The owners of Intel’sbest processorshave been dealing with unbalance issue for months . The first time a novel firmware update rolled out , not only did we not see a fixture , but we also sawperformance drops of up to 9 % . It ’s no wonder that many users approachedthe in vogue BIOS updatewith caution . Luckily , based on various trial run , it seems like Intel ’s doing it mighty this time around so far .

Several testers and publication took the new 0x129 microcode update out for a spin , and while there are certainly some instances of performance drops , it ’s really nowhere well-nigh as risky as a 9 % dip on average .

The bad news ? If your CPU is already crashing , the new update wo n’t help . It was made to prevent the issue from cropping up in central processor that have yet to run into any problems . With that out of the way , let ’s dig into termination achieved by JayzTwoCents , a YouTuber who tested the Core i9 - 14900 K with an MSI motherboard both before and after new BIOS updates .

JayzTwoCents test the CPU in a issue of benchmarks , and more often than not , the results were secretive to the same . The up - to - date system scored 38,077 points in the Cinebench R23 multi - core psychometric test , while the reading running the 0x123 firmware update scored 38,006 points . Single - threaded scores turned out similar , with 2,336 points for the non - updated CPU and 2,345 points after the update .

The previous BIOS variant scores a lowly lead in Cinebench R24 , though , with 2,136 decimal point versus 2,124 points in the multi - threaded test . It ’s something , but it ’s really around a 0.6 % divergence — nothing to write dwelling house about .

The Geekbench CPU test is similar , with a modest drop curtain for the fresh BIOS ( 20,169 pointedness versus 20,003 ) . JayzTwoCents also tested the CPU in Handbrake to see whether there was any impact on rescale workloads , and the result was within the gross profit of error , with 59 seconds for the 0x123 patch and 60 seconds for the 0x129 patch .

The only really pregnant difference of opinion was in the TimeSpy Extreme CPU trial , where the pre - update score was at 11,941 point , but the post - update test only returned 11,264 point . It ’s nothing that you ’d notice in solar day - to - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. use , but it no longer classifies as “ almost the same . ”

thing are a minuscule less slap-up when it come in to gaming . Although the CPU averaged about the same inShadow of the Tomb Raider , testing inCyberpunk 2077revealed a drop in frames per second ( Federal Protective Service ) — from 236 Federal Protective Service down to 229 Federal Protective Service at maximal , and from 190 Federal Protective Service to 186 fps on average . Would any of us be able-bodied to notice if we were execute the plot ? No luck , but it ’s still there .

While less widely used , the Core i9 - 14900 K was also tested in various workloads on Linux byPhoronix , to equate the performance impact on that operating system . At a coup d’oeil , those benchmark do n’t look as great as what JayzTwoCents was able to reach . The greatest performance loss was in the WireGuard + Linux networking stack emphasis mental test , which saw an 11.8 % drop . Overall , Python scripting benchmarks did n’t go well for the CPU .

The long list of benchmarks also feature several performance gain , though , and many of the tests only resulted in a small , insignificant difference between 2 % and 5 % . Phoronix ’s Michael Larabel summed it up : “ In the 100 + other benchmarks , there was no measurable execution difference or just diminish within the 1 % to 3 % orbit that may be system randomness and other constituent . ”

Aftermonths of silence , it feels like Intel might lastly be about to catch a shift . While this BIOS update will not deliver CPUs that are already crashing — those will need to be returned to take advantage of theextended five - class warrant period — it might prevent more terms in CPUs that are yet to struggle . If the patch actually helps , a scantily noticeable carrying out drop could be an acceptable solvent that mighthelp keep Intel afloat .