Intel has long-teased its Arc graphics card collection, and we got our first taste with the reveal of the Intel Arc mobile graphics cards for laptops in March. The big question for most gamers is, when will we see the desktop equivalent?
Intel’s Arc desktop collection, codenamed Alchemist internally by Intel, is set for release sometime this summer – but that’s about all we know officially. As with most things, leaks and rumours provide much more detail, giving us a good idea about what to expect from Intel’s Arc desktop graphics cards.
Here, we explain all there is to know about the Intel Arc desktop GPU range, from release date and pricing rumours to the latest design and spec leaks.
When will the Intel Arc desktop GPU be released?
Intel has confirmed that the desktop versions of its Arc graphics card collection will be released “this summer” but it’s keeping quiet on specifics. Considering the last-minute delays of its Arc mobile range, it’s easy to see why Intel is keeping its cards closer to its chest this time around.
Of course, that doesn’t stop leakers from doing their thing, and a new report from Wccftech shines a light not only on when to expect the new graphics cards, but how much they’ll cost too. More on the latter in a bit.
According to Taiwanese sources who allegedly sat on a call between Intel and its supply chain members, the Arc desktop range is said to be split into four graphics cards – the A750, A580, A380 and the A780, with the latter allegedly the flagship of the range.
Wccftech’s sources suggest the Intel Arc A750 and A580 will make an appearance first, sometime between 15 May and 30 June 2022, while the A380 has a tentative July 2022 release.
The flagship Intel Arc A780 won’t be released at the same time as the rest of the collection, likely appearing sometime later this year.
How much will the Intel Arc desktop graphics cards cost?
Wccftech’s anonymous sources also shed light on just how much the Intel Arc desktop range could cost at launch, and it looks like Intel is getting competitive on pricing. Here’s how the rumoured pricing will stack up:
- Intel Arc A380: $150
- Intel Arc A580: $280
- Intel Arc A750: $350
That’s fairly competitive, but remember that’s just an MSRP and third-party manufacturers will likely add extra cost depending on the tweaks to the reference design provided by Intel. Let’s also not forget about scalpers and the general lack of GPUs in the market in 2022, both of which will likely drive the price beyond the MSRP.
Still, it’s nice to see Intel’s budget-focused intentions at least!
The eagle-eyed among you will notice that the report doesn’t mention the top-end Intel Arc A780. Pricing for the flagship model is yet to be confirmed, but considering reports that claim it can compete with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070, it’s expected to cost similar to Nvidia’s $499 MSRP.
We’ll update this section once we learn more.
Latest Intel Arc desktop GPU rumours
We got our first look at the Intel Arc desktop graphics card collection, dubbed Alchemist internally by Intel, during the Intel Arc mobile launch in March 2022.
Before we go any further, it’s probably worth explaining the ‘Limited Edition’ moniker in the preview video above.
It’s safe to suggest that Intel hasn’t gone through all the trouble to develop a new graphics card collection to only sell a handful. Instead, it’s likely Intel’s version of Nvidia’s Founders Edition, effectively selling a small number of reference Intel Arc GPUs at launch alongside popular third-party alternatives.
So, what can we pick up from the Arc desktop teaser? While it’s likely not a final render that’ll exactly match the real-world equivalent (it’s missing a power connector, for one) we can pick out key features including 3x DisplayPorts and 1x HDMI port.
More generally, it’s a nice-looking GPU with a more simplistic approach than many – an important factor among gamers in 2022 with the rise of transparent cases – though it’s worth noting that third-party manufacturers will likely have a bit of fun with the design. If you don’t like Intel’s reference design, one of the many third-party alternatives will.
We also know that it’ll come with many of the optimisations and features announced for Intel’s mobile GPUs, as both cards share Intel’s Xe-HPG architecture. That includes support for XeSS, Intel’s upscaling algorithm, DX12 Ultimate, ray-tracing and more, with dedicated Xe-cores offering AI acceleration and a new media engine to boot.
What about unofficially? Well…
As noted earlier, the Intel Arc desktop GPU collection is rumoured to be split into four models – the A380, A580, A750 and A780. The Arc A380 is the least powerful of the range, rumoured to match the performance of Nvidia’s last-gen GTX 1650 with its 6GB of VRAM and 2,450MHz boost clock.
The Arc A580 and A750 have their sights set on the Nvidia RTX 3050 and RTX 3060 respectively, though specs are yet to be confirmed.
The flagship A780, set for release later in the year, is rumoured to be able to compete with Nvidia’s RTX 3070 and AMD’s RX 6700 XT, though not much else is known at the time of writing. Let’s hope Intel gets it out before Nvidia launches its RTX 40 Series, also rumoured to take place later this year.
We’ll be sure to update this section as rumours surface ahead of the Intel Arc desktop GPU range reveal in the coming weeks.
