Following confirmation by an Intel employee that Xe-HPG DG2 graphics cards are “right around the corner,” specs for five different cards across mobile and, potentially, desktop have leaked out courtesy of Igor’s Lab.
The leak confirms earlier rumors that the flagship model of the DG2 range will feature 512 EUs (execution units) and 16GB of GDDR6 video memory on a 256-bit bus. This card — tentatively named the DG2-512EU — isn’t for desktop, though. Reports suggest Intel is focused on the mobile market, and that DG2 chips were originally planned as part of the Tiger Lake-H platform, which is apparently launching next week.
Earlier rumors claim that Intel will use the same design for add-in desktop cards, but the DG2-512EU and two other slimmed-down variants are expected to launch alongside Alder Lake-P mobile chips later this year.
| SKU 1 | SKU 2 | SKU 3 | SKU 4 | SKU 5 | |
| Package type | BGA2660 | BGA2660 | BGA2660 | TBC | TBC |
| Supported Memory Technology | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory speed | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps |
| Interface/bus | 256-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Memory Size (Max) | 16 GB | 12 GB | 8 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Smart cache size | 16 MB | 16 MB | 8 MB | TBC | TBC |
| Graphics Execution Units (EUs) | 512 | 384 | 256 | 196 | 128 |
| Graphics Frequency (High) Mobile | 1.1 GHz | 600 MHz | 450 MHz | TBC | TBC |
| Graphics Frequency (Turbo) Mobile | 1.8 GHz | 1.8 GHz | 1.4 GHz | TBC | TBC |
| TDP Mobile (Chip Only) |
100 | 100 | 100 | TBC | TBC |
| TDP desktop | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
The DG2-512EU is based on the BGA2660 package, and it’s the largest and most powerful of the three chips using the same package. In addition to 512 EUs and 16GB of VRAM, the DG2-512EU will have a base clock of 1.1GHz and a boost clock of 1.8GHz, 16MB of cache, and a 100W TDP. Below it is the DG2-384EU, which has 384 EUs, 12GB of VRAM, and a base clock of 600MHz (though identical specs otherwise). Finally, there’s the DG2-256EU, which has 256 EUs, 8GB of VRAM, and a boost clock of 1.4GHz.
There are two SKUs below the three based on the BGA2660 package, but it’s not clear if they’re targeting the mobile or desktop crowd. The top option in this subrange comes with 196 EUs and 4GB of VRAM on a 64-bit bus. Below that is an identical card, except that it has 128 EUs. These models are clearly targeting the entry-level crowd.
The power demands show that Intel is focused on mobile first, as the top three chips feature a TDP of 100 watts, falling in line with mobile RTX 30 series chips from Nvidia.
Intel XE DG2 graphics will feature hardware-accelerated ray tracing and a supersampling technique similar to Nvidia DLSS. Current rumors peg the midrange models as costing between $200 and 300 and releasing in late 2021, but given the global semiconductor shortage, the cards could cost more and take longer to be released.
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