Intel ARC GPUs, Xe Architecture for dGPUs [2018-2022]

[trinibwoy]

I wouldn't be too sure about that considering that 3060 has a "weird" MSRP and there presumably was some push back on it back at launch from AIBs who were left with very slim margins.

Is there any evidence of this.

We know that Samsung's 8nm was considerably cheaper than N7, no reason to suspect that this has changed with N6 so far.
It's been in active use for less than a year. The fact that it is an upgraded N7 doesn't mean much for its costs.

Wafer costs may be lower on 8nm. What about yields? Not sure what you mean about 6nm costs. Are you implying it’s more expensive than 7nm?

I'm not skeptical about that. I'm just not seeing this as a success for Intel as anything less than what we see in leaks would be a disaster. And it is looking increasingly likely that Alchemist will launch against Lovelace/RDNA3 which will change this "leaked" picture somewhat.
What I am skeptical about though is the proposal that Intel will be able to iterate faster than Nv/AMD - don't really see how that would be possible unless the meaning of iterating faster here is launching partial lineups each year (a bit like AMD did with GCN3/Polaris/Vega/RDNA1). In that sense yes, they may launch low end this year, mid range in 2023 and high end in 2024 with a new low end gen coming in 2025.

Alchemist isn’t launching against Lovelace. We probably won’t see the 4060 till Q1 2023. Either way Intel doesn’t need to beat the 4090.

 

[DegustatoR]

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-xess-super-resolution-technology-launches-on-may-20-with-dolmen

 

[xpea]

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-xess-super-resolution-technology-launches-on-may-20-with-dolmen

Have we ever seen a new software feature launched before the GPU hardware itself? It may be a first. Kudos Intel

 

[Putas]

They have mobile chips out at least.
As for desktop, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a limited release on the last summer day to say "we did it as planned".

 

[OlegSH]

Have we ever seen a new software feature launched before the GPU hardware itself? It may be a first. Kudos Intel

Wasn't it aimed at XeLP too?)
It will be interesting to see how far I was off with the 5.5 ms estimation.
After FSR 2.0 evaluation, I was probably too optimistic with the 5.5 ms number for XeLP.

 

[Kaotik]

They have mobile chips out at least.
As for desktop, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a limited release on the last summer day to say "we did it as planned".

They've already confirmed only desktop Arc that will come out in Q2 is A3 and even that will be only available for OEMs in China for X time. They will expand then availability in China to retail and then rest of the world. A5 and A7 are expected "late summer" (read: we’re lucky if it's Q3)

 

[DegustatoR]

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-confirms-upcoming-arc-desktop-skus-a770-a750-a580-a380-and-a310

 

[DegustatoR]

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-xess-is-not-launching-with-dolmen-this-week

 

[DavidGraham]

Bad gaming performance, unstable drivers, some games won't start.

The source published various gaming benchmarks of Intel's Arc A730M GPU in titles that include Assassins Creed: Odyssey, Metro Exodus, & F1 2020. The user also tried to run Shadow of The Tomb Raider but the game won't even open in DirectX 12. It did run in DX11 mode but no GPU benchmarks were provided. In Metro Exodus, the GPU was able to deliver 70 FPS at 1080p and 55 FPS at 1440p using the High Quality preset. The user states that this is close to an RTX 3060 Mobile GPU but the other benchmarks show performance close to or slightly faster than an RTX 3050.

Intel's High-End Arc A730M GPU Is Barely Faster Than An NVIDIA RTX 3050 In Gaming, BETA Drivers Won't Start Some Games in DX12 Either

Intel Arc A730M GPU's gaming benchmarks have been revealed and the graphics performance is barely faster than an NVIDIA RTX 3050.

wccftech.com

 

[Theeoo]

Price is going to be key for the desktop parts at least.

 

[Albuquerque]

Thanks @DavidGraham for the link!

Obviously ARC has some driver teething issues; there's no reason to suspect that situation shouldn't get better sooner than later. I'm now very curious about power consumption during these benchmarks, and how it fares against the competition in this space. Outright performance is obviously most important for a desktop (or desktop replacement), however for laptop mobility I'd want to see more about perf/watt or absolute wattage for desktop use cases.

 

[Rootax]

I wonder why they struggle so much with the drivers for Arc, since the ones for the recents igps are not that bad.

 

[Kaotik]

Thanks @DavidGraham for the link!

Obviously ARC has some driver teething issues; there's no reason to suspect that situation shouldn't get better sooner than later. I'm now very curious about power consumption during these benchmarks, and how it fares against the competition in this space. Outright performance is obviously most important for a desktop (or desktop replacement), however for laptop mobility I'd want to see more about perf/watt or absolute wattage for desktop use cases.

I don't remember hearing of such issues on the Arc A3's though, which would suggest it's something with the bigger chip (or drivers altogether lacking proper support for Arc A7?)

 

[xpea]

Everybody seems to blame the software for Arc delay but I got an interesting info this week. The silicon sent to partners is a C0 version so it means that it went to (at least) 3 revisions before mass production. That's pretty bad in my book and it may explain the struggle of the drivers team...

 

[Lightman]

Everybody seems to blame the software for Arc delay but I got an interesting info this week. The silicon sent to partners is a C0 version so it means that it went to (at least) 3 revisions before mass production. That's pretty bad in my book and it may explain the struggle of the drivers team...

That's what I suspect as well, games bug out not because bad drivers but because hardware bug workarounds are not yet implemented or they are waiting for HW revision to fix them. It also explains why this card is so relatively late.

 

[swaaye]

Eh. You know how the intarwebs work. Any little old bug will be the end of the world and mean the cards are a disaster.

 

[DegustatoR]

First review of Intel Alchemist "ACM-G10" GPU is out, Arc A730M is outperformed by RTX 3060M in gaming - VideoCardz.com

Intel A730M graphics card based on flagship Alchemist GPU has been tested The new graphics card from Intel is now available in China in a single laptop design. Both tests are based on Machenike Discovery Edition 2022 system, which went on sale in mid-May. Machenike Arc A730M gaming laptop...

videocardz.com

 

[swaaye]

Why launch one model in China? Is it a kind of product beta test that they hope has insulation from western press?

 

[DegustatoR]

Intel Smooth Sync Lets Gamers with Fixed Refresh-Rate Monitors Enjoy Low-latency Gaming

With its Arc "Alchemist" graphics solutions, Intel is introducing a new in-house display refresh-rate technology alongside support for VESA Adaptive Sync, which it calls Smooth Sync. This feature is targeted at notebooks and desktops with fixed-refresh rate displays, which lack support for...

www.techpowerup.com

Could be an interesting feature for those who are especially susceptible to tearing.

 

[Kaotik]

Intel Smooth Sync Lets Gamers with Fixed Refresh-Rate Monitors Enjoy Low-latency Gaming

With its Arc "Alchemist" graphics solutions, Intel is introducing a new in-house display refresh-rate technology alongside support for VESA Adaptive Sync, which it calls Smooth Sync. This feature is targeted at notebooks and desktops with fixed-refresh rate displays, which lack support for...

www.techpowerup.com

Could be an interesting feature for those who are especially susceptible to tearing.

Not sure why they didn't write about it March when it was actually news, though