In context: The PC community has long awaited the launch of Intel's commencement true dedicated gaming GPUs, and now, that day is just around the corner. With competition from AMD and Nvidia likely to arrive later on the same year, an early 2022 launch window for the first generation of Intel's upcoming Arc GPUs (codenamed Alchemist) seems likely. But how volition Alchemist GPUs compare to existing competition?

Cheers to new rumors allegedly published on the ExpReview forums, we might finally have an answer to that question. ExpReview, for the unaware, is a Chinese tech news site that emphasizes PC hardware coverage, including reviews, benchmarks, and leaks.

According to the site, Intel's Alchemist architecture is set to launch with several models former in March 2022 -- a January release was reportedly planned, but it had to be pushed dorsum by a couple of months. In whatsoever example, Q1 is even so on the table, apparently.

Intel's planned offerings include three detached desktop GPUs, and v laptop GPUs (mostly variants of the desktop cards).

The desktop line-up will business firm the Intel Xe HPG 512 Eu, the 384 EU, and the 128 Eu.

The 128 EU is rumored to launch with 1024 ALUs, 6GB of VRAM, a 75W TGP, and a 96-scrap memory bus. Intel is hoping the 128 EU volition be able to have on the Nvidia'south GTX 1650, but with RT back up -- something the 1650 and 1650 Super are both defective. Understandably and then, given the performance hit that comes with turning such features on. Base clock speeds will probably cap out at 2.5Ghz hither.

The 512 EU is ready to send with up to 16GB of VRAM, 4096 ALUs, a 256-bit memory bus, a TGP of 225W, and rumored clock speeds too maxing out at effectually 2.5Ghz. The Blue Team is positioning this model as a competitor to Nvidia'southward RTX 3070 and 3070 Ti.

The 384 European union, on the other hand, will take on the lower-cease 3060 and 3060 Ti with a 192-bit memory bus, up to 12GB of VRAM, a TGP of around 200W, and 3072 ALUs.

The laptop version of the 128 EU drops the VRAM to a measly 4GB, and reduces power draw to about 30W. The other depression-end laptop chip, the 96 European union, downgrades the ALU count to 768, while keeping everything else roughly the same.

Intel's loftier-end Alchemist laptop GPUs differ from their desktop counterparts primarily in ability draw, with lower TGP beyond the lath (upwards to 150W for the 512 EU and up to 120W for the 384 EU). The mid-range 256 Eu is a laptop-only card with 2048 ALUs, 8GB of VRAM, a 128-bit bus, and upwards to an 80W TGP.

As you tin see, Intel is primarily targeting AMD and Nvidia's current-gen cards with its showtime gaming GPU launch. Every bit such, Blue Team fans will likely need to await for the company's next GPU compages -- codenamed "Battlemage" -- for an Intel alternative to AMD's RDNA3 and Nvidia's Lovelace cards.