The Intel Arc series of GPUs are now available to buy in Australia, meaning you can have a dedicated Intel graphics card inside your custom PC, but there’s still a lot of confusion surrounding Intel’s run on AMD and Nvidia, the two kings of the GPU market.
Well, player three has hit the market and now that there’s a third GPU option, so let’s see how it compares to the competition.
What is Intel Arc?
Intel Arc is the name of Intel’s range of dedicated GPUs. Previously, Intel was a champion at creating integrated graphics like the Intel Iris Xe, which would be paired with their CPUs (ie the Intel Core series, like the Core i5, i7, and i9).
But in 2022, Intel has released a series of graphics components to take on AMD and Nvidia. Nvidia is the company behind the current market leader, the RTX series (formerly the GTX series), and AMD is behind the Radeon series.
As with Nvidia and AMD, the Intel Arc series is based on two submarkets in the PC world: the notebook market and the desktop market. Laptop markets get smaller, mobile versions of GPUs, while desktops typically get the larger, bulkier Intel Arc cards (which you can see in the image at the top of this page).
So far, we’ve only reviewed one computer with Intel Arc graphics: Intel’s NUC 12 Enthusiast. We were impressed by the graphics performance, although readers of this review should note that it uses an A770M GPU, which is the smaller, more integrated version (denoted by the M).
What GPUs are in the Intel Arc series and how much do they cost?
Right now, the Arc series only includes a small assortment of GPUs, divided into three performance categories. As it currently stands, only two cards are available in Australia, in addition to mobile versions. Here’s a full list of the cards in the Arc series, though if we’ve missed one, please let us know.
Arc 7
- A730M: Mobile GPU, included in smaller computers
- A750 8GB: $549
- A770 8GB – Not yet available in Australia
- A770 16GB: $699
- A770M: Mobile GPU, included in smaller computers
Arc 5
- A550M: Mobile GPU, included in smaller computers
- A580 – Not yet available in Australia
Arc 3
- A310 – Not yet available in Australia
- A350M: Mobile GPU, included in smaller computers
- A370M: Mobile GPU, included in smaller computers
- A380 – Not yet available in Australia
The naming convention follows the same rules as Intel’s Core series: the higher the number, the more powerful the unit. Also, the letter “M” in the name indicates a discrete, embedded version, which is designed for smaller computers such as laptops. More cards are planned.
It should also be noted that not all of the cards listed above are available in Australia and some of the mobile GPUs listed above may be available in upcoming laptops and mini PCs.
Is Intel Arc better than RTX?
Early benchmarks for the Intel Arc A370M were underwhelming, but things aren’t as bad as they might seem. According to Intel’s own benchmarking, the A750 appeared to perform 3% better than the RTX 3060 at 1080p and 5% better at 1440p. Intel has also given us some performance benchmarks for its discrete mobile GPUs.
This is confirmed by our own experience with the Intel Arc A770M in the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast. The card seemed to perform almost on par with my RTX 3060 GPU and may have been able to hold up to the RTX card if the NUC 12 wasn’t running a discrete card.
The Testing Games YouTube channel also made a great comparison video between the Arc A770 16GB and the RTX 3060 12GB. The video below tests both cards in Forza Horizon 5, Marvel’s Spider-Man, CS:GO, Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Dying Light 2, and The Witcher 3. Yes, this it seems Arc came out on top in most of these games.
That said, cost adds another layer of complexity. In Australia, the 16GB Intel Arc A770 retails for $699, while the RTX 3060 starts at $579 (and is often on sale, having been released in February 2021). Is the slightly higher performance worth the extra ~$100?
As it currently stands, while the RTX 3060 is an excellent benchmark card and a brilliant cost-performance unit, that’s not the end of the discussion. At the moment, Intel doesn’t have a GPU to rival the RTX 3070, 3080 or 3090, let alone their Ti variants or the recently launched (and incredibly powerful) RTX 40 series.
More cards are on the way, but we’ll have to wait and see.
We know some people are curious to know the answer to the following question…
Does Intel Arc have RGB?
Yes, Intel Arc A770 limited edition cards include RGB lights. Beautiful lights are very important, we know that.
Is Intel Arc good for gaming?
As noted above, the Intel Arc series is worth considering, especially if you can get one at a discount. It can be an attractive prospect to have an all-Intel PC, powered by an Intel CPU and GPU, but keep in mind that it can be more expensive than one running on an RTX GPU and an AMD CPU.
In testing, the 16GB Intel Arc A770 is certainly an excellent alternative to the 12GB RTX 3060, but it’s all about buying within your budget.
If you want some tips on how to build your gaming PC, we have a guide on that here. If you want help choosing the right CPU and GPU, here’s an explanation.