After several delays and a misleading “launch,” the big brains at Intel have finally shared a release roadmap for their Arc GPUs. But this roadmap shows that Intel will prioritize OEMs and large businesses in Asia before selling its Arc GPUs directly to PC builders—if you’re trying to ditch AMD and NVIDIA, prepare to wait a few months.
The first laptops with Intel Arc GPUs are already on sale, but only in South Korea. A broader release will begin in “early summer,” probably June, when Intel says that Acer, Samsung, ASUS, Lenovo, and HP will sell laptops with Arc 5 and Arc 7 graphics.
Let’s create. Let’s play. Let’s go. #IntelArc A-Series graphics have arrived. https://t.co/FdzvJpieqo pic.twitter.com/LLeg76LjEn
— Intel Graphics (@IntelGraphics) March 30, 2022
But we’re not really interested in these pre-made laptops. We want the full-sized Intel Arc graphics cards for our custom PC builds! Unfortunately, Intel is sticking with a “staggered” rollout. It will slowly release its desktop GPUs, starting with the budget Intel Arc A3 model, then the Arc A5, and finally, the Arc A7.
This staggered rollout begins in Q2, according to Intel. Presumably, the company means May or June, as Q2 ends after the latter month. And I should note that Chinese OEMs take priority over PC builders—Intel won’t sell the Arc GPUs on Amazon or Newegg until OEMs get their fill.
So, we don’t know exactly when Intel Arc GPUs will hit store shelves or land on Newegg. We’re probably looking at a July or August launch, at the earliest. Pricing is still a bit of a mystery, though leaks suggest that the more powerful Arc A750 (an RTX 3060 rival) will cost $350.
Source: Intel
