Skip to main content

Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card hits over 120 fps in Ashes of the Singularity

The upcoming Intel Arc Alchemist gaming graphics card was spotted in an Ashes of the Singularity benchmark.

Intel’s first discrete gaming GPU managed to maintain consistently high frame rates in the test.

Concept art of an Intel DG2 graphics card.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The card appeared in a benchmark posted on the official website for Ashes of the Singularity. It appears to be a dedicated graphics card based on the Xe-HPG DG2 GPU. Although the benchmark doesn’t specify that this is an Intel Arc Alchemist card, it’s easy to deduce — integrated Intel Xe graphics don’t offer the kind of performance this card managed to pull off.

Recommended Videos

Paired with Intel’s latest-and-greatest Intel Core i9-12900K processor, the card held up well, maintaining an average of 126.9 frames per second (fps). The preset used suggests that medium graphic settings were used and the game was being played at 1080p.

As this is a demo sample being tested ahead of time, it’s difficult to accurately compare that score to graphics cards offered by Nvidia and Intel. The result was similar to that of an RTX 3080 Ti, but that may not reflect the real expected performance of the graphics card. Ashes of the Singularity benchmarks are also not the most reliable way to measure a card’s performance, but the fact remains that it maintained a rather high fps rate.

Intel Arc Alchemist is going to be Intel’s first line of gaming graphics cards. Although it can’t be expected to outperform the best GPUs on the market, it should find its way into many gaming PCs. Specifications of the card put it in line with Nvidia’s RTX 30-series cards. Intel may not be releasing a competitor to the RTX 3090 just yet, but the top variant may be comparable to the RTX 3070.

A render of an Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card.
Image credit: Wccftech Image used with permission by copyright holder

Over the last few months, many leaks regarding the cards have been spotted, allowing us to learn more about their specifications. The top variant is expected to come in at least three different configurations, starting with the high-end Alchemist with 512 execution units (EUs), 4,096 cores, 16GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 256-bit bus. The memory bandwidth is rumored to be at either 16Gbps or 18Gbps. Rumors point to a clock of around 2.2 to 2.5GHz, but Intel hasn’t revealed the official specifications just yet.

Aside from the highest configuration, rumors point to a variant with 384 EUs, 3,072 cores, and 12GB of memory, running on a 192-bit bus. There may also be a GPU with 256 EUs, 2,048 cores, 8GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 128-bit bus.

All of the cards are expected to consume rather high amounts of power. Intel made the choice to create competitive gaming graphics cards, but the jump in performance definitely comes at a price. The top 512 EU Alchemist card is rumored to have a TDP of 225 watts to 275 watts.

While the Arc Alchemist branding was already announced through a dazzling light show, Intel is supposed to fully unveil the upcoming graphics cards during CES 2022 in January. Desktop units are likely to hit the shelves in February, but laptop users may have to wait for months before trying out an Intel Arc Alchemist GPU.

Monica J. White
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Prices for Intel’s Arc B580 are already shooting through the roof
The Intel logo on the Arc B580 graphics card.

Intel just launched its new $249 Arc B580 graphics card, and as you can read in our Intel Arc B580 review, it's one of the best graphics cards you can buy. It seems PC gamers have gotten the memo, as most models of the card are sold out online. If you want to get one now, you'll have to spend close to double the list price.

Looking at online retailers, it looks like Newegg has the most models listed for sale, though almost all of them are sold out. The only models available come from Gunnir, and they're both very expensive. The
Arc B580 Index is listed for $379
, while the
Arc B580 Photon is listed for $429
. Both are sold by third-party sellers -- they aren't sold and shipped by Newegg -- so I wouldn't recommend spending up for one of these cards.

Read more
Intel Battlemage is almost here, but the wait isn’t over
Intel Arc A770 GPU installed in a test bench.

After weeks of rumors, it's finally a fact: Intel Arc Battlemage is on the imminent horizon, and the company is set to announce its next-gen GPUs on December 3. However, according to leaks, we're not getting the full scope of Intel Battlemage just yet. In fact, it may be a long time before we see Battlemage rank among the best graphics cards.

It's been a quiet year for Intel's discrete graphics department, but the last few weeks have been filled with leaks, and now, Intel itself confirms that we're getting some sort of an announcement tomorrow. It's unclear what exactly is being announced, other than the fact that it's Battlemage.

Read more
Intel may be shipping Battlemage GPUs, but it’s not what it seems
Intel Arc A580 graphics card on a pink background.

Intel's upcoming Battlemage graphics cards might be a lot closer than they seemed to be. A GPU dubbed "BMG B580" appeared in a recent shipping manifest -- but it's not quite what it might seem. On the bright side, this isn't the only sign that Intel's best graphics cards are on the immediate horizon.

The shipping manifest, first spotted by josefk972 on X, actually dates back to September 18, but it went unseen up until now. The manifest refers to the BMG B580 -- which, in all likelihood, will be the successor to Intel's budget Arc A580. However, it's not the GPU itself that's being shipped; Intel is only shipping the retail boxes for the B580.

Read more