Intel Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) Xe3 iGPU delivers 30–50% uplift

New details on the Intel Core Ultra 300 family (Panther Lake) suggest the next-gen Xe3 integrated graphics could be notably quicker than previous efforts. Based on 3DMark Time Spy results, the Panther Lake iGPU shows a 30% to 50% performance uplift compared with Lunar Lake chips built around Xe2.

In particular, a tested Core Ultra X9 388H with 12 Xe3 graphics cores scored about 6,233 points when paired with LPDDR5X-8533 and up to 6,300 with faster LPDDR5X-9600. That’s roughly 33% ahead of Lunar Lake’s top figures and about 70% faster than the Ryzen HX 370 iGPU, though the gap in actual games will likely be smaller—synthetic benches tend to magnify differences.

Efficiency also moves forward. Intel says Panther Lake delivers a 40% performance-per-watt gain over Arrow Lake-H and up to 50% over Lunar Lake-H, with 3DMark Solar Bay as well as runs in Cyberpunk 2077 and Borderlands 3 pointing in the same direction. If these gains extend under sustained loads, thin-and-light designs could see more consistent frame pacing without burning through their battery budgets.

Given that the Arc 140V in Lunar Lake is already regarded as one of the stronger energy-efficient options for gaming, the shift to Xe3 looks like a meaningful step. Analysts expect the new Panther Lake graphics to open the door to more capable handheld gaming devices that can stand toe to toe with AMD-based rivals—potentially nudging portable systems beyond the “good enough” tier and into more confident, console-like playability.