Intel’s integrated graphics have long been the redheaded stepchild of the PC world—until now. The company’s new Arc B390 iGPU, embedded in the Core Ultra X7 358H processor, is turning heads in Linux performance tests, consistently beating AMD’s Radeon 890M in nearly every gaming benchmark. What’s more, the gap isn’t just incremental—it’s often dramatic, with Intel’s Xe3 architecture pulling ahead by margins that could redefine expectations for integrated graphics.
The testing, conducted on Ubuntu 26.04 with Mesa 26.0 drivers and Linux Kernel 6.19, put the Arc B390 through its paces against AMD’s top-tier iGPU. While AMD’s Radeon 890M holds its own in a few titles—like Counter-Strike 2 and Quake II RTX—the Intel iGPU dominates in nearly every other scenario. In some cases, the performance lead reaches 50%, with Hitman 3 being a standout example. At 1920×1200 resolution and low settings, the Arc B390 delivers over 64% more frames per second than the Radeon 890M, a gap that narrows slightly at higher settings but remains substantial.
Synthetic benchmarks tell a similar story. The Arc B390 excels in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, scoring 20% higher than AMD’s iGPU, and in GravityMark’s OpenGL, Vulkan, and Vulkan Ray Tracing tests, where it consistently leads by 30% or more. Even in Unigine’s Superposition, Valley, and Heaven benchmarks, Intel’s iGPU never trails—often by wide margins. The only caveat? Efficiency remains a mixed bag, with AMD’s Radeon 890M still competing closely in power consumption despite the raw performance advantage going to Intel.
For gamers and creators relying on integrated graphics, this shift could be significant. The Arc B390’s performance suggests that budget and mid-range laptops equipped with Panther Lake processors may now offer surprisingly capable gaming experiences—especially at lower resolutions. Whether this translates to broader adoption in Windows remains to be seen, but for Linux users, Intel’s latest iGPU is a game-changer.
Key specs and performance highlights
- Processor: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (with Arc B390 iGPU)
- Competitor: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (with Radeon 890M iGPU)
- Test platform: MSI Prestige 14, Ubuntu 26.04, Mesa 26.0, Linux Kernel 6.19
- Performance lead: Up to 50% in Hitman 3 (low settings), 20% in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme
- Outliers: AMD holds slight edge in Counter-Strike 2 and Quake II RTX
- Synthetic benchmarks: Dominates GravityMark, Unigine, and 3DMark tests
The Arc B390’s success in Linux benchmarks raises questions about whether Intel is finally closing the gap on AMD in integrated graphics—at least for now. While dedicated GPUs like the RTX 5090 and Radeon RX 9070 XT still reign supreme for high-end performance, the B390’s capabilities suggest a new era for budget-friendly computing. For those waiting for DDR6 memory or the next wave of high-end GPUs, this could be a welcome surprise.
