A new Intel Arc Battlemage graphics card was discovered in the latest GFX-DRM log, confirming various specifications such as the number of Xe2 cores.
Intel Arc Battlemage graphics cards based on the Xe2 GPU architecture are now being tested as launch approaches
Recently, it was reported that Intel is planning to launch its next Arc series of graphics cards based on the Xe2 architecture, codenamed Battlemage, later this year. The new family will pick up where Alchemist left off and offer increased performance and brand new features, some of which we will first see on the upcoming Lunar Lake SOCs with Xe2 iGPUs. It looks like Intel is currently in the testing phase of its first engineering samples before they hit the market, and we’ve got a glimpse of a brand new sample.
Let’s start with the details: The Intel Arc Battlemage graphics card spotted uses the device ID “e20b” and ran on display version 14.01. This particular specimen is identified as a Xe2-HPG part and features the G:A0/M:A1 stepping. Based on the GuC parameters, it looks like the chip features up to 14 Xe2 cores, which points to the BMG-G21 chip, which is said to have a maximum of 16 Xe2 cores. The chip is rated at two frequencies, one of which is 1500 MHz and the other 1800 MHz. It is likely that these are the base and boost clock frequencies of this particular specimen, as the Arc A770 GPU also features a 300 MHz difference between its base and boost clock frequencies (2.1 vs. 2.4 GHz).
Moving on to the memory details, the Intel Arc Battlemage graphics card is listed with a total of six DRAM channels, so 32-bits per channel or 192-bits total. This configuration has 12GB of VRAM and should run the standard GDDR6 modules but be clocked at 19Gbps as this matches the listed DCLK and maximum memory bandwidth of 456.00GB/s. This is a higher DRAM clock than Intel’s Arc Alchemist GPUs, which had 17.5Gbps memory chips but supported a wider 256-bit bus interface. Intel will also have 256-bit and 16GB variants, so these will get up to an additional 608GB/s of bandwidth using the same 19Gbps modules. That’s a 9% improvement in overall bandwidth.
That’s about all the information we can get out of this log, but it’s still interesting to see an Arc Battlemage graphics card being tested this way. The actual announcement is expected in late 2024, and Intel will be hosting a special event as it has postponed its Innovation 2024 event to 2025. It would have been the perfect opportunity to unveil the new Arc “Xe2” series, but Intel’s current cost-cutting efforts will change plans a bit.
Regardless, the Xe2 graphics architecture and the Arc Battlemage graphics cards based on it will definitely be a product to look forward to in 2024, with Intel bringing a 50% performance boost, brand new ray tracing and XMX engines, and plenty of other interesting graphics features.
“Rumored” technical data for the Intel Arc Battlemage graphics card:
| Graphics card variant | Arc B*** | Arc B*** | Sheet A770 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPU chip | ArcBMG-G31 | ArcBMG-G21 | ArcACM-G10 |
| Process node | 5nm from TSMC? | 5nm from TSMC? | TSMC 6nm |
| Matrix size | To be announced | To be announced | 406mm² |
| Shading units (cores) | 4096 (32 Xe2 cores) | 2048 (16 Xe2 cores) | 4096 (32 Xe cores) |
| GPU clock (graphics) | To be announced | To be announced | 2.10GHz |
| Storage capacity | 16GB GDDR6(x)? | 12GB GDDR6(x)? | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Storage speed | To be announced | To be announced | 17.5 Gbps |
| Memory bus | 256 bits | 192 bits | 256 bits |
| Bandwidth | To be announced | To be announced | 560GB/s |
| TGP | To be announced | To be announced | 225W |
| Price (at launch) | To be announced | To be announced | $349 |
News Source: Anandtech Forums
