Newegg Listing Tips Aug. 22 Launch for Intel's First Arc Desktop GPU

pcmag.com:

Intel might finally be close to launching the company’s Arc desktop graphics cards, according to a new product listing on Newegg. 

Last week, Newegg quietly posted a product page for the Arc A380 desktop GPU, which was noticed by Twitter user @momomo_us(Opens in a new window). 

The Newegg listing(Opens in a new window) shows the retailer plans on selling the Arc A380 model from ASRock for only $139.99. The first shipments are slated to arrive at Newegg on Aug. 22. But in the meantime, customers can place a “back order” for the product, meaning buyers will only be charged if or when Newegg receives inventory for the GPU.   

“Newegg cannot guarantee inventory for backordered items,” the product listing adds. 

We asked Intel for comment, and will update the story if we hear back. But the company has said it plans on launching the first Arc desktop GPUs worldwide before the end of the quarter. 

Currently, the Arc A380 is only available in mainland China starting at 1000 yuan ($147). The GPU’s pricing puts it in direct competition with AMD’s budget GPU, the Radeon RX 6400, which can also retail around $150. 

However, some early reviews for the Arc A380 have shown disappointing performance relative to the Radeon RX 6500 and Nvidia’s GTX 1650, a $200 product launched three years ago. 

Outside of the A380, Intel is also preparing to launch at least two other Arc GPUs, including the A750 and the A770, which will target mid- to high-tier buyers. However, the company has acknowledged the GPUs are optimized for the latest games versus older titles running DirectX 11 or below. So Arc GPUs may only appeal to the most hardcore Intel fans at a time when AMD and Nvidia are gearing up to launch their own next-generation graphic cards,