Intel Investigates Performance Issues of Arc GPUs with Older Processors

Intel is finally addressing a performance issue that’s been troubling users of their Arc GPUs, especially when paired with older CPUs. The company has launched an investigation to get to the root of the problem affecting these older processors.

Initially, when the Intel Arc B580 and B570 graphics cards were released, they seemed promising, thanks to the generous amount of VRAM. However, they didn’t make a significant impact in the market because of optimization issues. Many gamers avoided these Battlemage GPUs due to their inconsistent performance, particularly with older CPUs.

Hardware Unboxed was one of the first to bring attention to the subpar performance of the Arc B580 when used with older processors like Ryzen 2000 series and Intel’s 9th generation Core processors. It’s been some time, but Intel has finally responded to the community on their forums.

Intel acknowledged the reports and stated that they’ve expanded their platform validation to cover a broader range of configurations. The company is actively working to improve optimizations. While they haven’t provided a specific timeline for when these improvements will be rolled out, Intel’s commitment indicates a resolution might be on the horizon.

The crux of the issue lies in the driver updates needed to utilize the hardware effectively. While the Arc B580 and B570 perform well with the latest Intel and AMD CPUs, seeing their struggle with older Intel CPUs was definitely unexpected.

With forthcoming patches, Intel aims to better align its offerings with AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. However, even with improvements, gaining significant traction in the GPU market remains a challenge for Intel, especially considering the scarce availability of Arc Battlemage GPUs in the budget segment. For now, it seems the real hurdle isn’t just performance but getting these GPUs into more hands.

Source: Intel