The refresh applies to the Core Ultra 200S desktop processors, which Intel introduced last October with five overclockable variants and followed up with 17 non-overclockable models in early 2025. While the Arrow Lake Refresh will keep the same LGA 1851 socket and core counts, it is expected to bump the operating clock slightly and replace the current NPU 3 unit with the newer NPU 4 from the Core Ultra 200V Lunar Lake range.

Intel has been flinging firmware patches at the problem all year, hoping to squeeze extra juice out of the existing Core Ultra 200S parts.

The ‘200S Boost’ function, which appeared around Computex, nudges SOC tile clocks up to 600MHz and lifts memory operating speed by 800MHz. According to Chipzilla, this can net up to a 10 per cent bump in frame rates for gaming workloads, but the market has responded with a resounding shrug.

Despite the firmware tweaks, Intel’s share in the DIY desktop scene has continued to slide. Figures from ConnectWave’s Tanawa service show that AMD now controls 62 per cent of the domestic PC market, compared with Intel’s 38 per cent. Even within Intel’s own ecosystem, the 14th gen Raptor Lake Refresh outsells the newer Core Ultra 200S range by almost three to one.

That puts the Arrow Lake Refresh in an awkward spot. It’s not offering major performance leaps, it’s recycling the same socket, and its big selling point is a new NPU in a market that mostly cares about CPU grunt and GPU frame rates.

Looking ahead, Intel is banking on ‘Nova Lake’ to reset the table. Due in the second half of 2026, Nova Lake will bring a new CPU and GPU architecture and is expected to finally shake things up for desktop users.

Until then, Arrow Lake Refresh looks more like a placeholder with AI branding than a meaningful upgrade. Whether NPU 4 turns heads where clock bumps didn’t remains to be seen, but given how little momentum the Core Ultra 200S has built up so far, expectations are muted.