Intel has been called out for using underhanded tactics in its latest benchmarks, which demonstrate the i9 12900K besting the Ryzen 9 5950X.

Once the undisputed leader in the semiconductor market, Intel has seen its lead eroded by its own missteps, combined with intense competition from AMD and Arm-based processors. CEO Pat Gelsinger is intent on returning the company to its former glory, and the new 12th Gen Alder Lake is a big part of those plans. The company has been touting its performance, especially compared to AMD.

There’s only one problem: Intel stacked the deck in a big way when benchmarking the chip against AMD’s Ryzen 9.

According to Notebookcheck Intel allowed its i9 processors to consume 241 W at PL1 while constraining the Ryzen to a mere 105 W, giving the i9 more than twice the power.

Even worse, Intel conducted the benchmark using an older version of Windows that was known to negatively impact Ryzen performance. Microsoft and AMD have released fixes for the issue, but the benchmark doesn’t reflect that, leading to yet another major performance advantage for the i9.

Gelsinger has made it clear he wants to rebuild the company’s credibility. Perhaps a good place to start would be honest benchmarking.