Intel’s Arc A380 graphics card is now the only entry-level AV1 solution that retails for close to $100 US and packs 6GB of memory.
Intel’s 6GB Arc A380 graphics card matches the RX 6400 and offers 6GB of memory, AV1 support, and a lower price of $30 USD
The Intel Arc A380 graphics card uses the ACM-G11 “Alchemist” GPU with 1024 cores and 6GB of GDDR6 memory and supports Intel’s AV1 hardware acceleration, which has become a standard for video codecs. While the graphics card launched at 1149 RMB in China ($165 USD) and $149 USD in the United States, the GUNNIR custom variant can now be purchased for just 799 RMB on JD.com ($115), which is a savings of $35 USD compared to the US MSRP and $50 US lower than the Chinese MSRP.
The price of $115 USD makes the GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index graphics card the most affordable AV1 solution with the graphics power to match AMD’s Radeon RX 6400 graphics card and saves you $20-$30 USD. The cheapest RX 6400 in the US is around $140, while Chinese retailers have the single-slot Yeston variant at around 929 RMB or $130. If you are in the US, you can get ASRock Challenger Arc A380 graphics card for $120 USD, which is still more affordable than AMD Radeon RX 6400 cards.
The GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index G6 graphics card is experiencing its second price drop since its launch and is only available to subscribers of JD.com’s Plus subscription service. The graphics card includes eight Xe HPG graphics cores with a graphics frequency of 2000 MHz. The GPU offers 6 GB of integrated GDDR6 memory with a 96-bit memory bus. GUNNIR’s graphics card measures 221mm x 120mm x 42mm and recommends a power supply of 300 watts or more. The GPU chip is based on Intel’s 6nm process technology.
For connectivity, the GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index G6 graphics card offers three DisplayPort ports and one HDMI port for up to 8K resolution and HDR support. The graphics card provides a dual-fan design to help keep temperatures down with use and has a 75W TBP without an external power supply.
GUNNIR Intel Arc A380 Index G6 graphics card supports AV1 hardware acceleration. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, enabling hardware-compatible ray tracing above 1080p at 60fps, especially in games like League of Legends, Eternal Tribulation, and PUBG. This model requires the user to activate the “Resizable Bar Above 4G Decoding” mode to use the graphics card. It will help increase the efficiency of the GPU memory streaming to the PCIe 4.0 bus. The card is also compatible with Windows 10 and 11 21H2 (64-bit) operating systems and is compatible with Intel 400 series or higher motherboards.
The Intel Arc A380 graphics card was close to the competition in early performance previews compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 cards. However, the graphics architecture has seen several performance optimizations and compatibility updates. which would lead to a much better gaming experience than what users saw at launch.
News sources: Home of IT, JD.com
