60%
Plausible
There have been lots of rumors and leaks around the flagship Battlemage discrete GPU, and this one, too, indicates that Intel has prepared one.
Engineering Graphics Driver INF File Reveals BMG-G31 to be Utilized in Three Pro and One Consumer GPU Variant, Hinting at Arc B770
There's no doubt that Intel has prepared the Xe2, Battlemage-based BMG-G31 chip, which has been spotted multiple times online. Last month, we saw the BMG-G31 in a Linux boot log, which revealed that the GPU will boast 16 GB of VRAM, and was likely about the Arc B770. Another leak today confirms the same, but considering that it's not from a prominent leaker, take the info with a grain of salt.
The leaker @GOKForFree reports that the Graphics Driver INF file he obtained contained some info about the Intel BMG-G31. As per the partially blurred screenshot, we can see that the BMG-G31 is reportedly getting utilized in four GPU variants, including three Pro versions and one consumer. This hints that Intel has prepared a faster GPU than Arc B580, which uses an inferior BMG-G21 die. Moreover, the leaker says that the engineering driver's inf file also includes both Nova Lake and Nova Lake S, which are set to launch next year.
Going by the previous-gen naming convention, the new BMG-G31-based GPU could be the long-rumored Arc B770. It has been months since we have been hearing about Arc B770, but there have been no solid reports about its official launch. Arc B580 has been in the market for nearly 10 months, and both AMD and NVIDIA have launched almost all models in their latest-gen families. It appears that Intel may not release Arc B770 before CES, but that's just our speculation.
While it's good to see that the Battlemage family won't probably die without seeing a decently powerful mid-range GPU, it might be too late to launch it since there are already better alternatives. Arc B770 could be a powerful GPU against options such as GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB, considering it will have 16 GB of memory and about 1.6x more cores than Arc B580. If priced at $350 or less, it could be a decent 1440p GPU, but it will need to outperform the RX 9060 XT 16 GB at this price point to be an attractive option.
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