Intel Arc B390 “Panther Lake” iGPU Shines in Linux Performance Testing
For years, Intel’s integrated graphics on Linux were held back by immature drivers and inconsistent performance. With the arrival of the Xe3 architecture, that reputation is rapidly changing.
Recent benchmarks published by Phoronix show the Intel Arc B390 iGPU—featured in the Panther Lake Core Ultra X7 358H—delivering a decisive performance lead over AMD’s flagship Radeon 890M, particularly in gaming and modern graphics workloads.
🧪 Test Environment: A Cutting-Edge Linux Stack #
To ensure full hardware enablement, testing was conducted on a modern Linux software stack:
- Laptop: MSI Prestige 14
- Processor: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (Panther Lake)
- Operating System: Ubuntu 26.04
- Kernel: Linux 6.19 (required for stable Wi-Fi and audio support)
- Graphics Stack: Mesa 26.0.0
This setup reflects near-ideal conditions for evaluating next-generation Intel graphics on Linux.
🎮 Gaming Performance: Intel Pulls Ahead #
In direct comparisons against the Radeon 890M (RDNA 3.5), the Arc B390 led in the vast majority of tested titles. Only a few edge cases—such as Counter-Strike 2 and Quake II RTX—favored AMD.
Key Results #
-
Hitman 3:
At 1920×1200, Low settings, the Arc B390 delivered a staggering 64% performance advantage over the Radeon 890M and exceeded previous-generation Intel iGPUs by more than 50%. -
Generational Gains:
Compared with Meteor Lake (Core Ultra 7 155H) and Lunar Lake (Core Ultra 258V), performance gains ranged from 15% to over 50%, depending on the title. -
The Bandwidth Wall:
At Ultra settings, the performance gap narrowed considerably—an expected limitation for integrated GPUs constrained by shared memory bandwidth and power envelopes.
🧬 Synthetic Benchmarks & Ray Tracing #
Synthetic tests further highlighted the architectural strengths of Xe3, particularly in parallel workloads and ray tracing:
- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme:
Arc B390 led by roughly 20%. - GravityMark:
Intel dominated across OpenGL, Vulkan, and especially Vulkan Ray Tracing workloads. - Unigine Benchmarks:
In Superposition, Valley, and Heaven, the B390 consistently maintained a 30%+ lead, pointing to significantly improved driver scheduling and pipeline utilization.
⚡ Power Efficiency and Real-World Limits #
Importantly, Intel’s gains are not purely the result of higher power draw:
- Efficiency Parity:
At equivalent power levels, the Radeon 890M remains competitive in terms of frames-per-watt. - Power Profiles Matter:
On the MSI Prestige 14, the default Balanced mode caps the CPU at 15W. Achieving peak Arc B390 performance requires switching to Performance Mode, unlocking 30–45W. - Architectural Improvements:
The majority of gains stem from better parallel execution, smarter scheduling, and more effective use of Xe3’s graphics pipeline—not brute-force power scaling.
🌟 Final Verdict #
The Panther Lake generation represents a genuine inflection point for Intel graphics on Linux. The Arc B390 is no longer a “catch-up” solution—it is a top-tier integrated GPU that frequently matches or outperforms AMD’s best offerings.
For Linux users shopping for thin-and-light laptops in 2026, Intel iGPUs have firmly earned their place as a first-class graphics option.