2026 turned into the busiest year for laptop chips I can remember. NVIDIA finally shipped its RTX Spark chip for Windows laptops, Qualcomm moved to Snapdragon X2, Intel launched Panther Lake as Core Ultra Series 3, and AMD refreshed its lineup with Ryzen AI 400 while Strix Halo kept spreading.
I didn't test these machines myself. Instead, I pulled the measured results from reviewers who did, mainly Notebookcheck and Tom's Hardware, and lined them up so you can compare like with like. Every number below names its source.
The Platforms at a Glance
| Platform | Chip in this guide | CPU | Graphics | Architecture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA RTX Spark | N1X | 20 cores | 6,144 CUDA cores | Arm |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 | X2 Elite Extreme | 18 cores | Adreno | Arm |
| Intel Core Ultra Series 3 | Core Ultra X9 388H | 16 cores | Arc B390 | x86 |
| AMD Ryzen AI 400 | Ryzen AI 9 465 | 10 cores / 20 threads | Radeon 880M | x86 |
| AMD Ryzen AI Max | Ryzen AI Max+ 395 | 16 cores / 32 threads | Radeon 8060S | x86 |
The architecture column matters. Arm chips run Windows on Arm, which emulates many x86 apps and games, while Intel and AMD laptops run them natively.
Round 1: CPU Performance
Notebookcheck's RTX Spark analysis is the cleanest comparison I found, because one outlet ran four of these five chips through the same benchmarks:
| Chip (laptop tested) | Cinebench 2024 multi | Cinebench 2024 single | Geekbench 6.7 multi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (Zenbook A16) | 1,761 | 151 | 23,204 |
| RTX Spark N1X (ProArt P16) | 1,726 | 130 | 20,296 |
| RTX Spark N1X (Surface Laptop Ultra) | 1,682 | 131 | 20,031 |
| Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (ROG Flow Z13) | 1,648 | 116.8 | 21,269 |
| Core Ultra X9 388H (Zenbook Duo) | 1,172 | 129.8 | 17,694 |
Notebookcheck's separate Zenbook S16 review measured 953 multi-core and 115 single-core for the Ryzen AI 9 465. My read: Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme wins on raw CPU, the N1X keeps up with Strix Halo, and Panther Lake trades multi-core muscle for strong single-core speed.
Round 2: Graphics and Gaming
This is where RTX Spark pulls away. Notebookcheck measured 3,134 points in 3DMark Steel Nomad for the N1X in both the ProArt P16 and the Surface Laptop Ultra. For context, Notebookcheck measured 1,264 for the Zenbook A16's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and lists the GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU at 4,959.
In games, Notebookcheck saw 56.8 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p Ultra on the ProArt P16 and 54.6 fps on the Surface. In the same test, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395's Radeon 8060S reached 46.4 fps in the ROG Flow Z13. Among mainstream x86 chips, Intel's Arc B390 is the strongest integrated GPU: the Zenbook Duo with the X9 388H managed 28.9 fps at 1440p and 47.7 fps at 1080p Ultra.
Compatibility is the catch on Arm. Notebookcheck reports that F1 25 and Battlefield 6 wouldn't launch on the ProArt P16 and Call of Duty didn't work through Steam or Xbox. Tom's Hardware couldn't run Red Dead Redemption 2 on the Surface Laptop Ultra, and in its Zenbook A16 review, Resident Evil Requiem crashed when settings were changed, then ran with walls disappearing.
Round 3: Battery Life
Battery tests differ from outlet to outlet, so I only compare results from the same test. In Tom's Hardware's battery test (web browsing, video streaming and light OpenGL work at 150 nits), the Dell XPS 16 with Panther Lake lasted 13 hours 3 minutes, the Surface Laptop Ultra 10:43, the Zenbook A16 10:26, and an ASUS TUF Gaming A14 with Strix Halo 9:07.
Panther Lake stands out here. In PCWorld's separate video-loop test, which isn't comparable with Tom's results, the Zenbook Duo with the X9 388H and a 99Wh battery lasted about 22 hours 15 minutes on one screen.
Round 4: Local AI and the Desktop Option
For running large language models, memory matters more than the NPU. That's why AMD's Strix Halo chip also lives in desktop form. Reviewers pitted the AMD Ryzen AI Halo Developer Platform, with 128GB of LPDDR5X, against NVIDIA's GB10 machines:
- HotHardware (Local AI Bench with Ollama): neck and neck with DGX Spark on Llama 3.1 8B, roughly matched on Qwen3.6-35B-A3B, and about 30 percent slower in token generation on GPT-OSS-20B.
- Tom's Hardware (llama.cpp): slower token throughput than the Dell Pro Max GB10, with time to first token falling far behind as context grows, but a CPU edge in Geekbench 6.
- Phoronix (Linux): "better well rounded performance than the Dell Pro Max GB10."
Which Platform Should You Buy?
Best for creators and local AI: RTX Spark. The ASUS ProArt P16 earned a 90 percent rating from Notebookcheck, though it tested a 128GB unit and the model listed here has 32GB. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra with the 20-core N1X adds a 15-inch mini-LED display.
Best CPU speed on Arm: The ASUS Zenbook A16 with Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and 48GB of RAM posted the best CPU scores of any Windows laptop in Notebookcheck's comparison. Tom's Hardware liked the chip but not the chassis flex or the battery life.
Best all-rounder: Panther Lake gives you native x86 compatibility, strong integrated graphics and long battery life. I'd look at the MSI Prestige 16 Flip AI+ with the X9 388H or the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15p with the X7 358H.
Best everyday value: In its Ryzen 400 vs. Panther Lake comparison, Notebookcheck says it can easily recommend the ASUS Zenbook S16 with Ryzen AI 400 if gaming isn't a priority.
Most power in a tablet: The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 puts the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 into a 13.4-inch detachable, and the AI Halo is the pick if you'd rather have that chip on your desk with 128GB of memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is faster, NVIDIA RTX Spark or Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme? In Notebookcheck's Cinebench 2024 multi-core test they're close: 1,761 for the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and 1,726 for the N1X in the ASUS ProArt P16. The Snapdragon leads by roughly 14 to 16 percent in single-core and in Geekbench 6.7 multi-core. For graphics, the N1X is far ahead, scoring 3,134 in 3DMark Steel Nomad against 1,264 for the Zenbook A16.
Is Intel Panther Lake better than AMD Ryzen AI 400? For gaming, yes. Notebookcheck says Intel raised integrated graphics performance by roughly 70 percent with the Arc B390, which makes its chips especially interesting for gaming. The Core Ultra X9 388H also scored higher in Cinebench 2024 multi-core, 1,172 versus 953 for the Ryzen AI 9 465, but for everyday tasks Notebookcheck saw basically no noticeable advantage for Intel.
Can RTX Spark laptops play PC games? Many games run, mostly through emulation on Windows on Arm, but not all. Notebookcheck found that F1 25 and Battlefield 6 wouldn't launch and Call of Duty didn't work, and Tom's Hardware couldn't get Red Dead Redemption 2 to run.
What makes a laptop a Copilot+ PC? Microsoft requires an NPU rated at 40 TOPS or more, at least 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Snapdragon X2, Intel Core Ultra Series 3 and AMD Ryzen AI 400 chips all meet the NPU requirement, so laptops built on them with enough memory and storage can ship as Copilot+ PCs. Check for the Copilot+ label on the listing.
Did Newegg test these laptops? No. Every benchmark in this article comes from a named third-party review: Notebookcheck, Tom's Hardware, PCWorld, HotHardware or Phoronix. Results depend on the exact configuration and power settings each reviewer used.
Read More
- Notebookcheck: Nvidia RTX Spark Analysis -- CPU, GPU and efficiency results for the N1X against Snapdragon, Intel, AMD and Apple chips.
- Tom's Hardware: Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra Review -- Benchmarks, gaming and battery tests for the first RTX Spark Surface.
- Tom's Hardware: Asus Zenbook A16 Review -- How the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme performs in a 16-inch laptop.
- Notebookcheck: Asus Zenbook S16 OLED Review -- A full review of the Ryzen AI 9 465 in ASUS's thin 16-inch laptop.
- HotHardware: Ryzen AI Halo Review -- Local LLM tests of AMD's mini PC against NVIDIA's DGX Spark.