(Image credit: Intel)

Panther Lake is a big deal for Intel. After the disappointment of Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake, and the backlash over the instability of Raptor Lake, the chip giant has bet big on 18A, the process node used to make the key component of the new chip, and introduced some key improvements with the architecture. However, Panther Lake's official launch at CES has given both Intel and AMD ample room to take potshots at each other.

Talking to Tom's Hardware, AMD SVP and GM of Client Product Group, Rahul Tikoo, spoke about Panther Lake. Tikoo said "Strix Halo or Ryzen AI Max will kill it" and that "it's not even a fair fight at that point." He added that AMD's top-end chips are "better than that in terms of graphics performance" and that those looking for gaming will be buying gaming-specific chips anyway.

(Image credit: Future)

Intel also reports an 82% bump over the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with native rendering and 73% with 2x upscaling. Whether or not this comparison is warranted will depend on the price of Panther Lake.

Tikoo is sceptical. "Wait until you see the price point on that. It's gonna be, you know. Enough said." The high-end that AMD wants Intel to compare itself to also isn't very affordable, though.

In a separate interview with PCWorld, Intel's senior director of product management for client, Nish Neelalojan, aired his own grievances about AMD. “They’re selling ancient silicon, while we’re selling up-to-date processors specifically designed for this market”.

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Process nodes aren't everything, but Panther Lake is manufactured on Intel's 18A node (with gate-all-around transistors and backside power delivery), whereas Gorgon Point is using TSMC's N4 node (which is a tweaked N5 FinFET process). What Intel is saying isn't necessarily wrong: It's not competing with totally new hardware, it's competing with a mid-cycle refresh.