Yeah, I’d take Panther Lake in a desktop PC  | amznusa.com

I’m excited about Panther Lake. More specifically, I like what I see of its integrated graphics—and what it could mean for the future.

Panther Lake’s incredible performance isn’t a new concept, of course. AMD was first out the gate last year with splashy, powerful graphics squeezed onto a mobile CPU die. Strix Halo and its performance was the talk of our office in 2025 on multiple occasions, having captured the attention of The Full Nerd crew and other PCWorld staffers alike. But Intel now thrusting its feet into the fire makes a low-key dream of mine feel possible.

Intel’s new mobile architecture can nearly rival discrete GPUs, as my colleague Mark found during his extensive testing. I could be apprehensive about the implications for budget discrete graphics cards—and I was asked that very question during the show this week. Yes, it is a little unnerving. I don’t want integrated graphics (however good they are) to replace discrete cards. Being able to swap a video card, especially one that fails or has grown long in the tooth, should not be a privilege available only to those who can afford higher-end cards.

I want brawny integrated graphics to be an additional choice for PC gamers and DIY builders. Just think of what that could do for small form-factor PCs.

For example, take this this lil’ guy from r/sffpc, which does actually sport a discrete RTX 5060 in that 1.8L body. (Gorgeous work on the part of u/Bjoes92, by the way—oh, to be able to CNC aluminum in your own workshop!) Right now, mini-PCs and small form-factor building have a wall between them. But what if that hard line softened?

u/Bjoes92 / Reddit

In an ideal world, I’d love to see chips like Panther Lake expand beyond laptops to not just mini-PCs, but SFF builds that straddle the line between DIY and bare-bones kits. Perhaps mini-STX (or an even smaller riff on it) could firm up as a standard-option motherboard, where a Ryzen AI Max+ or Panther Lake–style chip is soldered on. Or—if AMD’s surprising hints at CES are any indication—such a mobo could support a sized-down version of socketed desktop parts.

(The fact AMD dropped the idea of a mobile chip in a socketed board means I’m not the only person on the planet wondering about this. Heck, it sounds like I’m actually late to the party.) 

I’d enjoy doing speed-run SFF builds with a half-DIY, half-bare-bones approach. Lots of performance, low time investment to get up and running, and I can choose my own case and cooling? Heck yeah. It would be a more DIY-friendly version of Intel’s Compute Element concept—and one with legs. (The Compute Element didn’t survive long after its debut in 2020.)

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still concerned about the future of budget discrete GPUs. But realistically, consumer technology doesn’t appear poised for the same leaps and bounds in progress as we saw this past decade. So during this slowed period, I’d like to at least see innovation around efficiency—advances that will reduce the necessary size and energy consumption of everyday PC components. With such heavy emphasis in the last decade on pushing the envelope (rightly needed given the years of stagnation prior to AMD’s Ryzen launch), optimization could use some growth. When consumer hardware once again steams ahead, we home users would better benefit from a landscape paying equal attention to optimized hardware. (The cost of living won’t be getting any cheaper, especially when it comes to real estate and energy.)

There will always be room at my desk for a full-powered desktop PC, but I love options. I love choice. I really love small PCs. The idea of broader flexibility and power in a mini footprint is exciting to me, too.

In this episode of The Full Nerd

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Alaina Yee, Mark Hachman, and Will Smith dig into Mark’s testing of Intel Panther Lake (and what that means for other 18A products), Arrow Lake refresh rumors, and gaming performance on Windows 10 vs. Windows 11. Will and Mark also share tales of random wildlife. (Will’s take on weasels: “They’re like [mice], but long.”)

We also once again go long with viewer Q&A (a whole 45 minutes!), which means y’all have many things to ask us. We love it. (For real.)

Willis Lai / Foundry

Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd Network YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real-time!

Don’t miss out on our NEW shows too—you can catch episodes of Dual Boot Diaries and The Full Nerd: Extra Edition on our channel, too. PLUS! Adam just teased a new joint endeavor with Retro Gaming Corps…

And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds.

This week’s varied nerd news

I found myself poking all over the internet this week for interesting tidbits—and it was surprising what turned up. Obviously, the big news was AMD’s launch of the 9850X3D, which Adam tested for us. But I had never given much deep thought to China’s own memory production before, which Gamers Nexus helped fix for me. (Thanks, Steve!)

Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry

• Adam tested the 9850X3D: As I note in my written summary of his findings, it’s…fine. Yes, it’s the best gaming CPU. But the overall landscape for DIY building complicates its appeal.

• I want to try this now: One determined British dude repurposed the standard telephone wiring in his home for gigabit ethernet. This is absolutely me now researching whether U.S. telephone lines are similarly capable.

• Sigh: The United State’s cyber defense chief uploaded sensitive information into the public version of ChatGPT.

• The rise of Chinese memory: This deep-dive from Gamers Nexus into China’s investment into memory manufacturing is both educational and fascinating.

9to5Google

• I’m nervous: Supposedly, the first look at Google’s new AluminumOS recently leaked—and while I’m hopeful about its eventual launch, I’m also still worried. (What will happen to ChromeOS Flex?)

• Oops: A five-ton Japanese satellite fell off the rocket it was attached to during flight. Somehow, this feels like a light moment, thanks to the image released by Japan’s space agency illustrating what happened. (Also, my tax dollars didn’t pay for it, so.)

• The sound will remain forever in my head: Microsoft just purposely broke modem support in Windows 11. The reason makes sense, but the outcome is still a bit sad.

• Better late than never: Having a succession plan is a wise idea for any group—so this is a smart move on the Linux community’s part.

• Found the problem: Small form-factor haters criticize builds for not enough airflow. This post in the r/SFFPC subreddit clearly illustrates the real issue. The real cute (yet still very problematic) issue.

Catch you all next week—it should be a bit warmer at last. Also, you know how when you live in an area, certain things don’t faze you? For example, earthquakes are normal to me, but PCWorld’s east coast staffers seem mildly alarmed whenever we west coasters mention them. 

Well, I had the reverse experience upon learning that you can have a heart attack while shoveling snow. Our east coast crew? They only said, “Oh yeah, that totally happens on occasion out here.” 

I’m glad I live in a temperate climate.

Alaina

This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.