Summary
In spite of a difficult beginning, Intel’s Arc graphics processing units (GPUs) are currently among the greatest graphics cards that money can buy. Intel has established itself as a key participant in the gaming graphics card industry, and all eyes are on Team Blue with its next generation of graphics processing units (GPUs), which under the codename Battlemage. Intel’s target audience is budget PC gamers.
We are aware that Battlemage graphics processing units (GPUs) are on the way, and Intel has been dropping clues regarding the graphics cards over the course of the last year. A great deal of information can already be pieced together, despite the fact that we are still waiting for an official release date, specifications, and price data for Battlemage graphics processing units (GPUs).
Instructions for Intel Battlemage
However, the rumor mill has not been silent regarding the hardware that these Battlemage GPUs may feature, despite the fact that Intel has not officially verified any specifications for its Battlemage GPUs. In the beginning, purported leakers like as RedGamingTech said that the flagship card will be equipped with 64 Xe cores, which is twice as many as the A770 that we already possess, and it would also come with a totally new architecture. Nevertheless, the most recent conjecture is a little bit different from the others.
RedGamingTech updated their rumor at the beginning of the year, during which they said that the flagship graphics processing unit will be equipped with 56 Xe cores. Even so, that is a significant improvement over the A770. Furthermore, the leaker claims that the card is capable of reaching clock rates of up to 3GHz and comes with an enormous 112MB of L2 cache.
The Adamantine cache, on the other hand, is the aspect of the disclosure that truly sticks out. This is a kind of cache that Intel has created for central processing units (CPUs), and it is not dissimilar to the 3D V-Cache that AMD has developed; in essence, you stack a tremendous amount of additional cache on the chip. This is what you would refer to as a “Level 4” cache. According to RedGamingTech, Intel intends to fit a large 512MB of Adamantine cache on the flagship CPU, despite the fact that it is much slower than other cache standards.
According to the leakers, in addition to the model that has 56 Xe Cores, there is also a model that already has 40 Xe Cores in the works. The aforementioned cores, a 192-bit memory bus, and the absence of the Adamantine cache are all included in this one, which gives the impression of being somewhat more based in reality. Taking into consideration the low margins that may be generated by the 56 Xe core model, RedGamingTech entertained the idea that this design could be able to secure the flagship position.
It is likely that the exact specifications have not yet been determined, but there is one thing that can be said with absolute certainty: the flagship model will come with an increase in the number of Xe cores. Although it seems that Intel is working on two primary models for Battlemage, which are comparable to Alchemist, it is possible that other versions may be released when the initial GPUs are released.
Information on the cost and release date of Intel Battlemage
Battlemage cards are anticipated to be released in the second half of the year 2024; however, it is possible that they could be released much earlier. According to statements made by Tom Petersen, an employee of Intel, in the beginning of the year, developers working on the graphics team are now developing software for the next-generation graphics processing units (GPUs), while hardware engineers have already moved on to “the next thing.” At the very least, Battlemage is prepared to be released in terms of its hardware.
A recent delivery manifest that reveals two Battlemage GPUs is an additional piece of evidence that supports this claim. It is stated in the manifest that these cards are “for R&D purposes only,” but the fact that Intel is shipping hardware around seems to indicate that the company is approaching the final phases of certification. A PowerPoint demonstrating a new graphics processing unit (GPU) that would be released in 2024 was also distributed by Intel to Japanese media outlets.
On the other hand, leakers are not in agreement with this schedule. Moore’s Law is Dead, a leaker, citing Intel sources who indicate Battlemage is aiming for a release somewhere in the late 2024 or early 2025. This is in spite of an early road plan that was distributed the previous year, which indicated that graphics processing units (GPUs) would be released between April and June of 2024.
At this time, we are waiting on Intel to provide further information. Additionally, Intel will be giving a major address at this year’s Computex, which will take place in June. If Battlemage is released later in the year, there is a significant likelihood that Intel will provide further information about the graphics cards at that time.
The price information will remain a mystery until Intel has further information to share with us. On the other hand, there is a fair possibility that Intel may concentrate on low-cost and mid-range graphics cards rather than pricey flagships like as the RTX 4090. This is something that we seen with the Arc A770 and A750 in the generation before this one. The position that Intel has taken with Arc ever since it was first introduced has shown to be beneficial, and I do not believe that it will forsake that approach with Battlemage.
Given the specifications that we are aware of, I believe that the flagship card will be released somewhere around $500. It is currently nothing more than pure supposition, therefore you should not approach it any differently. It would suggest, based on the specifications, that Intel is working on a more powerful flagship with Battlemage, which will most likely cost a higher price. We have seen how crucial this price bracket is with GPUs such as the RX 7900 GRE from AMD and the RTX 4070 from Nvidia.
Battlemage from Intel: architectural design
The architecture that is used in Battlemage is referred to as Xe2 by Intel. This architecture is a continuation of the Xe architecture that was seen in Alchemist graphics cards. There have been a few hints that have been leaked regarding what this next-generation architecture would involve, but we are lacking on precise details.
The first thing to note is that there is a strong possibility that Intel will continue to work with TSMC, a semiconductor manufacturer, for Battlemage. The node that Intel will utilize is unknown to us; however, there is a rumor going around that Battlemage will use the N4 node. There are several variants of this node, some of which are now being used in Nvidia’s next-generation graphics processing units (GPUs) for data centers, which are known as Blackwell. As a result, it is unclear whether or not Intel will remain with a vanilla version.
Intel has said that it is streamlining its offering in regard to Battlemage. Through the development of the initial Xe architecture, Intel was able to expand it from low-power laptops to GPUs used in data centers. A more simplified range is expected to be available for Xe2, according to Tom Petersen of Intel. For applications that need less power, you will get Xe2-LPG, and for high-performance discrete GPUs, you will receive Xe2-HPG.
Xe2-HPG will reportedly include a “next-gen memory subsystem and compression,” as well as enhanced ray tracing and micro-architectural enhancements, as stated in a PowerPoint that was leaked from inside the company and uploaded by RedGamingTech. This first note sticks out clearly. In order to circumvent the VRAM problems that are prevalent in current games, Intel issued a research paper in the previous year that detailed AI-driven compression. We may be able to see the technology being used as a component of the Battlemage architecture.
In terms of performance, Intel Battlemage
There is no information available to us on the performance of Battlemage, and the few leaks that have been released do not provide any clues. Intel has acknowledged that it is currently working on software for Battlemage, and we remember how crucial it was for the previous generation to have software for Battlemage. When the cards are finally delivered, we will be able to obtain a more precise view of how well they performed.
Taking into consideration the specifications, there is a strong possibility that Intel is aiming its flagship Battlemage GPU at the RTX 4070 model. It’s likely that this is also a smart decision. This segment of the graphics card industry is now the most competitive since there are a half dozen graphics processing units (GPUs) that fall within the price range of $400 to $600 currently.
In the beginning, there were reports that Intel will target the RTX 4080 for its flagship card, but it seems that this is not going to happen. Probably because of the size of the actual graphics processing unit (GPU) that is included inside the flagship card, which is said to be around the same size as the RTX 4080, this myth propagated. Even if such is the case, it does not necessarily indicate that the card will be able to achieve the same level of performance as the RTX 4080. In a manner like to that of Alchemist GPUs, Intel may put more circuitry onto the cards than really required.
In the lower part of the stack, it is difficult to tell. The next generation of graphics processing units (GPUs) from AMD and Nvidia are expected to be beyond Intel’s ability to compete. Taking into consideration the current timeframe, it seems like Intel is attempting to bring their next-generation graphics cards into the market a few months before AMD and Nvidia release their respective products.
