Is Intel Lunar Lake undeniably exceptional?

We are swiftly approaching the official reveal of Intel’s groundbreaking Lunar Lake processors. An exclusive event is scheduled to take place in anticipation of IFA 2024 (early September). Lunar Lake marks a significant advancement for Intel, as it is a series designed solely for notebook PCs, focusing on delivering optimal efficiency and greatly enhanced performance. Recently, a Core Ultra 7 268V chip was spotted in Geekbench. While not the highest-tier processor of the lineup, its performance is striking, especially when compared to its contemporary counterparts.

Lunar Lake: compact yet formidable

Let’s delve into the findings from these test results. The Intel Core Ultra 7 268V achieved an impressive single-core score of 2,915 points in Geekbench 6.2. To put this into perspective, this System on a Chip (SoC) boasts a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 17 W and performs akin to an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X desktop processor with a TDP of 120 W (2,926 points). In a similar category, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, AMD’s premium notebook Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) with a 35W TDP, scored 2,833 points.

Turning our focus to multi-core performance, the Core Ultra 7 268V achieved 11,448 points. This result closely trails the performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS with a TDP of 45W, which scored 11,775 points. Notably, the Ryzen AI 9 365 (35W) outshines due to its higher core count and TDP, garnering 13,032 points (13%). The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 lags further with 14,773 points (29%). It is important to bear in mind that this Intel SoC is primarily designed for ultra-portable devices.

Considering the distinct design of Lunar Lake, it is vital to note that the Core Ultra 7 268V features “only” 8 cores. Delving deeper, these 8 cores comprise of 4 high-performance cores (P-Core) and 4 high-efficiency cores (E-Core). Operating at a base frequency of 3.30 GHz and a Turbo frequency of 5.00 GHz, this processor’s performance stands out in comparison. When evaluated against an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS with 8 P-Cores and a 45W TDP, the difference becomes apparent. In contrast, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 boasts 12 cores and 24 threads (4x P-Core 8x E-Core) with a TDP of 54W.

Once again, these results validate the potential of this new generation. The anticipation for further data sharing is palpable.