Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Hits Geekbench, Goes Head-to-Head with Ryzen 9 9950X3D

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Laptop CPU Offering Desktop-Level Performance!

Story Highlight
  • Benchmark results show that the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX nearly rivals the desktop Ryzen 9950X3D. 
  • Part of the Arrow Lake Refresh lineup, the mobile CPU is expected to arrive in Spring 2026.
  • The configuration is pretty much the same as the Core Ultra 9 285HX, but only with a higher frequency. 

The Arrow Lake-S Refresh arrives in the next few months during the Spring season, and Intel is aiming squarely at AMD’s latest moves. While these CPUs were not mentioned in Team Blue’s CES presentation, they did say ‘stay tuned,’ and now Core Ultra 200K Plus and 200HX have started appearing in benchmarks and at retailers. 

Specifically, the new Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX will be the company’s new flagship processor for laptops, and it is packing some heat. When tested on Geekbench 6, the laptop CPU was seen to be as powerful as the desktop Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

Why it matters: Intel’s HX series is known to prioritize raw performance over efficiency, and it’s surprising to see that the new Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX, despite being a laptop processor, can rival AMD’s flagship desktop CPU.

Core Ultra 9 285HX benchmark
Benchmark Scores For The Core Ultra 9 285HX On Geekbench 6

On Geekbench, a benchmark for the Acer Predator PHN18-I71 featuring the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX has been listed, scoring 3198 points in a single-core test and 21581 points in multi-core performance.

ryzen 9950x3d benchmark
Ryzen 9950X3D Benchmark Scores For Geekbench 6

In contrast, the desktop Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 3397 in single-core and 22156 in multi-core tests.

This gap is quite minimal, and, for reference, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX features eight performance cores and 16 efficiency cores. Overall, the configuration remains pretty much the same as the Core Ultra 9 285HX, but with slightly higher clock speeds.

AMD Ryzen 9950XD Up To 64% Faster Than Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
The Ryzen 9950X3D Offered Up To 64% More Performance Than The Intel Core 9 Ultra 285K

Expect a release date in the coming months, and it’s also worth noting that this processor may deliver even greater performance in laptops with higher power capacity.

What are your thoughts on these results? Let us know in the comments below, or at the official Tech4Gamers Forums.

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