ChangXin Memory Technology (CXMT) is playing catch up with competitors based in neighboring nations—as reported earlier today, this Chinese memory module manufacturer is making advancements in the field of commercial DDR5 products. Reports from the region suggest that a well-known motherboard manufacturer has embraced some of ChangXin new portfolio. According to a recent ITHome article, MSI has implemented a multitude of optimizations for new-ish Intel "Arrow Lake" Core Ultra Series 2 CPU-oriented motherboards—notably the MAG B860 TOMAHAWK WIFI, MAG B860M MORTAR WIFI, and PRO B860M-A WIFI models.

The publication provided evidence of MSI enabling transfer rates of 6800 MT/s across four engaged modules—a welcome step up from the usual twin-stick setup. ITHome also points out that the motherboard specialist has prepared a new BIOS version for B860 chipset mainboards: "specially optimized for the recently popular DDR5 domestic memory particles of ChangXin Storage, which undoubtedly gives the gaming community (in China) more choices." MSI appears to be the first major international vendor to enable support for CXMT's DDR5 modules—thus, representing a significant achievement for the Chinese memory industry.

Intel tends to release exclusive desktop processor SKUs for the Chinese market, which tend to come with core configurations and other specs not found in regular SKUs available in the West. The latest such SKU is the Core Ultra 5 230F "Arrow Lake." This chip comes with a unique IHS (integrated heat spreader) design that sees the bulge over the die contracted to a corner. It still has the metal flanks that receive pressure from the socket's retention module. The chip is positioned a notch above the Core Ultra 5 225F, but with an identical core configuration of 6P+4E.

The China-exclusive Core Ultra 5 230F comes with clock speeds of 3.40 GHz base and 5.00 GHz boost for the P-cores, while its E-cores tick at 2.90 GHz base, and 4.40 GHz boost. In comparison, the generally available Core Ultra 5 225F does 3.30 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost for the P-cores, and 2.70 GHz base with 4.40 GHz boost for the E-cores. Both the 230F and 225F lack integrated graphics. As non-K SKUs, both lack unlocked base frequency multipliers. Each of the six "Lion Cove" P-cores comes with 3 MB of dedicated L2 cache; while the sole "Skymont" E-core cluster shares 4 MB of L2 cache among its cores. The P-cores and E-core cluster share 20 MB of L3 cache. What's with the oddly shaped IHS? We have a theory. It's likely that the chip underneath has the same compact Compute tile as the "Arrow Lake-H" mobile processor, which physically only has 6P+8E cores and 24 MB of L3 cache. The modular nature of "Arrow Lake" also makes it possible for the Graphics tile to be physically absent on F-SKUs. We can't wait for someone to delid this chip.

Intel's Core Ultra 3 205 processor's spec sheet appeared online for a short period of time—members of the Team Blue subreddit discovered an official product page (now removed) and other related details. In part, discussion focused on the alleged lower-end "Arrow Lake-S" (ARL-S) desktop CPU being "reserved for OEMs." Previously, this SKU's existence was leaked out at various points back in 2024. VideoCardz has kindly preserved the latest set of information, prior to its removal from Intel's official web presence—showing a potential new addition to the Core Ultra 200S (Series 2) lineup.

The Core Ultra 3 205 model appears to slot into a segment previously occupied by (now retired) budget-oriented Pentium and Celeron products—based on the specification sheet listing of a 57 W TDP (aligning with past ratings). The Maximum Turbo Power limit is 76 W. Team Blue has inadvertently revealed that this is an eight-core processor, comprised of four Lion Cove P-Cores and four Skymont E-Cores—so 8 (4P + 4E). The performance-oriented cores can (Max Turbo) boost up to 4.9 GHz, while the efficiency-focused units are capable of reaching up to 4.4 GHz. The on-board AI Boost NPU is rated for a peak rating of 13 TOPS (Int8). The Core Ultra 3 205's GPU seems to only utilize two out of the four available Arc Xe-LPG cores. The product page mentioned that the Core Ultra 3 205 is due for launch in Q1 2025, although the "Market Status = Launched" segment adds to the confusion surrounding this now de-listed SKU.

At CES 2025, Khadas captivated global audiences with groundbreaking product designs and innovative technologies, showcasing the immense potential of next-generation computing devices. As a technology brand dedicated to addressing diverse user needs, Khadas delivered an impressive display of cutting-edge solutions that seamlessly blend innovation with practicality.

Mind 2s: The Modular Mini PC Powered by Arrow Lake
Since the launch of its first Mind series, Khadas has earned widespread recognition for its exceptional craftsmanship and superior performance. To meet the demand for the latest technology, Khadas unveiled Mind 2s, modular mini PC powered by the Intel Arrow Lake platform. Featuring the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, built on the all-new Arrow Lake-H architecture, the Mind 2s offers not only significant performance enhancements but also outstanding energy efficiency, improved integrated graphics, and superior AI processing capabilities.

Thermal Grizzly, a high-performance cooling solutions provider, introduces the Intel 1851 Delid-Die-Mate Heater V1, a tool designed to assist in removing the heat spreader from Intel Core Ultra 200 CPUs using the Intel 1851 Delid-Die-Mate V1. The heater raises the temperature of the CPU and the delidder to the required 165°C for delidding.

Delidding processors based on the Intel Arrow Lake architecture (Core Ultra, Pentium) carries a higher risk compared to older Intel CPUs. This is likely due to structural factors such as the size of the CPU die and the fact that the CPU die consists of multiple smaller dies, known as "tiles." To minimize the risk during delidding, the CPU should be heated to approximately 165°C / 330°F to soften the indium solder.

ASUS at the 2025 International CES showed off some of the first NUC desktops that meet Microsoft Copilot+ AI PC logo requirements. The new ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI measures 130 mm x 130 mm x 34 mm. It runs an Intel Core Ultra 200V series "Lunar Lake" processor. Depending on the processor model, you get 16 GB or 32 GB of hardwired LPDDR5X memory. You also get the processor's Xe2 "Battlemage" iGPU. Its NPU provides up to 45 AI TOPS of performance, meeting Copilot+ requirements. Storage is care of an M.2-2280 slot with NVMe Gen 4 x4 wiring. I/O options include two 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 ports including DisplayPort passthrough, and networking that includes Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7.

ASUS won't (or probably can't use the "NUC" moniker with AMD processors), and so there's the ExpertCenter PN54 for those who want essentially the same device, but with an AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processor. This mini PC has the same exact dimensions as the NUC 14 Pro AI, and is powered by a Ryzen AI 300 "Strix Point" processor, with options going all the way up to the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. This chip includes the XDNA 2 NPU with 50 AI TOPS on tap, which means it meets Microsoft Copilot+ AI PC logo requirements. It also features the Radeon 870M RDNA 3.5 graphics with 16 CU. The chip uses standard dual-channel DDR5-5600 using SODIMMs. Storage includes an M.2-2280 slot with Gen 4 x4 wiring. In place of Thunderbolt 4, you get a couple of USB4 ports with 40 Gbps bandwidth and DP passthrough. Comms include Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7, just like on its Intel-powered sibling.

GIGABYTE revealed its GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards and new laptops at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The product line features NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture and includes several GPU models for different market segments. The company's main release, the AORUS GeForce RTX 5090 Master 32G, uses the WINDFORCE cooling system with a new Hawk fan design. The card incorporates server-grade thermal materials and includes an LCD display on its edge. Other models in the lineup include the RTX 5080 Master 16G and RTX 5070 Master 12G, both featuring dual BIOS options for switching between performance and quiet operation. For smaller PC builds, GIGABYTE introduced the RTX 5070 EAGLE OC ICE SFF 12G. The company also showed a water-cooled variant, the AORUS RTX 5090 XTREME WATERFORCE WB 32G, which includes leak detection features.More pictures follow

At CES 2025, GIGABYTE unveiled an impressive lineup of motherboards designed for Intel and AMD platforms for gaming, content creation, and professional use, with support for the latest processors, PCIe 5.0, and Wi-Fi 7. GIGABYTE introduced several Z890 chipset motherboards for Intel's "Arrow Lake" Core Ultra 200S series. The flagship Z890 AORUS Master offers features like DDR5 memory overclocking, tool-free PCIe and M.2 installation, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. The compact Z890I AORUS Ultra targets Mini-ITX builds with its efficient 8+1+2 VRM solution and AI-enhanced BIOS profiles. Despite its small form factor, it delivers robust performance and thermal management. For those looking for aesthetics and reliability, the Z890 AORUS Elite WiFi 7 ICE impresses with a sleek white design, digital VRM capabilities, and simplified Wi-Fi EZ-Plug installation for improved connectivity. For more budget-friendly options, GIGABYTE showed B860M AORUS Elite WiFi6E ICE motherboard, too.

Intel today launched "locked" 65 W variants of its Core Ultra "Arrow Lake-S" desktop processors in the Socket LGA1851 package. The company also announced more affordable motherboard chipset models, namely the Intel B860 mid-range chipset, and the Intel H810 value-ended chipset. The processor lineup is led by the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 (8P+16E, up to 5.60 GHz P-core boost), followed by the Core Ultra 7 265 (8P+12E, up to 5.30 GHz P-core boost); and the Core Ultra 5 245 (6P+8E, up to 5.10 GHz P-core boost). All three come with suitable boxed cooling solutions in the retail channel.

The Intel B860 chipset comes with a 4-lane DMI 4.0 chipset bus (half the bandwidth of the 8-lane chipset bus of the Intel Z890). The PCH puts out 14 PCI-Express 4.0 general purpose lanes, exactly half the number put out by the Z890. Storage connectivity, besides the configurability of the PCIe GPP lanes, include four SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking includes a 1 GbE MAC, and Wi-Fi 6E integrated MAC, with Bluetooth 5.3. You can have up to 16 USB 3.2 lanes (each worth 5 Gbps), which can be configured as 5 Gbps, 10 Gbps, or 20 Gbps ports. The B860 lacks CPU overclocking support, but retains memory overclocking, including the ability to apply XMP 3.0 profiles.

Intel today hosts the 2025 International CES Keynote address with a slew of announcements from across its consumer and commercial processor product lines. The company is expected to expand its "Arrow Lake" and "Lunar Lake" processor lines that it debuted in 2024, across many new product segments. In particular, "Arrow Lake" is expected to hit critical mass in the mobile and commercial PC spaces. "Lunar Lake" will see many more processor models, letting it power the year's most popular Copilot+ AI PCs. The desktop Core Ultra "Arrow Lake-S" will enter mainstream segments alongside mid-range motherboard chipsets. Join us, as we blog the very latest from Intel's CES keynote.Update 16:32 UTC: The show is underway.

Update 16:37 UTC: Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Interim co-CEO, is expected to take centerstage.

The Core Ultra 200H series of mobile processors is designed to cover the majority of mobile device use-cases from the next-generation. These chips are very much based on the latest "Arrow Lake" microarchitecture, but with a few clever design changes. This is a tile-based processor, just like the 200HX series; but the various tiles are different. The Compute tile, which packs the main CPU complex, is noticeably smaller, with 6 "Lion Cove" P-cores, and two "Skymont" E-core clusters with 8 E-cores sharing a 24 MB L3 cache, and a ringbus interconnect. Things get interesting with the SoC tile, which now contains two Low-power Island E-cores. At this point, it is unclear if these are "Skymont," or are older generation "Crestmont" cores, which would mean that Intel has carried over the SoC tile from "Meteor Lake-H."

The SoC tile also contains at 13 TOPS-class NPU, which means these chips miss out on Microsoft Copilot+ AI PC logo. The idea behind this could be that Intel is trying to promote the Core Ultra 200V series "Lunar Lake," which comes with a powerful 45 TOPS NPU. The company is announcing several new models of "Lunar Lake" today, including vPro ones. Switching focus back to "Arrow Lake-H," and our attention is drawn back to the SoC and I/O tiles, which miss out on the number of PCIe lanes, particularly Gen 5 ones, which the Core Ultra 200HX chips come with. The game changer for this chip, however, is the large Graphics tile. The iGPU of "Arrow Lake-H" is based on the same Xe-LPG graphics architecture as the one on "Meteor Lake," and not Xe2 "Battlemage" like on "Lunar Lake." However, this iGPU is vastly different from the one the "Arrow Lake-HX" comes with.

Intel kicked off a slew of 2025 International CES announcements with the Core Ultra 200HX series. The HX segment of mobile processors covers a range of premium gaming notebooks and mobile workstations. These chips tend to be essentially the desktop S-segments of processors but redesigned for the mobile BGA package, letting the platform have the highest possible CPU core count from a client architecture. The same is the case with the Core Ultra 200HX series. It is based on the same chiplet based "Arrow Lake" die with a maximum CPU core count of 8P+16E. AI acceleration comes from a 13 TOPS-class NPU—this won't power Copilot+, but is enough for a few entry-level local AI acceleration workloads. The iGPU is the smallest "Arrow Lake" has to offer, but the idea is that its target platform will have discrete graphics.

The series is led by the Core Ultra 9 285HX, with the maximum 8P+16E core count, a maximum P-core boost frequency of 5.50 GHz. Next up, is the Core Ultra 9 275HX. This chip has the same 8P+16E core CPU configuration has the 285HX, but at slightly lower frequencies, with its P-core boost reaching up to 5.40 GHz. After this, is the Core Ultra 7 265HX, featuring an 8P+12E core CPU configuration, and 5.30 GHz maximum P-core boost. Positioned right below is the Core Ultra 7 255HX, with the same core configuration as the 265HX, but with 100 MHz lower clocks. The 275HX and 255HX appear to be designed for greater volumes.

LG Electronics (LG) is set to unveil its 2025 LG gram lineup, the company's first on-device AI-powered laptops, at CES 2025 in January. The new lineup includes innovative models such as the gram Pro, gram Pro 2-in-1, gram and gram Book. Leveraging LG's gram AI technology, the latest grams deliver state-of-the-art capabilities and stellar performance, harnessing large language models and personalized AI features to elevate the user experience - all while preserving the series' iconic slim and lightweight design.

Enhancing Productivity and Personalization with LG gram AI
The 2025 gram laptops present a smarter, more secure and highly-personalized user experience through LG's innovative gram AI. With gram chat On-Device, these laptops utilize AI algorithms to process and analyze data locally without requiring a network connection. At the same time, they provide convenient access to cloud-based AI services via gram chat Cloud, powered by GPT-4o. This subscription-based service, which uses GPT-4o, is offered free of charge for the first year. The integration of on-device and cloud-based AI creates a hybrid AI solution that enhances productivity by delivering personalized insights, a comprehensive knowledge base and an intuitive, ever-evolving experience that adapts to users' needs.

Here are some of the first pictures of ASRock's upcoming Live Mixer series motherboards based on mid-range chipsets from AMD and Intel. The Live Mixer brand of motherboards has a similar positioning in ASRock's product stack as Steel Legend, but with a variation in product design, and a mid-range onboard audio solution that uses audio codecs such as the ALC1200 or ALC4080. There's nothing that particularly stands out in this audio solution (no fancy amp circuits or exotic I/O). The B850 Live Mixer Wi-Fi is an ATX board based on the AMD B850 chipset. This is essentially a re-brand of the popular B650, but with out-of-the-box support for the latest Ryzen 9000 series processors, including the 9000X3D series. The board offers three M.2 NVMe slots, one of which is Gen 5, and the others Gen 4. The WLAN solution is very likely Wi-Fi 6E.

Next up, is the ASRock B860 Live Mixer Wi-Fi. This Socket LGA1851 motherboard is based on Intel's mid-range chipset for its "Arrow Lake" processors, the Intel B860. Much like the previous generation B760, it is expected to lack CPU overclocking support. This board visually looks a lot similar to its AMD B850-based sibling, you could almost confuse the two if you're not looking at the CPU socket. You get three M.2 NVMe slots here, too; one of which is Gen 5, and doesn't eat into the x16 PEG slot. We expect this board to offer Wi-Fi 6E, just like the B850 Live Mixer Wi-Fi. Lastly, there's the B860M Live Mixer Wi-Fi, a Micro-ATX variant of this board, with mostly the same feature-set, it's just that the third M.2 slot is without a heatsink; and the second PCIe slot is physically x8 instead of x16, which shouldn't matter since the slot is likely electrical x4 on both motherboard models. Intel and AMD are expected to debut the B850 and B860 in January.

Intel has officially announced its presence at CES 2025, teasing what appears to be a significant focus on AI capabilities in its upcoming processor lineup. The tech giant shared a preview image featuring their tagline "AI Inside for a New Era." The announcement suggests that the company will be showcasing new developments in AI processing capabilities integrated directly into their consumer processors. Intel's upcoming lineup is expected to feature the mobile-focused "Arrow Lake" Core Ultra 200H/HX processors alongside the Arrow Lake-based Core Ultra 200S series designed for desktop systems with 35 W and 65 W power configurations. The company is also supposedly introducing new mid-range and workstation-class 800-series processors for desktop platforms.

The "AI Inside" messaging indicates that Intel is positioning itself to compete more aggressively in the AI computing space, particularly as PCs increasingly handle AI workloads locally. While specific details about the presentation remain under wraps, we can anticipate announcements regarding new Arrow Lake configurations, enhanced AI capabilities, and possibly new partnerships or software ecosystems designed to leverage these features. The keynote could also shed light on Intel's strategy for maintaining competitiveness in an increasingly AI-focused computing landscape. Michelle Johnston Holthaus, interim co-CEO, and Jack Weast, an Intel Fellow and VP of Intel Automotive, will deliver the live keynote. Intel's agenda also shows next-generation AI silicon so we can get information on accelerators like Falcon Shores.

Here are some of the first pictures of the retail boxes of the Intel Core Ultra 200-series "Arrow Lake-S" 65 W desktop processors. Intel debuted the series with Unlocked K-series SKUs in October 2024, and will expand it in January 2025 with 65 W models that lack unlocked multipliers. The unlocked models lack any included stock cooling solution, while the 65 W models come with them. There's no word on what the coolers look like, but if we were to guess, Intel will reuse its Laminar series fan-heatsinks that it debuted with its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake."

The new Socket LGA1851 retains cooler compatibility with the previous LGA1700, which is why the company could reuse the Laminar series. The Core Ultra 9 65 W retail box appears the largest, and so it could include the Laminar RH1 cooler that's capable of cooling the processor as it draws its maximum turbo power. This cooler comes with some blue LED illumination. The Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 5 65 W retail boxes appear to have the same thickness, which means the two could include the mid-tier Laminar RM1 cooler. The RM1 has a slightly thinner heatsink, but comes with an illuminated ring along the bore of the fan-frame. If Intel launches a Core Ultra 3 series (successor to the Core i3), Intel will likely include the Laminar RS1, the lightest variant, which lacks any lighting. The first three pictures (below) show boxes of the standard variants of the 65 W SKUs, the 4th and 5th pics show the boxes of the "F" SKUs which lack integrated graphics.

Last week, we reported on a massive leak that gave us a glimpse at a surfeit of upcoming ROG gaming laptops from ASUS boasting Arrow Lake-HX and Strix Halo processors, along with RTX 50-series Laptop GPUs. The company has now gone ahead and officially teased its ROG Flow Z13 laptop and the ROG Strix 18 laptop, the videos for which were obtained by VideoCardz. Considering that these were just teasers, the details shared were sparse, but undoubtedly intriguing regardless.

The ROG Strix 18, will likely boast the Core Ultra 9 285HX and Core Ultra 9 275HX CPUs along with NVIDIA "Blackwell" Laptop GPUs, with up to an 175-watt RTX 5090 Laptop with 16 GB of GDDR7 VRAM. Multiple other GPU options will also be available, with the RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU being the entry-point as per the leaked listings. Clearly, the Strix 18 is poised to be a powerful and power-hungry desktop replacement-class laptop, along with a massive 18-inch mini LED screen with a speedy 240 Hz refresh rate. Needless to say, the G18 has no intention of being affordable.

Motherboard vendor ASUS began rolling out UEFI firmware (BIOS) updates to its Intel Z890 motherboards that contain Intel's 0x114 Microcode update for Core Ultra "Arrow Lake-S" desktop processors. The new microcode was touted as bringing in performance gains to gaming workloads across the board, with Intel saying that depending on the configuration, one could expect a "roughly 3-8% performance gain." The company said that motherboard vendors should begin releasing BIOS updates with 0x114 "starting January 2025," however, it seems like ASUS is ready with public "stable" (non-beta) BIOS updates with it. We use a ROG Maximus Z890 Hero in our "Arrow Lake-S" reviews, and so promptly grabbed the version 1203 BIOS from the ASUS website, and put it to the test. This also updates Intel ME (management engine) to v19.0.0.1827.

We added our performance testing numbers to our article from yesterday (December 19, 2024), where we had tested the Core Ultra 9 285K with the latest OS-level patches for Windows 11 24H2. Long story short, we do not notice any notable performance gains with the 0x114 microcode update. 0x114 was touted as providing users with additional performance gains after all the OS- and BIOS configuration related issues had been fixed. In its pre-brief from earlier this week, Intel said that the 0x114 microcode update represented additional performance gain opportunities that the company had discovered in the process of identifying and fixing the reasons why the processors fell significantly behind Intel's performance guidance in their launch reviews in October.

We recommend you to once again read our performance testing article from yesterday, we have updated the performance graphs with 0x114 microcode update numbers, and are in the process of providing additional commentary in the article. Here's a teaser:

According to recently discovered shipping manifests, Intel is developing a new processor series codenamed "Wildcat Lake," potentially succeeding their entry-level "Intel Processor" lineup based on Alder Lake-N. The documents, revealed by x86deadandback, suggest a 2025 launch timeline for these chips targeting lightweight laptops and mini-PCs. The shipping records from October 30 mention CPU reball equipment compatible with BGA 1516 sockets, measuring 35 x 25 mm, indicating early validation testing is underway. These processors are expected to be manufactured using Intel's advanced 18A process technology, sharing the same manufacturing node as the upcoming Panther Lake series. Early technical specifications of Wildcat Lake point to a hybrid architecture combining next-generation "Cougar Cove" performance cores with "Darkmont" low-power efficiency (LPE) cores in a 2P+4LPE configuration.

This design appears to separate the core clusters, departing from traditional shared ring bus arrangements, similar to the approach taken in Intel's Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake processors. While Wildcat Lake's exact position in Intel's product stack remains unclear, it could serve as a modernized replacement for the what were Pentium and Celeron processor families. These chips traditionally power devices like Chromebooks, embedded systems, and home servers, with the new series potentially offering significant performance improvements for these market segments. The processor is expected to operate in the sub-double-digit TDP power envelope, positioning it below the more powerful Lunar Lake series. Graphics capabilities will likely be more modest than Lunar Lake's Xe2 architecture, aligning with its entry-level market positioning.

Intel today, in a letter to the press, presented an overview of the lower than expected performance of its latest Core Ultra "Arrow Lake-S" desktop processors, which the company released this October, to less than enthusiastic reviews. The top Core Ultra 9 285K ended up barely faster than the previous Core i9-14900K in gaming performance, and moderately faster in applications. AMD's November release of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D extended the green team's lead over Intel, prompting Intel to get to work on identifying why "Arrow Lake-S" isn't as fast as the company hoped, and if there was something the company could do about it.

Last month, Intel announced that it had identified probable reasons why "Arrow Lake-S" underperforms and that it is working on a combination of fixes that include OS-level updates from Microsoft, some motherboard-vendor level fixes to their UEFI setup programs, and a microcode update for its processors. Intel's microcode updates have been in the news throughout 2024, as one such update proved crucial in fixing the faulty voltage regulation behavior of its Core "Raptor Lake" processors, which was causing irreversible damage to the chips. Today, the company released documentation that highlights all issues the company identified by Intel, their technical root cause, and what's been done about it. Long story short—most of these issues are already addressed, but the Microcode update should be in circulation by January 2025, when the company expands its Core Ultra 200-series desktop processors with 65 W models.

Update Dec 19th: We tested the new OS patches, and unfortunately we have to report that this not a general fix for Arrow Lake, but just a fix for performance problems specific to 24H2. More in our article.

Update Dec 20th: Last night, ASUS released a non-Beta BIOS with microcode 0x114, we tested it and the findings are included in the Dec 19 article linked above.

TechPowerUp today released the latest update to TechPowerUp GPU-Z, the graphics sub-system information and monitoring utility for PC gamers and enthusiasts. Version 2.61.0 adds support for the new Intel Arc B580 and B570 "Battlemage" graphics cards. Preliminary support is also added for AMD "Navi 48" RDNA 4. This is also the first version of GPU-Z to support detection of Qualcomm Adreno 540, 630, 640, and 642L. GPU-Z is an x86 application, although you can run it on Windows on Arm platforms, where the operating system's emulation allows GPU-Z to detect the underlying hardware.

Among the other GPUs we've added support for, include the iGPU of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, NVIDIA H100 80 GB HBM3, A4000H, A800 40 GB Active, RTX 5880 Ada, and Tesla K40st. We've also added PCI vendor detection for ONIX, the new Intel Arc board partner, and Shangke. A crash on some AMD Ryzen systems with older drivers, an installed discrete GPU, and disabled iGPU, has been fixed. Grab GPU-Z from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 2.61.0

Dynabook has introduced the Protégé X30W powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 165H processor. At first glance, that hardly seems impressive, but a closer look at the device reveals that the laptop weighs a feather-light 989 grams, or roughly 2.2 lbs. The device is also a convertible, which means that the hinge allows for 360° rotation, effectively converting the laptop into a tablet.

Apart from its lightweight design, there is little else about the laptop that is worth noting. The highest-end variant sports a Core Ultra 7 165H, which is a plenty-powerful chip, featuring 6 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores for a total of 14 cores and 22 threads, since the Crestmont cores do not support Hyper-Threading. An 8-core Arc iGPU handles the graphics, and delivers decent performance that nearly matches the RTX 2050 Mobile in certain cases. The system features up to 32 GB of DDR5-5200 memory, and up to a 2 TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

The gaming performance of Intel's latest Core Ultra 200-series "Arrow Lake-S" desktop processors missed the mark by quite a bit, ending up slower than the 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" processors. Adding pressure to Intel is AMD's recent launch of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which extends the company's leadership in gaming performance, ending up to 12% faster than the top Core Ultra 9 285K at gaming (1080p). The company then announced that it has identified possible reasons why gaming performance of "Arrow Lake" ended up below expectations, and that it's working on a microcode-level update to the processor.

A discussion in the ASUS ROG Forums sheds light on what this microcode update could be. Allegedly, it's called the Intel 0x114 Microcode Update, and you can expect it soon in a beta UEFI firmware update from ASUS and other motherboard vendors, which makes it possible that we see a public release of the microcode either by yearend, or in Q1-2025. There's still no word on the extent of gaming performance gain from this microcode, but if we were to speculate, Intel wouldn't bother with such an update if it didn't at least bring "Arrow Lake" to the same gaming performance level as "Raptor Lake," if not higher.

Recent Geekbench results have surfaced for Intel's unreleased Core Ultra 5 225F processor without an integrated GPU, showcasing interesting performance improvements over its predecessors. The benchmark results, initially shared by Benchleaks on X, reveal that this new 10-core chip delivers performance comparable to the higher-core-count Core i5-13600. The Core Ultra 5 225F achieved a single-core score of 2,653 points and a multi-core score of 13,028 points. The processor combines six P-cores, four E-cores, and 20 MB of L3 cache. During testing, the chip reached a maximum frequency of 4.887 GHz. When compared to its direct predecessor, the Core i5-14400F, the new 225F demonstrates significant improvements with approximately 13% better performance in both single and multi-core tests.

More impressively, it manages to edge out the 14-core Core i5-13600 by 5% across both metrics despite having fewer cores and threads. However, the 225F falls behind its premium sibling with four more E-cores, the Core Ultra 5 245K, which outperforms it by 16% in single-core and 44% in multi-core operations. The Core Ultra 5 225F is expected to be part of Intel's new 65 W TDP lineup, targeting mainstream desktop systems with limited overclocking capabilities. This positions it as a more energy-efficient alternative to the current 125 W TDP Core Ultra 200 series processors. While we wait for more firmware updates to boost Arrow Lake performance, Intel could target the launch of the F-series SKUs for CES 2025, which is just a few weeks away now.

Intel has significantly changed its latest 0x112 microcode update, removing users' ability to bypass the Digital Linear Voltage Regulator (DLVR) through standard BIOS settings on "Arrow Lake" processors. DLVR, a technology designed to provide precise voltage control for individual performance cores and efficiency core clusters, offers great benefits during gaming sessions and light workloads. According to overclocker der8auer's analysis, DLVR can effectively manage power consumption during gaming, with power losses of around 20 W at typical gaming loads. However, these losses can shoot up to approximately 88 W under full CPU utilization. Previously, users could disable DLVR through a BIOS setting called "Power Gate" mode, which is particularly useful for intensive workloads where power losses might impact performance. With the new microcode update, this option has been removed from standard BIOS settings. It is also worth pointing out that DLVR is in its second iteration inside Arrow Lake CPUs, after the initial debut in "Raptor Lake," which had DLVR fused off.

Intel explained to Hardwareluxx that this change was implemented to "prevent accidental misuse of DLVR bypass," restricting its use to extreme overclocking scenarios involving sub-ambient cooling methods like liquid nitrogen. The update has already been rolled out through BIOS updates on some Z890 chipset motherboards, with ASRock and MSI being among the first manufacturers to implement the new microcode. While DLVR bypass may still be accessible through specialized LN2 profiles on high-end motherboards, the average enthusiast user loses direct control over this feature. This development mainly affects early Arrow Lake adopters, as not all motherboards include extreme overclocking profiles. While Intel's move appears to prevent potential issues, we must remember that power settings are something that users should only change with plenty of consideration. Removing this power gate mod is Intel prevention for Raptor Lake-like situations where these chips had an issue with Vmin shift.