Subj : Intel just axed its own flagship Arc GPU, but theres no need to w
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Jun 23 2023 10:00:04

Intel just axed its own flagship Arc GPU, but theres no need to worry

Date:
Fri, 23 Jun 2023 08:47:07 +0000

Description:
Dont panic: the graphics card hasnt been canceled entirely, and a new 
generation is still on the way.

FULL STORY
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Well, that was short-lived. It looks like Intel has already discontinued its 
own first-party version of its flagship Intel Arc A770 graphics card; but 
dont worry, this is far from the end of Arc. 

The Limited Edition model produced directly by Intel will no longer be 
manufactured by the tech giant, but the GPU itself will remain available from 
third-party GPU partners like Acer and ASRock. Ironically, the Limited 
Edition moniker apparently didnt actually mean limited; it was just Intels 
version of Nvidias first-party Founders Edition cards, and the 
discontinuation is unrelated. 

There was very little warning here; Intel released a Product Change 
Notification document essentially saying that the original version of the 
card would no longer be produced, and that was it. The card is already out of 
stock at Newegg. 

Its something of a surprising move, given that the A770 Limited Edition (LE) 
has been available for less than a year. Sure, it wasnt one of the best 
graphics cards ever made, but it offered very competitive 1080p performance 
at a sensible price point  something Nvidia has been struggling with 
recently, given the pricing of its current cheapest GPU, the RTX 4060 Ti . 
Analysis: why did Intel kill its own GPU? 

Intel hasnt been forthcoming with details, but at the end of the day its most 
likely that the LE variant of the Arc A770 simply wasnt very profitable for 
Team Blue  especially since it retailed at $349, and the funkily-designed 
Acer Predator BiFrost version has been selling for just $339 for a while now. 

Its worth noting that the LE model of the slightly less powerful Intel Arc 
A750 (which we still consider to be one of the best cheap graphics cards ) is 
still available for now, but I wouldnt be surprised to see that one get the 
chop soon too, since its currently the only other discrete desktop GPU sold 
by Intel. 

If youre an Intel Arc fan (or have simply been watching the Arc saga with 
interest), dont worry  this isnt actually a bad sign for Intels discrete 
graphics arm. The discontinuation of the A770 LE is likely just to enable 
Intel to reallocate resources toward its next wave of GPUs. 

Despite a rocky start, Intel seems to be digging its heels in when it comes 
to Arc. The next-gen Battlemage Arc GPUs are expected to arrive in 2024, with 
Intel placing a massive order with TSMC to manufacture chips for the cards. 
Current rumors point to at least two new GPUs  presumably direct successors 
to the A770 and A750, most likely called the B770 and B750 (since the first 
generation was codenamed Alchemist and the following one will be Celestial). 

While Intel might not have had the meteoric impact in the graphics market it 
had presumably hoped for, Im still happy to see Team Blue isnt going down 
without a fight. Nvidia still maintains near-total dominance of the desktop 
graphics card market, so any competition is a good thing. You can do it, 
Intel  you didnt need Raja Koduri anyway!



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/gpu/intel-just-axed-its-own-flagship-arc-g
pu-but-theres-no-need-to-worry


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