Intel Panther Lake & Arc B390 Linux Testing Still in Progress

Intel’s next-generation laptop processors and their integrated graphics are generating buzz as they prepare for launch, but for the Linux community, the most anticipated performance data has yet to arrive. Although early reviews of the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” laptops and the accompanying Intel Arc B390 graphics hardware are now circulating under Windows, Linux support and performance benchmarking remain unfinished. This delay has left many open-source enthusiasts waiting for hard numbers on how the latest Intel hardware performs on Linux systems.

Panther Lake represents the latest evolution in Intel’s mobile computing lineup, focusing on improved performance and efficiency in thin and light laptops. These CPUs use a hybrid design with performance (P), efficiency (E), and low-power efficiency (LPE) cores to balance speed and battery life. Early Windows reviews highlight substantial gains, with battery life claims and competitive performance marks that outshine previous generations. Alongside this CPU architecture, the integrated Arc B390 GPU — featuring 12 Xe cores — is poised to deliver graphics performance that significantly exceeds older integrated solutions from both Intel and competitors.

Despite these advances, the Linux benchmarks that many in the open-source community are eager to see are still in progress. Phoronix’s lead author, Michael Larabel, notes that although Intel indicated it would send a Panther Lake laptop for Linux testing, no review unit has arrived at Phoronix yet as of late January 2026. Because of this, there are no official Linux benchmark results available at the time of writing. Instead, Larabel has pre-ordered a Panther Lake laptop specifically to perform these tests once it arrives.

The unit Larabel ordered is an MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Evo OLED featuring the Core Ultra X7 358H processor, which includes the Arc B390 integrated graphics. This model is slightly different from the higher-end Core Ultra X9 388H seen in other reviews, but both SKUs use the same 12-Xe-core B390 GPU configuration. Once this machine is in hand, Larabel plans to run Linux benchmarks using the latest upstream kernel and graphics stack to evaluate performance under open-source drivers.

This situation highlights a familiar challenge in the Linux ecosystem: support for the latest hardware often lags their official launch dates. While Windows drivers and benchmarks typically appear quickly, Linux driver development, firmware inclusion, and performance optimization can take longer. For integrated graphics like Arc B390, multiple components must align for full support — including kernel drivers, Mesa (the open-source graphics stack), and firmware blobs that are included in the linux-firmware repository. Recent work has upstreamed some Panther Lake firmware support, which suggests that the groundwork for broad Linux compatibility is being laid, but distribution support can still trail behind.

This delay doesn’t mean Linux will be unsupported, but it does mean early adopters may need to manually update firmware or graphics stacks to obtain the best experience at launch. Even when firmware is upstreamed, individual Linux distributions might not immediately include the newest assets, meaning users may need to fetch them manually in the short term.

Linux users are particularly keen on seeing how the Arc B390 performs compared to other platforms. Early leaks and Windows benchmarks suggest that the B390 offers substantial performance gains over previous Intel integrated graphics and even challenges some entry-level discrete GPUs for everyday gaming and graphics workloads. For example, leaked 3DMark Time Spy scores for Arc B390 exceed 7,000 points, nearly doubling the results of older Intel iGPUs and outperforming rival AMD integrated chips in synthetic tests.

However, synthetic benchmarks don’t always reflect real-world Linux gaming or compute performance — a reason why native Linux tests are so important. Independent Linux benchmarks often surface different optimization profiles than Windows, and open-source driver maturity can influence performance outcomes in unpredictable ways. Linux drivers for Intel GPUs have matured significantly in recent years, yet new architectures like Arc B390 still require careful driver and kernel support to unlock their full potential.

In addition to performance, driver stability and feature support are critical for Linux users. Historically, integrated GPU support on Linux has improved with each kernel release, but certain features — such as advanced power management, video acceleration, and full Vulkan support — often lag behind Windows capabilities initially. These delays can affect everything from gaming performance to professional workloads that rely on GPU acceleration.

For readers following Phoronix, the site plans to publish preliminary Linux performance data as soon as the pre-ordered laptop arrives and testing concludes. This means that, while benchmarks are still pending, the wait should be relatively short once the hardware is in hand and the latest open-source graphics stack is in place. Those interested in supporting deeper Linux hardware coverage can also opt for Phoronix Premium, which helps fund independent testing when vendor samples aren’t provided directly.

In summary, Intel’s Panther Lake laptops and the Arc B390 integrated GPU promise meaningful improvements over previous generations, and Windows benchmarks paint an encouraging picture. But for Linux users, the official performance metrics and compatibility evaluations are still forthcoming. With firmware upstreaming already underway and testing set to begin imminently, the open-source community should soon get a clearer view of how this next generation of Intel mobile hardware performs under Linux.