Intel lately launched the primary discrete graphics card within the Battlemage era, the Arc B580, late final yr. It was usually nicely acquired, regardless that we had our qualms with its efficiency in a handful of titles in testing. Well, the excellent news is Intel is now feeling fairly good about its subsequent GPU era, codename Celestial, too.
I had an opportunity to take a seat down for a roundtable with Jim Johnson, SVP of Intel’s Client Computing Group and GM, Client Business Group, on the present, together with a handful of fellow journalists.
I requested Johnson: “Are you now extra eager for the third era [of Arc] than you have been since Battlemage’s launch?”
Johnson replied: “I would not use the phrase hopeful, I might say assured.”
“We now have the discrete card and the software program that’s required to make it carry out, our confidence was excessive sufficient we launched it built-in with Lunar Lake earlier than we launched it as a discrete product. And so it is an implementation selection, whether or not we go discrete first or built-in first,” Johnson mentioned
For the Xe2 structure launched, i.e. the structure behind Battlemage, Intel opted to go built-in first. The GPU inside Lunar Lake can also be powered by Xe2, and Intel mentioned previous to that launch that this resolution was meant to assist it work out the kinks within the software program with Lunar Lake earlier than the massive chips arrived inside discrete playing cards.
Plus, any work on this structure will feed into the following. Working from a extra sturdy basis will assist out large time in creating future {hardware}.
While we have had our reservations about Battlemage, on account of some driver points with video games in our benchmarking suite, together with Homeworld 3, largely these playing cards have been seen to be a giant enchancment on Alchemist. So, usually, many would say this technique labored. Intel definitely sees it that approach.
“It’s actually concerning the software program and gaming builders and our drivers being succesful on day zero launch, so the video games run nicely, and that is what we take critically. And that is why, when Michelle (Johnston Holthaus] mentioned, we’re dedicated to discrete graphics enterprise, it isn’t as solely a enterprise, but it surely’s extra as a expertise functionality.”
Intel being assured in graphics would not have been on my bingo card even a couple of years in the past, as the corporate had a fairly rocky begin. But with XeSS upscaling, first rate ray tracing implementation, and generational enhancements, I can see why it is capable of puff its chest out a bit extra.
Though there’s nonetheless a protracted option to go to competing with Nvidia’s high-end playing cards. Intel has discovered a profitable components within the B580, which has reportedly been promoting nicely, although it is an objectively price range card with no claims to excessive and even midrange efficiency.
Intel’s Tom Petersen has already confirmed the corporate is working not solely on Celestial, the third era structure, however the subsequent one after that, which is likely to be generally known as Druid. He even went so far as stating the Celestial is just about “baked”, which means the {hardware} was achieved, however the software program was nonetheless being labored on. And can be till that card launches sooner or later… someday.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Intel Arc B570 | Intel Arc B580 |
| Xe cores | 18 | 20 |
| Ray tracing models | 18 | 20 |
| XMX AI engines | 144 | 160 |
| Memory bus | 160-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory | 10 GB | 12 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 380 GB/s | 456 GB/s |
| Core clockspeed | 2,500 MHz | 2,670 MHz |
| Board energy | 150 W | 190 W |
| Video out | 3x DP2.1, 1x HDMI 2.1 | 3x DP2.1, 1x HDMI 2.1 |
Though there’s one other price range providing coming from Intel within the very close to future. The firm has introduced the second Battlemage card, the Arc B570, can be obtainable from subsequent week. And that is about it for graphics information from Intel on the present.
