Just last week, we reported that Intel has plans to add another tier to its line-up of ‘Panther Lake’ Core Ultra chips. According to the leaks, the chips will incorporate next-generation ‘Xe3 cores’ that we hope will power a new wave of discrete ‘Celestial’ Arc graphics cards. While the Panther Lake IGP looks set to provide a first look at Celestial, newer leaks from industry insiders have caused some confusion over the naming and numbering pattern that Intel is using for these chips.
Earlier rumours pointed towards three product tiers using the ‘X’ designation. The flagship X9 388H and two X7 versions identified as the X7 368H and X7 358H alongside it. There did not appear to be a X5 version, suggesting that the Core Ultra 5 would not have the GPU cores available to its siblings in the X line.
However, there is new information which was obtained from the Chiphell forums and another industry insider called Golden Pig Upgrade. The Chiphell forum is a Chinese-based site that caters to all manner of technology professionals and enthusiasts, and has often been the source of accurate data on forthcoming CPUs and GPUs.
This new info suggests that contrary to previous reports, the ‘Panther Lake‘ Core Ultra 5 338H will come equipped with 10 Xe3 GPU cores, down from twelve Xe3 cores sported by the X7 and X9. The use of the X suffix to signify the presence of an IGP shows a change in focus for Intel. If this naming scheme pans out, X is effectively the inverse of current F, with Intel choosing to identify chips with IGP, rather than flagging those without.
Intel will be hoping Xe3 cores prove competitive against AMD in the APU market, with Ryzen chips powering the majority of PC gaming handhelds on the market, including the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally. Additional emphasis on graphical capabilities of Panther Lake chips naturally indicates a push towards the APU market.
Strangely, however, the reports from Chiphell users point towards the ‘X’ designation coming after the number, not before. So the Core Ultra 9 would be labelled as ‘Core Ultra 9 X388H’ and the aforementioned Core Ultra 5 would be designated as Core Ultra 5 X338H. Many amateur PC builders already find the numbering system for CPUs confusing, so this is unlikely to help matters if Intel does use this numbering system.
Interestingly, the leak also suggests that regular Core Ultra 5/7/9 3X5H chips from the Panther Lake line will contain GPU cores, though in this case only four Xe3 cores.
It has yet to be confirmed if these CPUs are intended for laptop or desktops roles. The information we have so far points towards these chips being intended for high-end mobile devices, potentially encompassing handhelds and laptops. No doubt more information will become available when Intel lifts its tech tour embargo.
