Key Takeaways
1. Intel’s new Panther Lake architecture features a mix of performance and efficiency cores, improving power efficiency and graphics performance.
2. The Intel Arc B390 iGPU significantly outperforms AMD’s Radeon 890M by over 80% in certain games and shows nearly 80% improvement over the older Arc 140T.
3. In specific titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, the Arc B390 performs nearly as well as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, while in Cyberpunk 2077, the Nvidia card is 20% faster.
4. AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with Radeon 8060S can be twice as fast but is larger, more expensive, and less power-efficient.
5. Performance depends on the power limit of the iGPU and RAM speed, with early tests showing smooth gameplay at 44 to 50 fps on 1080p “Ultra” settings.
For a long time, AMD has been ahead of Intel when it comes to power efficiency and graphics performance. However, with the introduction of Panther Lake, Intel has tackled these past issues by launching a new CPU architecture. This architecture features a mix of up to four performance cores and twelve efficiency cores, alongside the new Arc B390 iGPU that includes twelve Xe2 cores.
Performance Comparison
The big question now is whether the Intel Arc B390 can challenge AMD’s lead in gaming handhelds and provide decent gaming capabilities in laptops without dedicated graphics cards. At CES 2026, we got the chance to test some games on a Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i to see how the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H with the Arc B390 iGPU stacks up against its top rivals.
Our tests reveal that the Intel Arc B390 can outperform the AMD Radeon 890M by over 80% in certain games. When compared to the older Arc 140T, the Arc B390M shows nearly 80% improvement in specific titles. In Baldur’s Gate 3, the integrated GPU performs almost as well as the dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, although in Cyberpunk 2077, the Nvidia card is 20% quicker. On the other hand, AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with Radeon 8060S can be twice as fast at times, but it is also larger, pricier, and less efficient in power usage.
Key Factors Affecting Performance
As is often the case, the actual performance of the Arc B390 will likely depend a lot on the power limit set for the iGPU and on the speed of the RAM in the laptop, which also acts as VRAM for the integrated GPU. That said, our early impressions are quite positive. Both Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3 run smoothly at 44 to 50 fps on 1080p resolution using the “Ultra” settings, and with XeSS set to “Quality” along with Frame Generation, frame rates can soar well above 160 fps.
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