Intel’s New Panther Lake Chips Aim Squarely at Mobile Gaming
Intel has revealed its Panther Lake based Core Ultra Series 3 mobile processors, and this generation is all about boosting gaming performance on slim laptops and handheld gaming PCs. These new chips are built on Intel’s advanced 18A process and pack redesigned CPU cores, a stronger AI NPU, and most importantly, much faster integrated graphics.
Intel is claiming up to a 77 percent increase in integrated GPU performance compared to its already impressive Lunar Lake based Core Ultra 9 288V. If these numbers hold up in real world gaming, we are looking at a serious leap forward for thin and light gaming machines that rely on integrated graphics.
Alongside the raw hardware upgrades, Intel says it has made big improvements to its GPU drivers. Better drivers can mean smoother frame rates, fewer bugs, and more stable performance across a wide range of games, which has been a weak point for Intel graphics in the past.
Meet the Arc B390 and B370: Massive Integrated GPUs for Laptops
The big gaming story in Panther Lake is the new integrated GPUs. At the top of the stack you will find the Intel Arc B390, a Battlemage branded iGPU that uses the new Xe3 cores and even supports ray tracing. This iGPU shows up in the X series chips aimed at gaming focused laptops.
Arc B390 GPU appears in the Core Ultra X9 and X7 models. It comes with 12 Xe3 cores and is designed to deliver that headline 77 percent performance uplift over Lunar Lake.
Arc B370 GPU is a slightly cut down version with 10 Xe3 cores and appears in the Core Ultra 5 338H. This chip may become a sweet spot for mid range gaming laptops and handhelds that still want strong integrated performance.
Intel positions these parts as a genuine alternative to pairing a CPU with a low end discrete GPU. For ultra slim designs where there is no room for a dedicated graphics card, the new Arc B390 and B370 could finally make modern PC games playable at decent settings and resolutions.
On the CPU side, the high end Core Ultra X9 388H and Core Ultra 9 386H both offer 16 total cores, with a mix of Performance, Efficient, and Low Power Efficient cores. The X9 388H tops out at a 5.1 GHz P core turbo, while the 386H hits 4.9 GHz. Both deliver 50 NPU TOPS for AI workloads but are clearly tuned with gaming in mind.
A pattern runs through the lineup. The X branded chips get the big Arc B390 iGPU but have fewer PCIe lanes. The non X chips often tone down the graphics and give you more PCIe lanes instead, which makes them better suited for laptops that include a discrete GPU from Nvidia or AMD.
Choosing the Right Panther Lake Chip for Gaming
With 14 different mobile SKUs, the lineup can feel overwhelming. For gamers and handheld enthusiasts, a few parts stand out as especially interesting.
Core Ultra X9 388H: The flagship 16 core chip with the full 12 core Arc B390 iGPU and a 5.1 GHz max boost. This is the top choice for high end slim gaming laptops that rely on integrated graphics or want strong CPU and iGPU performance together.
Core Ultra X7 368H and X7 358H: Both feature 16 cores and the same 12 core Arc B390 iGPU. The X7 358H in particular looks like a sweet spot for ultra slim gaming laptops and future handhelds, pairing strong graphics performance with solid clock speeds and a 25 W base power.
Core Ultra 5 338H: This 12 core chip with the Arc B370 iGPU has 10 Xe3 cores and an 18 MB L3 cache. It drops the X branding but still offers serious integrated GPU grunt, making it a strong mid range option where battery life and thermals matter.
Below these, the lineup shifts toward chips with simpler Intel Graphics iGPUs that carry fewer Xe cores, from four down to two. These CPUs are ideal for laptops that will almost always be paired with a discrete GPU. They trade integrated performance for more PCIe lanes and flexibility with DDR5 memory configurations.
Across the series, base power is usually 25 W, with turbo power levels ranging from 55 W up to 80 W depending on the model. That means laptop makers can target both thin and light designs and more performance oriented machines, all using the same underlying Panther Lake architecture.
Why Panther Lake Matters for Portable PC Gaming
The real excitement around Panther Lake is not just the raw specs but what they mean for actual gaming experiences. Intel is promising major efficiency gains over previous generations, including claims like up to 60 percent more performance at similar power levels to Lunar Lake, and battery life figures such as up to 27 hours of Netflix streaming.
For gamers, that efficiency translates into longer play sessions on battery, cooler running laptops, and more compact handhelds that do not need oversized cooling systems. When combined with the larger integrated GPUs and improved drivers, these chips could turn machines that once struggled with modern titles into surprisingly capable portable gaming rigs.
Intel has already shown off games such as Battlefield 6 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 running on Panther Lake hardware, and the results look promising. Add in Intel’s XeSS with multi frame generation and you get another layer of performance boost, using AI to upscale and enhance frames for smoother gameplay.
Panther Lake also arrives in a highly competitive landscape. AMD’s Strix Point APUs are pushing hard on integrated graphics as well, and both companies are trying to win over handheld PC makers and gaming laptop brands that want powerful performance in smaller, lighter designs.
According to Intel, laptops with Panther Lake Core Ultra Series 3 processors will be available for preorder starting January 6, and the company is teasing dedicated announcements for handheld gaming devices in the coming months. If Intel’s performance claims hold true, this generation could mark a turning point where integrated graphics in mobile chips are no longer a compromise but a genuinely appealing option for modern PC gaming.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/intels-new-top-end-core-ultra-series-3-mobile-chips-promise-up-to-77-percent-faster-igpu-gaming-performance-than-lunar-lake-and-come-with-a-whole-host-of-friends/
