Intel and AMD Refresh Desktop SoCs

Intel and AMD launched refreshed CPUs in 2026, with modest performance gains as Intel cut prices and AMD pushed higher‑end positioning.

Intel and AMD brought new processors with existing architectures to market to start off 2026. Intel’s Arrow Lake Refresh provides a modest boost to core counts and clock speeds, and addresses performance issues observed in the initial Arrow Lake launch in 2024, while providing a sizable discount. Comparatively, AMD released a refresh of the Granite Ridge 3D V-Cache CPU from last year—providing a modest throughput improvement at a price premium—putting it on the border between AMD’s mainstream Ryzen series and high-end Threadripper series.