Intel Arc Battlemage finally shows signs of life

2 weeks ago

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

In nan past fewer weeks, we’ve been bombarded pinch reports regarding Nvidia’s upcoming top graphics cards, but leakers person each been silent astir Intel Arc Battlemage. However, coming we sewage signs of life consecutive from nan source, because Intel has included Battlemage graphics cards successful its caller media drivers.

As spotted by VideoCardz, Intel added BMG — nan shortcut for Battlemage — to its latest information of drivers connected GitHub. This covers an summation to nan open-source media driver for nan video acceleration API (VAAPI), which includes various codecs for video decoding and encoding. The file branded arsenic BMG looks beautiful bare, though, pinch zero encoding support truthful far.

The deficiency of encoding isn’t a problem, arsenic it’s still early days. Although first leaks pointed to a precocious 2024 motorboat for Intel Arc Battlemage, it’s now clear that won’t beryllium nan case. If nan lineup won’t beryllium revealed until adjacent year, Intel has a batch of clip to activity connected its drivers and adhd support for each nan astir celebrated codecs.

The Arc A770 graphics paper moving successful a PC.

With encoding wholly missing correct now, we tin only spell by decoding to find what Battlemage whitethorn aliases whitethorn not support successful nan future. Right now, there’s zero support for versatile video coding (VVC), besides referred to arsenic H.266. That’s a funny omission, arsenic Intel supports H.266 pinch its Lunar Lake processors, and it managed to hit some Nvidia and AMD to nan punch erstwhile it comes to that codec. Intel mightiness still adhd it later on, arsenic this modular is said to beryllium highly efficient.

Get your play teardown of nan tech down PC gaming

Despite nan silence, we cognize that Battlemage is retired there, arsenic a precocious leaked benchmark showed america what could beryllium nan first next-gen Intel discrete GPU successful action. However, pinch Intel’s GPU marketplace stock dropping to 0%, it could usage each nan hype it tin get. The past charismatic update came from Tom Petersen, an Intel fellow, during an question and reply successful January 2024. Petersen said he hoped we mightiness perceive much astir Battlemage earlier CES 2025, but he didn’t committedness anything, truthful it’s not astonishing that there’s been nary news connected nan matter.

Monica J. White

Monica is simply a computing writer astatine Digital Trends, focusing connected PC hardware. Since joining nan squad successful 2021, Monica has written…

Intel whitethorn occurrence nan first shots successful nan next-gen GPU war

Intel Arc A770 GPU installed successful a trial bench.

The GPU marketplace is astir to commencement heating up successful conscionable a fewer short months, and that's not conscionable owed to AMD and Nvidia. According to a caller report, Intel plans to merchandise its highly anticipated, next-gen Arc Battlemage graphics cards sooner than galore person expected, and nan GPUs mightiness driblet astatine conscionable nan cleanable clip to bargain immoderate income distant from AMD and Nvidia.

The tantalizing news comes from a study by ComputerBase. The publication claims that during Embedded World 2024, an arena that took spot successful Germany, Intel's partners implied that Arc Battlemage GPUs mightiness motorboat earlier this year's Black Friday. Realistically, this implies that Intel would person to deed nan marketplace successful early November astatine nan latest, giving its partners and retailers capable clip to make nan products readily disposable during nan Black Friday shopping craze.

Everything you request to cognize astir buying a GPU successful 2024

RTX 4090.

The graphics card, besides known arsenic nan GPU, is arguably 1 of nan astir breathtaking components successful immoderate PC build. Alongside nan processor, your graphics paper often has nan top effect connected nan wide capacity of your PC. That makes it a beautiful high-stakes purchase, particularly if you see that GPUs tin get beautiful expensive.

The GPU marketplace has a batch to offer, and that's sloppy of your needs and your budget. Whether you're aiming for thing ace inexpensive to support immoderate ray browsing aliases a behemoth to grip nan astir GPU-intensive games, you person tons of options. In this guide, we'll show you what to look retired for truthful that you tin prime nan champion GPU that fits your fund and needs.
Nvidia, AMD, aliases Intel?
Consumer graphics cards are mostly divided into 2 categories -- integrated and discrete graphics. Since you're here, you're astir apt looking for a discrete (or dedicated) GPU, and that's what we're going to attraction connected successful this article.

How Intel could triumph nan GPU warfare this year

Intel Arc A580 graphics paper connected a pinkish background.

Intel faced an uphill climb pinch Arc Alchemist, and it looks for illustration it mightiness person different conflict up pinch its next-gen Battlemage GPUs. The title is ever fierce, and AMD and Nvidia person large plans for nan twelvemonth ahead.

Despite nan clouds that loom connected nan horizon, Intel mightiness still astonishment america pinch Battlemage -- successful a bully way. Here's wherever Intel Arc Battlemage is presently at, and why it mightiness person a changeable astatine being 1 of nan champion GPUs of nan year.
Déjà vu
Prior to nan merchandise of Intel Arc Alchemist, 1 of nan main complaints was that nan wide nationalist was kept successful nan acheronian a batch of nan time. The merchandise day was pushed backmost much than once, and nan accusation astir nan GPUs was reasonably scarce compared to nan changeless hype we've each grown utilized to pinch Nvidia and AMD leaks.