The extra execution units generally power Core i7 laptops to better results, but that’s not a rule. Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro and Pro 360 performed similarly in games. 11th-gen Core i5 processors have 80 execution units, while 11th-gen Core i7 processors have 96 execution units. However, there are two versions of Intel Xe on offer. That leaves you to choose from Intel’s 11 th-gen Core i5 and i7 quad-core processors that carry the Intel Xe badge.

While this may seem an odd move, Intel expects its fastest processors to be equipped with discrete graphics from AMD or Nvidia, so the integrated graphics solution isn’t relevant. Intel also packs this less impressive option in its most expensive mobile chips, like Intel’s eight-core Core i9-11900H. It’s based on the same architecture but is significantly less capable than Intel Xe. This is what you’ll find paired with Intel’s 11th-gen Intel Core i3 processors. Let’s start with what isn’t Intel Xe: Intel UHD for 11th-gen Intel Processors. Yeah, yeah, I know: This pales in comparison to a RipStonking VMax RTX 3090 Ti overclocked to 4.8 million gigaparsecs. Older, popular games like Rocket League, Counter-Strike and League of Legends easily exceed 60 fps at 1080p resolution and medium or high detail settings. Even Microsoft Flight Simulator is playable, though only at 720p resolution with low detail settings. I’ve used 11th-gen Intel Core laptops with Xe graphics to play games like Final Fantasy XIV, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Civilization VI at 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second. Square Enixįinal Fantasy XIV can achieve 30 FPS at 1080p on most Intel Xe laptops. Being stuck with an Intel-powered laptop brought my PC gaming to a halt. I hated this, especially when a professional trip or vacation was in my future. Only the oldest titles might be playable, and more recent games often wouldn’t launch at all. As recently as 2020, packing a laptop with Intel integrated graphics meant abandoning any progress in PC games I’m enjoying. I experienced this firsthand while reviewing 11th-gen Intel Core laptops through the first half of this year. Intel Iris Xe can easily break 4,000, a staggering four-fold improvement. Intel UHD 620 rarely broke a score of 1,000 in 3DMark’s Fire Strike benchmark. It’s no exaggeration to say Intel Xe, when compared to the company’s prior UHD 620 integrated graphics, delivers one of the largest gen-on-gen performance upgrades of the past decade.

Intel iris