Intel’s new Panther Lake laptop APUs are already making waves, and early benchmarks suggest integrated graphics performance is getting a serious upgrade. Announced earlier this month with up to 16 CPU cores and as many as 12 Xe cores on the iGPU, Panther Lake chips are expected to arrive in Windows laptops in the coming months. Now, fresh Geekbench 6.5 OpenCL results point to a big generational leap.
Multiple public listings for the Core Ultra X7 358H, reportedly tested inside an Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 G405AA with 30.47 GB of RAM, show the iGPU scoring between 46,171 and 52,946 in OpenCL. Even at the low end of that range, the integrated graphics outpaces the fastest Lunar Lake Arc 140V result by roughly 49%. Using the highest score, the lead grows to about 70.5%.
The comparisons don’t stop there. Against AMD’s Radeon 890M, the Panther Lake iGPU still comes out ahead. The lowest Panther Lake score is about 7% higher than the best 890M entry, and at the top of the range, the Core Ultra X7 358H posts a roughly 23% advantage.
What does this mean for buyers? If these numbers hold in shipping systems, thin-and-light laptops could deliver noticeably better performance in GPU-accelerated workloads and casual to mid-range gaming without needing a discrete GPU. OpenCL results aren’t a direct proxy for game frame rates, but they’re a strong indicator of overall compute capability and driver maturity. The combination of a 16-core CPU design and a 12-core Xe iGPU also sets the stage for faster content creation, AI-assisted tasks, and smoother everyday performance.
Key takeaways:
– Panther Lake iGPU scores range from 46,171 to 52,946 in Geekbench 6.5 OpenCL on a Core Ultra X7 358H.
– Versus Lunar Lake’s Arc 140V: roughly 49% to 70.5% faster, depending on the sample.
– Versus AMD Radeon 890M: about 7% to 23% faster based on the tested range.
– Expected to arrive in Windows laptops soon, with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 among the early platforms seen in tests.
With launch timing approaching, all eyes will be on real-world gaming tests, thermals, and battery life. But if early benchmarks are any indication, Panther Lake could redefine what integrated graphics can do in premium ultraportables.
