Intel appears to be opting for an aggressively priced launch strategy with its ongoing Arc Alchemist video card launch, based on an interview with Linus Tech Tips. In practical terms, Intel is avoiding direct competition with much of AMD and Nvidia’s products by positioning itself to compete in non-premium segments with cards priced under $400.


Performing Triage
The main challenge Intel faces right now is that it doesn’t have driver support that AMD and Nvidia have had years to fine tune. No matter how good the hardware, performance is going to fluctuate drastically from game to game until Intel has enough real-world data to work out the kinks. Arc Alchemist will follow a three-tier strategy internally, according to during his recent media rounds, prioritizing Tier 1 while basing pricing on Tier 3 performance.

• Tier 1: Major modern titles using DirectX12, such as Cyberpunk 2077
  • Arc Alchemist will “kill everyone in price to performance” here, according to Intel’s Tom Petersen
• Tier 2: Less optimized modern DirectX12 & Vulkan games
• Tier 3: The majority of popular titles, these are older DirectX11 titles

Is Honesty the Best Policy?
Intel’s strategy may not be ideal, but it’s the best option available given Arc Alchemist needs the real world testing that can only come through a mass launch. Prioritizing Tier 1 support will keep its cards from being obsolete at launch, while pricing based on Tier 3 will hopefully entice consumers into giving Intel a chance. Additionally, given softening demand in gaming, Intel may have no choice but to price more affordably.

To the company’s credit, its attempt to openly communicate to customers what they should expect and not expect is a welcome change. On the flipside, Intel may regret making these promises down the road. What will it do if the production costs increase due unexpected challenges, or if internal benchmarks (and pricing) don’t align with real world performance?  Making promises is easy, but keeping them is another matter.


Knowledge Is (Buying) Power
Newegg’s has launched a new video card comparison tool/e-commerce storefront in the form of JustGPU.com’s beta. Users will be able to compare products based on manufacturer, brand, performance, and physical specifications. Shoppers will be directed to Newegg for the purchase once they settle on a product.

“JustGPU.com simplifies the shopping experience for a large number of our customers who are specifically shopping only for GPUs and need resources to make informed decisions to upgrade their gaming PC builds,” said Jim Tseng, Director of Product Management for Newegg.


Good, But Not Perfect
While JustGPU’s information is far from perfect or all-encompassing, it’s better than nothing, especially when it comes to something as unfriendly-to-newcomers as PC building. Unfortunately, the tool currently only covers the current generation of video cards (Nvidia’s RTX 30 series & AMD’s RX 6000 series), and it’s unclear whether Intel’s upcoming products or older video cards will be added. Nevertheless, this attempt to give customers more information while shopping is something that others should emulate.