New Intel graphics driver claims a remarkable 35% performance boost for Panther Lake's nifty little iGPU in Witcher 3 at 1080p
PC Gamer
by Jeremy Laird February 26, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Intel has unveiled a new graphics driver that claims to deliver a significant 35% performance boost for the Panther Lake iGPU in *Witcher 3* at 1080p High. This improvement is particularly notable given that Witcher 3 is a demanding title, and achieving higher frame rates can make a noticeable difference in gameplay smoothness and responsiveness. The update also benefits older Intel Arc GPUs, such as the A770, with claimed average FPS increases of up to 40% at 1080p Ultra and 30% at 1440p Ultra in *Resident Evil Requiem*. These gains suggest that Intel is optimizing its driver software to better utilize the hardware's capabilities.
The Panther Lake iGPU, known as the Arc B390, has already been recognized as one of the most powerful integrated graphics solutions available. Its performance is particularly impressive when compared to dedicated GPUs like the Nvidia RTX 4050 laptop card, which typically hits 60+ fps at 1080p High in *Witcher 3*. With the new driver, the Arc B390 is expected to deliver around 40-50 fps, making it a solid choice for gamers seeking an affordable and efficient solution for 1080p gaming. This improvement could help Intel close the gap between integrated graphics and dedicated GPUs in terms of gaming performance.
The boost in performance likely stems from optimizations in how the driver handles data flow between system memory and the iGPU, particularly using fast LPDDR5x memory. While DRAM latencies have historically been a bottleneck for integrated graphics, Intel's updates seem to address these issues, allowing the
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Originally published on PC Gamer on 2/26/2026