Intel's entry into the discreet gaming GPU market has not gone as smoothly as the company might have hoped. Its debut graphics cards failed to live up to their promises due to unoptimized drivers, leading to rumors that the Intel Arc series for desktop gaming would be cancelled. While subsequent driver updates have improved performance, especially for older DirectX titles, the Arc graphics cards are still far from shaking up the desktop GPU status quo.
Now, a leaked Intel GPU roadmap posted by hardware leaker RedGamingTech has given us a glimpse at what the company has planned for the future. According to the roadmap, Intel will release two new Arc Alchemist SKUs in Q1 2023: the ACM SKU4 (D23-P5) and the ACM SKU5 (D23-M3). Both of these GPUs will have a 150 W TDP and 6 GB of VRAM running at 16 Gbps. In Q3 and Q4 of the same year, Intel will apparently refresh the Arc Alchemist with the ACM+ G20 and G21. The ACM+ G20 is listed with a TDP of 75-100 W, while the ACM+ G21 will reportedly have a TDP of 175-225 W.
But the most interesting news from the leaked roadmap is the announcement of the Arc Battlemage (BMG G10), which is slated for release in Q1 2024 with widespread availability in Q2. The BMG G10 is said to use less than 225 W and will reportedly feature a monolithic die with micro-architecture enhancements, ray tracing improvements, next-gen memory subsystems, next-gen ML-based rendering technology, and more. It is rumored to have a large cache system similar to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40 series. The Arc Battlemage is expected to fall between the yet-unreleased GeForce RTX 4070 and the RTX 4080 in terms of performance.
In addition to the Arc Battlemage, the roadmap also mentions the Arc Celestial, which is said to pack a major architecture overhaul and employ the Xe3 HPG graphics architecture. While the Arc Battlemage is expected to rival Nvidia's "halo products," the Arc Celestial is reportedly aimed at taking on Nvidia's highest-end GPUs. However, it's worth noting that the leaked roadmap suggests that the Arc Celestial is still a ways off, with a potential release date of 2025 or even 2026.
It's important to take this leaked information with a grain of salt, as it's possible that the actual release dates and specifications of these products may differ from what is stated on the leaked roadmap. However, if the roadmap is accurate, it looks like Intel is committed to improving and expanding its GPU offerings in the coming years. Whether or not the company will be able to challenge the dominance of Nvidia and AMD in the GPU market remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to see how Intel's products stack up against the competition when they finally hit the market.
While the leaked roadmap suggests that Intel is working on a number of new and improved GPUs, it remains to be seen how well they will perform in the market. The company's first foray into the discreet gaming GPU market has been somewhat rocky, with the initial release of the Arc series failing to live up to expectations due to unoptimized drivers. While subsequent driver updates have improved performance, the Arc graphics cards are still far from being a threat to the dominance of Nvidia and AMD in the desktop GPU market.
One of the key challenges for Intel will be building a GPU that can compete with the top offerings from Nvidia and AMD in terms of performance. The leaked roadmap suggests that the Arc Battlemage is targeting performance that is close to that of the RTX 4080, which is currently one of the most powerful gaming GPUs on the market. However, it's worth noting that the Arc Battlemage is not expected to be released until Q1 2024, by which time Nvidia and AMD will likely have released newer and more powerful GPUs.
In addition to performance, price will also be a major factor in the success of Intel's GPUs. The company will need to find a way to offer competitive pricing in order to attract customers away from the established players in the market. This could be a challenge, as Nvidia and AMD have strong brand recognition and loyal customer bases, and it will likely be difficult for Intel to convince people to switch to its products.
Overall, it will be interesting to see how the Intel GPU market develops in the coming years. The company has struggled to make a significant impact so far, but with the release of new and improved products like the Arc Battlemage and Arc Celestial, it may be able to challenge the dominance of Nvidia and AMD. Only time will tell whether Intel will be able to make a mark in the GPU market, but it's clear that the company is committed to improving and expanding its offerings in the space.
Thanks for reading our article about Intel's plans for its GPU lineup. We'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the leaked roadmap and the company's plans for the Arc Battlemage and Arc Celestial. Do you think Intel will be able to challenge the dominance of Nvidia and AMD in the GPU market? Let us know in the comments below, and don't forget to use the hashtags #IntelGPU #ArcBattlemage #ArcCelestial to join the conversation on social media.
