Intel’s next-gen Battlemage graphics cards have already been caught in shipping — but not to actual customers. Prolific hardware leaker @momomo_us shared shipping manifests that list two Battlemage GPUs sent through the mail at the “Pre QS” stage of development. Still, it’s definitely a sign that Intel’s hotly-anticipated Battlemage GPUs are moving along.
— 188号 (@momomo_us) March 28, 2024
We already knew that Battlemage GPUs were coming, and normally, shipping details for pre-production GPUs aren’t worth noting. However, Intel has a lot going on in the near future. In just a week, Intel is set to give a keynote at Intel Vision in Arizona, and in June, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger will give a keynote at Computex in Taipei.
That’s a lot of opportunities to talk about Battlemage. At the beginning of the year, Intel confirmed that the hardware team had already moved onto “the next thing” and that about 30% of Intel’s graphics engineers are working on software for Battlemage. It appears Battlemage GPUs are entering the final stages of validation, setting up a launch later in the year.
Early last year, YouTube leaker RedGamingTech claimed that Intel would talk about the flagship Battlemage GPU between April and June of this year. The flagship card is said to come with 64 Xe Cores, double what’s available on the Arc A770, and use semiconductor manufacturer TSMC’s 4nm node. Perhaps most exciting is that the leaker claimed the die would be about the size of Nvidia’s AD103 — the GPU at the heart of RTX 4080 Super.
It’ll be interesting once we have Intel’s Battlemage GPUs in hand. It’s been a year and a half since Intel’s first Arc graphics cards released, and in that time, Intel has consistently worked to fix performance issues with its first-gen GPUs. Now, they’re an excellent buy for gamers on a budget, and that certainly wasn’t the case when they released. With driver issues mostly fixed, this is Intel’s first real shot at the competition.
It shouldn’t be long before we know more. Based on speaking with Intel’s graphics team, the company is aware of the storied history that caused the launch of first-gen Arc GPUs to be rife with issues. With Battlemage, Intel seems to be holding its cards close to the chest. With more leaks surfacing, however, it appears we’re reaching an inflection point where Intel will finally show what it’s been working on with Battlemage.
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