Intel Arc GPU drivers will include built-in overclocking tools

jsilva

Posts: 325   +2
TL;DR: When buying a new GPU, something many enthusiasts enjoy doing right after installing the graphics card, is playing with its clock, memory, and power settings to see how far they can push it. In most cases, a third-party application is necessary to overclock, however Intel plans to follow AMD's footsteps and implement overclocking tools right in the driver software.

Intel plans to release gaming-oriented Xe HPG "Alchemist" GPUs in Q1 2022. The Intel Arc brand was announced this month with upcoming GPUs that will span both mobile and desktop form factors, different price points and performance targets. According to Roger Chandler, Intel VP and GM of client graphics products and solutions, the company is redesigning its graphics driver software so that users can tweak GPU settings without the need for third-party tools.

In comparison, Radeon graphics card owners can play with GPU settings within the Adrenalin software, however Nvidia hasn't integrated such a feature in GeForce Experience or the graphics control panel, instead relying on third-party apps like MSI Afterburner and EVGA Precision.

Besides overclocking, Intel is also adding a virtual camera with AI assist capable of recording gaming highlights similar to Nvidia ShadowPlay. Moreover, the graphics drivers will support DirectX12 Ultimate, variable rate shading tier 2, mesh shading, DirectX and Vulkan ray tracing standards. It's a bold move for Intel, who will enter to compete with two well-established veterans in the consumer and gaming GPU market, however we also know for a fact they've been working on this for many years now.

Today we also learned that Intel is planning to launch the first SDK of XeSS, Intel's AI accelerated super-sampling technology, to ISVs (independent software vendors) later this month. A DP4a version, targeted at competing GPUs and Xe LP-based graphic solutions, is expected to be available later this year.

The Intel Arc gaming GPU roadmap consists of four generations of graphics architectures. "Alchemist" will only be the first of the major releases, followed by Battlemage, Celestial, and Druid.

All Alchemist GPUs will use Xe cores, the "compute building block" of Xe HPG GPUs. Each block has 16x vector engines and 16x matrix engines, also referred to as XMX, or Xe Matrix eXtensions. These chips will be based on TSMC's N6 node and pack up to 32x Xe cores, resulting in a 50 percent improvement in performance per watt and clock frequency at the same voltage over the previous generation.

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Nvidia used to allow his - see Coolbits, but now that cards all have predefined Extended-TDP selections to make, you have top enable those if you want t have any success bumping your clocks.

If you want to overclock your Intel iGPU, you have to download Intel Extreme Tuning Utility - will this no-longer be necessary for the discrete cards?
 
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I must say the noises being made about this Arc stuff do sound very promising. I hope it actually delivers.
 
Thanks RAJA for backstabbing Lisa Su and hiring a few of the AMD workers with you and INTEL.
I don't have worries because of that for RDNA3 and 4, at all.

Considering RDNA3 will be the 1st MCM GPU I'm pretty sure it will be even better than what RDNA2 vs Ampere is, when it fights vs Lovelace. They really have the opportunity now to take the crown for at least this next generation, until Hopper or whatever comes after that.
 
Its Intel so you can probably expect the just-shy-of top end hardware to be great but overpriced. Everything else will be a solid disappointment.
Intel is always expensive, but who knows, they might shock us with something amazing, ill give them 1 go... ill take a £700 card and run it for 6months on a bench and see if it survives.
 
Intel keep their prices high because it gives the impression its good.
People dont fall for this childish idea thats why they been loosing market share.
 
Its Intel so you can probably expect the just-shy-of top end hardware to be great but overpriced. Everything else will be a solid disappointment.
My thoughts, too. sIntel seems to be just trying to keep up with the competition. :rolleyes:
 
Intel is always expensive, but who knows, they might shock us with something amazing, ill give them 1 go... ill take a £700 card and run it for 6months on a bench and see if it survives.
sIntel is always trying to shock us with something amazing, I agree, but what they are trying to shock us with has only been amazing in their playbook, IMO, sIntel hubris in action.

Most of us have come to the conclusion that sIntel's amazing is just plain lame and overpriced, and has been that way even when they were the "leader."
 
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