Intel has finally introduced its long-awaited new graphics cards. The company announced the Arc Pro B70 and B65 series models, featuring the large Battlemage (Xe2-HPG) architecture. While there is still no official news regarding a consumer-focused “Arc B770” gaming model, this new pro series is currently making waves as it targets high-end workstations and AI tasks.
Arc Pro B70 Outperforms B60 by 45% in Gaming
The tech channel Level1Techs was among the first to review the Arc Pro B70. Although the card was primarily acquired for AI and LLM (Large Language Model) testing, its gaming performance has become a focal point for the hardware community. This is because the Arc Pro B-series can seamlessly run standard Intel “Game On” consumer drivers, allowing it to function as a powerful hybrid for those who both work and play.
In gaming benchmarks, the Arc Pro B70 proved to be approximately 45% faster than the Arc Pro B60. Tests conducted in titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty showed significant gains across both 1080p and 1440p resolutions. Key findings include:
- Average Frame Rate: A consistent 45% increase over the B60.
- 1% Lows: A sharp 45.8% improvement, indicating much smoother frame delivery and less stutter.
- Compute Power: The B70 features 4,096 shader units (32 Xe2-cores), a 60% increase over the 2,560 units found in the B60.
A Workstation Powerhouse with Gaming Potential
The Arc Pro B70 is a technical heavyweight, equipped with 32GB of ECC GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 608 GB/s of bandwidth. This massive VRAM capacity makes it a strong contender for local AI inference and complex rendering, where fitting large models into local memory is critical.
Intel’s reference design is rated for a 230W Total Board Power (TBP), but the architecture is designed to scale. The company notes that power can be pushed to 290W, and partner models from manufacturers like Sparkle, ASRock, and Maxsun are expected to offer custom cooling solutions—including a 330W “Monster” variant—that could unlock even higher performance tiers.
Priced at approximately $949, the Arc Pro B70 offers a compelling value proposition against more expensive workstation competitors, especially given its surprising gaming chops. What do you think about Intel’s decision to launch the “Big Battlemage” chip in a Pro card first? Would you consider a workstation card that doubles as a high-end gaming GPU for your setup? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Would you like me to research the AI “tokens per second” benchmarks for the B70 in Linux environments or provide a comparison of the Sparkle Blower design versus the ASRock Creator model? Let me know!
