Despite initial concerns that it might be scrapped, the brand-new project is now set to launch after all. Reports suggest that graphics cards allegedly based on the Intel Battlemage G31 GPU are being shipped from Malaysia, sparking curiosity about their performance and potential implications for the market. Despite initial appearances, there’s more to this narrative than initially strikes the eye.
Intel has officially unveiled Battlemage, its latest graphics card lineup, ahead of its scheduled December release, with the highly anticipated Intel Arc B580 set to hit shelves first. Despite this, the company has exclusively released what are widely regarded as its mid-range offerings. While we eagerly await their inclusion on the top graphics cards list, indications suggest that a relatively underpowered Intel GPU may still be making progress towards its goal.
The transport manifest records four entries for G31-based playing cards, dated October 29. In accordance with an eagle-eyed submit on X (previously Twitter) by Tomasz Gawroński, the screenshotted transport data refers to a “non R&D” cargo, indicating that Intel is pushing forward with what could possibly be a B300 sequence.
Intel’s GPU lineup currently ranges from the high-performance G10 to the entry-level G31, with the latter being the most basic offering. The Battlemage deck currently comprises only three card types: G21, B580, and B570.
Notwithstanding, an examination of Gawroński’s work on X discloses that he has recurrently referenced these transportation details. A developer, who monitored the open-source G21 playing cards project’s progress on GitHub, expressed skepticism about the prospects of a G31 update, citing the lack of any related exercises or development activity on the platform.
The A380 and lower-end GPUs were far from being powerhouses, even in the entry-level market segment. While some self-hosting Plex and Jellyfin users have found these solutions sufficient for video transcoding purposes despite the limitations. While their gaming performance leaves much to be desired, the Arc A380 surprisingly outperformed the GeForce GTX 1650 in a crushing victory. Outperforming even the older graphics cards, such as the GTX 1650.
While further investigation is needed to confirm the authenticity of this report, preliminary findings suggest that a G10 variant of Battlemage was spotted on a transport manifest as far back as 2024, fueling speculation about its potential impact on future battles. Despite this, Intel’s release of the card is unlikely anytime soon, even with CES 2025 on the horizon. Notwithstanding prior sightings in transportation manifests, the G10’s existence has been shrouded in mystery since speculation surrounding its cancellation emerged.
Intel’s enterprise currently faces numerous challenges. AMD’s competitive edge appears to have caught up with Intel, making it seem like the latter has lost its dominance in several key areas when it comes to building the ideal gaming CPU. Here’s a comparison of Intel’s latest Core i9-12500 Extreme processor and AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X:
