Intel Just Beat Apple Again After 5 Years of Losing

33%. That single number just erased five years of Intel getting schooled by Apple.

Intel's new Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" chips have finally arrived, and they're not messing around. In benchmark tests, these processors outperformed Apple's latest M5 chip by a whopping 33% in multi-core performance. This isn't just another incremental upgrade—it's the payoff from CEO Pat Gelsinger's ambitious rescue plan announced five years ago as the "cornerstone of the company's turnaround strategy."

For the first time since Apple Silicon launched, Intel is back on top. The question is: does it matter?

The Numbers Don't Lie

The test results were decisive. The Core Ultra X9 388H scored 12,855 points in Cinebench 24 multi-core, crushing Apple's M5 at 9,225 points. Graphics performance followed suit, with Intel's integrated GPU hitting 5,883 points in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light compared to Apple's 7,077—wait, that's still behind Apple's M5. But here's where it gets interesting.

Intel achieved something that seemed impossible: 22 hours of battery life while delivering this performance boost. That's a Windows laptop first. For years, Windows machines forced users to choose between performance and battery life. Intel just said "why not both?"

The Core Ultra X7 358H in the MSI Prestige 14 Flip showed a 52% multi-core performance increase over its predecessor, the Core Ultra 7 258V. That's the kind of generational leap we haven't seen in years.

Gaming Changes Everything

But raw benchmarks only tell part of the story. The real surprise came in gaming performance on laptops that weren't designed for gaming at all. Cyberpunk 2077 ran at a smooth 55 fps on medium settings—without any upscaling or frame generation tricks.

In Marvel Rivals, Intel's XeSS 2.0 technology bumped performance from 36 fps to 54 fps while maintaining visual quality. The fact that this is happening in a 0.55-inch thick laptop like the MSI Prestige 14 Flip feels almost surreal.

Yet reality check: these chips still trail a three-year-old RTX 4050 by 25%. That's Nvidia's lowest-tier gaming GPU from 2022. Intel's made impressive strides, but discrete graphics cards aren't going anywhere.

The MacBook Pro Problem

Here's what Intel is really trying to solve: the MacBook Pro has dominated the premium laptop space because Windows alternatives either sucked at battery life or cost too much. Non-gaming Windows laptops with discrete GPUs remain rare, expensive, and power-hungry.

Intel's new chips give Windows laptop makers a fighting chance. You can now build a thin, light laptop that handles video editing, AI workloads, and yes, even some gaming—all while lasting nearly a full day on battery.

But Apple isn't standing still. The M5 Pro and M5 Max are coming soon, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Enhanced promises 80 TOPS of AI performance compared to Intel's 50 TOPS. Intel's moment in the sun might be brief.

The Bigger Picture

This comeback matters beyond benchmarks and battery life. For five years, Apple has essentially defined what a premium laptop should be. Intel's resurgence cracks that narrative, giving consumers real alternatives again.

But there's a catch. Performance leadership means nothing if laptop manufacturers can't deliver compelling products. Intel provides the engine; companies like Dell, HP, and Lenovo need to build the car. And frankly, most Windows laptops still feel like they're designed by engineers, not artists.

The thermal management issues remain problematic too. The MSI Prestige 14 Flip gets uncomfortably hot near the keyboard, and fan noise is noticeable under load. These aren't deal-breakers, but they remind you why MacBooks feel more refined.