Skip to main content

Watch out, Nvidia. Intel Xe GPUs will finally target gamers in 2021

 

Intel has announced its first gaming-specific discrete graphics card, which will launch sometime in 2021. The announcement came during its 2020 Architecture Day, where the company laid out the technology behind Xe graphics, upcoming Tiger Lake processors, memory, and much more.

Recommended Videos

Intel didn’t provide many details about this new graphics card, such as product specifications or branding. The company did, however, explain where the new GPUs would fit into its current stack of Xe microarchitectures.

The gaming design will be known as Xe HPG (presumably standing for high power gaming), and it’s based on the microarchitecture of Xe HP. Raja Koduri, the chief architect at Intel, explained that these gaming GPUs would take Xe HP and optimize it specifically for the performance needs of games, such as better performance-per-watt.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Intel says the cards will also use a new memory subsystem based on GDDR6 that will “improve performance per dollar.” Koduri even gleefully added that these cards will support hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Ray tracing has become a highly sought-after feature, present on current Nvidia RTX cards, as well as in the upcoming console launch later this year.

It sounds like Intel’s “enthusiast” graphics cards will be competing with the higher-end Nvidia RTX Super GPUs, as well as the AMD Radeon 5700XT. Both Nvidia and AMD have rumored graphics card launches coming later this year, though, which could tighten the competition even further.

Intel also announced some software features for these upcoming graphics cards, not unlike the suite that both Nvidia and AMD offer. Instant Game Tuning is an interesting feature that allows Intel to deliver game optimizations without requiring you to install a driver update. Simply opt in to the feature in the Intel Graphics Command Center, and you won’t be bothered by minor tweaks to game performance again.

Other software features include Variable Rate Shading and Game Sharpening, both of which are ways for developers and gamers to improve image quality without sacrificing frame rates. Variable Rate Shading allows developers to pull back color shading to alter game performance, whereas Game Sharpening is a post-processing filter that boosts clarity in upscaled images. Intel showed off titles such as the racing game Grid using Variable Rate Shading to increase performance.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Until now, a GPU for enthusiast gamers has never been explicitly mentioned by Intel. Instead, the company has focused its GPU efforts on improving integrated graphics and scaling up to data center applications.

While the Xe HPG GPUs won’t be available until 2021, that doesn’t mean you can’t game on Intel graphics before then. Later this year, Intel plans to release its first discrete graphics card, the DG1. When asked, Intel representatives implied the DG1 was targeted toward entry-level gaming and creative applications.

Intel hasn’t specified desktop versus mobile, but it showed off this first DG1 desktop graphics card earlier this year at CES 2020. In that demo, an early developer model of the DG1 was shown playing Warframe on a small PC at 1080p resolution.

Intel also boasted about the advancements in its latest Xe integrated graphics, which will be featured in Intel’s upcoming series of processors, known as 11th-gen Tiger Lake.

These Xe LP (low power) integrated and entry-level discrete graphics will be the first to hit the market, and are the cornerstone of Intel’s strategy.

“Xe LP is the foundation for all our GPU dreams at Intel,” Koduri proudly stated at the Architecture Day.

Luke Larsen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs: performance, specs, prices, availability
The RTX 5090 sitting next to the RTX 4090.

Nvidia has announced its new line of GPUs, the RTX 50-series -- and the first two are almost here, ready to rival the best graphics cards. We were already able to get our hands on the RTX 5090, which is why we now have a better idea of what these cards are capable of.

While we're still waiting for the RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070, we know that Nvidia is promising some huge leaps in performance, thanks to the new AI powers of DLSS 4. Here's everything you need to know about Nvidia's RTX 50-series.
RTX 50-series: pricing and release date

Read more
3 GPUs you should buy instead of the Intel Arc B580
The back of the Intel Arc B580 graphics card.

There's no doubt that that Intel's new Arc B580 is one of the best graphics cards you can buy. Clocking in at just $250, it's a powerhouse GPU that delivers performance we normally only see out of GPUs north of $300. As you can read in my Intel Arc B580 review, it's a fantastic option at 1080p and it scales up surprisingly well to 1440p. There's just one problem -- the Arc B580 is sold out everywhere.

Intel clearly didn't anticipate the demand, but you don't have to succumb to scalpers or patiently wait while the Arc B580 comes back in stock. There are some excellent alternatives available around the same price that you can pick up right now.
Intel Arc B570

Read more
Intel’s Arc B570 puts up an impressive fight against the RTX 4060
Fans on the Intel Arc B570.

Intel just released one of the best graphics cards you can buy -- the Arc B570. As you can read in my Intel Arc B570 review, it delivers solid gaming performance at 1080p, and at a price we haven't seen in years. But it faces some stiff competition from Nvidia in the form of the RTX 4060.

I put the two budget GPUs on the test bench to see how they hold up in a variety of games, and I'll walk you through the results I gathered. Although both cards are excellent options under $300, Intel's new Arc B570 is hard to argue with considering how much less expensive it is than the Nvidia competition.
Specs and pricing

Read more