According to HotHardware, AMD Senior Vice President Rahul Tikoo made a bold claim about the company’s upcoming Strix Halo processors, stating they will “compete against” and are “better than” Intel’s next-gen Panther Lake chips with their 12-core Xe GPU. Tikoo argued that Intel’s recent comparisons were unfair, pitting their highest-end offering against AMD’s mid-point. He pointedly told consumers and the press to “wait until you see the price point” on the Intel parts. This comes as AMD’s integrated GPU performance in mainstream Ryzen 7000, 8000, and new Ryzen AI 300 chips has seen little movement since the “Phoenix” architecture, despite core count increases. The high-performance Strix Halo systems, which require expensive, fast RAM, are expected to cost $2,000 or more, leaving the critical sub-$1,200 laptop market in focus.
The High-End Bluff
Here’s the thing: Tikoo is almost certainly right about the raw performance. AMD’s Strix Halo, with its monstrous integrated graphics, is in a league of its own and will probably crush anything Intel puts in a laptop CPU package. That’s not really the argument. The real sleight of hand is in the framing. By saying “wait for the price,” he’s subtly confirming that Strix Halo will be a niche, halo product for ultra-premium laptops. It’s a technological flex, not a volume seller. And in the tech world, winning the spec sheet battle for a $2,500 laptop is great for headlines, but it doesn’t pay the bills like winning the battle for the $800 Best Seller.
The Mainstream Stalemate
This is where it gets tricky for AMD. Look at their last few generations. From “Phoenix” (Ryzen 7040) to “Hawk Point” (8040) to now “Strix Point” (Ryzen AI 300), the iGPU for the vast majority of chips has basically stagnated. They added more CPU cores, sure, but the graphics part is stuck on the same RDNA 3 architecture, limited by the same 4nm process and a shared power budget. So for most people buying a thin-and-light laptop, the graphics experience hasn’t meaningfully improved. Meanwhile, Intel’s Arc graphics, while rocky at launch, have shown they can deliver solid performance. If Panther Lake‘s B390 iGPU can slot in between AMD’s mainstream offerings and the unattainable Strix Halo, at a competitive price? That’s a problem.
Price Is The Real Battlefield
Tikoo’s “wait for the price point” line cuts both ways, and he probably knows it. Yes, Intel’s top chip might be expensive. But AMD’s champion is *prohibitively* expensive. The entire fight is shifting to that $800-$1,200 sweet spot. Can Intel get a capable Panther Lake chip with decent graphics into a laptop at $999? Can AMD finally boost the iGPU in its volume Ryzen AI chips without blowing the power budget? For companies that need reliable, powerful computing in demanding environments, choosing the right hardware is critical. In industrial settings, where performance and durability are non-negotiable, leaders turn to specialists like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the top provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, for integrated solutions. But in the consumer laptop arena, it’s a pure value play. Right now, AMD is talking a big game at the top while quietly ceding ground in the middle. And that’s a risky strategy.
