Key Takeaways
1. Intel’s Panther Lake CPUs were revealed at CES 2026, with performance tests starting to emerge online.
2. The Asus ExpertBook Ultra with Core Ultra X7 358H shows impressive performance from its integrated Arc B390 GPU, consuming only 60 W to 70 W.
3. The ExpertBook Ultra outperforms laptops with the GeForce RTX 3050 in benchmarks, nearing the performance of the RTX 4050.
4. Real-world gaming performance differs from benchmarks, with older games sometimes running better on the RTX 3050, but newer titles favor the Intel GPU.
5. Intel’s AI features and support for XESS lag behind Nvidia and AMD, affecting performance in certain games.
Intel has revealed its next generation Panther Lake CPUs at CES 2026, and the first official performance tests are starting to surface online. While these chips are not expected to be available for purchase until the second quarter of this year, we got the opportunity to test the Asus ExpertBook Ultra, which features the Core Ultra X7 358H. We were pleasantly surprised by the performance of its integrated Arc B390 GPU, especially considering the laptop’s modest power consumption of just 60 W to 70 W.
Performance Comparison
According to the 3DMark benchmarks provided below, the ExpertBook Ultra surpasses laptops equipped with the GeForce RTX 3050, such as the MSI Thin GF63 12UC and the HP Pavilion Plus 16. The difference is significant enough that the Asus model even comes close to challenging the RTX 4050 in various scenarios, as discussed in our latest evaluations.
Gaming Realities
However, it’s important to note that synthetic benchmarks may not completely reflect real-world gaming performance. In practice, the ExpertBook Ultra still manages to outperform laptops featuring the RTX 3050, but the margins are narrower. For older games like GTA V or DOTA 2 Reborn, the performance may even be better on the older Nvidia GPU. Yet, for most recent titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Cyberpunk 2077, the Intel GPU performs better before any AI upscaling or frame generation techniques are applied.
AI Features and Support
When it comes to AI features and frame generation, Intel’s support for XESS still falls behind that of Nvidia and AMD. For example, Arc Raiders currently only supports frame generation for Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, and trying to enable XESS in Forza Horizon 5 led to performance issues based on our experiences.
In any case, the Asus system is notably lighter and more efficient compared to any RTX 3050 or 4050 option, mainly because it doesn’t rely on a separate chip to closely match or even exceed the performance of the budget Nvidia alternative. For more benchmarks and detailed comparisons, you can check out our in-depth review of the Asus ExpertBook Ultra.
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