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| Intel ARC GPU |
Intel is releasing (or released whatever) their GPUs naming the ARC Alchemist. After a million teasers, they are giving you some considerable performance (at least the gaming community is hoping that) at a reasonable price point. Starting from sub $100, we are expecting something decent from Intel. At least for now... So in this article, we are going to discuss the unique features of these ARK GPUs. Also, I'll tell the naming scheme of these GPUs. I hope it will help to make a good decision about a purchase plan for the new GPU lineup. Though, you should not expect a huge performance from Intel ARC GPUs.
There is a new player in the GPU market. Should you consider buying one?
What is Intel ARC GPU?
Intel has released a few Intel ARC GPUs here and there. Maybe you can find it in your local computer shop soon. It all started back on May 30, 2022. Then, it's all history. Reviewers have got their hands on the new ARC GPUs. The mobile ARC lineup is already floating from shop to shop. So, The discreet GPUs offered by Intel are called the Intel ARC GPUs. Packed with new microarchitecture and features, these GPUs are giving some hope on the horizon. Even someone overclocked the new intel ARC GPU and it performed pretty well. So, let's look at some unique features of Intel ARC GPUs.
Features of Intel ARC GPU:
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| Intel ARC A series GPU info summary |
Well, there are a bunch of new features of these GPUs. The architecture used in Intel ARC A series GPUs is Xe (HPG) microarchitecture. As Intel is making its way to the GPU market, they have to give rise to some reasonable features with the underlined architecture. You can see the overall details of the Intel ARC GPUs. So here I'll be highlighting two useful features of these GPUs. Other features can be found on a quick Google search if you're that tech savvy. But this article is for the naming convention of these newborn GPUs. Hope you understand...
Intel XeSS technology:
This technology is a bit interesting to me. If you are a tech guy, you can be familiar with the Nvidia DLSS and the AMD FSR technology. Yes, Intel XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) is comparable technology. It upscales an in-game frame by taking pixel samples from all the pixels. For now, Nvidia DLSS is the best way to upscale your 1080p frame to a 2160p frame. So, it will be interesting to see how Intel will play against their experienced rival.
Intel Deep Link technology:
This technology is more focused on efficiency to performance ratio. It will combine an Intel CPU (well, many desktop or laptop computers use Intel CPU) and use all the processing power to provide some satisfying performance while saving some power (by back and forth between CPU and GPU processing muscle). It's useful for mobile or portable computers. Intel calls this advantage their "secret sauce".
Well, these are the technologies that are interesting to look at. Other technologies like built-in AI engine XMX, Real-time Ray tracing, and Intel adaptive sync (not sure it's called that... apologize if any mistake occurred). I hope the AI engine will help in performance. Another technology is AV1 hardware acceleration for a lot faster AV1 encoding and decoding. Now it's time to understand the naming convention of the Intel ARC GPU lineup.
Intel ARC GPU naming convention:
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| Intel ARC A series GPU spec summary |
Now let's see an example of an intel ARC GPU
Intel ARC A370M
In this example:
1) A in the SKU identities the generation of the SKU. It's an A series GPU. Although, the generation sequence is still unclear.
Update: It's clear. First A then B then C. It continues with the sequence of English alphabet.
2) 3 in the SKU identifies the tier of a GPU. The 3 is the lowest tier. Then 5 and the most powerful 7. 3 is for mobile and 5 or 7 is for mobile, desktop, and workstation.
3) 70 identifies the SKU number of the GPU. It can be in the range of 10 to 80. Of course, higher is better.
4) M if the GPU contains this letter, it should be a mobile GPU. Desktop GPUs will contain no letter yet.
If you're still confused, see the image below:
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| Intel GPU naming convention |
Update (Intel Pro GPUs): Intel announced their workstation lineup (for desktop and mobile both) named Intel Pro A30M, A40, A50 (for now).
Here Pro is the lineup name for workstations.
A is the series letter.
30/40/50 are SKU number.
M indicates if it's a mobile GPU.
Don't worry, this will be updated frequently.
Conclusion
What to say... These GPUs will not compete with the other performant GPUs yet. Meanwhile, let's see what happens next while Intel will not release ARC A780. So there's no perfect Intel GPU to pair with the Intel 12900K. A770 will be the top offering from intel for now. But it is just a start. We hope it will not go awry like Intel Xe DG1. You can share your thoughts in the comment section below. Bye...