A recent leak had indicated that Intel's upcoming Arrow Lake-H processors would feature a combination of three distinct CPU core designs: Lion Cove (P-core), Skymont (E-core), and Crestmont (LP E-core). However, new information from a Geekbench listing for the Core Ultra 9 285H suggests a different outcome. Intel is set to unveil Arrow Lake-H, Arrow Lake-HX, and an additional Raptor Lake refresh during CES 2025.
Performance Metrics
The top-tier Arrow Lake-H CPU appeared on Geekbench, achieving scores of 2,665 in single-core and 15,330 in multi-core tests. It was tested in conjunction with a Dell laptop equipped with 64 GB of DDR5-6400 memory, hinting that it might be targeted towards workstation users. The Core Ultra 9 285H features a total of 16 CPU cores arranged in a 6+10 setup, with the P-core boost clock advertised at 5.4 GHz. Nevertheless, it appears that the CPU is experiencing significant throttling, failing to reach the promised boost clock speeds.
Comparison with Competitors
Due to this throttling issue, the Core Ultra 9 285H is only 6% faster than the Meteor Lake-based Core Ultra 9 185H (which scored 2,506 in single-core and 13,972 in multi-core tests) and 9% faster in multi-core performance. It falls short when compared to the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, which managed to score 2,857 and 15,221 points in the same benchmarks. Curiously, even the Lunar Lake-based Core Ultra 9 288V outperforms it in single-core tasks.
Future Expectations
While it's expected that performance will likely improve by the time of launch, the Core Ultra 9 285H does not seem to offer a substantial upgrade over Meteor Lake. It is hoped that there will be a notable enhancement in power efficiency, which Intel has been focusing on since the launch of Lunar Lake earlier this year.
