While the AI-induced global memory crisis—often called the "RAMpocalypse"—is currently working to wipe out the consumer PC market, hardware vendors aren't backing down. We are only a month away from Computex, an event where we expect a massive influx of new desktops, laptops, and handhelds. Notably, the next generation of Intel-powered handheld gaming PCs could soon be the most anticipated devices on the market.
Leaked Specs: The Intel Arc G3 Extreme vs. AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme
According to recent PassMark benchmark results via Wccftech, an unannounced chip known as the Intel Arc G3 Extreme is showing significant potential. This processor, part of the Panther Lake family, features a top-tier graphics tile paired with a more modest compute configuration.
While many are unfamiliar with this upcoming silicon, the technical breakdown reveals a powerhouse iGPU:
- Intel Arc G3 Extreme: Features a 12 Xe core Arc B390 iGPU, supported by 2 P-cores, 8 E-cores, and 4 Low Power E-cores (14 threads total).
- AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme: Utilizes 16 RDNA 3.5 compute units with a boost clock of up to 2.7 GHz, featuring 8 cores (3 Zen 5 and 5 Zen 5c) supporting 16 threads.
Can Intel-powered handheld gaming PCs Outperform AMD?
Despite having fewer total threads than its competitor, the Intel chip appears to hold a significant performance advantage in raw processing power. The leaked PassMark data suggests that the Intel-powered handheld gaming PCs of the future may bridge the gap left by AMD's efficiency.
The benchmark numbers tell a compelling story:
- Multithreaded Score: Intel achieved 29,222, which is 25% higher than the average score for the Ryzen Z2 Extreme.
- Single-thread Score: Intel reached 4,288, outperforming AMD's 3,964 by approximately 8%.
While these numbers are impressive, it is important to note that comparing a laptop (like an Asus Zenbook Duo) to a handheld device (like the Asus Xbox Ally X) is difficult because power levels differ significantly. However, looking at the Arc B390 in a laptop environment, Intel's graphics performance appears considerably faster than the Ryzen Z2 Extreme.
The High Cost of Next-Gen Performance
For these Intel-powered handheld gaming PCs to succeed, they must overcome massive economic hurdles. The Arc B390 iGPU is a "pixel pusher," but it requires extremely fast LPDDR5x memory to reach its full potential.
The combination of expensive Panther Lake processors and the high cost of premium DRAM during the current "RAMpocalypse" suggests a daunting reality. If Intel launches this hardware, we should expect two things: the fastest gaming handheld on the market, and the most expensive one. Whether these high-end devices will be worth the massive price tag remains to be seen.
