Intel will finally launch new consumer-end graphics cards at the start of next year, and they are targeting the budget to mid-range GPU segment, which is the highest-selling GPU range.
So, it makes sense to target as many gamers as possible, so though we had strong rumours of launch this year, Intel has taken time to make the launch better. It has given its GPU a brand new identity (Arc) and clarified its very ambitious roadmap before launching its first graphics card.
Though Intel DG1 has been launched as an entry-level GPU, it cannot be counted as a gaming GPU, so the first GPUs under the Arc Alchemist (codename) is expected to come with modern features like DirectX12 Ultimate, Ray tracing and more.
Now, a leaked slide was discovered by 无限度XUR (Baidu) via Videocardz, and that shows Intel will be targetting NVIDIA GA104 and AMD Navi 22 GPUs rather than going for the high-end NVIDIA GA102 and AMD Navi 21 GPUs. As we already know, GPU stocks for both AMD and NVIDIA are not matching the insane demand, so if Intel can opportuntize this with good pricing and performance, who knows, Intel could be a major player in the GPU segment by next year.
As we see in the slide, the Intel SOC1 DG1 would compete with 175W to 225W TDP directly against NVIDIA RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 Ti while against Radeon RX 6700XT and RX 6600 XT for AMD. This shows Intel will be targeting more towards the 1440p gaming segment and slightly as an entry-level 4K gaming GPU.
In terms of pricing, the SOC1 GPU would be offered in a 300 to 499 USD price bracket; however, it should be noted that the SOC1 only means the GPU while Intel could eventually spawn multiple SKUs based on this chip in the same price range and that makes sense.
While the best opportunity Intel has, I feel, is in the budget/entry-level GPU segment because both NVIDIA and AMD did not have the time to look into this. So, if Intel’s SOC2 with up to 75W TDP could promise GTX 1650 SUPER performance at most, a new 1080p card in the 100-145 USD price bracket, with new features, budget gamers could have a great year ahead!
