PCWorld tested Intel's new Panther Lake Core Ultra X9 388H processor, which delivers gaming laptop performance through integrated graphics comparable to Nvidia GeForce 4050 chips. The chip achieves impressive battery life up to 27 hours while maintaining strong performance, with AI frame generation boosting gaming from 52 to 92 fps in titles like Cyberpunk. Panther Lake faces competition from AMD's Ryzen AI Max and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2, but Intel's early 2025 release provides significant market advantage.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Why Intel's Panther Lake reveal gave me existential dread I want desktop PCs and PC building to thrive. Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? I never thought I'd think on laptops with envy. But here I am, writing these words.

The struggling American chipmaker is betting that a new plant and fresh product line will help turn around its fortunes. After four years of construction, Intel said on Thursday that its Fab 52 semiconductor plant in Chandler, Arizona is now turning out its first chips. The company also shared more details about the long-awaited CPUs that it will be producing in the facility using Intel's brand new 18A process technology. The announcement comes just six weeks after the Trump administration acquired a 9.9 percent stake in Intel in exchange for $8.9 billion in stock. The fab opening, while long in the works, is the first major opportunity for the struggling American chip maker to convince the broader tech industry that it can produce some of the world's most advanced chips at scale--and that the White House's investment might pay off.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Intel's new Panther Lake CPU: 11 essential facts you should know If you just need the basics about Intel's new laptop CPU, you've come to the right place. Panther Lake, the next generation of Intel's Core Ultra series of laptop processors, is nearly here. But what is it, exactly? Intel spent several days explaining the fine details of Panther Lake to journalists at a recent press event, including its new compute cores, graphics cores, NPU AI, and wireless.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Panther Lake unveiled: A deep dive into Intel's next-gen laptop CPU Take the low power of Lunar Lake, combine it with the performance of Arrow Lake, and you've got Panther Lake, Intel says. Intel's next-generation mobile processor, "Panther Lake," builds incrementally on the excellent "Lunar Lake" chip populating laptops right now. But there's something odd afoot: a "16-core, 12 Xe graphics cores" version that could be Intel's answer to AMD's Ryzen AI Max, complete with multi-frame graphics generation powered by AI. Intel has officially revealed its new Panther Lake architecture, and it gives enthusiasts a lot to chew on: a return to the performance (P-cores), efficiency (E-cores), and low-power efficiency (LP E-cores) cores of Intel's first Core Ultra chip, Meteor Lake. Intel has returned with a fifth-generation NPU capable of 50 TOPS and an image processing unit (IPU) that actually uses AI for some functions. Intel's "Xe3" GPU is worth some discussion all by itself, with its awkward branding and powerful multi-frame generation that will potentially elevate frame rates three or four times what they were before. Can Panther Lake address mainstream laptops, handheld PCs, and this new breed of "AI workstations" AMD's Strix Halo is aiming for? Intel's confidence in its 18A manufacturing process may be a bit overblown, however, as several portions of Panther Lake are still being manufactured overseas, including the 12Xe version of the new, disaggregated (separate) GPU tile.

Intel executives pledged Tuesday that its upcoming Panther Lake chip will combine the best aspects of its earlier processors, Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake. Intel executives spoke in Las Vegas on the second day of its Intel Vision conference, which engages Intel's partners and customers. Intel's new chief executive Lip-Bu Tan outlined his plans for Intel's new direction on Monday, asking for brutal honesty while pledging to return Intel to greatness. We already knew that Panther Lake would be a critical product for Intel this year. Not only is the chip the next iteration of Intel's PC client roadmap, but it's the first chip on Intel's next-generation 18A manufacturing process.