Intel Investigates Performance Decline of Arc GPUs with Older Processors

Intel is finally paying attention to the performance issues affecting their Arc GPUs, particularly when used with older CPUs. They have initiated a probe to identify and rectify the issues that have been plaguing interactions with these older processors.

Now, when the Intel Arc B580 and B570 GPUs were first introduced, they certainly appeared promising. They offered more VRAM than some competitors, which should have been a strong selling point. However, their lackluster optimization left them off many must-have lists. We’re not just talking about Intel’s GPU drivers here; there was an underlying issue holding the Arc Battlemage GPUs back when measured against their competitors. If you think back, you’ll remember Hardware Unboxed being among the first to shed light on the disappointing performance of the Arc B580 when it was paired with processors like the Ryzen 2000 series and Intel’s 9th generation Intel Core processors.

It took some time, but Intel has finally acknowledged the problem. They addressed it in a forum response, sharing the following message:

“We appreciate your patience. We’ve heard the reports of performance sensitivity in some gaming scenarios when using older generation processors. In response, we’ve expanded our platform coverage to incorporate more configurations in our validation process and are diligently working on improvements.”

Intel’s statement suggests that they were aware of the issue but hadn’t prioritized optimizing performance. They are now set to broaden optimizations across additional configurations. While they assure an impending resolution, there’s no specific timeline for an update.

On the hardware side, Intel’s offerings are comparable to competitors’ previous-gen products in modern games. There haven’t been any performance setbacks with the Arc B580 or B570 when paired with the latest processors from Intel and AMD. Thus, seeing them underperform with earlier Intel CPUs was indeed unexpected.

Hopefully, with these forthcoming patches, Intel will be able to hold its own against AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. Still, this doesn’t guarantee a surge in their market presence. The Intel Arc Battlemage GPUs’ limited availability is a significant barrier, essentially pushing them out of the current budget GPU competition.

Source: Intel