RuggON, a global provider of rugged computing solutions, announces the launch of the SOL 7, a groundbreaking 12-inch fully rugged tablet and the first powered by Intel Arrow Lake processors. Designed for high-performance computing in demanding environments, the SOL 7 delivers next-generation AI capabilities, robust durability and seamless connectivity for critical sectors including public safety, automotive applications, warehousing, logistics, and agricultural.

Unmatched AI Performance with Intel Arrow Lake
Powered by the latest the latest Intel Core Ultra 5/7 processor with integrated Intel AI Boost, the SOL 7 enables powerful on-device AI for real-time analytics, image recognition, and rapid decision-making. Equipped with a suite of data capture tools including optional 2D barcode scanner with OCR, NFC reader with FIDO2 security, smart card reader, fingerprint reader and UHF RFID reader, the SOL 7 empowers field professionals to operate smarter, faster, and more securely.

MSI IPC is proud to unveil the MS-CF23, a high-performance Mini-ITX motherboard designed for mainstream embedded and industrial applications. Powered by the latest 15th Gen Intel Arrow Lake-S Core Ultra 9/7/5 Series processors and integrated with the Intel H810 chipset, the MS-CF23 delivers exceptional processing power, enhanced connectivity, and maximum flexibility in a compact size.

Notably, the Arrow Lake Core Ultra processors are Intel's first to include an integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), bringing dedicated AI acceleration directly on the chip for smarter and faster edge computing. Engineered to meet diverse application needs such as digital signage, automation, and edge computing, the MS-CF23 offers rich I/O, scalable memory support, and advanced display capabilities, all with robust reliability and simple integration. Ideal for applications such as automation, digital signage, and edge computing, the MS-CF23 is packed with features to support robust computing and connectivity.

Intel today released the latest version of its Arc GPU Graphics Drivers. Version 101.6877 Beta fixes an issue where the audio solution connected to the iGPU (eg: HDMI or DP passthrough audio) experiences audio glitches or lower than expected performance. This was an issue noticed on handheld game consoles, powered by Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processors. This is the only issue fixed with this release, there are no new game optimization. The company identified a list of issues specific to Arc "Battlemage" discrete GPUs, "Alchemist" discrete GPUs, and the iGPUs of Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" and Core Ultra "Lunar Lake" and "Arrow Lake" processors.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.6877 Beta

Intel's "Nova Lake-S" desktop processors are getting the finishing touches, with a likely arrival scheduled for the second half of 2026. As the successor to "Arrow Lake Refresh," Nova Lake-S introduces a modular design that separates graphics and media functions across distinct tiles. This approach builds on experience from "Meteor Lake," which splits its graphics engine from its media and display units onto separate chiplets. For Nova Lake-S, Intel plans to employ two different GPU architectures: Xe3 "Celestial" for graphics rendering and Xe4 "Druid" for media and display duties, all within a single package. Celestial will manage primary 3D rendering and gaming workloads, while Druid will handle display pipelines and hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding. By utilizing a more advanced process node, such as TSMC's 2 nm, Intel can optimize media engine performance without increasing costs for the entire GPU subsystem.

On the CPU side, Nova Lake-S is expected to span four primary SKU tiers. The flagship model could feature 52 cores (16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and four LPE-cores). A 28-core version may target high-end laptops and desktops with eight P-cores, 16 E-cores, and four low-power E-cores. A 16-core variant could serve both the lower-power desktop and laptop segments, featuring four P-cores, eight E-cores, and four low-power E-cores. Finally, an 8-core entry-level part offers four P-cores and four low-power E-cores. Although it remains uncertain whether all SKUs will combine both Xe3 and Xe4 tiles, Intel's tile-based strategy makes it straightforward to mix and match GPU configurations for different market segments. Rumors also suggest that Intel may use its 18A node alongside TSMC's advanced processes for various tile elements. As Panther Lake mobile parts approach the second half of 2025 and Arrow Lake Refresh prepares for its desktop release, Nova Lake-S is the pinnacle of Intel's advanced chip packaging.

At Computex 2025, Shuttle introduced a new range of compact PCs designed to meet the needs of professional, industrial, and edge-AI users. The company presented five distinct models. The star of the show is the XPC Slim DB860. Housed in a sleek, slimline chassis, it accepts Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors (Arrow Lake) with up to 65 watts of thermal design power. Users can install up to 96 gigabytes of DDR5-5600 memory across two slots. Storage options include one 2.5-inch drive bay and one M.2 NVMe or SATA slot. Video outputs consist of two HDMI 2.1 ports capable of 7680 × 4320 at 60 Hz, two DisplayPort outputs supporting 4096 × 2160 at 120 Hz, and a USB4 port for a fourth display. A total of eight USB 3.2 ports and dual Intel Ethernet ports (1 Gb and 2.5 Gb) round out the I/O panel, making the DB860 suitable for creative workstations or small servers.

While Colorful is usually known for its GPUs, the Computex 2025 booth was populated with some interesting mini PC designs and laptops. First on the menu are Colorful's new laptops. The new EVOL G16 Pro and P16 Pro laptops arrive powered by NVIDIA's latest RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti mobile GPUs. Under the hood, they can be configured with up to a 14th Generation Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, which boasts 24 cores, 32 threads, and a maximum P-core turbo clock of 5.8 GHz, and thanks to Intel's Application Performance Optimization technology, demanding applications and games run more smoothly and responsively. Both models sport a 2K QHD display (2560 × 1600) that refreshes at 300 Hz, while full 100% sRGB coverage ensures colors are reproduced with exceptional accuracy and vibrancy.

Intel has revised the recommended retail prices for two of its Core Ultra 7 200S series desktop processors, making the most significant adjustment to its "Arrow Lake‑S" lineup since it launched six months ago. As of right now, the Core Ultra 7 265K carries an MSRP of $299 instead of $399, and the unlocked 265KF model is now $284, down from $384. Intel notes these are suggested prices only—actual costs will vary by retailer, region, taxes, and other factors. These price changes come alongside Intel's Spring Bundle promotion, where buyers receive blockbuster game keys and professional software licenses with qualifying purchases of Core Ultra Series 2 and 14th Gen processors. Intel emphasizes that the new MSRPs are separate from these bundles, so combining both savings opportunities is still possible. Interestingly, Intel has left the pricing for its top‑end Core Ultra 9 285/285K ($549/$589) and its mainstream Core Ultra 5 245/245K/245KF ($270/$309/$294) unchanged.

This suggests the company is focusing on mid‑range SKUs to win back market share rather than adjusting the entire Arrow Lake‑S family. This move also reflects market pressure—early stability issues with the 14th Gen chips and strong performance from AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D series have made Intel's task tougher. A glance at retailer listings shows not everyone has updated prices yet; in some cases, the Core Ultra 7 265K can already be found for under $299. Whether these cuts will drive more gamers, creators, and professionals to Arrow Lake‑S remains to be seen, but Intel is clearly betting on a winning combination of price, recently boosted performance, and bundled extras.

MSI, a global leader in industrial computing solutions, proudly announces the release of the MS-C927, a highly compact and fanless embedded Box PC designed to meet the growing demand for power-efficient edge computing in harsh and space-constrained environments. Powered by Intel 's Meteor Lake-U and Arrow Lake-U series Core Ultra processors, the MS-C927 delivers high performance, reliable connectivity, AI acceleration, and rich I/O in an ultra-compact form factor.

Feature-Rich, Future-Ready
With a footprint of only 130 x 155 x 40 mm, the MS-C927 fits seamlessly into tight enclosures while offering exceptional processing power and industrial-grade durability. It features DDR5 memory up to 96 GB, dual 4K DisplayPort outputs, dual LAN including 2.5GbE, and multiple M.2 slots for NVMe storage, wireless connectivity, and cellular communication.

Die shots of Intel's "Arrow Lake" desktop processors have appeared online, confirming the chiplet design we have known about since the launch. The images annotated by the YouTube channel HighYield show a four‑tile arrangement mounted on a base die made with Intel's 22 nm FinFET process. The compute tile sits at the top left, built on TSMC's N3B node and covering 117.24 mm². To its right are the SoC tile on TSMC's N6 node measuring 86.65 mm², and the GPU tile, which houses four Xe cores alongside an Arc Alchemist render slice. The I/O tile, at 24.48 mm² on the same N6 node, completes the group at the bottom left. Intel has redesigned its hybrid core layout for Arrow Lake, moving away from separate P‑core and E‑core clusters. Four of the eight high‑performance P‑cores line the die's outer edges, with the remaining four in the center. In between these lie the four efficiency E‑core clusters, each sharing 3 MB of L2 cache. A unified 36 MB L3 cache ring bus connects to every core, allowing E‑cores to tap into that larger cache pool for the first time. Intel aims to spread heat more evenly and boost background task performance.

The I/O tile integrates Thunderbolt 4 controllers, PCIe buffers and PHYs. The SoC tile carries display engines, media accelerators and DDR5 memory controllers. All tiles are bonded to the base die via Intel's Foveros Omni stacking technology. Arrow Lake also reflects a shift in Intel's manufacturing strategy. Plans to use Intel's 20A node were dropped in favor of TSMC processes, making this the first desktop CPU from Intel that relies almost entirely on external foundries. On the software side, Intel has begun offering its IPO profiles in select prebuilt systems. These presets optimize CPU and memory settings for a hassle‑free performance boost that remains within warranty limits. Meanwhile, the native 200S Boost overclocking option is rolling out via BIOS updates. Early tests suggest that 200S Boost alone yields modest gains unless paired with very high-speed DDR5 modules, while IPO profiles deliver more consistent improvements with mainstream memory configurations.

In the last few weeks, Intel rolled out two new performance‑enhancing presets for its Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" processors: Intel Performance Optimizations (IPO) and the factory‑approved 200S Boost overclocking profile. Independent benchmarks shared by a BiliBili user reveal that IPO delivers a slightly stronger uplift in gaming performance compared with 200S Boost. Testing centered on a Core Ultra 7 265K paired with DDR5‑8000 memory and a GeForce RTX 5090D. Seven modern titles were measured at 4K with DLSS enabled where supported. Three system presets were compared: a baseline with XMP‑enabled DDR5‑8000, Intel's 200S Boost, and Intel IPO. Under 200S Boost, Intel ramps the chip's Die‑to‑Die (D2D) fabric from 2.1 GHz to 3.2 GHz and the Next‑Generation Uncore (NGU) fabric from 2.6 GHz to 3.2 GHz, while maintaining factory CPU clock speeds. By contrast, IPO takes a more holistic approach: P‑core and E‑core boost clocks rise to 5.4 GHz and 4.9 GHz (from 5.2 GHz/4.9 GHz), the ring bus ticks up to 4.0 GHz (from 3.8 GHz), and memory is overdriven to DDR5‑8400 with tightened timings.

IPO's D2D and NGU fabrics run at 3.1 GHz due to power-and-thermal headroom trade-offs. Across the board, IPO edged out 200S Boost by roughly 2% in average frame rates and 1% in the 1% lows. In Forza Horizon 5, IPO delivered 274 FPS versus 269 FPS on 200S Boost, with 1% lows of 198 FPS (+1 FPS). Cyberpunk 2077 saw a 3% jump to 297 FPS average and a 6% gain in 1% lows. Total War: Warhammer III's averages climbed 6%, while 1% lows rose 9% under IPO. The most pronounced advantage appeared in Counter‑Strike 2 (tested at 1080p), where IPO boosted averages by 16% and 1% lows by 20 %. Watch Dogs: Legion also benefited, with an 8% average and 9% low‑end uplift. These results suggest that IPO's balanced tuning of CPU cores, ring bus, interconnects, and memory yields consistent, measurable gains over the simpler fabric‑focused 200S Boost profile. Intel has yet to greenlight the IPO's broader rollout beyond its initial OEM launch in China, but these early figures hint at meaningful real‑world improvements for Arrow Lake gamers.

Just over two weeks ago, NVIDIA officially outlined a vague May launch window for GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile 8 GB dGPU-based partner-produced laptops/notebooks—"starting at $1099." Industry watchdogs reckon that a comprehensive product reveal will happen at Computex 2025. Team Green's mid-April PR article mentioned that models "are coming from every major OEM"—an included promotional image showcased devices built by Acer, ASUS, Dell, GIGABYTE, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Razer. The ever watchful Olrak29 has unearthed two unannounced COLORFUL devices; listings have appeared within the Geekbench Browser database. A next-gen "P15 Pro" entry—published on April 20—posted an OpenCL score of 109431 (in Geekbench 6.4).

This leak lists a Intel Core i9-13900HX "Raptor Lake" CPU and an "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU." A more modern specced "iGame M15 Origo"—powered by Team Blue's Core Ultra 9 285HX "Arrow Lake" APU—option was also put through the Geekbench 6.4 wringer; this sample produced an OpenCL score of 102564 (on April 27). As observed by VideoCardz, the lower end "Blackwell" GPU beats its "Ada Lovelace" predecessor—GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile—by roughly 18% in overall OpenCL Geekbench gauntlets. Naturally, Vulkan-based scores would be better indicators of gaming performance. Early evaluators recorded maximum GPU clocks—of 2025 MHz and 2212 MHz (respectively)—on their GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile subjects.

Today, Intel introduced a new "200S Boost" factory-approved overclocking profile for the unlocked Intel Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" processors. Namely, the Core Ultra 9 285K, 7 265K/265KF, and 5 245K/245KF SKUs are supported when installed on a compatible Intel Z890 motherboard with one‑DIMM‑per‑channel Intel XMP DDR5 memory. Activating the 200S Boost profile in the BIOS raises the System-on-Chip (fabric) clock from 2.6 GHz to up to 3.2 GHz and the die‑to‑die interconnect from 2.1 GHz to up to 3.2 GHz (within VccSA ≤ 1.20 V) while pushing DDR5 speeds from stock 6,400 MT/s to as much as 8,000 MT/s (VDD2/VDDQ ≤ 1.40 V). Intel has validated the profile on a selection of Z890 boards, including ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF, ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero, Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master, MSI MEG Z890 Ace, and others. For memory kits, Intel validated DDR5 memory kits from ADATA, Corsair, G.SKILL, Team Groupp, and V‑COLOR.

Enabling 200S Boost requires a BIOS update, selecting the "Intel 200S Boost" preset under the overclocking menu, and rebooting; stability should then be verified with benchmarks like Cinebench, and thermals/voltages monitored via Intel XTU or similar tools. Perhaps the most important fact is that using the 200S Boost profile does not void Intel's three‑year limited warranty on boxed Core Ultra 200S CPUs, provided they weren't manually overclocked before profile activation. Intel cautions that actual gains depend on motherboard design, cooling, and memory quality, that two‑DIMM‑per‑channel setups aren't officially supported, and that damage to non‑Intel components remains outside warranty coverage. This is more of a safe heaven for anyone wanting to do manual tuning, but not wanting to break any warranty and thus risk damaging their CPU without a backup plan.

MSI IPC, a leading provider of industrial computing solutions, is set to exhibit at Japan IT Week Spring 2025, held from April 23-25 at Tokyo Big Sight, Booth East Hall 3 #21-2. The company will showcase its latest innovations in AI computing, embedded systems, and edge intelligence, designed for smart manufacturing, medical, transportation, and industrial applications.

Explore the Future of Industrial Computing
MSI IPC will host a static demo featuring Intel Twin Lake, Raptor Lake, and Arrow Lake, allowing attendees to experience next-gen performance and AI acceleration. Key platforms include:

• MS-CF20 ATX (W880 chipset)- Built for high-performance workloads with expandability for industrial applications.
• MS-CF23 Mini-ITX (H810 chipset) - Compact yet powerful, ideal for space-sensitive deployments.
• MS-C927 Embedded Box PC (Arrow Lake-U & Meteor Lake-U) - Fanless, wide-temp system for industrial and embedded environments.

The long-promised gaming performance uplift for "Arrow Lake" processors is here, but for now, it is only available in China. Called Intel Performance Optimizations (IPO), this feature aims at system integrators rather than end users and offers a balanced approach between stock settings and full manual overclocking, all while preserving warranty coverage. IPO works by applying optimized profiles that adjust a range of CPU and memory parameters. On the CPU side, it fine‑tunes P‑core and E‑core frequencies, ring‑bus speeds, the UPI interconnect, D2D links between tiles, and both PL1 and PL2 power limits. For RAM, IPO raises transfer rates and tightens timings, pushing modules beyond their factory XMP or EXPO profiles. Early results from Chinese OEM Maxsun show that IPO can boost core clocks by about 200 MHz and elevate DDR5‑8000 kits to DDR5‑8400. In gaming tests provided by Maxsun, this translated to roughly a 10 percent uplift in frame rates, an encouraging figure given Arrow Lake's mild launch performance in gaming.

At debut, some Arrow Lake SKUs trailed their "Raptor Lake" predecessors because the chiplet‑based memory controller introduced extra latency and ring‑bus clocks ran slower. Supply‑chain constraints and tariffs have limited IPO's rollout to China so far, where pre‑built systems from vendors like Maxsun are shipping with the feature enabled. Warranty handling stays with the OEM, so users can enjoy the extra headroom without risking hardware support. Behind the scenes, Intel has been issuing firmware and microcode patches since December, most recently microcode 0x114 paired with CSME firmware 19.0.0.1854v2.2, to improve Arrow Lake's efficiency. IPO represents the next step in that effort and could become a model for global "opt‑in" BIOS presets if the pilot proves successful. For now, China is serving as the testing ground for Intel's latest attempt to squeeze more performance out of Arrow Lake. We have to wait and see if Western markets follow soon.

Intel today released the latest version of its Arc GPU Graphics Drivers. Version 101.6734 WHQL mostly builds on the recent 101.6732 Beta release, with just a couple of changes. To begin with, it introduces a new power management optimization for Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processors and their iGPUs for handheld gaming consoles, such as the new generation of MSI Claw based on them. Next up, it fixes an issue with Core Ultra series 2 processors ("Lunar Lake" and "Arrow Lake") where some games don't enumerate all supported display resolutions in the game settings of some notebook devices. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.6734 WHQL

Back in February, we reported on Intel considering a resurrection of the "Arrow Lake Refresh" Core Ultra 300 series of CPUs. However, it seems that @Jaykihn, a reliable source of Intel leaks, has confirmed that Intel will indeed push the refresh of Arrow Lake in the form of Core Ultra 300 series of CPUs, limited to K and KF SKUs only. This means we will likely see only overclockable SKUs being refreshed, with possibly enhanced boost frequency and/or core count. With 125 W TDP, these new SKUs would target high-end markets, passionate overclockers, and system integrators selling high-end builds with these CPUs. The refresh's journey to confirmation has been turbulent. Initial rumors in 2023 suggested an ambitious core-count bump for Arrow Lake-S, followed by speculation that Intel would prioritize NPU upgrades, potentially mirroring Lunar Lake's reported 48 TOPS capability—a massive leap from the current Core Ultra 9 285 K's 13 TOPS. By late 2023, leaks hinted at the project's cancellation, but insiders like Chinese leaker Golden Pig Upgrade later revived hopes, asserting that desktop-focused "ARL-S Refresh" had been quietly resurrected.

Jaykihn's latest intel narrows the scope: only K/KF-series chips will receive tweaks, leaving non-overclockable SKUs untouched. Intel is also reportedly developing new performance profiles for existing Arrow Lake CPUs, separate from warranty-voiding BIOS tweaks. These optimizations, alongside the upcoming Intel Performance Optimization (IPO) program, aim to help OEMs and system integrators push pre-built systems further via safer, stability-focused adjustments to clock speeds, power limits, and memory overclocking. While enthusiasts may still prefer manual overclocking, IPO could democratize performance gains for mainstream users. The Core Ultra 300 series will slot into Intel's LGA-1851 roadmap between the base Arrow Lake-S (Core Ultra 200) and 2026's next-gen Nova Lake-S (Core Ultra 400).

The oft-rumored status of Intel's refreshed generation of Arrow Lake processors (ARL-R) was the topic of much debate in 2023. By September 2024, certain industry watchdogs believed that the endeavor had ended. Early last month, Golden Pig Upgrade proposed that Team Blue leadership had resurrected the troubled project—at least with "ARL-S Refresh" desktop CPUs. Earlier today, the noted leaker of inside information returned to the topic of Arrow Lake Refresh. According to industry moles, the launch of refreshed desktop processors (on LGA 1851) is confirmed.

An extended timeline was disclosed in Golden Pig Upgrade's latest musing: "Arrow Lake HX Refresh is confirmed to return. Don't criticize the interface for only one generation. AI PCs are getting bigger and stronger." Given that ARL-HX-equipped high-end notebooks and mini PCs—with Core Ultra 7 200 series APUs—are relatively new arrivals, a mild update later on in the year could be considered pointless. Intel has committed themselves to a launch of Panther Lake mobile processors (PTL-H) in the second half of 2025. As disclosed by past leaks, the "beefing up" of onboard NPUs—to Lunar Lake-esque standards—is a reported goal; at least with Arrow Lake-S.

MSI IPC, a global leader in computing and AI-driven solutions, is set to unveil its latest Edge AI Computing innovations at Booth No. 1-389, Embedded World 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany. Powered by the latest Intel platform, MSI's cutting-edge technologies will drive advancements in automation, digital signage management, and AI-driven customer interactions.

Several MSI's partners, including Alptech, Spo-comm, Spectra, and Elmark, are joining this event to showcase their cutting-edge solutions powered by MSI IPC products. Their demonstrations will feature a diverse range of applications, including 4U rackmount systems, Panel PCs (PPC), and KIOSK solutions, highlighting the versatility and performance of MSI's industrial computing technology in various sectors.

LG Electronics USA (LG) today announced pricing and pre-order availability of its 2025 AI-enabled LG gram lineup, the company's first on-device AI-laptops powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs. Introduced at CES 2025, the new lineup includes the LG gram Pro Z90TP ($1999 to $2399), LG gram Pro Copilot+PC Z90TS ($1849 to $2399), LG gram Pro 2-in-1 T90TP ($1999 to $2399) and LG gram Copilot+PC Z90TL ($1999 to $2399). Leveraging LG's gram AI technology, and cloud AI capabilities powered by GPT-4o, these laptops deliver impressive hybrid AI performance while preserving the LG gram's iconic slim and lightweight design.

Throughout the duration of the pre-order period (Feb. 24, 2025 to March 23, 2025), customers will receive an LG gram +view IPS portable monitor (349.99 value) at no additional cost and $200 savings on select models. All standard terms of purchase apply.

A recent Cinebench R23 result portrayed the upcoming Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX lagging behind its predecessor by a few points in single-core performance, despite pulling well ahead in multicore performance. Now, the high-end Arrow Lake-HX chip has made its debut on Passmark, and the result appears quite enticing, to say the least. In single-core, the Core Ultra 9 275HX leads the i9 14900HX by around 10% - a fair generational uplift. In overall performance, however, the Core Ultra 9 275HX shines bright, pulling off a 33% lead over its predecessor. Of course, the actual improvements are likely to be lower, considering that the Passmark database contains over 1800 entries for Core i9 14900HX-powered systems with varying thermal capabilities, while only a single one so far for the 275HX.

For a refresher, the Core Ultra 9 275HX debuted at CES 2025, and packs 8 Lion Cove P-cores along with 16 Skymont E-cores. Intel has left Hyper-Threading in the rearview mirror with its Arrow Lake lineup, although the Passmark entry seems to suggest Arrow Lake-HX will do just fine without it. Unsurprisingly, for laptops, the performance of the system will boil down to its thermal capabilities, which basically means that there will be a plethora of systems where the 275HX will be unable to fully spread its wings. Besides that, as with all pre-release performance benchmark leaks, be sure to accept this information with a grain of salt. The Ryzen 7945HX3D is also left behind, albeit by a far smaller margin of just around 7% in overall performance. With the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D just around the corner, however, Intel's high-end laptop reign might be short-lived after all.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX was unveiled by Big Blue at CES 2025, packing 8 Lion Cove performance cores and 16 Skymont efficiency cores for a total of 24 cores and 24 threads, thanks to Intel doing away with Hyper-Threading support. As such, we already had quite low expectations for multicore performance from Arrow Lake-HX, although a recently listed Cinebench R23 run appears to confirm the contrary. However, considering the nature of leaks, be sure to accept this information with a fair amount of skepticism until more information comes our way.

To be honest, this result is quite a doozy, for the aforementioned reason. Like its predecessor, the Core Ultra 9 275HX will also boast the same number of performance and efficiency cores, without Hyper-Threading support. But somehow, the result indicates that the 275HX handily outperforms the Core i9-14900HX in multicore performance by ~11%, despite losing out in single-core performance by the skin of its teeth. Of course, there are plenty of desktop-replacement laptops that can pull off higher multicore scores, although it would be best to stick to median figures considering that the details of the tested system are not known. Clearly, something is going on here, that I am unable to wrap my head around. It is possible that Intel has massively improved multicore scaling, but that is not what we witnessed with a recent Passmark result, where the Core Ultra 7 255H portrayed healthy improvements over its predecessor in single-core, but not quite so in multicore.

Intel is reported to be eyeing a revival of its "Arrow Lake Refresh" desktop processor design—Golden Pig Upgrade disclosed this "strange" revelation via an updated Weibo blog post. Back in 2023, the Chinese hardware reviewer and leaker extraordinaire theorized that Team Blue's much-rumored shelving of "ARL-S/HX Refresh" came down to cost/benefit considerations relating to accommodating an upgraded NPU in the chip's tile-based design. Last September, reports suggested that Intel had put the final kibosh on a 14th Gen Core Ultra 8P+32E "Arrow Lake Refresh" processor series—leaked roadmaps had a launch window marked down for late 2025, going into 2026. Industry watchdogs have picked up on Golden Pig Upgrade's latest forecast—prompting further theorizing.

Intel has its mobile segment's future covered with Panther Lake (later in 2025) and Nova Lake (2026), but a notable gap exists in their desktop world. Nova Lake's desktop S-series is slated for launch at some point in 2026, so this year could be prime territory for a mild refresh of existing Arrow Lake-S processors—on the LGA1851 socket. Golden Pig Upgrade reckons that refreshes of ARL-S (desktop) and ARL-HX (high-end laptop) are back on Team Blue's upcoming product roadmap. Industry moles reckon that an updated NPU design—potentially similar to the one housed in Lunar Lake mobile chips—will be the only major upgrade lined up for the so-called "Core Ultra 300" processor series. Intel's current-gen flagship model—Core Ultra 9 285K—has NPU performance topping off at 13 TOPS. Refreshed Arrow Lake SKUs could be deployed with an improved NPU aspect, perhaps capable of hitting 48 TOPS.

Intel's upcoming "Nova Lake" desktop processors are taking shape slowly, featuring a three-tier core design that could reach 52 total cores. Set for 2026, the flagship SKU combines 16 "Coyote Cove" P-cores with 32 "Arctic Wolf" E-cores, supplemented by 4 LPE-cores for background task management. Intel is reportedly also considering 28-core (8P + 16E + 4LPE), and 16-core (4P + 8E + 4LPE) SKUs too. The architectural design choice centers on Intel's hybrid manufacturing approach, leveraging both its internal 14A node and TSMC's 2 nm process technology. This strategic decision addresses supply chain resilience while potentially enabling higher yields for critical compute tiles. Intel's interim co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus noted that Intel Foundry will need to earn Intel Product's trust with each new node, so if a node is not the best for their in-house IP, Intel will move to TSMC for production.

Initial engineering samples are already circulating among developers, according to shipping documentation from NBD, suggesting the validation phase is proceeding on schedule. Some specifications point to significant cache improvements, with documentation suggesting a 144 MB L3 cache implementation. However, the cache topology—whether unified or segmented—remains unspecified. The platform is expected to support PCIe Gen 6.0, though Intel has yet to confirm socket compatibility or memory specifications. However, we need to hold our expectations low. Previously unrealized configurations in Intel's roadmaps, like 40-core "Arrow Lake," never materialized, and instead, we got an eight-P-core version with 16 E-cores, totaling 24 cores. Final specifications may evolve as the platform progresses through development phases.

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.