Intel Arc Alchemist is here, and the flagship model comes in two different versions: Arc A770 16GB and Arc A770 8GB. Both of these GPUs have been compared to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 3060 Ti, but how do they really match up?
For many years, the GPU arena was a two-horse race. Dominated by AMD and Nvidia, it lacked additional competition. Now, with Intel joining the fray, should these two industry giants start to worry? We’ve extensively tested both Intel Arc and Nvidia, so we have all the answers. Read on to find out which GPU wins the battle.
Glasses
Intel
We start at a tricky point by trying to address the issue of specifications. It’s hard to compare Nvidia graphics cards to Intel’s Arc just by numbers. Both cards are so different on an architectural level that many of the usual suspects, such as core count, won’t give us any real indication of which card is better.
The comparison becomes even more difficult when we consider the fact that there will be two versions of the Intel Arc A770, not just one — one with 8GB of memory and the other with 16GB. However, Intel itself will not release an 8GB version, relying instead on its partners to do so. With that in mind, it’s hard to say when and where it will actually appear.
The real battle will inevitably take place between the 16GB Arc A770 and the RTX 3060. With that said, let’s check out all the specs and compare them.
| Intel Arc A770 16GB | Intel Arc A770 8GB | Nvidia RTX 3060 | |
| Cores | 32 Xe-nuclei | 32 Xe-nuclei | 3,584 |
| RT core | 32 | 32 | 28 |
| Band width | 512 GB/s | 512 GB/s | 360 GB/s |
| Turn up the clock | 2.1 GHz | 2.1 GHz | 1.78 GHz |
| Memory bus | 256-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| TBP | 225 W | 225 W | 170 W |
As you can see, the two Arc A770s are almost identical, except for the big difference in memory size: 16 GB and 8 GB. The RTX 3060 is in between with 12 GB, which is more than the RTX 3070 (8 GB). Ultimately, the Arc A770 certainly has more memory and faster bandwidth, as well as a higher boost clock. But that comes at the cost of total board power (TBP) — an extra 55 watts is nothing to sneeze at.
Performance
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We had the opportunity to review the Arc A770 and A750, so we put them through a series of tests and compared them to similar options from Nvidia and AMD. In this article, we’ll focus on how the A770 fared against the RTX 3060, but the numbers are there if you want to consider how they compare to AMD’s RDNA 2 GPU as well.
Intel itself has acknowledged the fact that Arc Alchemist performs much, much better at running DirectX 12 and Vulkan titles than DX11 and older, and this has been proven in our tests. We tested the 16GB version of the Arc A770 at 1080p and 1440p in a number of games, comparing pure gaming performance as well as its ray tracing capabilities to the RTX 3060.
IN Forza Horizon 5, running at maximum settings, the Arc A770 managed to achieve an average of 85.9 frames per second (fps), giving it a noticeable advantage over the RTX 3060 with just 76 fps. On the other hand, the RTX 3060 Ti dominates with 96 fps.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
IN Red Dead Redemption 2, The Intel Arc A770 truly shines. It beats not only the RTX 3060 by a large margin but also the RTX 3060 Ti by a small margin. The Arc A770 scored 93 fps on average, followed by 88 for the 3060 Ti and a weak 67 for the RTX 3060. Cyberpunk 2077 skews things in Nvidia’s favor, with the RTX 3060 hitting 60 fps and the A770 lagging behind at 58 fps. Not a huge difference, and this was the only game where Nvidia actually won.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Testing at 1440p gave us similar results. The Arc A770 16GB performed somewhere between the RTX 3060 and 3060 Ti, on average, in 1440p gaming scenarios. We also tested the Arc A770’s ray tracing performance and found that it did a good job — at least significantly better than the AMD options. While Nvidia is still the king of ray tracing, Intel could shake things up in this regard, as it actually beats the RTX 3060 on average – and remember, Nvidia is known for its ray tracing capabilities.
Initially, the predicted performance for the Arc A770 was closer to the RTX 3070 or even the 3070 Ti. While we now know that won’t be the case, it’s clear that Intel is capable of trading blows with Nvidia’s RTX 3060 in a big way. In terms of raw performance, it wins in most benchmarks. Results might be different in DX11 or older titles, where Intel still has a lot of work to do, but for future releases, Intel’s Arc GPUs look ready to compete.
Prices and availability
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Before the release of Intel Arc, the company’s experts made it clear — Intel may not beat the best GPUs in terms of performance, but it intends to remain competitive in terms of price. So far he’s staying true to his word, although the price difference won’t be huge between the three (or two, actually – read below) cards.
- Intel Arc A770 16GB — $350
- Intel Arc A770 8GB — $330
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 — $329
You might be wondering what this is all about, considering that the RTX 3060 is probably cheaper than the Intel Arc. However, while the MSRP was set at $329 upon the card’s February 2021 release, the actual price is often different. Today, Nvidia’s board partners sell the card for anywhere between $380 and $450. The Founders Edition is not sold directly by Amazon, but various retailers offer it on the platform for up to $500.
On paper, the Intel Arc is more expensive. In reality, it could turn out to be cheaper, but it all depends on its availability and the demand for this new graphics technology. You can download it from October 12, 2022.
As mentioned, Intel will be selling the Arc A770 16GB Limited Edition GPU directly. Its board partners may take the 8GB version, but we don’t know when that might happen. Either way, the 16GB version is only $20 more many better value.
Intel manages to surprise
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Intel Arc had a rough start. From multiple lags to driver issues and performance that can’t match Nvidia’s and AMD’s flagships, the young GPU line has had a hard time — and this trend is likely to continue to some extent. After all, the GPU market has long been a two-horse race, and Intel will have to fight to steal some of the regulars from Team Green and Team Red.
With all that said, our tests speak for themselves — the flagship Intel Arc A770 16GB GPU outperforms Nvidia’s RTX 3060 in most scenarios. In some cases it almost reached the RTX 3060 Ti. In theory, it’s a bit more expensive, but in practice, its cost remains the same as the RTX 3060. However, it’s significantly more power-hungry with its 55W higher TBP.
Which is better – A770 16GB, A770 8GB or RTX 3060? If you’re mostly going to be playing newer titles, the Intel Arc option is a reasonable option, albeit a bit of a gamble given how new it is. If you’re mostly a fan of older games, the choice might be tougher due to Intel’s constant struggle with optimization in DX11 games.
Get the Intel Arc if you don’t mind experimenting a bit — it’s really proven to be a solid card for this price range.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn