Intel is launching its first Iris Xe desktop graphics cards today. Originally codenamed “DG1,” these new desktop GPUs are primarily aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses and mainstream desktop PCs. Intel is teaming up with Asus and other partners to sell these cards to system integrators who will bundle them with prebuilt systems.
Much like the Iris Xe Max graphics cards that debuted in laptops back in October, these desktop GPUs aren’t really designed for gaming. Intel is marketing them as a way to improve what’s offered on mainstream desktop PCs, with better graphics, multi-display support, and improved hardware acceleration for certain codecs.
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The cards will include three 4K display outputs for multiple monitors, alongside HDR support and AI capabilities. They will also support decoding AV1 content and ship with 4GB of video memory and 80 execution units. Intel is even offering Adaptive Sync support, so you’ll get a much smoother experience with higher refresh rate monitors with these cards.
While these initial cards aren’t designed to compete with Nvidia and AMD’s latest and greatest for gaming, Intel is also working on its Xe-HPG architecture. This promises to be focused on high-performance gaming tasks, and it could usher in an era of Intel competing with both AMD and Nvidia later this year.
The Iris Xe isn’t Intel’s first attempt at a desktop GPU, either. Intel killed off its Larrabee project 10 years ago, and it also launched its Intel i740 series all the way back in 1998. This is the first time in 20 years we’ve seen Intel launch a desktop GPU, but you’ll need to wait a little longer yet to see if Intel can truly take on Nvidia and AMD.
