Intel’s Panther Lake CPU Breaks Cover with Mixed Benchmark Results

UPDATE: Intel’s highly anticipated Panther Lake CPU has surfaced in the Geekbench results, revealing benchmark scores that are raising eyebrows across the tech community. The scores, posted earlier today, show 2,849 single-core points and 15,434 multi-core points, indicating only modest improvements over its predecessor.

The specific model tested is the Core Ultra 9 386H, a mobile CPU expected to launch in January 2024 at CES. With a configuration of 16 cores—four Performance, eight Efficient, and four Low Power Efficient cores—this new chip is designed to compete in a crowded mobile market. However, initial results suggest that Intel may not have hit a performance home run with Panther Lake.

In comparison, the previous generation’s Core Ultra 9 285H achieved 2,608 single-core points and 14,812 multi-core points. This indicates that Intel has made only incremental gains, with the Panther Lake results falling short of leading industry benchmarks. For instance, Apple’s latest M5 chip and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 are scoring over 4,000 points in single-core tests, leaving Intel trailing behind.

As the competition heats up, AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 also matches the Panther Lake’s single-core score, hovering around 2,800 points. This trend underscores a growing concern that x86 chips may be lagging compared to the best Arm CPUs.

While Geekbench scores serve as a preliminary insight into performance, they do not account for real-world usage or power efficiency—critical factors for mobile CPUs. Intel’s new 18A process node aims to enhance battery life, but we’ll need to wait for further details at the official launch.

As the tech world anticipates more news, all eyes will be on Intel’s performance at CES. Stay tuned for updates as the situation develops. Will Panther Lake deliver the breakthrough performance users expect? Only time will tell.