Intel Wildcat Lake Chip Appears on PassMark as MacBook Neo Faces Rival Benchmark

Intel Wildcat Lake Chip Appears on Benchmark Database

Intel’s unreleased Wildcat Lake processor has shown up on the PassMark benchmarking platform, according to a TweakTown report, and the listing points to an Intel Core 5 320 processor. The chip is being linked with Intel Wildcat Lake Series 300 and is seen as a possible rival to Apple’s A18 Pro chipset used in the MacBook Neo.

Apple launched the MacBook Neo in India and other global markets on March 4 as a separate low-cost laptop lineup, distinct from the MacBook Air and Pro series. The model starts at Rs. 69,900 for the 8GB unified memory and 256GB storage version, while the 512GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 79,900.

PassMark Scores Put Intel Ahead in Multi Thread Test

The PassMark listing shows the Intel Core 5 320 processor with a six-core CPU setup, made up of two performance cores and four efficiency cores. The report says the performance cores reached a peak clock speed of 4.6GHz. On the benchmark platform, the processor scored 4,047 in single-thread testing and 15,222 in multi-thread testing.

Among 5,866 CPUs listed on PassMark, the unreleased Intel chip ranks 1,248th in multi-thread performance and 190th in single-thread performance. The report also says the Intel Wildcat Lake processor outperformed Apple’s A18 Pro chip in the MacBook Neo by a clear margin in the multi-thread test.

Apple’s MacBook Neo reportedly scored 11,993 points in PassMark’s multi-thread performance test, which is 21.2 percent lower than the Intel Core 5 320 score. The laptop’s A18 Pro chipset has also appeared on Geekbench earlier, where it was listed with 3,980 points in single-core testing and 10,105 points in multi-core testing.

MacBook Neo Details and Earlier Benchmark Listings

The MacBook Neo is Apple’s first low-cost MacBook model and is aimed at competing with Chromebooks and mid-range Windows laptops. It was introduced during Apple’s four-day launch period in early March. The laptop is powered by the A18 Pro chipset, which also powers the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Apple says the A18 Pro chipset is up to 50 percent faster at regular tasks than a Windows PC powered by an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor. The MacBook Neo comes with a 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS display with a resolution of 2,408 x 1,506 pixels.

• Launch date: March 4
• Starting price: Rs. 69,900
• Higher storage variant: Rs. 79,900
• Base memory and storage: 8GB unified memory, 256GB storage
• Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS, 2,408 x 1,506 pixels
• Chipset: Apple A18 Pro

Intel’s Wildcat Lake processor is still unreleased, and the benchmark listing is the latest sign of work on a chip that could sit against Apple’s A18 Pro in the entry-level laptop segment. The listing on PassMark and the earlier benchmark records for the MacBook Neo are the main new details available so far.