Intel Arc A770 Launching Oct. 12, Starting at $329

By Andrew E. Freedman
published

Intel is going to battle with the RTX 3060

Intel Innovation 2022 Live Blog
(Image credit: Intel)

Intel will launch its Arc A770 gaming-grade GPU on October 12, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger announced at the company's Intel Innovation conference. Pricing will start at $329, going head to head with Nvidia's RTX 3060 on theoretical pricing, and taking on the RX 6650 XT on street prices. Depending on performance, Intel's A770 might even have a shot at the best graphics cards.

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Gelsinger claimed that the A770 will offer 65% better peak performance in ray tracing than the "competition," though specific cards weren't mentioned as rivals. (Previously, Intel has specifically mentioned the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060). In a tweet after the announcement, Intel also called out "up to 2x performance uplift" thanks to XeSS.

An RTX 3060 comparison is apt. The $329 starting price is the same as what Nvidia claims for that GPU, though that changes depending on what features are added by third party card vendors. GPU prices have been in tremendous flux right now as miners ditch their graphics cards following Ethereum's move away from proof of work.

However, Nvidia's lowest cost RTX 30-series cards remain overpriced, with the lowest priced RTX 3050 starting at $289, and the RTX 3060 starts at $369. AMD's RX 6650 XT starts at $339 online and beats the RTX 3060 in non-RT performance.

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Intel Innovation 2022 Live Blog
(Image credit: Intel)

The A770's release date had been something of a mystery in recent weeks, as rumors suggested it was canceled (clearly not the case) and Intel technically missed the "Summer 2022" window. Just over a week ago, Gelsinger posted a tweet saying they were coming to market soon (and that he had one), but provided few other details.

Gelsinger claims that cards are in the mail to reviewers. That aligns with recent rumors that unboxings may be allowed on Sept. 30 and reviews will be allowed on Oct. 5, though we'll have to see what of that comes true. Check back in a few days and we'll see if we have a card!

This very public announcement suggests some confidence in the card. Previously, the Arc A380 was launched exclusively in China. That launch was plagued by driver issues and it faced poor reviews when it reached reviewers' hands. 

We'll see soon, whenever reviewers are able to publish, just how well the Arc A770 performs. The company clearly isn't gunning for the top-end of the GPU hierarchy, but it's bringing more competition into the mid-level.

Andrew E. Freedman
Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Twitter: @FreedmanAE

9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Metal Messiah.
    I presume the $329 price tag could be the starting price of the A770 for its 8 GB model. And not the 16GB SKU/variant, imo ?

    Because the A770 card sports BOTH 8 and 16 GB VRAM, so Intel should have been more clear on the pricing of these Models. I still think USD 329 is for the 8GB variant.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    Did they mention any partners for the A770? Or showed any AIB models? Any indication of volume?

    I think the "Limited Edition" moniker is more like "Getting Rid Of Stacks Shenanigans" version, or "GROSS" for short. Maybe AsRock will put a model or two? That Chinese partner as well, perhaps?

    Well, at least looks cool. It has functional RGB, so at least it has that going on for it. It is functional RGB, right?

    Regards.
    Reply
  • jkflipflop98
    It's awesome to have a serious 3rd player in the space now. For the first try out, ~3060 performance isn't too shabby at all at a good price.
    Reply
  • cyrusfox
    -Fran- said:
    It is functional RGB, right?
    what is funcitonal RGB... I have never seen it or heard of it, its a light, what function does it serve other than aesthetics?
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    cyrusfox said:
    what is funcitonal RGB... I have never seen it or heard of it, its a light, what function does it serve other than aesthetics?
    But you have to control it, no? Otherwise it won't increase your FPS in games.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • Unolocogringo
    cyrusfox said:
    what is funcitonal RGB... I have never seen it or heard of it, its a light, what function does it serve other than aesthetics?
    It makes is faster ,everbody knows that.
    Here hol my beer a minute, watch this shi.....!!!!!!!!!
    Reply
  • Tom Sunday
    jkflipflop98 said:
    It's awesome to have a serious 3rd player in the space now.

    Your post says it all! Absolutely we need a third player in the market to shake things up and create increased and viable competition. Intel also has very deep pockets and financial strength which clearly bodes well for their future development capabilities of discrete GPU’s. I was actually amazed to read only a month ago on some of the tech-channels, that Intel will be canceling their GPU business entrée after having already invested over $1 billion into the new program. For me it had an underlying taste that some people actually wished for Intel to fail. But like Churchill once said at the end of WWII: “Battles are won by the one with the biggest checkbook!”

    Naturally all of this is good for the consumer, besides Intel entering the market with a perfect timing as ‘mining and scalpers’ are now finally having vacated the landscape, then the unfortunate lingering of the US economy forcing much downward spending and especially for non-essential and luxury type items. I can’t wait to see how the ARC and Intel’s strategic GPU move will finally play itself out. Just perhaps there is hope for me after all in replacing my trusty EVGA 980ti and actually buy something new for a change and at a right price.
    Reply
  • Dakkoch
    Ohhh i finally get it. Intel's "Limited edition" = Nvidia's "Founder's edition"
    Reply
  • Unolocogringo
    Just hope the rumors are not true.
    We need more graphics card competition in the market.
    Maybe 3rd time is a charm will come true?:rolleyes:
    Reply