may be down to that. But even when they’re, the 285K does run our CP2077 benchmark a little bit higher than earlier than, with an uplift of 15% and 12% to the typical and 1% low body charges respectively.
It’s not an enormous improve nevertheless it’s higher than nothing, and free efficiency is free. And it is also on par with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, although nonetheless slower than the Core i9 14900K with the 1% lows. At least we’re off to an excellent begin with the updates!
Baldur’s Gate 3
Well, that is disappointing. That 2% improve in the typical body charge is not value shouting about, particularly in the face of the numerous 19% lower in the 1% lows. I’ve checked these figures a number of instances however that efficiency deficit would not change.
Compared to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the Core Ultra 9 285K appears ridiculously weak in this take a look at, and whereas it is not a lot slower than the 14900K, with regards to the typical body charge, the 1% low figures are 32% decrease.
Why that is taking place is not clear and I can not establish something particular, utilizing my normal efficiency evaluation instruments (PIX on Windows, Nsight Systems), that means what the issue is. I think Windows 11 24H2 might need one thing to do with it, as I’ve seen that minimal body charges throughout a number of take a look at PCs have all dropped with the OS replace.
Homeworld 3
Homeworld 3 falls the identical sample as seen with Baldur’s Gate 3—the typical body charge is a little bit higher however the 1% lows are worse. The Core Ultra 9 285K is not too far behind its predecessor, however as soon as once more, the 9800X3D makes a mockery of them each.
So far, then, we’re 1-2 in phrases of positive factors and losses with the Arrow Lake updates affecting recreation efficiency. This is not trying all that nice, sure?
Metro Exodus Enhanced
Enter stage left, Metro Exodus Enhanced to save the day! Admittedly, it is solely a 9% enchancment to the typical body charge and the 1% lows are simply 5% higher, however the 285K is now sooner than the 14900K!
Well, the 14900K because it was again in August, which was after we final examined that power-monching monster. Meanwhile the 9800X3D is simply sitting there, waving its 3D V-Cache at them each and going nyer-nyer.
Total War: Warhammer 3
Oh expensive. Oh, this is not good in any respect. That’s a 20% enchancment to the typical body charge however at a value of an unlimited 37% lower to the 1% lows. And earlier than you ask, I checked these figures time and time once more, with system reboots, driver installs, and even a spot of dishonest in the shape of overclocking to see if there was one thing I’ve missed.
There wasn’t—the 285K actually is goosed in Total War: Warhammer 3 with all the newest BIOS, driver, and OS updates. The 9800X3D’s 1% lows are 97% higher. Ninety seven.
Factorio
Strictly talking, our Factorio take a look at is not fairly a full take a look at of the sport itself. Instead, we use a benchmark script on an enormous, advanced map that simply runs the sport’s engine minus all rendering, over 5,000 cycles. It’s a improbable take a look at for a way good a CPU’s last-level cache is (L3 in the case of these chips) and it is one which AMD’s 3D V-Cache simply loves.
With a 23% lower in the processing time, you’d assume that that is some excellent news for Arrow Lake nevertheless it’s probably not. That’s as a result of the preliminary time of 33.3 seconds was due to a BIOS concern with the MSI motherboard, that ultimately obtained resolved late final 12 months.
That time of 25.5 seconds simply places it in line with the Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Hero I used for the preliminary overview of the Core Ultra 9 285K. In different phrases, the chip carried out no higher in our Factorio take a look at than it did 4 months in the past.
Intel Application Optimizer
One factor that Intel famous in its report about Arrow Lake’s efficiency was {that a} lacking energy profile meant that its thread scheduling software program (Intel Application Optimizer, APO) simply did not work as supposed.
It solely works with video games that Intel has particularly examined and tweaked the scheduler for, and in this case, it is simply Cyberpunk 2077, Metro Exodus Enhanced, and Total War: Warhammer 3. We do not embody APO outcomes in our processor evaluations to maintain issues truthful however any PC gamer with an Arrow Lake must be utilizing it.
Or perhaps not, if my take a look at outcomes are something to go by. Who desires an 11% drop in the 1% lows in Cyberpunk 2077? And if it is not doing something to assist in Metro Exodus, why trouble utilizing it? At least it did assist out in Warhammer 3, to the tune of 11% in the 1% lows.
Just as with the opposite exams, I reran the APO checks a number of instances and used completely different energy profiles to see if it will make a distinction. Well, it did not.
Arrow Lake in January 2025
I’ve solely examined six video games nevertheless it’s clear that for these particular ones, Intel’s fixes and Microsoft’s Windows updates have barely made any distinction and in some instances, it is made issues considerably worse.
There are in all probability video games on the market which might be markedly higher now however I’m uncertain that Arrow Lake is ever going to be nearly as good as Intel first claimed when it launched the CPU structure.
But what actually is not serving to issues is the truth that the ‘finest’ Arrow Lake is massively costly.
If you head over to Amazon proper now, you may see that the Core Ultra 9 285K prices $600. With no motion in the value tag since launch, there isn’t any purpose for me to change my advice concerning the processor, i.e. it is simply not value shopping for it.
Arrow Lake is good for content material creation and productiveness purposes—I’ve retested the 285K in Cinebench 2024, Blender, 7zip, and Handbrake and whereas there isn’t any enchancment value noting, it is nonetheless simply as robust because it was.
But for gaming? It’s not nice and the far cheaper Core Ultra 7 265K ($372 at Amazon) can be the good choice to decide if one completely should have an Arrow Lake processor. It’s simply as quick because the 285K in video games, bar just a few fps right here and there, and it is not a lot slower in content material creation because it solely has 4 fewer threads.
The apparent alternative whenever you’re spending this sort of cash for gaming, although, is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. However, the demand is so excessive, that it is arduous to discover one at a smart worth proper now. But that does not imply one ought to flip to Arrow Lake—as an alternative, simply be affected person and watch for shares to enhance.
That will certainly occur before the Core Ultra 200S changing into an honest gaming chip, at this charge.
