Intel Arc is launching soon, but only in China
Expect to see Intel’s new Arc desktop GPU first appear at Chinese retailers, with the worldwide launch in late summer.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Intel’s much-anticipated return to the GPU scene has hit some snags recently. TheIntel Arc GPUshave beendelayed, yet againbut it seems like the Arc A-Series powered desktops are still on track for a Q2 release in China.
“We will release our entry-level Intel Arc A-series products for desktops (A3) first in China through system builders and OEMs in Q2,” said visual compute group VP Lisa Pearce in ablog post. “Etail and retail component sales will follow shortly in China as well. Proximity to board components and strong demand for entry-level discrete products makes this a natural place to start. Our next step will be to scale these products globally.”
The “will follow shortly” timeframe for component sales doesn’t inspire much hope that they’ll also release in Q2. Intel is likely looking at a staggered Q3 release for the A-Series throughout the end of summer going into the fall. In China, that is.
It’s not all bad news for Intel. Laptops with Arc 3 mobile graphics have already started to hit the market in places, such as theSamsung Galaxy Book2 Proor the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro series of notebooks. Intel says gaming laptops with Intel Arc 5 and Arc 6 graphics cards should start appearing by early summer.
Regarding desktop cards, the post says that the worldwide rollout of the Intel Arc A5 and A7 GPUs is still set for late summer after being delayed from July to August. Intel didn’t specify whether this late summer release means we’ll see Arc prebuilts, components, or both by them.
These delays are no doubt bad for Intel as the company hoped to launch its flagship cards ahead ofNvidiaandAMD, which have their own cards launching in the next few months.
Steam Deck review:Our verdictSteam Deck availability:How to get oneSteam Deck battery life:The real battery lifeHow loud is the Steam Deck?Say what?The emulation dream machine:The ultimate emulatorThe best budget gaming PC: Price point hero
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he’s not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he’s reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He’s been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom’s Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web.
New class action lawsuit alleges Intel knew its CPUs were crashing even before they went on sale
The top AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D overclock just hit 7.24 GHz on HWBOT, but also a stable 6.9 GHz that delivers literally thousands of in-game fps
Simulated CPU-building speedrun attempt ends with a functioning processor in a mere six hours
