Intel remains king of laptop processors, but can AMD ever compete?

Close up of laptop processor
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

AMD's latest Ryzen 3000 series of processors have done a brilliant job at challenging Intel's dominance of the desktop processor market, but when it comes to laptop processors, it looks like Intel is still king, with the Core i7-1065G7 mobile chip beating the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X in certain benchmarks.

Recently, benchmark results leaked for Intel’s 10th generation Ice Lake i7-1065G7 processor, which is designed for use in laptops. Despite it being a laptop chip – so there are power and heat implications – as the Techquila website notes, the benchmarks suggest that it will beat AMD’s new Ryzen 9 3900X.

What’s particularly interesting is that the Ryzen 9 3900X is a desktop processor, which means it consumes more power (105W vs the i7-1065G7’s 15W) and runs at higher frequencies.

Mobile ambitions

In the leaked Geekbench scores, the Intel Ice Lake Core i7-1065G7, running in a HP Spectre x360 laptop, manages a single-core score of 5,691. Meanwhile, AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 3900X flagship scores slightly lower at 5,624.

While that isn’t a huge difference, the fact that Intel’s new mobile processor appears to edge out AMD’s latest desktop flagship when it comes to single-core performance means AMD could struggle to produce mobile processors that rival Intel's.

Of course, when it comes to multi-core performance, the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X handily beats the quad-core Intel 17-1065G7 with a score of 45,338 vs 17,741.

It’s worth noting that these benchmarks are not confirmed, but if they are real it tells us a few things. First of all, it seems like Intel could be getting its mojo back with laptop processors – with the Core i7-1065G7 producing some excellent results considering it’s a mobile processor.

It also means that if AMD wants to steal Intel’s mobile crown, it has its work cut out. However, considering it’s recent form, we’re looking forward to what the company comes up with next.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.

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