Intel’s Arc Battlemage series, also known as the B-Series, has officially launched, marking a significant step in Intel’s push into the graphics card market. The new Battlemage GPUs include the B580 and B570, each offering distinct specifications aimed at delivering robust 1440p gaming performance.
Arc Battlemage B580 and B570 Specifications
Intel’s two new Battlemage graphics cards come with impressive specs tailored for modern gaming:
Intel Arc Battlemage B580
- Graphics Memory: 12GB GDDR6
- Graphics Clock: 2,670MHz
- Cores: 20 Xe2 Cores
- Ray-Tracing Units: 20
- XMX AI Engines: 1,650
- Memory Bandwidth: 456GB/s
- TGP (Total Graphics Power): 190W
Intel Arc Battlemage B570
- Graphics Memory: 10GB GDDR6
- Graphics Clock: 2,500MHz
- Cores: 18 Xe2 Cores
- Ray-Tracing Units: 18
- XMX AI Engines: 1,440
- Memory Bandwidth: 380GB/s
- TGP: 150W
Both GPUs are designed with 1440p gaming in mind, reflecting the market shift toward higher-resolution gaming. Intel’s focus on this resolution comes as more gamers opt for 1440p as the sweet spot for performance, offering a balance between high detail and frame rates.
Redesigned Limited Edition Cards
Intel’s Limited Edition Battlemage cards have received a subtle redesign. The most noticeable change is the cutout at the back of the cooler shroud, a design choice that is similar to NVIDIA’s aesthetic. Internally, Intel has optimized the placement of components around the GPU core, though the overall exterior design aligns closely with previous iterations, albeit with a few tweaks.
Introducing XeSS2 Technology
Alongside the new graphics cards, Intel is unveiling its XeSS2 (Xe Super Sampling 2) technology, which brings several improvements over its predecessor. XeSS2 includes the following components:
- XeSS-SR (Super Resolution)
- XeSS-FG (Frame Generation)
- XeSS Low Latency
These elements are designed to boost performance, reduce latency, and enhance visual fidelity during gaming. XeSS2 competes directly with NVIDIA’s DLSS3 and AMD’s FSR3, both of which offer similar upscaling technologies. XeSS2’s key advantage lies in its ability to double or even triple the framerate in supported titles like Fortnite, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and the latest F1 racing games.
The inclusion of Frame Generation and Low Latency optimizations makes XeSS2 a strong competitor in the upscaling space, with the added benefit of leveraging Intel’s XMX AI Engines, which are also employed for non-gaming tasks like AI image generation.
Intel’s AI Playground
As part of its broader AI push, Intel is introducing AI Playground, an open-source program that allows users to generate images from text descriptions using 12 billion parameters. This is similar to the capabilities offered by Stable Diffusion, where users can input a text prompt, and the AI generates corresponding images. This tool showcases Intel’s investment in artificial intelligence beyond the gaming sphere, underscoring the company’s growing focus on AI-driven applications.
Availability and Pricing
- Intel Arc Battlemage B580: Available from 13 December 2024, with a starting SRP of $249 (~RM1,112).
- Intel Arc Battlemage B570: Available from 16 January 2025, with a starting SRP of $219 (~RM978).
With these new releases, Intel looks set to compete more aggressively in the mid-range GPU market, offering powerful performance for 1440p gaming and AI-driven innovations that extend beyond gaming.
