Intel Arc B390 iGPU crushes Radeon 890M, nearly matches RTX 4050 Laptop

For the first time in a long while, Intel’s integrated graphics aren’t just “good enough” – they’re genuinely competitive.

Early independent benchmarks of Intel Arc B390, the new iGPU found in Core Ultra X9 388H processors, show a dramatic leap forward. The Arc B390 doesn’t just outperform Intel’s previous iGPUs – it comfortably beats AMD’s Radeon 890M and, in some scenarios, starts encroaching on low-power GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPUs.

That’s a sentence that simply wasn’t possible to write about Intel iGPUs a few years ago.

Arc B390 vs Radeon 890M: A clear win for Intel

According to ComputerBase, which tested the Arc B390 using LPDDR5X-9600 memory, Intel’s new integrated graphics show a decisive advantage over AMD’s Radeon 890M in 1080p gaming.

The most striking result comes from low-power operation. At 24–25 watts, Arc B390 was measured to be up to 63% faster than Radeon 890M. That’s not a marginal win – it’s a landslide, especially in a power envelope that matters most for thin-and-light laptops.

Just as important, Arc B390 maintains nearly the same performance on battery power, a long-standing weakness for mobile GPUs. Minimal performance drop unplugged makes a real difference for portable gaming and content creation.

Closing the gap to discrete GPUs

Notebookcheck places Arc B390 in the same general performance bracket as GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPUs configured for lower power limits.

That’s a significant milestone. Intel’s iGPU now:

• clearly outperforms Arc 140T / 140V
• decisively beats Radeon 890M
• approaches entry-level discrete GPUs without requiring a dedicated GPU

AMD’s Strix Halo (Ryzen AI Max+) iGPUs still lead the integrated graphics charts, but they do so at much higher power consumption, making the comparison less favorable for thin and efficient laptops.

Independent tests Back it up

Additional testing from well-known hardware analyst The Phawx reinforces these findings. At matched power levels – particularly above 20 W – Arc B390 often outperforms the iGPU found in Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 across multiple games.

This consistency across independent testers suggests Arc B390’s gains aren’t benchmark anomalies. They’re architectural.

Arc B390 changes the value equation for laptops.

If an integrated GPU can deliver playable 1080p performance while staying efficient and stable on battery, the need for budget discrete GPUs becomes far less obvious. That has implications not just for gamers, but for OEM laptop designs, thermals, cost, and battery life.

Intel isn’t just catching up here – it’s redefining what an iGPU is expected to do.

It’s worth noting that these results come from the top-tier Arc B390 configuration. Intel’s upcoming Panther Lake lineup will also include: – Arc B370, – cut-down Xe3 configurations

How far the performance scales down remains to be seen, but if even midrange variants retain a meaningful portion of B390’s gains, Intel’s integrated graphics lineup could become genuinely disruptive.

Arc B390 is the strongest integrated GPU Intel has ever shipped – by a wide margin. It beats AMD’s mainstream iGPU, challenges low-power discrete GPUs, and does so at laptop-friendly power levels.

For years, Intel graphics were a compromise. With Arc B390, they’re finally a selling point.

Sources: ComputerBase, Notebookcheck, The Phawx, Videocardz