In context: Intel Core Ultra 200 desktop processors failed to impress some reviewers (including us) 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. Fixes do nothing Update (Jan 18): We have yet to test Intel's claimed fixes for its Arrow Lake chips, however Tom's Hardware was quick to run a few gaming benchmarks on the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K. In short, the updates fail to address the underwhelming gaming performance for such a high-end chip.In some cases, performance even decreased after the updates, while previous-gen Raptor Lake Refresh chips benefited more from the required OS update, further widening the gap. Ultimately, we can't justify how Intel is trying to spin this story beyond what can be proven and making false promises does more harm than good.The original story follows below: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.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%. // Related StoriesWe'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