Intel Arc GPUs Could Compete With Refreshed RTX 2060
A slide has leaked to the web, showing the performance classification and prices of Arc Alchemist chips. It looks like Intel is unlikely to attack the positions of the RTX 3090 and Radeon 6800 XT flagships.
- Arc Alchemist GPUs will not "aim at the top" after all?
- Intel may fill the market niche of GPUs under $200.
The emergence of a third player in the high-performance gaming GPU market is certainly a good thing. Nothing raises the quality of products like solid competition. Intel's Arc Alchemist chips (previously known as DG2) will launch in the first quarter of 2022. After the hype of the announcements, the information that emerges leads us to believe that dethroning Nvidia and AMD will not be Intel's goal. The company's system will not engage in battle with the flagships RTX 3090 and Radeon 6800 XT. Not only that, the main rival of the weaker Arc variant will be rather... the refreshed RTX 2060.
The slide in question. Source: Baidu
The above graphic, looking like a slide from a presentation, appeared on the Baidu forum. Such information should of course be treated as "probably leak" or "leak". With caution in mind, however, some conclusions can be drawn. Arc Alchemist GPUs can be divided into two families, the more powerful (SOC1 - up to 225 W) and less powerful (SOC2 - 75 W). The weaker one targets the the under-$200 market niche, being a rival to the GTX 1650 Super and Nvidia's rebooted RTX 2060.
The more powerful model will be aimed at more demanding gamers and perhaps compete with RTX 3070 and Radeon 6700 XT. It is quite possible that Intel does not intend to take away customers from AMD and Nvidia in the highest segment immediately with the release of Arc Alchemist (that is, the company's first powerful desktop graphics). Performance enthusiasts will still be left with only "green or red" to choose from. But is this really a wise move?
