Intel Arc Alchemist GPU driver update sneaks onto gaming PCs

pcgamesn.com:

The new Intel Arc Alchemist A730M gaming laptop GPU now has official driver support, but both the A770M and A550M remain unsupported. The update follows benchmarks that suggest the chip struggles to keep up with the RTX 3060, despite the fact it’s one of the blue team’s high-end solutions.

Rather than releasing a new driver, Intel Arc Alchemist A730M support appears to be a refresh. The software bears the same build number as a version released over a week ago, but adding support for the GPU technically means it’s actually a new iteration. The revision now also lists “Intel Game On Driver support for Sniper Elite 5,” which should be good news for FPS game fans playing on a blue team laptop.

Intel appears to experience trouble when it comes to GPU drivers, and it could explain the lineup’s paper launch. Arc Alchemist gaming laptops are still listed as “coming soon” on the likes of Best Buy, while rumours hint that desktop variants will release in August rather than early summer.

Intel’s attempt to enter the best graphics card space is off to a shaky start, and the imminent arrival of Nvidia RTX 4000 contenders could hamper its success. Of course, the company says it might release a new GPU every year up until 2025, so perhaps the CPU giant will learn a few tricks from its initial foray.