In case you didn’t know, Intel has been having a tough time. However they’re taking steps in the proper course. Most lately, they made a significant announcement at CES 2026, revealing their new Panther Lake chip for laptops.
Our sister publication, PCWorld, obtained its arms on an Asus ZenBook Duo laptop computer outfitted with a Core Extremely X9 388H Panther Lake chip and ran a number of benchmarks. The outcomes are encouraging for Home windows customers. However that is Macworld, and we’re concerned with how the Intel chip compares to Apple’s M-series. Beneath is a chart of PCWorld’s outcomes pitted in opposition to Apple’s household of entry-level M-series chips. Take your time and click on by the charts.
Intel Core Extremely X9 388H Panther Lake vs. Apple M-series
Outcomes are scores. Larger scores/longer bars are higher.
Whereas the 388H is quicker than the M4 that’s presently within the MacBook Air, it’s outpaced by the bottom M5 within the MacBook Professional–and that M5 goes to make its option to the MacBook Air any week now. The 388H’s multi-core efficiency is barely barely behind the M5, however the distinction is extra outstanding whenever you have a look at single-core efficiency, the place the M5 and M4 have a noticeable edge, and even the M3 beat the 388H.
The 388H does beat the M5 within the Geekbench Compute check, which gauges the efficiency of the GPU. Nevertheless, this check is completed utilizing OpenCL, an ordinary framework favored by Home windows PCs, although it’s an open commonplace and might run on macOS. For optimum Mac efficiency, Apple recommends utilizing its Steel framework, and the M4 and M5 Geekbench Compute Steel scores are 57082 and 76963, respectively. Take that for what it’s price.
Apart from efficiency, there’s energy consumption to think about, and it’s a bit tougher to check the 388H to the M5. Intel’s chip is rated at 25W, whereas the M5 is rated at 15W. The Asus ZenBook Duo that PCWorld examined has a 99-watt-hour battery, whereas the M5 MacBook Professional‘s battery is rated at 72.4 watt-hours. PCWorld’s testing netted about 22 hours on the ZenBook Duo working on a single display, a very good deal higher than the MacBook Air, which lasted round 18 hours, however throughout the anticipated vary for a bigger battery. Plus, PCWorld notes that efficiency dropped by about 20 % when working on the battery.
When you’re concerned with studying extra about Panther Lake, give PCWorld’s article a learn. However one factor is definite from the outcomes: Apple’s resolution to go together with its personal silicon was the proper one. There’s no extra wanting again.
