Despite Intel’s Arc A580 graphics card going missing in action for absolutely ages, it turns out that this lower-mid-range Alchemist GPU could be about to launch.
At least going by what VideoCardz flagged up, namely that ASRock and Sparkle A580 graphics cards have both been spotted online (via the Geizhals price comparison site). The ASRock model was highlighted by well-known leaker @momomo_us on X (formerly Twitter).
ASRock Arc A580 Challenger OCA580 CL 8GO2000MHz8GB GDDR6 256bit 16Gbps2x 8-Pin , 650W3x DisplayPort , 1x HDMI pic.twitter.com/YcwHcznoO4October 4, 2023
So, we have a bunch of box and product shots here as evidence, and the fact that two graphics card makers appear to be readying A580 offerings is a fairly strong sign that Intel hasn’t ditched the GPU after all.
The graphics cards are the ASRock Arc A580 Challenger OC and the Sparkle A580 Orc. Both run with the same specs that Intel first announced many moons ago, with 24 Xe-Cores and 8GB of GDDR6 video RAM. They have a top clock speed of 2GHz along with a TDP of 175W.
Analysis: A bolt out of the Team Blue
This is a real surprise considering the Arc A580 was revealed well over a year ago by Intel, and hasn’t been mentioned since. We have seen the odd leaked benchmark, but nothing to seriously suggest the Alchemist GPU was inbound, and when Intel didn’t mention it at the recent Innovation event – well, we presumed it was very likely to have been canned.
So, we must eat our words here, as it seems the A580 is very much alive. There’s still a chance these graphics cards won’t be released, mind, as box pics and glimpses of hardware online don’t make a product launch, of course. We’ll need to hear officially from Intel that this GPU exists before we can be sure.
That said, given the way Intel has acted with the A580, and all the radio silence, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Alchemist GPU was given a stealth launch, and just suddenly turned up on shelves. (Thinking about it, if an official reveal was the plan, it would surely have been scheduled for Innovation, so the likelihood of an under-the-radar release is probably quite strong here).
At any rate, with details and pics turning up for two separate models right now, the likelihood is that we’ll see the A580 soon enough, if it’s coming.
It should prove a useful extra option in the entry-level GPU department, and with Intel’s pricing of Arc products being pretty keen – and regularly benefiting from some deep discounts this year – there could be bargains to be had with the A580.
Considering the A750 can be had for around $220 as we write this, we’re expecting to see sub-$200 pricing (MSRP) for the A580 in the US, and equivalent price tags in other regions – fingers crossed. With sharp enough pricing, this GPU might just make it onto our best graphics cards list, or certainly the best cheap graphics card rankings.
