Intel’s upcoming Arc Battlemage GPUs surface on Amazon, hinting at a close launch date. Made by ASRock, these cards feature PCIe Gen 5 interfaces and 8-pin power connectors.
According to this Amazon listing, which got removed shortly after, ASRock is planning at least two Arc Battlemage cards based on Intel’s B580 GPU. The latter is expected to fill the mid- to low-range of the brand’s upcoming dedicated GPU lineup, featuring a G21 chip clocked at 2.8GHz plus 12GB of 19Gbps GDDR6 memory.
The first model is ASRock’s Steel Legend boasting a 2.5-slot triple-fan cooling design and a white shroud with RGB fans, while the second aims for a compact size with a dual-slot dual-fan setup. Interestingly, both models are powered by 8-pin cables, with the Steel Legend taking two headers. The latter is likely a factory-overclocked version that will surely cost more.
That said, no pricing has been spotted on the Amazon listing, which is understandable since Intel has yet to launch these Battlemage chips. Though we don’t have long to wait for that as we expect these to arrive early next year.
Another notable aspect of these cards is their PCIe interface. Instead of using a Gen 4 x16 link, which would be completely sufficient, Intel seems to have opted for a shorter but more modern PCIe Gen 5 x8 connection. As a reminder, Gen 5 PCIe doubles the speed per lane, meaning that these eight lanes are as fast as a full-size Gen 4 slot. However, this only applies if the host machine features Gen 5 PCIe, otherwise the speed will be halved.
Lastly, while the listing doesn’t indicate the video output revisions, we can see that both carry three DisplayPort plus one HDMI. The product page also claims support for 8K resolution, but don’t expect to run heavy games at that pixel count. For reference, performance rumours put Arc B580 around the level of an RX 7600 XT. The latter just about holds its ground at 1440p, let alone 8K.
In any case, such a list could indicate that the launch of Intel’s Arc Battlemage is imminent. We should get an official announcement sometime next month, so stay tuned.
