Intel has finally started addressing the performance hiccups with its Arc GPUs by investigating issues affecting older CPUs.
Intel’s Move on Arc GPU Performance with Older Processors
When Intel first introduced the Arc B580 and B570 GPUs, they seemed promising, especially with their higher VRAM compared to competitors. However, they failed to make a significant impact, largely due to subpar optimizations. This isn’t just about problematic GPU drivers; the real concern is the noticeable performance drop when these GPUs are paired with older CPUs like the Ryzen 2000 or the 9th generation Intel Core processors—an issue initially highlighted by Hardware Unboxed.
Until now, Intel had not thoroughly acknowledged this performance gap. Recently, they released a statement, indicating they’re taking action:
"Thank you for your patience. We are aware of reports of performance sensitivity in some games when paired with older generation processors. We have increased our platform coverage to include more configurations in our validation process, and we are continuing to investigate optimizations."
The message implies that while Intel had some awareness of the problem, they hadn’t prioritized optimizing it. They plan to extend optimizations across more configurations, suggesting a resolution in the near future. However, there’s no specific timeline for when users can expect these improvements.
Fixing this likely involves driver updates, as the hardware itself competes well with previous-gen rivals on modern titles. Interestingly, the Arc B580 and B570 work seamlessly with the latest Intel and AMD CPUs. The performance drop with older Intel CPUs was quite unexpected.
With upcoming updates, Intel hopes to bring their GPUs up to par with competitors like AMD and NVIDIA. Yet, cracking the GPU market won’t be easy. The Arc Battlemage GPUs remain mostly unavailable, and their absence is a barrier to competing effectively in the budget segment.
Information courtesy of Intel.
