Small but Powerful: Wildcat Lake Shows New Results on Geekbench

New benchmark results for Intel’s energy-efficient processor, codenamed Wildcat Lake, have appeared in the Geekbench database. The chip demonstrates a significant performance leap, challenging the idea that budget devices must come with weak performance.

Performance on Par with Core i5-12600K

Initial tests of the Intel “Core 3 304” model show strong results: 2472 points in single-core and 6708 points in multi-core benchmarks. This places the budget chip alongside much more powerful processors such as AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 and Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, despite their significantly higher power consumption.

The processor is 50% faster than its predecessor (N355) in multi-threaded tasks, while in single-core tests, the advantage nearly doubles. In fact, the Core 3 304 approaches the performance of the desktop-class Core i5-12600K, which is an impressive result for mini PCs and affordable laptops.

Cougar Cove Architecture

The key to Wildcat Lake lies in its new architecture. Previous generations relied on energy-efficient E-cores, while the new chip uses full-performance Cougar Cove cores. The tested sample features a mix of 6 cores (Cougar Cove and Darkmont).

The processor is also expected to include integrated graphics based on the Xe3 architecture.

Importantly, Wildcat Lake processors are designed for devices where the balance between performance and efficiency is critical: ultra-budget laptops, NAS systems, and mini PCs.