Intel’s new top-end Core Extremely Sequence 3 cellular chips promise as much as 77% sooner iGPU gaming efficiency than Lunar Lake, and include a complete host of mates

Intel has lastly taken the final wraps off its Panther Lake-based Core Extremely Sequence 3 vary of cellular chips, and it is making some fairly spectacular claims about their efficiency. Earlier than the anticipated AI NPU TOPS figures, Intel’s VP of PC merchandise, Dan Rogers, devoted a good chunk of the corporate’s CES 2026 presentation to the gaming chops of the 18A-based silicon.

Ah, it is good to have a win over the countless AI guff, is not it? Anyway, headline information is that Intel is claiming as much as a 77% built-in graphics efficiency increase over the earlier Lunar Lake-based Intel Core Extremely 9 288V with the highest finish chips. That is a fairly daring assertion, given how impressed we had been with Lunar Lake’s gaming efficiency general.

Intel has additionally promised a lot enchancment in its GPU driver stack, which, if true, may make these cellular beasties a power to be reckoned with for slender and light-weight gaming machines.

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Key to the claimed efficiency figures are the architectural modifications underneath the silicon hood. Subsequent to some newly-redesigned P and E-cores lies what Intel calls a “huge GPU” for the excessive finish Core Extremely X7 and X9 chips, full with built-in ray tracing assist.

The iGPU in query known as the Intel Arc B390, a Battlemage-branded (type of) built-in graphics cruncher making use of Intel’s new Xe3 cores, and do not even get me began on the naming schemes. There’s additionally the Intel Arc B370 iGPU to cope with, together with a good few Core Extremely 9, 7, and 5 chips with decrease Xe-cored “Intel Graphics” denominations, which I am going to undergo intimately under.

Intel hasn’t confirmed the precise core cut up but for every SKU but, which implies we solely have a complete core rely for every chip, not a full P-core, E-core, and LPE-core breakdown. I am going to replace this text when that info is confirmed.

And, if you would like extra of a deep dive into Panther Lake, together with the completely different chip tile designs and the RibbonFET nanoscale switches, together with the PowerVia bottom energy supply that makes Intel’s spectacular battery life claims (as much as 27 hours of Netflix streaming, as much as 60% extra efficiency at comparable energy ranges to Lunar Lake) potential, I extremely suggest you take a look at our Nick’s Panther Lake architectural break down

Within the meantime, although, we have got a complete host of Intel cellular chips to kind by way of. 14 of them, to be precise. Finest get began then, hadn’t we?

Intel Core Extremely Sequence 3 cellular processors

The large weapons listed below are the Intel Core Extremely X9 388H and the Core Extremely 9 386H. The X-variant CPU will get the Intel Arc B390 GPU—full with 12 Xe3 cores—together with a 5.1 GHz P-core max turbo frequency .

It is the 16-core mega chip, which implies it seemingly will get 4 Efficiency cores, eight Environment friendly cores, and 4 Low Energy Environment friendly cores, as per Nick’s breakdown of the completely different chip configuration choices again in October of final 12 months.

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The non-X Intel Core Extremely 9 386H has a barely decrease max P-core frequency at 4.9 GHz, though due to its weedy 4 Xe-core iGPU, it is acquired eight extra PCIe lanes to play with—which can imply it is higher suited to laptops with discrete GPUs, no less than for gaming functions.

One of many benefits of Intel’s 18A tile-based chip constructing system is alleged to be its flexibility for various package deal necessities, and that is on show right here. The Core Extremely 386H additionally has a decrease max reminiscence velocity, though the identical 96 GB most capability and 65/80 W base and max Turbo energy figures as its X-variant greater brother.

Shifting swiftly on, we have additionally acquired the Intel Core Extremely X7 368H and Core Extremely 366H processors. As soon as once more, the X-variant will get the 12 Xe3-cored Arc B390 GPU, whereas the 366H makes do with 4 cores of Intel Graphics grunt.

Once more, although, the lesser iGPU-ed chip will get extra PCIe lanes to play with, though with a barely decrease max P-core frequency. Are we recognizing a sample but?

The Core Extremely 7 366H sports activities 16 complete cores and a 4.8 GHz max clock frequency, which is then adopted within the stack by the eight-core Core Extremely 7 365, which is the primary of our chips to drop to a 12 MB Good (L3) cache determine. It isn’t probably the most thrilling wanting chip, and even its built-in NPU TOPs determine is 1 tippety-top off the tempo. For disgrace.

Aha, now we have now one other Arc B390 GPU sporter, the Intel Core Extremely X7 358H. This can be a 16 core, 4.8 GHz max increase frequency chip with 18 MB of Good Cache and the now-proper contingent of 12 Xe cores. Good cash would wager on this one to be probably the most fascinating chip in an extremely slim and light-weight gaming laptop computer format, or certainly, a handheld. That is should you’re not planning on spending prime greenback, on the very least.

What else, what else. Oh sure, the Core Extremely 7 356H, together with the Core Extremely 7 355. The latter drops the L3 cache right down to 12 MB, the PCIe lanes right down to 12, and the utmost reminiscence velocity right down to 6800 MT/s. On the plus aspect, it appears to be probably the most power-sipping of the chips we have seen at this finish of the lineup, maxing out at a 55 W TDP.

Each of those chips, as you’ll have guessed by now, are mere Intel Graphics-havers—not the total fats, B-series GPU variants.

Which brings me on to the Intel Core Extremely 5 338H, a chip with out an X within the title, however with a brand-spanking-new Intel Arc B370 10-Xe3 core iGPU. I do not make the naming guidelines, and neither, apparently, does Intel.

It is a 12-core chip with a 4.7 GHz max P-core frequency, 18 MB of Good Cache and the aforementioned super-intriguing iGPU, though Intel’s official specs sheet lists it within the “Thermal Velocity Enhance Frequency” part, simply to make issues enjoyable.

And eventually, we have now the Core Extremely 5 336H, an eight-core chip with a 4.6 GHz max P-core determine, 18 MB of L3 cache, and your customary 4 Xe core Intel Graphics iGPU, together with the Core Extremely 5 335, 325, 332, and 322. The final two are eight core chips with twin Xe core iGPUs, and make up the underside of the vary we have been proven thus far.

Phew. Fairly frankly, it is a dizzying and considerably complicated lineup. However the important thing takeaway is the claimed efficiency increase of these Arc B390 and B370 iGPUs in comparison with Lunar Lake—to not point out the key TDP enhancements when in comparison with a few of the earlier technology chips.

Slim and light-weight, built-in graphics-reliant cellular gadgets that may carry out nicely within the newest video games have usually felt like a pipe dream, however with Lunar Lake (and AMD’s Strix Level), that pipe dream grew to become one thing of a actuality.

But when Intel’s claims show to be correct (and the demos I’ve seen thus far present some spectacular efficiency in video games like Battlefield 6 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) then we could have a brand new brace of highly effective, gaming-capable cellular CPUs on our arms, significantly as soon as XeSS multi body technology will get concerned. And as for handhelds? Intel says it will have one thing spectacular to point out us within the coming months.

Thrilling stuff, ey? Now I’ll go and collapse, and dream of specs sheets. The numbers. The numbers by no means finish.

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