NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X Cinebench score spotted, matches the Apple M3 MAX

NVIDIA's N1X chip reportedly matches the Apple M3 Max in Cinebench 2026, but early leaks come with plenty of caveats worth knowing.

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Hassam Nasir

Tech Reporter

Published Jul 19, 2026 4:00 PM CDT

2-minute read time

TL;DR: An early Surface Laptop Ultra sample with NVIDIA's 20-core N1X scored 5,771 multicore and 540 single-core in Cinebench 2026, roughly matching Apple's M3 Max multicore result. The test used a hidden high-performance profile, preproduction Windows drivers, and ~50W power draw, so results need retail validation.

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NVIDIA's RTX Spark platform, known internally as N1X, has been one of the most anticipated Arm-based chips of the year. It debuted at Computex 2026, and now, its first real-world Cinebench numbers just surfaced.

According to a benchmark spotted on the TechPowerUp forums and shared on X by ExoticSpice101, an early Surface Laptop Ultra sample running the 20-core N1X scored 5,771 points in Cinebench 2026's multi-thread test and 540 in single-thread. It has been noted that the score came from a hidden "High Performance" profile that pushed the chip's power limits well past its default settings.

That result lands almost exactly where Apple's 14-core M3 Max sits, which typically scores around 5,722 points in the same test. NVIDIA's processor is about 4% slower than the M3 Max in single-threaded tasks, but almost matches it in multi-threaded workloads.

As a reminder, the N1X has ten Cortex-X925 cores paired with ten Cortex-A725 cores, along with a Blackwell GPU with 6144 CUDA cores. For a first-generation Arm chip from NVIDIA and MediaTek, matching Apple's silicon in a multi-core workload is a genuinely solid outcome, especially since the N1X reportedly drew nearly 50W while hitting that number.

Context matters a lot here though. The Surface Laptop Ultra's default power limits are apparently much lower, and it took a non-standard profile to unlock the performance seen in this leak. Cinebench also still misidentifies the chip's clock speed, which suggests the platform and its drivers are not fully baked yet. This is preproduction hardware running on Windows 11 26H1, not a shipping retail machine.

NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X Cinebench score spotted, matches the Apple M3 MAX 1

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It's also worth putting this in perspective against desktop CPUs. AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D has posted preliminary Cinebench 2026 multi-core scores north of 9,000 points, so N1X is nowhere close to flagship desktop territory. That was never really the point though. NVIDIA appears to be targeting the high-end laptop and mini PC space, going up against Apple's MacBook Pro lineup and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme rather than desktop chips pulling 200W or more.

If this Cinebench score holds up across more units, it backs up NVIDIA's earlier claims that RTX Spark laptops can handle serious creative and AI workloads without needing a discrete GPU. NVIDIA has said the full N1X shares its silicon with the GB10 chip found in DGX Spark, so there's already a fair bit of groundwork behind this launch.

NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X Cinebench score spotted, matches the Apple M3 MAX 2

Frequently Asked Questions

TweakBot answers common questions about this news using TweakTown's own coverage from this page and related content from our archive. Tap a question to reveal the answer, or type your own below.

Question #1

How does the leaked Cinebench 2026 multi-core score for the 20-core N1X compare to the Apple M3 Max?

The leaked Surface Laptop Ultra with the 20-core N1X scored 5,771 points in Cinebench 2026 multi-thread, while the 14-core Apple M3 Max typically scores about 5,722 points. That means the N1X almost exactly matches the M3 Max in multi-core performance under the leaked conditions.

Answered

Question #2

What power draw was reported for the N1X when it achieved the leaked Cinebench score, and does the article say this is within default Surface Laptop Ultra limits?

The N1X reportedly drew nearly 50W while achieving that leaked Cinebench score. The article says this was achieved using a hidden High Performance profile and that the Surface Laptop Ultra's default power limits are apparently much lower, so this draw is not within the default limits.

Answered

Question #3

Why does the article say the Cinebench result should be treated cautiously (what caveats are mentioned)?

The article cautions the Cinebench result because it came from a hidden "High Performance" profile that pushed the chip well past the Surface Laptop Ultra's default power limits, with the N1X reportedly drawing nearly 50W to hit that score. Cinebench also misidentifies the chip's clock speed, indicating the platform and drivers are not fully baked, and the test used preproduction hardware running Windows 11 26H1 rather than a shipping retail machine.

Answered

Question #4

How does the N1X Cinebench performance compare to flagship desktop CPUs like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D according to the article?

The leaked N1X sample scored 5,771 points in Cinebench 2026 multi-thread, while AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D has posted preliminary multi-core scores north of 9,000, so the N1X is nowhere close to flagship desktop territory.

Answered

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Multiple partners are lining up N1X hardware for later this year, including Lenovo's Yoga Pro 9n and ASUS's ProArt lineup, with pricing for flagship configurations expected to land close to $2,899. That puts N1X squarely in premium MacBook Pro pricing territory, so buyers will want final, retail-ready benchmarks before deciding if the performance justifies the cost.