They haven’t even launched well, as Intel’s new Arrow Lake processors – specifically the Core Ultra 200-S – are already at the center of some controversy.
According to industry sources, including YouTuber Moore’s Law Is Dead, they may be suffering from problems with instability similar to those found in the predecessor Raptor Lake.
Inconsistent heads
The situation becomes worrying, especially in the context where significant discrepancies have been reported in the performance tests.
There is talk of differences of up to 10% between successive tests performed under the same conditions, which raises serious questions about the stability of the processor.
What’s more: tests showed power consumption reaching peaks of up to 370 watts. This is a paradox for some processors promoted for their energy efficiency.
Blue screens and gaming issues
The news that will worry potential buyers the most is the frequent occurrence of BSOD (the dreaded Blue Screen of Death) and compatibility issues in online games.
These are symptoms reminiscent of Intel’s earlier problems with the Raptor Lake series, which generated a wave of complaints.
Possible solution via software
On the plus side, according to the same sources, the issues seem to be software related and not hardware related.
In other words: a microcode update could fix the situation without requiring component replacements or major interventions.
Difficult context
The timing of these findings is inauspicious for Intel, especially with AMD recently announcing price cuts for the Ryzen 9000X series and the imminent release of the Ryzen 9000X3D.
Moreover, preliminary tests show that the new Core Ultra 9 285K falls behind two AMD Ryzen processors and even behind its predecessor, the Core i9-14900K.
Verdict pending
The new processors will be released this Friday. Those interested in purchasing them are already waiting for the first reviews to confirm or deny all the negative reports.
Intel is in a delicate position, considering that it has only just recovered from the controversies surrounding the degradation of the 13th and 14th generation processors.
The company cannot afford a new series of problems, especially on a new platform.
Source: www.go4it.ro
