This SOC is a winner. Incredible levels of CPU efficiency and iGPU performance. Real-world gaming being basically equal to B390 is a pleasant surprise too.
YouTube/Just Josh measured bad 1% FPS lows of all Arc B390 laptops (youtu.be/jduWl1J_4lQ?t=630). This is disappointing and I hope it can be fixed.
QuotePWM flickering
I wonder if the 120 Hz (same as display' 120 Hz refresh rate), 14%, PWM amplitude is going to be an eye-strain issue.
Here is another video with bad 1% FPS lows of Panther Lake's Arc B390: youtu.be/A_jHa0d1aFA?t=319 (YT/Just Josh: "Intel's New Integrated GPU vs 10 Popular Games (Shockingly Playable)")
Quote from: youtu.be/A_jHa0d1aFA?t=319..we wouldn't recommend it. The 1% lows and .1% lows are just too rough.
Because it's true. But what's also true is that if you unplug an 8060s laptop and attempt to game, your 1% lows will be even worse than on the arc b390.
So the arc b390 is the best we have for now. Yes, it isn't strong enough, wish it was a bit stronger but it is what it is.
Maybe fine wine driver updates can improve things with Microsoft's DirectX update that deliveries 90% performance boost on arc battlemage using SER can help.
I hope JJ tests more games on battery and not just Forza.
Quote from: gaming perf on battery on March 02, 2026, 20:39:02Because it's true. But what's also true is that if you unplug an 8060s laptop and attempt to game, your 1% lows will be even worse than on the arc b390.
So the arc b390 is the best we have for now. Yes, it isn't strong enough, wish it was a bit stronger but it is what it is.
Maybe fine wine driver updates can improve things with Microsoft's DirectX update that deliveries 90% performance boost on arc battlemage using SER can help.
I hope JJ tests more games on battery and not just Forza.
Fundamentally, wattage (influenced by thermals) is the limiting factor. As to whether or not a particular GPU is "strong enough", it's always been about managing the workload. For gaming, that means dialing down the settings.
Quote from: Arc B390 bad 1% FPS lows on March 02, 2026, 17:34:09YouTube/Just Josh measured bad 1% FPS lows of all Arc B390 laptops (youtu.be/jduWl1J_4lQ?t=630). This is disappointing and I hope it can be fixed.
QuotePWM flickering
I wonder if the 120 Hz (same as display' 120 Hz refresh rate), 14%, PWM amplitude is going to be an eye-strain issue.
This device is advertised as a PWM king already. I am not sure if what PWM results say here is correct. The PWM should be 4320Hz. I had 2025 version of this device, and did not experience any eye strain.