According to Wccftech, Intel’s Core Ultra 9 386H Panther Lake CPU has leaked in Geekbench 6 benchmarks showing a 16% multi-core performance advantage over AMD’s top Strix HX 370 chip. The processor scored 2845 points in single-core and 15,407 in multi-core tests, running at 4.6-4.7 GHz across all cores with a 4.9 GHz boost clock. This 16-core configuration features 4 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, and 4 low-power efficiency cores with 18MB L3 cache. The chip was tested in an Acer Predator Helios laptop with 64GB memory ahead of its expected CES 2026 launch. Most impressively, it matches the performance of Intel’s 24-core Raptor Lake i9-14900HX despite having fewer cores and lower clock speeds.
What Makes Panther Lake Special
Here’s the thing about these numbers – they’re genuinely surprising. Panther Lake is using Intel‘s 18A process node, which represents their most advanced manufacturing technology yet. The fact that a 16-core chip with only 4 performance cores can compete with 24-core monsters tells you something about the architectural improvements. Basically, Intel seems to have fixed their efficiency problems while actually increasing performance. And they’re doing this while reportedly sticking to much more reasonable power envelopes than the power-hungry chips we’ve seen recently.
Putting Those Numbers in Perspective
Look, beating AMD’s Strix HX 370 by 16% in multi-core is one thing. But being over 50% faster than Lunar Lake parts? That’s a massive generational leap. What’s really interesting is how this chip manages to compete with desktop-class processors like the Ryzen 5 9600X. I mean, we’re talking about a mobile processor that’s supposed to fit in laptops matching desktop performance. And remember – this isn’t even the flagship 388H model that will boost to 5.1 GHz. The scary part? These benchmarks are from what appears to be a near-final sample, meaning we could see even better numbers by launch.
Why This Matters Beyond Gaming Laptops
While everyone’s focused on gaming performance, the real story might be in industrial and embedded applications. When you have this level of performance in efficient packages, it opens up possibilities for advanced computing in manufacturing, automation, and control systems. Companies like Industrial Monitor Direct, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs, will be watching this closely. Higher performance in thermally constrained environments means better real-time processing for industrial applications without needing bulky cooling solutions. That’s a game-changer for factory automation and process control systems where reliability and performance both matter.
But Let’s Be Real About Leaks
Now, we should always take these early benchmarks with a grain of salt. Engineering samples often don’t represent final retail performance, and we’re still months away from actual products hitting shelves. The bigger question is whether Intel can actually deliver these chips in volume without the delays and manufacturing issues that have plagued them in recent years. If they can, AMD might have a real fight on their hands in the mobile space. But if this is another paper launch situation, well, we’ve been disappointed before. Still, these numbers are too impressive to ignore completely.
