wccftech – (LEAK) Intel ARC Alchemist Desktop Graphics Cards to Compete with AMD RX 6700 XT & NVIDIA RTX 3070, Pricing Starts at $100 US & Up To $500 US
 
“The leaked slide appeared on Baidu Forums (via Videocardz) and has been shared with retail partners by Intel. According to the slide, the lineup will include at least four SKUs but there may be more. Also, the slide looks to be a little old since it doesn't mention the ARC branding that Intel just recently introduced for its graphics lineup so internal plans might have changed since then.
 
The upper echelon of the lineup which will feature Enthusiast ($400 - $499 US) and Performance+ ($300 - $399 US) graphics cards. These Intel ARC Alchemist GPUs will feature the 'SOC1' which could be the internal codename for the Alchemist 512 EU chip. This chip has a TDP range of 175W to 225W. The Enthusiast part will tackle the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 & the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT.
 
Do note that Intel doesn't plan to launch an 'Enthusiast+' contender in its first-gen ARC lineup as that will be reserved for the next-gen. This means that the top graphics cards from NVIDIA & AMD such as the GeForce RTX 3080 and the Radeon RX 6800 XT will remain uncontested.
 
The lower-end segment, this is one place where Intel may hit AMD and NVIDIA hard considering both GPU manufacturers haven't released a single sub-$300 US desktop graphics card in the market yet. The mainstream segment will feature the 'SOC2' which is the Alchemist 128 EU GPU and will feature a TDP of 75W and up. ARC graphics cards based on this chip will be featured in the 'Mainstream+' ($150 - $199 US) and 'Mainstream' ($100 - $149 US) segment.
 
Both AMD and NVIDIA do have the chips to launch in the entry-level segment but they are being pushed to notebooks and laptops first. If launched prior to Q1 2022, then entry-level ARC GPUs will tackle AMD's Navi 24 (RX 6500 Series) and NVIDIA's GA107 GPUs (RTX 3050 Series) though those may end up over $200 US pricing considering where the mainstream cards are currently featured.
 
A major lead that Intel could have over the competition, especially NVIDIA since AMD lacks in this department, is AI assistance in supersampling technologies. Intel has already showcased an impressive demo of its XeSS technology and based on the expected numbers, Intel GPUs could outperform NVIDIA's Tensor Core implementation (DLSS) with its XMX architecture. Intel is also expected to feature a small but useful game cache on its GPUs and will be equipped with higher VRAM capacities of up to 16 GB (GDDR6) across a 256-bit bus interface. This would be twice as much memory as NVIDIA's RTX 3070 and RTX 3070 Ti so they may have to prepare a refresh to counter it.”
 
 
 
This is going to be an interesting Q1 2022 if Intel can produce enough GPUs.  I really hope they are successful.  Three-way competition in the GPU market, as well as more GPUs for sale, will help us, the consumers.

Are these the same Intel GPUs that can only be used with Intel CPUs? Or is that a different line?

rjohnson11
The big question is whether or not Intel can produce enough quantity.

This ^^ and will the scalpers gobble them all up before anyone else can purchase any.

If Intel is competative in the mainstream and performance segments, can produce enough chips, and get GPU's in the hands of actual consumers at MSRP, I can see them taking a lot of Nvidia & AMD customers away in this current environment.  Lots of IF's there though...

I will believe it when I see it...

Look like 2022 going to be an interesting year for Intel.

Intel will be looking to balance the ugly market prices (read: profit possibilities) while being the newcomer to the dgpu scene. Like everyone else mentioned, supply will be the critical factor (and drivers).

rjohnson11
The big question is whether or not Intel can produce enough quantity.

At least they have time to stockpile graphics cards before the launch. However they are targeting the budget market where demand from gamers is high.

mjmonckton
I will believe it when I see it...

Very true. So much speculation in the GPU market recently

Can't wait to see Intel GPU's getting scalped for doge mining lmao. But in all seriousness, I think it might be a good thing for consumers if there was more competition in the GPU market.
 
Random fact: Intel invented the microprocessor