With the Intel Arc Pro B70 and B65, Intel introduces two GPUs tailored for workstations. The integration of a generous amount of memory, in particular, is intended to impress.
Although Intel has divested many non-core activities in recent years, GPUs remain a focal point. The CPU specialist underscores its ambition to become a relevant GPU player with the launch of two new professional graphics cards for the desktop: the Intel Arc Pro B70 and the Arc Pro B65.
Ample memory
These professional graphics cards are not intended for gamers, but for content creation, CAD workloads, and AI inference. For the latter in particular, the amount of graphics memory is of great importance: it determines the size of the AI models you can load. Intel is generous, integrating 32 GB of GDDR6 RAM into the Arc Pro B70 with a 256-bit memory interface.
The GPU is based on the Battlemage architecture of previous Arc cards but contains more Xe GPU cores. The GPU has 32 Xe2-HPG cores on board. Intel claims a computing capacity of 367 TOPS at INT8.
The Intel Arc Pro B65 is essentially the same card but has fewer active XE cores. This GPU sticks to 20 Xe cores but has the same amount of memory on board. That is a significant step forward compared to the Arc Pro B60 with 24 GB of RAM.
Differentiating factor
Intel’s choice to equip these GPUs with 32 GB of GDDR6 is interesting. On one hand, a large supply of memory is very relevant for numerous workloads. Intel thus distinguishes the B70 and B65 from competitors including the Nvidia Blackwell RTX Pro 4000 (with 24 GB).
On the other hand, there is a huge shortage of memory on the market, as a lot of available capacity is being bought up at exuberant prices by a handful of AI players. The question will therefore be whether Intel can keep this GPU sufficiently in stock. In any case, the suggested retail price is relatively competitive: with a price tag of $949, the Intel Arc Pro B70 should be half the price of the Nvidia RTX Pro 4000.
The Intel Arc Pro B70 should be available from March 31, along with Intel’s new vPro processors. The Intel Arc Pro B65 is not scheduled until mid-April. Intel has not yet provided a suggested retail price.