The lineup is set for a CES 2026 reveal and, while it will barely shift the dial compared with the current crop, Chipzilla insists memory support gets a worthwhile lift alongside a few SKUs with extra E cores and slightly higher clocks.

Chipzilla’s latest datasheet for its Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs states that the refresh will support 7200 MT/s DDR5 when using CUDIMM modules with CKD clock driver chips. Everything else stays put at 5600 MT/s for UDIMM and 6400 MT/s for CSODIMM. Present Arrow Lake tops out at 6400 MT/s for CUDIMMs, so the bump comes to about 12.5 per cent.

The upgrade stems partly from a tweaked integrated memory controller and partly from platform refinements to LGA1851 boards. Chipzilla is unlikely to roll out a new PCH beyond Z890, though new board designs should deliver a cleaner experience.

Two DIMMs per channel, with speeds remaining unchanged for Arrow Lake and the refresh, and the Arrow Lake HX Core Ultra 200HX mobile variants keep their 5600 and 6400 MT/s limits for SODIMM and CSODIMM memory.

Leaked specs for the Core Ultra 200S Plus range point to SKUs with four extra E cores and around 100 MHz of extra clock on some parts. Coupled with the faster DDR5, the uplift should be tidy enough, although the market is unlikely to swoon given how flat the original Arrow Lake launch landed against AMD’s Ryzen chips.

PC builders know LGA1851 will be binned for LGA1954 in the second half of 2026 to make room for Nova Lake S, which will compete with AMD’s Zen 6 gear. This leaves the Arrow Lake refresh looking like a short-lived stopgap rather than the start of anything grand.