Key Takeaways
1. Panther Lake processors offer two main options: Panther Lake-U (Core Ultra 7 355) and Panther Lake-H (Core Ultra X7 358H).
2. There is a significant performance gap, with the Core Ultra 7 355 lagging behind the Core Ultra X7 358H by up to 60% in gaming benchmarks.
3. In real gaming scenarios, the Core Ultra 7 355 often underperforms compared to older GPUs like the Arc 140V, but stays competitive with the two-year-old Arc 8.
4. The Core Ultra 7 355 is adequate for gaming at 900p or 1080p on low settings but is not the best choice for GPU-intensive tasks.
5. Power consumption during gaming is similar across the Core Ultra 7 355, Core Ultra X7 358H, and older GPUs like the Arc 140V, despite differences in performance.
Laptops equipped with Panther Lake processors have started shipping after their introduction at CES 2026 last month. Customers can pick from two primary CPU options: Panther Lake-U, like the Core Ultra 7 355, or Panther Lake-H, like the Core Ultra X7 358H. After testing both alternatives, it’s important for users to make an informed choice since the performance gaps between Panther Lake-U and -H can be larger than one might think.
Performance Gaps
Similar to what we noted when assessing their raw CPU capabilities, the Core Ultra 7 355 can lag significantly behind the Core Ultra X7 358H in gaming performance, sometimes by as much as 60 percent according to 3DMark benchmarks. Overall performance lags behind last year’s Arc 140V/140T, sitting somewhere between the Xe 96 EUs and the two-year-old Arc 8.
Gaming Experience
The pattern holds steady when running real games where our test unit, the Core Ultra 7 XPS 14, would often fall short of the Arc 140V in most GPU-heavy scenarios but remains within 10 percent of the Arc 8. It serves as a competent GPU for playing demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at 900p or 1080p on low settings, although we strongly suggest opting for the Core Ultra X7 or even the rival Radeon 890M for tasks that are more GPU-intensive.
Power Consumption Insights
When it comes to power usage, one might think that the Core Ultra 7 355 would consume less power during gaming due to its newer architecture compared to CPUs with the Arc 140V or Arc 8. Unfortunately, that’s not the reality, as power consumption while playing Cyberpunk 2077 on the Dell XPS 14 Core Ultra 7, XPS 14 Core Ultra X7, and Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 6 remains very close, with just a few watts separating them despite their significant performance disparities.