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In context: Intel Core Ultra 200 desktop processors failed to impress some reviewers when they launched last October as the company’s new flagship Arrow Lake-S lineup. While they performed adequately in compute tests, gaming was a mixed bag, with the chips being outperformed in multiple titles by the previous Raptor Lake generation.

Intel quickly investigated the situation, and by December, it had a good idea of what was causing the performance hiccups. It turned out to be a combination of power plan problems, anti-cheat settings, and other random issues – though the biggest was a missing Performance & Power Management (PPM) package.

The first series of fixes landed before the holidays in a mandatory Windows 11 update alongside some publisher patches. But Intel said we’d have to wait until CES in January for the second wave – a crucial BIOS update to really unlock the Ultra 200’s untapped potential. Well, that update just dropped, and according to Intel’s internal tests, it’s put the performance woes to bed in a big way.

Intel claims Core Ultra 200 patches improve gaming performance by up to 26%

There are some sizable gaming gains in Intel’s numbers. For instance, in Cyberpunk: 2077, Intel claims the fixes could net a staggering 26% increase in frames per second on patched Ultra 200 systems, as reported by PC World. Meanwhile, Far Cry 6 could see up to 16% more FPS.

However, the performance hikes don’t stop at games. Intel also ran the popular 3DMark TimeSpy synthetic benchmark and said patched Ultra 200 systems could see their overall scores skyrocket by up to 97%.

We’ll have to run some tests ourselves before we can corroborate Intel’s lofty numbers. But all the software and BIOS fixes are available now, so if you’ve got an underperforming Arrow Lake build, it’s time to load up those updates. Just make sure you’re running the latest Windows version and check in with your system or motherboard manufacturer for that all-important BIOS update.

Now that the desktop Ultra 200 has (hopefully) been dealt with, Intel can turn its attention to ensuring a smooth, high-performance release for its new Core H and HX laptop CPUs aimed at gamers and creators. Those chips are expected to start shipping soon, so we hope Intel can ensure a smooth release this time.

Masthead credit: Madness727

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The post Intel claims Core Ultra 200 patches improve gaming performance by up to 26% first appeared on www.techspot.com

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