Intel Arc Battlemage GPU Breaks Cover With 12GB of 19Gb/s VRAM

Intel released its first-generation Arc Alchemist GPUs in late 2022. Since then, we’ve been waiting patiently to hear about its plans for a successor, which it calls Battlemage. We got a tiny glimpse of what’s in store when the company unveiled its upcoming Lunar Lake platform, which uses the Battlemage architecture for the integrated GPU. Now, a boot log for an unspecified test system has revealed the first semi-solid specs of the discrete GPU version of Battlemage, and Intel has made some upgrades.

The boot log is extensive, but it reveals several key specs for whatever GPU the system is using. The log, first identified by a member of the Anandtech forums, shows the GPU being tested features 12GB of VRAM with 456GB/s of memory bandwidth. As Wccftech notes, that means it’s running GDDR6 memory at 19Gb/s on a 192-bit memory bus. This shows Intel has likely bumped up the minimum amount of memory from 8GB to 12GB, which gamers of all stripes will welcome. If you recall, its A750 and A770 GPUs came with 8GB of memory, though there was also a flagship version with 16GB of memory.

Intel has four GPUs on its roadmap, and we’ll be getting the second-generation Xe2 offering very soon.
Credit: Intel

Regarding memory speeds, 19Gb/s is also a modest upgrade from what it used for its Alchemist GPUs. Its flagship A770 GPU used 17.5Gb/s GDDR6, and the A750 used 16GB/s GDDR6 memory. Though memory speed has increased, the memory bus on this particular GPU has gotten narrower than Alchemist, which featured a 256-bit bus. Therefore, with a 192-bit memory bus and 19Gb/s memory speed, the bandwidth is calculated at 456GB/s, a reduction from Alchemist. Those two GPUs—the A750 and A770—offered 512GB/s and 560GB/s, respectively.

Despite using faster memory, the reduction in memory bandwidth could indicate this is a midrange card. There could be a flagship version with 16GB of memory and a 256-bit memory bus, which would make sense given the current gaming climate. However, it appears Intel will still compete in the midrange with Battlemage instead of battling Nvidia and AMD’s high-end cards. Most gamers are still running 1080p resolution, where Intel wants to be competitive.

Intel is also likely hoping to compete on price, too. As you may recall, the most expensive Alchemist GPU with 16GB of memory was just $329, which is downright cheap compared to its competitors’ offerings. Plus, Intel’s former graphics chief previously stated the sweet spot is a 200W GPU with just a single power connector, so we imagine Intel is also aiming for a similar price range this time. Intel is expected to unveil its Battlemage GPUs later this year, but with its September Innovation event now postponed, it’s unclear when or how the launch will occur.