Delays, speculation and changes in plans have been the “ingredients” that have involved Arc Alchemist desktop graphics cards so far. But last Monday (9), Intel finally revealed more specific details about the products’ debut.
In a post on the company’s official website, big tech confirmed that entry-level Intel Arc A-series products for desktops (A3) will be released. initially in Chinathrough system integrators and OEMs (“Original Equipment Manufacturers”) in the second quarter of this year.
The rationale, according to the company, is that, unlike mobile GPUs, PC graphics cards include a number of combinations, including memory, motherboards and CPUs. Because of this, the initial release will be restricted to limit these variations.
Retail sales of the A3 cards will also start in China (and soon), as “the proximity to the card’s components and strong demand for entry-level discrete products makes this a natural place to start.” After that, the focus will be on sending remittances at global levels.
The global launch of the Intel Arc A5 and A7 boards will only happen at the end of september. The components will also debut first with OEMs and system integrators, and later through component sales in worldwide channels.
Image: Reproduction/Intel
Intel’s Right Strategy for Arc Cards?
If speculations of driver issues, after-sales support, partner card development, game development and integration, and business considerations are true, then Intel’s lengthy deadline is understandable — if not pleasant.
That’s because entering a market dominated by Nvidia and AMD with driver and software problems from the beginning can be a real shot in the foot. Like it or not, waiting for everything to be in order can be an interesting alternative.
The only problem is that the market is still looking for GPUs. And the release of Arc Alchemist cards close to debuts like Nvidia’s RTX 40 and AMD’s RX 7000 GPUs may have consumers wondering whether Intel’s products are really worth the wait.
Of course, the price should weigh in on the decision — and the Arc cards promise to be much cheaper than rivals. But in any case, big tech will have to be careful to accelerate the global launch of its GPUs — before consumers opt for other products, from other brands.
Source: Intel
