Intel Admits Performance Issues with Arc GPUs on Older Processors; Launches Investigation

Intel is finally addressing the performance issues plaguing their Arc GPUs, particularly when used with older CPUs, and has commenced an investigation to rectify the matter.

Intel Takes Action on Arc GPU Performance with Earlier Ryzen and Intel Core CPUs

When the Intel Arc B580 and B570 GPUs hit the market, they seemed promising but failed to climb the popularity charts despite boasting more VRAM than their competitors. A significant factor contributing to this lack of adoption has been the subpar optimizations.

This isn’t merely about Intel’s GPU drivers but rather a specific issue that has been hampering the Arc Battlemage GPUs, leaving them lagging behind other brands. If you recall, Hardware Unboxed was quick to highlight the disappointing performance of Arc B580 when paired with older CPUs like the Ryzen 2000 series and 9th-generation Intel Core processors.

For quite some time, Intel had remained silent on this matter. At last, they’ve broken that silence with a message on their forums. Here’s what Intel had to say:

"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."

What we gather from this statement is that Intel might have been aware of these issues all along but hadn’t devoted sufficient time to refining performance. They promise to extend optimizations across more configurations, suggesting a resolution may be on the horizon, though they haven’t specified precisely when that might be.

The need for updates on the driver front is evident, as the hardware itself stands toe-to-toe with rival products from past generations in the latest games. While the Arc B580 and B570 perform well with the newest Intel and AMD CPUs, their struggles with Intel’s own older-generation processors come as a surprise.

Intel is expected to roll out patches that will hopefully enhance their competitiveness against AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, although it’s important to note that this alone won’t instantly bolster their standing in the GPU market. The Intel Arc Battlemage GPUs are largely MIA in the marketplace, with their scarcity leading to their exit from the current budget GPU race.

(Source: Intel)