Intel has recently announced the Arc A-series GPUs for laptops, which are designed for thin and light as well as gaming laptops. The Arc 3 models, A350M and A370M, are built for thin and light laptops and they have been launched already. Meanwhile, the Arc 5 and Arc 7 models like A550M, A730M, and A770M are designed for gaming and they will be launching later this year.
Besides these, Intel is planning to launch Arc series of desktop GPUs in 2022. The Arc GPUs are built using X HPG architecture that features Xe cores with built-in XMX AI capabilities and 3D acceleration hardware for enhanced gaming performance. Along with these, Intel Arc GPUs have support for DirectX 12, ray tracing, and variable rate shading. Here’s all you need to know about Intel Arc A-series GPUs:
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Intel Arc GPU specs
Arc A-series GPUs | Xe cores | Ray tracing units | Memory |
A350M | 6 | 6 | 4GB GDDR6 |
A370M | 8 | 8 | 6GB GDDR6 |
A550M | 16 | 16 | 8GB GDDR6 |
A730M | 24 | 24 | 12GB GDDR6 |
A770M | 32 | 32 | 12GB GDDR6 |
Intel Arc GPU features
Intel Arc GPUs come with DirectX 12 Ultimate support and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The new GPUs also feature Intel’s Deep Link tech that helps deliver enhanced performance in resource-intensive apps like Adobe Photoshop, XSplit, and Handbrake when used with Intel’s 12th-gen processors. Along with these, Intel Arc GPUs have support for XeSS supersampling tech, which uses AI engines in the GPUs to improve resolution in games without affecting performance. However, it should be noted that XeSS hasn’t launched yet, and it is set to launch later this year.
Intel Arc GPU expected gaming performance
As there aren’t many reviews for Intel’s Arc GPUs, their performance can be assumed based on specs and claims made by Intel. The Arc A350M and A370M GPUs are the least powerful ones in the series as they are designed for thin and light laptops. But Intel claims that they can offer 1080p gaming at 60 to 90 FPS. Although 1080p gaming at a decent frame rate doesn’t sound really impressive, it should be noted that A350M and A370M GPUs are the low-end models in the Arc series.
Intel claims that Arc A370M GPU offers just over 60 FPS at 1080p in games like Hitman 3, Doom Eternal, Total War Saga: Troy, F1 2021, Age of Empires IV, Destiny 2, The Witcher, Strange Brigade, Final Fantasy XIV, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Along with these, Intel also claims that the GPU offers 90 FPS at 1080p in games like Fortnite, GTA 5, Rocket League, and Valorant. If these claims are found to be true, then A370M offers impressive gaming performance for a low-end Arc series GPU.
Intel is yet to announce details regarding the gaming performance of A550M, A730M, and A770M Arc series GPUs. Considering that the A370M is claimed to offer impressive performance, A550M, A730M, and A770M GPUs are also expected to be powerful gaming hardware.
Intel Arc GPU laptops price, availability
Currently, there are limited choices for laptops with Intel Arc GPUs. The A370M GPU is available in the newly announced Asus ZenBook Flip, HP Spectre, and Lenovo IdeaPad 3i. These laptops aren’t available in India yet, but they have been listed in the US and UK. The Asus ZenBook Flip is priced at $1,399 (approximately Rs 1,07,203) and the HP Spectre is priced at $1,999 (approximately Rs 1,53,150). Meanwhile, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i costs £761 (approximately Rs 74,213). For a low-end GPU, laptops like Asus ZenBook Flip and the HP Spectre seem to be pretty expensive. It’s unclear what the Indian pricing for these laptops will be and when they will be available in the market.
