Following plans first unveiled final yr in the course of the launch of their DG1 GPU, Intel sends phrase this morning that the primary Iris Xe video playing cards have lastly begun transport to OEMs. Based on the DG1 discrete GPU that’s already being utilized in Intel’s Iris Xe MAX laptop computer accelerators, the Iris Xe household of video playing cards are their desktop counterpart, implementing the GPU on a standard video card. Overall, with specs nearly equivalent to Xe MAX, Intel is equally positioning these playing cards for the entry-level market, the place they’re being launched as an OEM-only half.
As a fast refresher, the DG1 GPU relies on the identical Xe-LP graphics structure as Tiger Lake’s built-in GPU. In reality, in broad phrases the DG1 may be considered a virtually 1-to-1 discrete model of that iGPU, containing the identical 96 EUs and 128-bit LPDDR4X reminiscence interface as Tiger Lake itself. Consequently, whereas DG1 is an enormous first step for Intel – marking the launch of their first discrete GPU of the fashionable period – the corporate is planning very modestly for this era of components.
| Intel Desktop GPU Specification Comparison | ||||||
| Iris Xe dGPU |
Tiger Lake iGPU |
Ice Lake iGPU |
Kaby Lake iGPU |
|||
| ALUs | 640 (80 EUs) |
768 (96 EUs) |
512 (64 EUs) |
192 (24 EUs) |
||
| Texture Units | 40 | 48 | 32 | 12 | ||
| ROPs | 24 | 24 | 16 | 8 | ||
| Peak Clock | 1500MHz | 1350MHz | 1100MHz | 1150MHz | ||
| Throughput (FP32) | 2.11 TFLOPs | 2.1 TFLOPs | 1.13 TFLOPs | 0.44 TFLOPs | ||
| Geometry Rate (Prim/Clock) |
2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Memory Clock | LPDDR4X-4266 | LPDDR4X-4266 | LPDDR4X-3733 | DDR4-2133 | ||
| Memory Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit (IMC) |
128-bit (IMC) |
128-bit (IMC) |
||
| VRAM | 4GB | Shared | Shared | Shared | ||
| TDP | 30W | Shared | Shared | Shared | ||
| Manufacturing Process | Intel 10nm SuperFin | Intel 10nm SuperFin | Intel 10nm | Intel 14nm+ | ||
| Architecture | Xe-LP | Xe-LP | Gen11 | Gen9.5 | ||
| GPU | DG1 | Tiger Lake Integrated |
Ice Lake Integrated | Kaby Lake Integrated | ||
| Launch Date | 01/2021 | 09/2020 | 09/2019 | 01//2017 | ||
The first DG1 GPUs had been shipped within the fall as a part of Intel’s Iris Xe MAX graphics answer for laptops. At the time, Intel additionally indicated {that a} desktop card for OEMs would even be coming in 2021, and now, proper on schedule, these desktop playing cards have begun transport out.
Overall, Intel is taking a really OEM-centric strategy to their DG1 merchandise, and that goes for each laptops and the desktops. Even the desktop Iris Xe playing cards gained’t be bought as retail – as entry-level playing cards, they’re unlikely to fly off of cabinets – and as a substitute are solely being bought to OEMs to be used in pre-built programs. And even then, the playing cards had been co-designed with ecosystem companions – of specific observe, ASUS – fairly than Intel constructing and transport out their very own video playing cards. So by desktop video card requirements, Intel is being considerably hands-off in the meanwhile.
In a curious twist, the desktop playing cards can have barely decrease specs than the laptop computer components. While I’m nonetheless ready to listen to what the TDPs and closing clockspeeds will probably be, Intel’s announcement confirms that the Iris Xe playing cards will solely ship with 80 of 96 EUs enabled, fairly than being fully-enabled within the case of the laptop computer components. Given that that is an entry-level half, any additional drop in efficiency isn’t doing the half any favors, however on the similar time it was by no means going to be a speed-demon to start with. At any price, provided that no chip has good yields, we now know the place salvaged DG1 chips are going.
Meanwhile, like their laptop computer counterparts, the Iris Xe desktop playing cards will ship with 4GB of LPDDR4X reminiscence. Intel has…
