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After almost a 20-year hiatus, Intel will be making a dramatic return in the discrete graphics market this year. The Intel Xe DG2 is the successor of DG1, and it’s also supposedly Intel’s first consumer gaming GPU.
According to Intel architecture’s Senior Vice President, Raja Koduri, the DG2 could even compete against AMD’s and Nvidia’s gaming GPUs. However, if you’re skeptical about this claim, the latest leaks from Moore’s Law is Dead(MLID), Tom might convince you.
In this article, we’ll be covering the latest leaks about the upcoming gaming GPU from Intel. So, if you’re just as excited about it as we are, keep reading!
Intel Xe DG2 Specs and Variants
According to Tom’s latest leaks, there are working engineering samples of the upcoming GPU available already. The new GPU’s leaked image also shows that the card features dual-fan cooling and an aluminum fin heatsink.
The DG2 isn’t just one graphics card but a lineup of graphic cards. As per the latest speculations, there are five plausible loadouts of the Intel Xe DG2 graphics card.
These discrete cards will likely come in 384 EU & 512 EU configurations, with laptops featuring the lower-spec variants. The 512 EU card will also feature a 256-bit memory bus, 4096 cores, and 16/8 GB GDDR6.
Xe HPG Variant
| GPU Variant | GPU SKU | Execution Units | Core Units | Memory Capacity | Memory Bus | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xe-HPG 512EU | DG2-512EU | 512 EUs | 4096 | 16/8 GB GDDR6 | 256-bit | ~275W |
| Xe-HPG 384EU | DG2-384EU | 384 EUs | 3072 | 12/6 GB GDDR6 | 192-bit | TBC |
| Xe-HPG 256EU | DG2-384EU | 256 EUs | 2048 | 8/4 GB GDDR6 | 128-bit | TBC |
| Xe-HPG 192EU | DG2-384EU | 192 EUs | 1536 | 4 GB GDDR6 | 128-bit | TBC |
| Xe-HPG 128EU | DG2-128EU | 128 EUs | 1024 | 4 GB GDDR6 | 64-bit | TBC |
| Xe-HPG 96EU | DG2-128EU | 86 EUs | 768 | 4 GB GDDR6 | 64-bit | ~120W |
Intel’s DG2 512EU card will also boast a 2.2GHz clock speed. It’s still unclear as to which node Intel will employ, but it’ll likely be TSMC’s N6 node instead of N7. Initially, the TDP target was between 225 to 25W, but it’s now increased to about 275W.
Performance of Intel Xe DG2
The initial performance targets were to match the level of RTX 3070. However, it’s now raised to match somewhere between the Nvidia RTX 3070 and RTX 3080. Tom also specifies that the 512EU GPU chip could be very much like the RTX 3070 Ti.
Intel also performed internal testing with the Time Spy benchmark of 3DMark recently. The results revealed performance levels ranging between the likes of RTX 2080 and RTX 3090. That said, realistically speaking, we shouldn’t expect the DG2 512EU to match up to RTX 3080.
Additionally, Intel is trying its best to offer stable implementations for hardware video coding, super sampling, and ray tracing. Tom is evidently excited about Intel’s hardware video coding.
He even says that Intel’s GPUs will deliver better performance than Nvidia’s capabilities. The one thing that’s likely delaying the launch of these graphics cards at the moment is driver optimization.
Intel Xe DG2 Vs. Nvidia and Radeon
Various sources and speculations suggest that Intel’s new graphics card could rival AMD’s Radeon and Nvidia’s GeForce.
Pro gamers will also be glad to learn that if MLID’s speculations pan out, the DG2 will incorporate ray-tracing. This makes the Intel Xe DG2 a worthy competitor against Radeon 6000 series and RTX 2000 & 3000 series.
Also, the card will likely support Intel’s version of DLSS, which the Radeon RX 6000 lacks. As such, it will deliver excellent performance via graphics upscaling.
Intel Xe DG2 Pricing
When it comes to the pricing of Intel’s upcoming discrete graphics card, it’s still unclear. Sources suggest the mid-range variants (256 EU) to be somewhere around $200 to $300.
On the other hand, the top 512EU model will likely be about $400. It’s also uncertain if the global chip shortage will still have any impact on the price.
The shortages will likely continue to hinder the GPU space until 2022. And if Intel fails to produce sufficient launch stocks, it won’t matter even if the DG2 GPUs are aggressively priced.
Intel Xe DG2 Release Date
According to newfound speculations, the Intel Xe DG2 GPUs will likely hit the shelves in Q4 2021. It also seems like the company is yet to provide the final design to its AIB partners.
MLID speculates that Intel will likely deliver decent driver support for the upcoming GPUs. It’s also possible that the company might even delay the launch to ensure complete driver support. Alternatively, it can adopt AMD’s tactic and release the cardsss initially without some software features. They can then add the missing parts later via software updates.
It’s also unclear if Intel will launch the 128 EU & 256 EU along with the 512 EU model. Official sources also claim that the company will likely release the prosumer and professional models in 2022.
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