Video Unveils Intel Arc Alchemist Desktop GPU

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By Mark Tyson
last updated

Another clear look at Alchemist

A short but noteworthy video has emerged of what appears to be a chunky twin-slot, twin-fan Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card. You can see the video in the tweet below. The sample picked up out of a box and man-handled looks like the exact component we wrote about yesterday in our Purported Intel Arc Alchemist Desktop Graphics Card Pictured article. It has the same appearance and finish, front and back. This leaked video adds weight to the previous pictorial leaks, though, of course, we recommend one or two grains of salt concerning these images being of a genuine so-called engineering sample (ES) that some have claimed it to be.

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In the brief embedded video clip above, you can see the scene starts with the Intel branded graphics card lying fans-down in sturdy enough but generic-looking packaging. Next, a hand swoops in to pick up the card by the cooling section of the shroud that extends beyond the PCB. Then we get to see the fan-side, PCB-side, and bracket for a few moments as the hand rotates the sample.

Unfortunately, Ayxerious' video is of relatively poor quality, even for Twitter. We grabbed the best quality video file available from the source, but it was only 640 x 352 pixels. Click on the image below to zoom in at some choice angles.

Intel Arc Alchemist ES video stills

(Image credit: Ayxerious on Twitter)

In yesterday's article about the leaked photos, we commented on the triple DisplayPort and single HDMI connector that are easy to spot here. It was evident from the pictures of this card shared yesterday that the PCB looks like it supports one each of a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector (for up to 300W).

Bionic Squash shared another leaked image today, exposing a nice clear picture of the PCB. It looks like the same engineering sample again – check the positioning of the black rubber stand-offs stuck to the card's PCB.

We can make more confident appraisals of further tech specs with a more precise image. It looks like there are going to be eight GDDR6 memory chips affixed to this PCB, presumably with a 256-bit interface. Also, there is evidence of at least 10 VRM phases being present. Lastly, this is undoubtedly one of the more significant Arc Alchemist GPUs on the way and might even be the top-end 512EU model, which allegedly challenges the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti desktop card in performance terms.

There is a lot of pent-up excitement about the prospect of Intel joining the PC discrete graphics card market to make it a three-horse race worth watching. Unfortunately, Intel is far from a thoroughbred in GPUs, despite its long history with its iGPUs, which have come on leaps and bounds in recent years. It still has lots to prove in hardware and software support, but with strong-looking teams on both wings. Recent benchmarking leaks have provided some assurance regarding performance, but it is still very much a wait-and-see type of product, with performance and features that we can't take for granted.

Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
Freelance News Writer

Mark Tyson is a Freelance News Writer at Tom's Hardware US. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

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14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • sepuko
    No one should expect dirt-cheap competitor to the 6900 or 3090, Intel are not stupid, they are going to aim at the largest volume market, the one of the 3060, 6700, 3050, 6600.
    Reply
  • saltweaver
    sepuko said:
    No one should expect dirt-cheap competitor to the 6900 or 3090, Intel are not stupid, they are going to aim at the largest volume market, the one of the 3060, 6700, 3050, 6600.
    In alleged benchmarks there is one chip good as 3070Ti
    https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-arc-alchemist-with-512-vector-engines-benchmarked
    Reply
  • VforV
    Well the GPU in the video (ES) does look cheap, like cheaply made... is this how the final reference model will also look, I wonder?
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    their look reminds me of the XFX amd gpu's.
    Reply
  • waltc3
    Looks like a Photochop job to me...all that smearing in the images...;)
    Reply
  • bigdragon
    VforV said:
    Well the GPU in the video (ES) does look cheap, like cheaply made... is this how the final reference model will also look, I wonder?
    It doesn't have all the bling, logos, angles, and RGB like the usual AIB products. I like this engineering design. Clean. Simple. No frills. Those fans look awfully skinny, but that's probably normal. Performance is far more important than how it looks.

    If this thing performs as well as a 3070 Ti, provides more VRAM, and comes in a lower price, then I'm interested. I've been beating the crap out of this 2080 Super with Blender and UE4. Anything with a reasonable cost that can boost performance is appealing.
    Reply
  • RodroX
    I really don't care how it looks, as long as it can compite with nvida and AMD at lower price point (that would be awesome!). But we are very far away from real benchmarks still.
    Reply
  • saltweaver
    bigdragon said:
    If this thing performs as well as a 3070 Ti, provides more VRAM, and comes in a lower price, then I'm interested. I've been beating the crap out of this 2080 Super with Blender and UE4. Anything with a reasonable cost that can boost performance is appealing.
    For how long? RDNA3 and RTX4000 are on their way. I only hope this Intel Arc launch doesn't push AMD's and NVIDIA's plans further down the 2023.
    Reply
  • Exploding PSU
    Whoa, it looks mighty fine to me. Like that angular, understated look. The back reminds me of several Sapphire cards that have short PCB but full length coolers
    Reply
  • btmedic04
    That shroud reminds me of the GTX 9xx series. Glad to see only 2 slots are required. Intel might look like they have a strong foundation, but the Cleveland Browns looked strong in the pre-season too and look what we ended up with. Will temper my enthusiasm until third party reviews are out
    Reply