Intel ARC: first photos / video of an Alchemist graphics card

While we await an official date for the graphics cards
Intel’s ARC, we can finally see real products.

The least we can say is that Intel plays with our nerves. The founder is indeed slow to clarify the release schedule for its first graphics cards in more than twenty years, while shortages in the sector are still omnipresent.

Model 384 or 512 EU?

We have already said this, but given that the manufacture of its GPUs is entrusted to TSMC, there is very little chance that Intel will be able to really “relax” the graphics card market. On the other hand, by offering an alternative to AMD / NVIDIA solutions, it could put a little pressure on these two historical players.

ARC Alchemist will be the first line of Intel-branded GPUs and we are expecting a whole series of cards in the first half of 2022, unfortunately without further details. According to the latest news, the most efficient models could compete with the GeForce RTX 3070 and therefore offer real competition.

Taking advantage of the weekend, it seems that the most powerful model in the ARC Alchemist range has made its mark. We don’t have absolute certainty which model is affected, but it’s probably the version with 384 or 512 execution units.

Up to 16 GB of GDDR6

Photos posted by Videocardz and the leaked video on Twitter, illustrate the same map, an engineering sample – or engineering sample in the jargon – equipped with a cooling system with two fans.

The PCB itself is relatively compact and does not exceed for example in height while we easily notice the presence of eight video memory modules thanks to the marks on the back of the PCB. On the other hand, it is impossible to know if the model presented here has 12 or 16 GB of GDDR6.

Note also the presence, still on this model, of two power connectors – a 6-pin and an 8-pin – while there seems to be room for a double 8-pin. We won’t know more for the moment, but things are becoming clearer around ARC Alchemist.

Of course, at Clubicwe can’t wait to be able to test this new range and compare it to existing products from AMD / NVIDIA.

Source: Twitter
, Videocardz