A new era in Windows computing has dawned, fueled by Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative and the introduction of several innovative chipsets. While the buzz surrounds artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and performance gains thanks to faster Neural Processing Units (NPUs), the most tangible changes lie in performance and battery life. This is particularly crucial for Windows, which has been facing stiff competition from Apple’s Silicon MacBooks, known for their impressive performance and superior efficiency.
This new wave of chipsets includes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X, AMD’s Ryzen AI 300, and Intel’s Lunar Lake. Each chipset boasts an NPU exceeding Microsoft’s 40 tera operations per second (TOPS) requirement. While AMD focuses on raw performance, Qualcomm and Intel prioritize efficiency. But how do these chipsets fare in a head-to-head comparison?
Performance: A Close Race
It’s still early days, and our review database is not yet fully comprehensive, especially for Lunar Lake, where we’ve only reviewed two machines so far. For now, we’ll focus on CPU performance since the integrated GPUs in these chipsets aren’t significant upgrades over their predecessors. They may be faster, but they pale in comparison to even entry-level discrete GPUs like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050. This means none of these chipsets are suitable for gaming or demanding creative tasks without discrete graphics. We’ll also avoid discussing AI performance with the faster NPUs as benchmarks are still lacking. Discrete GPUs will reign supreme in performance, while NPUs offer efficient on-device AI rather than lightning-fast AI capabilities.
Based on our reviews, AMD currently holds the lead. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chipset excels at CPU-intensive tasks, particularly in multi-core performance. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite comes in a close second. Intel’s Core Ultra 7 285V lags behind, but it’s essentially a low-power version of the Lunar Lake lineup, and as we’ll see, it shines in efficiency rather than sheer performance.
Specifications and Chipset Breakdown
Understanding specifications is crucial for comparing these chipsets. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chipset packs 12 cores and 24 threads, running at up to 5.1GHz. It’s a 28-watt chip with configurable power settings between 15 watts and 54W, making it the most power-hungry of the new chipsets. Its 12 cores are split between four full-size Zen 5 cores and eight Zen 5c cores, which are more compact but equally fast, meaning it lacks low-power cores. Other versions of the chipset exist, but we’ve only reviewed the HX 370. The other major variant is the Ryzen AI 9 365 with 10 cores and 20 threads running at up to 5GHz.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X boasts various versions we’ve tested, including variations of the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chipsets. The graphic below provides details on the entire lineup. Qualcomm doesn’t disclose the thermal design power (TDP), but various sources indicate it ranges from 23 watts for the Snapdragon X Plus to 45 watts nominal (up to 80 watts) for the Snapdragon X Elite. Efficiency with these chips seems highly variable based on the task’s demand, unlike Lunar Lake and Apple’s M3 chipsets.
Intel’s Lunar Lake also comes in several iterations. The Core Ultra 5 and 7 Series 2 run at a base TDP of 17 watts, while the Core Ultra 9 Series 2 has a base TDP of 30 watts. Each chipset is configurable between 17W and 37W. Lunar Lake is the direct replacement for Intel’s U-series Meteor Lake chipsets, which operate at 15 watts. As shown below, the 8-core (four Performance and four Low Power Efficient), 8-thread chipsets are not as fast as Intel’s Meteor Lake H-series chips, which run at 28W. Intel’s mobile Arrow Lake chipsets will likely take over this segment with, presumably, higher performance. As we’ll see, Lunar Lake excels in efficiency.
It’s also crucial to mention Apple’s M3 chipset, which is the performance-efficiency leader that these Windows chipsets, particularly Intel’s and Qualcomm’s, are aiming to dethrone. We’ll focus on the base M3, which comes in 8-core CPU/8-core GPU and 8-core/10-core GPU versions. While Apple doesn’t release detailed information like TDP and clock speeds, the M3 provides a robust combination of performance and efficiency. We’re excluding Apple’s M3 Pro and Max and Intel’s faster Meteor Lake chipsets, focusing only on chipsets designed for thin-and-light laptops.
Based on the laptops we’ve tested, AMD and Qualcomm chipsets are clear performance leaders. Intel’s Lunar Lake is an improvement over the Meteor Lake U-series, but it doesn’t impress among today’s top performers. Apple’s M3 chipset is fast and leads in single-core performance. The M4 promises even greater speed.
Battery Life: Efficiency Takes Center Stage
As mentioned, efficiency is paramount, especially for Qualcomm and Intel. This is where Apple Silicon has taken the lead, and where Windows laptops have lagged behind. Early results suggest Intel’s Lunar Lake might outdo Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X in efficiency, but it might not quite match Apple’s M3. The M4 is likely to be even more efficient.
Looking at the data, the Asus Zenbook S 14 with the Intel Core Ultra 7 is the overall battery life champion. I’ve been in contact with Asus, and it’s possible that my ExpertBook P5 review unit had an issue that affected its web-browsing battery life. I’ll reserve judgment and update this information after testing a new unit. I’ll also update this information as we add new machines to our database. It’s important to note that these results don’t adjust for differences in display technology. However, considering the Zenbook S 14, which uses an OLED display, we consistently see excellent battery life, not only in the least demanding video-looping test, as with Qualcomm, but also during more intensive tasks like web browsing (still not very demanding) and the Cinebench R24 multi-core benchmark.
The AMD chipset isn’t designed for efficiency and therefore lags behind. Intel’s Meteor Lake chipsets have delivered similar performance. This leaves Apple’s M3 chipset in first place, though not by a significant margin, and Qualcomm proving its efficiency when the CPU isn’t under heavy load. Apple’s lead is likely to widen with the release of the M4 MacBook Air, but Lunar Lake is by far the strongest chipset yet for Windows laptops.
This is just the beginning. We’ll need to continue gathering data as we review more laptops equipped with these chipsets, and as new chipsets, like Intel’s Arrow Lake mobile and Apple’s M4, are released. For now, Windows laptops have never been better, with Intel leading the charge in the crucial area of battery life.
