Intel ARC graphics cards are coming out really soon. And it looks like the Big Three AIBs are going to take the forefront.
UKRAINE - 2021/08/17: In this photo illustration, Intel Arc logo is seen on a smartphone screen with Intel logo in the background. Intel has announced Intel Arc for the company's first gaming GPUs, reportedly by media.
The Big Three is obviously composed of ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte, which will reportedly introduce the first custom models of the upcoming ARC graphics cards from Intel, reports VideoCardz.
It's still unclear, however, whether these brands will be putting out truly custom cards, or they'll just be participating in the reference design launch.
A Chinese language website called MyDrivers allegedly broke the news out first shortly after Intel executive Raja Koduri was interviewed by the Japanese tech site ASCI.
According to their initial report, OEM factories controlled by ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte are working on designs for the Intel ARC graphics cards. They say that the companies are "hoping" to develop extra business opportunities in the market, which is corporate-speak for saying "we want a cut of the money pie."
However, there's no official word yet from Gigabyte on whether they actually want to participate in the Intel ARC launch. MSI and ASUS, on the other hand, are more or less confirmed, with ASUS already launching a custom discrete card featuring the Intel Iris Xe. Here's a video of it installed in a prebuilt PC from CyberPower:
Earlier, Intel exec Raja Koduri basically confirmed that Intel has already shipped their reference designs for their first-generation ARC GPUs, codenamed Alchemist. There is enough confidence that the aforementioned Big Three AIBs are among the ones who already received the reference designs.
Read also: Intel Arc 'Alchemist' GPUs To Go Up Against RX 6700 XT, RTX 3070; Preliminary Pricing Revealed
Intel ARC Custom Graphics Cards: What Can Buyers Expect?
Intel is serious about challenging the NVIDIA and AMD monopoly of the graphics card market. But if they really want to make a name for themselves, they have to get these custom cards right.
In a bid to do just that, they already hired a bunch of former AMD and EA managers allegedly to reinforce their entry into the gaming hardware space. These people, considered as high-level hires, are purportedly intended to strengthen current relationships with hardware makers and game developers.
Another thing that must go right with these custom Intel ARC graphics cards is overclocking. There's a reason people go for AIBs when buying GPUs: they're just better than reference models in almost any way, specifically in terms of overclocking.
An Asus ROG Strix GTX 1070 Ti A8G Gaming graphics card, taken on November 14, 2017.
Intel has confirmed that their ARC graphics cards will be overclocking-ready at launch, which means people will have the option to squeeze some more juice out of the silicon. Custom cards from AIBs are often built for overclocking, with the Big Three being forerunners in this kind of thing.
Every custom card will always come with better power delivery, better cooling, and most important of all, significantly higher clock speeds than reference models. Of course, they're going to cost a bit more, but that's a price that a lot of PC gamers are willing to pay for all those extra frames.
Related: Intel XeSS Won't Require Per-Game 'Training'
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Written by RJ Pierce
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