A new test unit of one of the Intel Arc Alchemist gaming video cards was leaked this week in several images and even a short video. Despite different coloring, the model maintains the design seen in other previously leaked units and reveals more details about part of the specifications, such as the organization of memories on the PCB.
Intel Arc Alchemist emerges in new photos and video
The material was sent to the website VideoCardz and shows an Engineering Sample (ES) of Arc boards with black plastic frame and relatively robust cooling system, with two fans and a heatsink that extends beyond the PCB. Both have already been seen in another unit, leaked by the renowned leaker Moore’s Law is Deadbut with a grayish tint.
There are several interesting points to observe from the photos, starting with the video connections, which include an HDMI port and three DisplayPorts. The greater number of DisplayPort ports can be a complement to the adoption of version 2.0 of the protocol, already confirmed by Intel drivers to be present in GPUs, making it possible, for example, to display video at up to 16K at 60 Hz, 8K at 120 Hz or 4K at 144 Hz.
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Another highlight is the back region of the board, also identical to the previous leaks, with markings that suggest support for up to 8 GDDR6 memory chips, indicating that it is one of the most powerful models in the Arc Alchemist family, confirmed to bring up to 16 GB of VRAM. As it is not possible to see the number of chips installed, there is no way to confirm whether this would be the top of the line with 512 Vector Engines or another simpler model.
Power is provided by an 8-pin connector along with a 6-pin one, but there is scope for inserting 2 8-pin connectors, if necessary, as in custom models with factory overclocking. A video taken by VideoCardz also shows that the ES seems to have a thickness of just over 1 PCIe slot, and compact dimensions.
This was felt later pic.twitter.com/Z7i1sO4xt7
— VideoCardz.com (@VideoCardz) February 5, 2022
Whether due to lack of dedicated drivers, GPU-Z support or even physical limitations, the card appears in the GPU test software with only one PCIe 1.1 lane, identified as an Iris Xe MAX and with a DG2 chip of unknown configurations.
GPUs promise competitive performance and a wide range
Promised to debut this year, but still without a precise date set, Intel Arc GPUs have been the subject of a growing number of leaks in recent weeks, and continue to receive official teasers, especially related to how the line should establish itself in the face of component shortages. Apparently, the solutions must present competitive performance, and have enough supply to alleviate the crisis in the video card market.
One of the most entry-level notebook models, the Arc A370M, was found in the SiSoft Sandra benchmark, showing performance equivalent to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super, but with the advantages of a newer architecture, such as support for ray tracing and AI upscaling. . The desktop version, the Arc A380, also had leaked performance, and is expected to deliver up to 23% more performance than the laptop variant.
I am with you, @pcgamer. This is a huge issue for PC gamers and the industry at large. @IntelGraphics is working hard to find a path towards the mission – getting millions of Arc GPUs into the hands of PC gamers every year https://t.co/bknQOvUMti
— Raja Koduri (@Rajaontheedge) January 29, 2022
Other than that, in response to an open letter from PC Gamer asking for help with the problem with GPUs, Intel said it plans to offer “millions of graphics cards to the gaming public every year”. The company promised to be working hard to ensure the wide availability of the Arc line, even though cryptomining and scalpers are a major hurdle for the giant’s project.
