Intel’s New Core Ultra: Debunking Myths in the Graphics Arena

Yesterday, Intel unveiled its Core Ultra 3 processors with the powerful iGPU Arc B390, and we can already see what this graphics core is capable of. Capable it is indeed. The creators of the channel Eta Prime have already had the opportunity to run several games on a laptop with the Core Ultra X9 388H. Although we cannot yet compare these metrics with other iGPUs, the absolute values themselves are not superfluous either.

So, in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, high settings, and the XeSS upscaler in Quality mode (without frame generator), the game outputs over 60 fps. In Cyberpunk 2077, at Ultra settings with XeSS in Balance mode, without frame generator and ray tracing, the iGPU outputs 50-60 fps, but this is at a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels, which was previously unattainable for an integrated graphics core in this class.

Yes, there are Ryzen AI Max processors with an even more powerful Radeon 8060S core, but this is an entirely different class processor with much higher TDP and for devices of a different segment. Incidentally, at least in Cyberpunk 2077, the total PC consumption was only 60 W.

In the game Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the benchmark shows 74 fps at high settings. In the latest Doom: The Dark Ages, at a 1200p resolution with ray tracing enabled at medium settings and XeSS on Balance, you can get 90-100 fps.

Arc B390 can indeed be confidently called a gaming iGPU without any reservations regarding graphics quality settings and the like. No, it’s not the RTX 5090 or even the RTX 5060, but nonetheless, this graphics core allows you to play any modern games and not even at minimal settings.

Recall that Intel is already working on special versions of these processors for portable gaming consoles, and judging by these tests, such consoles will be much more powerful than today’s best models with Radeon 890M.