
With Intel's entry into the graphics card market, the Intel Arc A770 stands out as a solid midrange option with decent performance at both 1080p and 1440p. It boasts 16GB of GDDR6 memory, making it compatible for modern games and professional applications.
Priced attractively at a launch MSRP of $349 USD, and often cheaper from various online retailers, its price-to-performance ratio is commendable, especially as one of the few 16GB cards at this price point that is capable of handling 1440p. However, performance can be inconsistent across gaming and synthetic tests, and support for Resizable BAR is necessary, which might complicate compatibility with older games. Despite these quirks, it is a notable effort for Intel’s first batch of flagship graphics cards.
Labs tested the Intel Arc A770 Limited Edition 16GB which is now difficult to find as Intel has discontinued this reference card, but partner cards are available for as low as $279.99 USD from various online retailers.
The Intel Arc series, the A770, A750, and A580, offer similar price-to-performance ratios. Due to fluctuating market prices, it is advisable to buy the higher-tier card if it is available at a lower price than the previous model.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
THE GOOD
- Price-to-Performance
Being a 16GB card, it delivers decent performance in 1440p gaming at a low price point.
THE BAD
- DisplayPort
It is limited to DisplayPort 2.0 x 3 and HDMI 2.1 x 1. But you’re likely not doing a lot of 8K gaming on this 16GB card, plus you’re limited to 8K @ 60Hz regardless.
- Resizable BAR
Support for Resizable BAR is a requirement.
THE REST
- Overall
The A770 is a solid midrange card that is reliable and performs well for a first-generation graphics card. While it doesn’t match the midrange of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series, it is far from terrible.
Intel's Xe HPG architecture powers the Arc A770, featuring a unique structure divided into "render slices", each containing 4 Xe Cores. These cores comprise of shaders, ray tracing processor, and matrix processors. The A770 includes 8 render slices, amounting to 4096 shaders, 32 ray tracing processors, and 512 matrix processors. This configuration supports graphics upsampling, light machine learning workflows, and enhanced performance for 1440p gaming.
The Intel Xe HPG graphics processor incorporates 21,700 million transistors within a 406 mm² die, 128 render output units (ROPs), and 256 texture mapping units. The card features a dual-slot, dual-fan design, fitting most computer cases, with a TDP of 225W, which is higher than most 1440p cards.
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Front of the box.
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Front of the card.
The A770 utilizes Intel's XeSS graphics upscaling technology, comparable to AMD's FSR2.0. It supports up to DirectX 12 Ultimate, H.264 Encode/Decode, H.265/HEVC Encode/Decode, and AV1 Encode/Decode. However, full performance support for certain DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 titles is still inconsistent but improving with driver updates. Enabling Resizable BAR in BIOS settings is essential.
Intel's Arc Control Center program offers three display-sync technologies: Adaptive Sync, Speed Sync, and Smooth Sync. Adaptive Sync functions like V-Sync, Speed Sync reduces frame latency to prevent image tearing, and Smooth Sync applies a filter to mask screen tearing.
We will periodically retest graphics cards with updated drivers. We continuously monitor and update our results for accuracy. Stay tuned for the latest test results and insights on this product and others as we aim to provide up-to-date information on a consistent basis.
We actively address test bench variance in our evaluation process. Our methodology involved validation and calibration procedures to ensure consistency and reliability across all tests. The verified testbed variance for benchmarks in this product page is +/- 0.25%.
By monitoring and controlling variables such as hardware configurations, ambient temperatures, and system settings, we minimize potential sources of variance that could affect our results. This detailed approach enables us to deliver the most objective and accurate assessments.