A new Linux patch has potentially revealed Intelβs next plans for its Arc Battlemage graphics cards. Spotted by Tomasz GawroΕski, an avid gaming hardware enthusiast on X (formerly Twitter), the new Intel gaming GPU additions could be the much anticipated more powerful variants in the companyβs lineup.
The Intel B580 has been heralded as one of the best graphics cards on the budget end of PC building, but PC gaming enthusiasts are always looking for more power, and that could be coming with these cards.
While thereβs hope that this leak could hint at more powerful Intel graphics cards, though, thereβs nothing specific in the post that suggests theyβre higher end cards. Instead, the listing simply shows three new code numbers with the patch notes saying that the patch βAdd[s] 3 new IDs for BMG.β GawroΕski interprets this as suggesting that βIntel added 3 new battlemage IDβ in this patch.
Other replies to this post suggest these could refer to future B770, B750, or B380 GPUs, which would join the current lineup of B580 and B570 GPUs. However, this is purely speculation for now.
If Intel were to wade into the higher-end GPU conversation, it could flip the tables in the sector. The company has aggressively priced the B580 and B570 to attempt to gain traction in the budget market. If it were to do the same for mid-tier PC builds, it could sink both AMD and Nvidiaβs plans as the two sit neck-and-neck for pricing with the RX 9070 and RTX 5070, at least based on rumored RX 9070 pricing.
The rumored B750 and B770 donβt need to be as powerful as the competition, if Intel is aggressive with its pricing, resulting in excellentΒ bang-for-buck performance, it could finally see Intel carve out a decent size chunk of the graphics card market.
Itβs also possible that the patch could lead to nothing. So far, Intel hasnβt confirmed anything around a B770 or B750 GPU, which would be the higher-tier cards. The company has also not said anything about a possible B380, which we would expect to be the lower-end GPU, however, graphics card hardware has appeared on shipping manifests, according to regular tech leak site, Videocardz.
These shipping manifests have shown a βclamshell cardβ design for two pieces of hardware. According to reports, this is a different method of bundling in memory onto the GPU, potentially signaling that Intel is readying a more powerful GPU. However, this is again speculation at this time.
Meanwhile, previous rumors β again cited by Videocardz β have suggested an Arc Battlemage βProβ graphics card is in the works. This would come with 24GB of VRAM, but reports out of China indicate this could be aimed at data centers and the like, rather than gaming PCs.
Intel made no announcements at CES regarding new Battlemage GPUs, but that doesnβt mean we wonβt see a reveal later this year. Even with the shipping manifests out in the open, itβs difficult to gauge whether Intel wants to add more to Battlemage or is actually preparing for its next generation already.
Outside of Battlemage, the third-generation GPUs from Intel, called Intel Celestial, are already in the works. Jim Johnson, the SVP of Intelβs Client Computing Group and General Manager for Client Business Group said that he was βconfidentβ in the next-gen hardware.
While Intel is starting to make inroads in the GPU world, itβs still struggling to pull back AMD from the top of the best gaming CPU throne. With the last few generations of its CPUs not providing the performance leaps expected, or frying themselves due to issues with power draw, itβs certainly an odd time to be building a gaming PC where AMD is the recommended CPU and Intel is becoming a viable budget GPU option.