Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme handheld outpaces Ryzen Z2 Extreme in tests

Arc G3 Extreme handheld from Intel beats Ryzen Z2 Extreme in early tests

HARDWARE NEWS manhkbrady - May 2, 2026, 1:00 PM

Just about a week after reports surfaced that Intel was preparing Panther Lake-based Arc G3 and G3 Extreme handhelds for a Computex debut, the first benchmark results for one of these devices have now appeared online.

A leaked PassMark result, spotted by x86deadandback on X, suggests that the Arc G3 Extreme - believed to be powering an unreleased MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ - outperforms AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme found in the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X by a noticeable margin.

According to the test, Intel’s chip achieved scores of 4,288 in single-core and 29,622 in multi-core performance. In comparison, AMD’s Z2 Extreme averages around 3,960 and 23,600 respectively. That translates to roughly an 8% advantage in single-core and a much larger 26% lead in multi-core results. On the graphics side, the gap is smaller but still present, with Intel hitting 55 FPS versus AMD’s 48 FPS - about a 15% difference.

Chart comparing Intel Arc G3 Extreme, AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, and Intel Core Ultra 5 338H specifications.

While this is just a single early benchmark, it still provides some interesting context. The MSI handheld is rumored to feature 32GB of 8533MHz LPDDR5X memory, compared to the 24GB 8000MHz setup in the Xbox Ally X. The CPU configuration also differs, with Intel using a 14-core (2P + 8E + 4LPE) and 14-thread layout, while AMD’s chip has 8 cores (3P + 5E) and 16 threads. For gaming, Intel also brings features like XeSS upscaling and multi-frame generation, which are not currently present on RDNA 3.5 hardware.

Other leaked details include a 1920x1200 120Hz display and a 1TB Micron 2500 NVMe SSD - fairly standard specs for a premium handheld. These match earlier leaks from a European retailer, which also hinted at a steep €1599 price tag, likely influenced by ongoing increases in memory and storage costs.

With Computex set to begin on June 2, official announcements are just around the corner. The key question now is whether these early synthetic benchmarks will translate into real-world gaming performance, and if Intel can maintain that reported 15–25% lead over AMD in actual gameplay scenarios.

As always, for the latest news on hardware launches and industry developments, be sure to follow our dedicated hardware coverage.