Intel Arc graphics card
Intel Arc graphics card (image: playback/Intel)

Intel Arc Graphics Chips Perform Disappointingly in First Tests

Although at a slow pace, Intel Arc dedicated GPUs are coming to market. Nvidia and AMD will finally have a competitor in the graphics chip segment, right? So-so. Some independent tests carried out with the Arc A370M (notebooks) and Arc A380 (desktops) models did not yield encouraging results.

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Dedicated Intel Arc GPUs (image: reproduction/Intel)

Intel Arc A370M

To check the performance of the Intel Arc A370M, the website Notebookcheck bought an Asus Zenbook Flip OLED Q539, one of the first notebooks to leave the factory with this GPU.

This chip is part of the Intel Arc 3 line , whose specs make it suitable for gaming at 1080p and 60 fps , presumably. For those looking for more performance, the Arc 5 and Arc 7 lines are more interesting.

Despite this, the Arc A370M was to be expected to offer performance similar to that of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. But in Notebookcheck ‘s tests , the results placed the Intel graphics chip alongside a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, a recently released model. in 2016.

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In a test with Final Fantasy XV at 1080p and graphics at standard level, for example, the Arc A370M recorded 38.4 fps, the same result as the GTX 1050 Ti. Already in X-Plane 11.11 , under the same conditions, the GTX 1050 Ti recorded 74.5 fps, while the Arc A370M achieved 43.5 fps.

Intel Arc A380

To check the performance of the Intel Arc A370M, the website Notebookcheck bought an Asus Zenbook Flip OLED Q539, one of the first notebooks to leave the factory with this GPU.

This chip is part of the Intel Arc 3 line , whose specs make it suitable for gaming at 1080p and 60 fps , presumably. For those looking for more performance, the Arc 5 and Arc 7 lines are more interesting.

Despite this, the Arc A370M was to be expected to offer performance similar to that of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. But in Notebookcheck ‘s tests , the results placed the Intel graphics chip alongside a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, a recently released model. in 2016.

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In a test with Final Fantasy XV at 1080p and graphics at standard level, for example, the Arc A370M recorded 38.4 fps, the same result as the GTX 1050 Ti. Already in X-Plane 11.11 , under the same conditions, the GTX 1050 Ti recorded 74.5 fps, while the Arc A370M achieved 43.5 fps.

intel arc a380 testes china
Arc A380 “beaten” in all tests (image: Bilibili/Shenmedounengce)

It is noteworthy that the Radeon RX 6400 has had a much more consistent performance in games, even with 4 GB of memory and a 20 W lower consumption pattern compared to the Arc A380 GPU.

Not everything is lost

This situation might make us think that Intel has failed to enter the dedicated GPU segment, but that’s not quite the case. Some factors must be taken into account before making any judgment.

For starters, the tests suggest that some games still lack optimization to run satisfactorily with the evaluated graphics chips. This work can be done both by game developers and by Intel itself, in the form of driver adjustments.

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placa video inter arc
Intel Arc graphics card (image: playback/Intel)

The optimization aspect gains more strength if we consider that, in benchmark tools, like 3DMark, both Arc A370M and Arc A380 showed more interesting results than in games.

Furthermore, despite the optimism that Intel has been showing, the Arc family is still a work in progress. Perhaps the company will be able to develop drivers that boost the performance of the first Arc GPUs. However, it is possible that really interesting results will only appear in the next generations.

In any case, the Intel Arc graphics chips are notably superior compared to the integrated Intel Xe GPUs. Because of this, the Arc lines can be an option for those looking for more graphics performance, but don’t want something very expressive.

In the short term, it is to be expected that Intel will be strategic, that is, work with reduced prices, at least until its GPUs become truly competitive.

Source https://tecnoblog.net/