Intel might have spoiled its Arc Alchemist GPU pricing months before launch

While not much is officially known about Intel’s upcoming Arc Alchemist graphics card, the terms and conditions of its recent competition event might clue us in to the GPU’s price.

The Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt is a competitive event Intel has been running, in which the tech company will give away several bundles to the winners. These bundles will include some of the first Arc Alchemist graphics cards, as reported by KitGuru. 

The $900 “Premium” package will feature the DG2-512EU model and a six-month Game Pass subscription, while the $700 “Performance” package will include the DG2-384EU model and a three-month Game Pass subscription.

By considering the pricing of the subscriptions ($60 and $30 respectively), as well as the minimal pricing for the Intel merchandise included in both bundles, it can be assumed that the DG2-512EU will cost around $820 and the DG2-384EU will be priced at around $650.

Analysis: Specs and launch delays

We’ve already heard that the top-end Intel Arc Alchemist GPU will only rival the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 (and it probably won’t be a big deal). But we haven’t heard much about the mid-range DG2-384EU model, which KitGuru suggests will have 3,072 shading units and up to 12GB of GDDR6, which would make it closer to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060.

While these are some pretty impressive specs all around, the delayed 2022 launch for the desktop GPUs could hurt its chances on the market. By the time June of next year rolls around, both Nvidia and AMD could be putting out cards that far exceed the Intel Arc Alchemist in specs while hitting just below its pricing.

Considering that the rumor mills have been spinning like concerning Team Green and Red’s next-gen projects, the Arc Alchemist could seriously be hurting in the competitive market by then.

Of course, this is all speculation based on rumors. So until we get some official announcements directly from Nvidia, AMD, and especially Intel, we won’t know anything concrete about specs, launch dates, or even pricing.

• How will the Alchemist GPUs compare to the best Nvidia graphics cards?

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