If successful, Intel’s next generation Battlemage graphics cards will benefit all gamers

If successful, Intel‘s next generation Battlemage graphics cards will benefit all gamers

So, you’re in the market for a new graphics card. Yay! You’ve headed over to your favorite retailer’s website and looked at the options.
Damn! They’re expensive! Apart from voting with your wallet or purse, what can be done about it?

Nvidia and AMD aren’t charities. Their prices are high because they can get away with it. In the corporate world, altruism doesn’t extend far beyond the coffers of shareholders.

Screw paying $2,000/£2,000/AU$3,500 for a high-end graphics card.

Effect of Competition on graphics Card Market

Even if you never buy an Arc card, a competitive Intel will benefit all gamers. By the mid-1990’s, companies like 3dfx, S3, Nvidia and ATI were making forays into the emerging 3D graphics card market. Healthy competition fostered rapid advancements in technology and performance.

Companies had to be price competitive if they were to stand any chance. In those days, inter-generational performance improvements could hit 100%.

Without a polished driver, the rest doesn’t mean much. That brings me back to the present, and Intel‘s Arc range of Gaming graphics cards. Arc drivers are something Intel has yet to fully get on top of.

Expectations from Intel‘s Second-Generation Battlemage Architecture

Now that it’s got years of pre and post-release driver development under its belt, I am very hopeful that its next generation Battlemage cards will be able to hold their own against its competitors. Actually, I hope Battlemage is something special.

Competition is Key for Customers

One of the first things I learned all those years ago in my economics classes is that competition is beneficial for the consumer.

If a high-end Battlemage card can produce RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XT levels of performance (reliably), Intel will have just about everything it needs to be considered a major player in the graphics card space.

Innovation and Price Competitiveness

That’s as good a reason as any for all gamers to root for Battlemage‘s success. we need a competitive GPU market. Without it, customers pay more and Innovation slows.

Impact of Battlemage on Nvidia and AMD

The fact that it has 8GB of VRAM with a 128-bit bus is not exactly thrilling either. A competitive Battlemage card would force Nvidia to do better with its next generation mid-range offerings and/or lower its prices.

Finally, a word on vendor loyalty. I’ve purchased Products from Intel, Nvidia and AMD as well as asus, Gigabyte, MSI and Asrock. If Intel‘s next generation of GPUs meets my criteria, then sign me up.

Even if you are a diehard Nvidia or AMD fan, you should be rooting for Battlemage. A competitive Intel means Nvidia and AMD cannot just set whatever prices they like.

Everyone should be hoping Battlemage is a success, whether you buy one or not.

Source: pcgamer