Approach again in March of 2021, Intel launched an internet scavenger hunt to assist construct consciousness round its future GPUs, which we now know because the Arc collection. All of it started with a teaser video which directed customers in the direction of an internet site and the coordinates of Goat Island, which is correct subsequent to Niagara Falls. I am unsure why Intel selected that specific place. It is higher than Hell, Michigan or Boring, Oregon, however I digress.
The hunt has now ended and customers have been suggested of their prizes. We’re capable of glean some data from the notification obtained by Twitter consumer La Frite David (through Rock Paper Shotgun). La Frite David posted a screenshot that lists the approximate retail worth (ARV) of the prize bundle.
The prize features a “Efficiency” Intel Arc graphics card, merchandise, and three months of Xbox Recreation Go for PC. The retail worth of those merchandise is listed at US$700. Provided that the Final tier Recreation Go prices $45 for 3 months, you’ll be able to subtract $45, leaving $655. Take off a bit extra for the merchandise and we come to an approximate determine of $600 for the cardboard itself.
A second winner, @TheMalcore posted their haul too. This one lists a “Premium” Arc card, merchandise, and 6 months of Xbox Recreation Go for PC, all valued at US$900 . Subtracting the extras signifies this card is valued at round $750 to $800. It is necessary to notice that Intel is the one assigning these values. I assume the bundled merchandise is usually normal fare.
These costs are on the costly aspect. The GPU market is quickly returning to normal and you will discover an RTX 3080 in inventory for not way more than the anticipated value of the premium tier Arc card. I might be shocked if this card can match a 3080. Pricing is risky, although. It is seemingly altering by the day and if Arc playing cards are nonetheless many weeks away from launch, pricing is definitely not but finalized.
We have constructed up an honest quantity of data on Arc playing cards now. There’s just a few details on XeSS, Intel’s upscaling know-how, the inclusion of AV1 encoding support, and the truth that the high-end card might embody the three 8-pin power connectors. However the actually necessary stuff, like how they carry out in video games and what the retail playing cards appear like, stays unknown for now.
A minimum of three model new GPU architectures shall be touchdown within the coming months. There’s Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace and AMD’s RDNA 3, whereas Intel’s Arc Alchemist vary is more likely to launch first, someday through the northern hemisphere summer time.
