The performance of Intel’s new flagship processor, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, has been leaked in the PassMark database. This upcoming chip, part of the Arrow Lake-HX architecture refresh, was spotted inside an MSI laptop, showing very promising results.
According to the benchmark data, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus achieved an impressive multi-core score of 66,203 points and a single-thread score of 5,009 points. These numbers represent a 12.8% improvement in multi-core and a 7.5% boost in single-core performance compared to the current Core Ultra 9 285HX.
Performance Close to Desktop Level
What stands out most is how close this laptop chip comes to desktop performance. The leak suggests that the 290HX Plus is within 2% of the performance of Intel’s desktop Core Ultra 9 285K, showing that Intel has managed to optimize power efficiency and performance to remarkable levels.
The test system used for these benchmarks included an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and 32 GB of Samsung DDR5-5600 memory, confirming that this CPU will power some of the most powerful laptops of 2026.
Although the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus keeps the same core configuration as the 285HX — 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores — the results indicate higher clock speeds and better thermal management. This suggests that Intel’s improvements are focused on efficiency and stability rather than adding more cores.
Intel is expected to officially unveil this “Refresh” lineup between March and April 2026. If the leaked performance numbers hold true, MSI and other manufacturers could soon release some of the fastest mobile workstations ever made.
