Intel recently conducted a comparative analysis of its latest Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs against AMD's Ryzen 9000 series. This was showcased through internal materials and marketing communications aimed at persuading users to select Intel for installations or upgrades. The comparisons involved the Core Ultra 9, 7, and 5 tiers, aligned against the corresponding Ryzen models to highlight performance capabilities and price-to-performance ratios. However, external feedback suggests that Intel's marketing efforts fell short, as skepticism continues within the gaming community concerning the Arrow Lake series.

At the high end, the Core Ultra 9 285K was compared against the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, 9950X, 9900X3D, and 9900X. Intel concluded that the 285K surpassed the Ryzen 9 9950X3D in content creation performance, while gaming performance was closely matched, trailing by only about 9% in specific games. Comparisons with the 9900X highlighted game-specific advantages, like a 14% lead in STALKER 2. However, independent reviews have indicated that the Ryzen 9 X3D series, with its 3D V-Cache technology, holds a more substantial advantage in most gaming scenarios, suggesting that Intel's claims might be selectively highlighted. The mid-range Core Ultra 7 265K contended with the Ryzen 7 9700X and 9800X3D. Intel's fact sheet stated that the 265K nearly matches the 9700X in 1080p gaming performance, boosted by a lower MSRP for a favorable price/performance advantage. Priced at $299 against the 9700X's $359, Intel touts a 15% "performance per dollar" advantage. Yet, the 9700X's retail price has dropped to between $279 and $299, making this comparison less persuasive. Regarding the 9800X3D, Intel acknowledges its superior gaming performance but emphasizes the 265K’s strengths in creator workloads. For gamers, however, this assertion fails to dethrone the 9800X3D as a leading gaming CPU.

In the mainstream category, the Core Ultra 5 245K directly competes with the Ryzen 5 9600X. Intel emphasizes that the 245K can surpass the 9600X by 9% in certain games, yet falls behind by a similar margin in other applications. For content creation, the 245K leverages its power-efficient cores for better multithreading performance, consistent with Intel's strategy since the 12th generation. The more affordable Core Ultra 5 225 is compared to the prior generation Core i5-14400, with claimed improvements of up to 43% in some games and an average of about 20%. However, these figures lack detailed disclosure on the test settings or whether new APO technology was activated, causing credibility issues among the gaming community. Overall, Intel's Arrow Lake-S line includes up to 12 SKUs, surpassing the 9 models in AMD’s Ryzen 9000 series. Nonetheless, the performance gap remains less pronounced than marketed. Ryzen's gaming dominance, especially with X3D models, keeps Arrow Lake from being the top choice for gamers despite its content creation strengths. Additionally, AMD's adaptable pricing strategy, with market prices often undercutting official recommendations, undermines Intel's "price/performance" argument. Notably, recent DIY market installation data reveals Ryzen CPUs achieving record sales, while Arrow Lake fails to meet expectations.

Internally, Intel is reviewing these outcomes. Executives acknowledge that Nova Lake, the forthcoming architectural update for desktops, is anticipated to deliver significant improvements in energy efficiency and single-core performance. For now, Arrow Lake is seen as a transitional product; despite its broader SKU offering, it struggles to rival AMD’s stronghold in the perceptions of gamers and tech enthusiasts, leaving Ryzen 9000 as the prevailing favorite in the market.