ROG Xbox Ally X Ryzen Z2 Extreme is no match for Intel Panther Lake, as leaked 3DMark scores put Intel iGPU 72% ahead
Initial reviews of the first-ever Xbox-branded handheld gaming console, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, are out. Per our testing, the console is an improvement over the regular Asus ROG Ally in almost every perceivable way. This also includes performance, where the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme and its Radeon 890M is around 10-15% faster in gaming than the ROG Ally X’s Z1 Extreme SoC.
However, while this performance delta is good, Intel’s latest Panther Lake iGPU seems to be much faster according to leaked 3DMark Time Spy Graphics scores.
We noted in our Asus ROG Xbox Ally X review that, in “Turbo” mode with up to a 55 W TDP, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme scores 3,620 points in the 3DMark Time Spy Graphics test. Based on the recently leaked Intel Panther Lake 3DMark Time Spy Graphics score, the 12 Xe-core Panther Lake iGPU is a massive 72% ahead of the Radeon 890M of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. Granted, the Intel chip in question was paired with faster memory (8,533 MT/s vs 8,000 MT/s), so the added bandwidth is undoubtedly helping the performance here. However, we also need to keep in mind that the Ryzen Z2 Extreme was allowed a max TDP of 55 W, while the flagship Panther Lake chip, the Core Ultra X9 388H, reportedly tops out at 45 W.
So, the Intel Panther Lake Core Ultra X9 388H could not only prove to be a much better gaming chip than the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, but also consume less power. If these synthetic results translate well to gaming, future portable consoles running Intel Panther Lake APUs will be more than a match for AMD-based handhelds.
That said, we will have to wait to get our hands on retail Intel Panther Lake samples to confirm these assertions. However, as things currently stand, Intel Panther Lake APUs could be the handheld gaming chips from Team Blue that we were waiting for.
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