Intel's legendary Large Battlemage GPU pops up within the MESA Linux driver making a launch later this yr that little bit extra doubtless
We have coated Intel’s purported plans to launch a much bigger, badder model of its newest Battlemage GPU tech on a number of events. Principally, these centred on a GPU codenamed G31 being noticed in Intel delivery manifests. Now, the exact same G31 has popped up within the official MESA OpenGL drivers for Linux, and there is much more motive to consider Intel may truly launch a high-performance gaming GPU later this yr.
Proper now, Intel has the Arc B570 and B580 graphics playing cards, primarily based on the G21 Battlemage chip and positioned on the very low finish with MSRPs of $190 and $250, respectively. The G21 has 20 EUs or graphics execution models, and the widespread consensus is that the G31 sports activities 32 EUs. So, it is a way more highly effective GPU.
Relying on clock speeds and efficiency scaling, to not point out driver high quality, 32 EUs might put Large Battlemage, which might probably be known as the Intel Arc B770, up with the likes of Nvidia’s RTX 4070 or RTX 5070 GPUs.
A extra pessimistic final result can be RTX 5060 Ti efficiency. Nevertheless, it is onerous to think about Intel launching a G31-based GPU to compete with the mere RTX 5060 Ti. That is as a result of the G21 chip within the B570 and B580 is already considerably bigger and costlier to fabricate than the GB206 GPU within the RTX 5060 Ti.
Based mostly on the 32 EU assumption, the G31 might be a really giant GPU with a die measurement akin to the RTX 4080 and RTX 5080 chips, AD103 and GB103, respectively. Whereas all of the proof is that Intel presently is not making an attempt to make large income out of Arc gaming GPUs, even in that context, promoting GPUs with comparable prices to a $1,000 RTX 5080 for round $400 with the intention to compete with the 5060 Ti appears unlikely.
The G31 can also be anticipated to be a 256-bit GPU by way of reminiscence entry. So, it could doubtless ship with 16 GB. That may be a helpful benefit over the 192-bit buses and 12 GB of VRAM of the RTX 4070 and 5070. As a gaming GPU, the G31 in all probability solely is smart if it may well no less than commerce blows with these mid-range GPUs priced at $500 or so.
After all, the opposite situation is that the G31 could certainly be slated for retail availability, however not as a gaming GPU. As a substitute, Intel might be lining up the G31 as knowledgeable AI answer to go up in opposition to the likes of Nvidia’s RTX Professional workstation AI playing cards.
RTX Professional playing cards are primarily based on the identical silicon as Nvidia’s gaming graphics playing cards, versus its devoted Blackwell AI {hardware}, however promote at a lot larger worth factors than gaming GPUs. Intel might be planning one thing related for G31. It might nonetheless massively undercut Nvidia on worth whereas fully sidestepping unflattering comparisons with each Nvidia and AMD’s gaming GPUs, which put a a lot decrease real looking worth cap on any gaming graphics card.
The concept then can be a professional card with a load of VRAM priced a lot larger than would make any sense in any respect as a gaming answer, however nonetheless very compelling for workstation AI functions. In that situation, the G31 would certainly come to market later this yr, however make zero influence on gaming.
For now, it is all hypothesis. The entry of the G31 would not show for positive that Intel is aspiring to launch the factor as a industrial product, not to mention assure it will likely be a compelling gaming GPU. However it does present that Intel continues to be engaged on a Large Battlemage chip, and that alone is fairly thrilling, given how determined we’re for extra competitors within the gaming graphics card market.