In December, we reported on a new graphics driver (opens in new tab) to solve Intel Arc's DX9 performance issues. Now comes the news that a new bottleneck has been identified and a fix for it is also being released.

According to PC Games Hardware (opens in new tab) (via Videocardz (opens in new tab)), its sources say that Intel has identified another The source states that Intel has discovered a problem and that it can be fixed with a driver update.

If this is good news, although so far it has not been totally corroborated, unfortunately there is no information on what exactly the problem is and how soon it will be fixed.

Still, a few things can be said with certainty. First, by most analyses, Intel's Arc GPU hardware is a solid effort. Second, its real-world performance lags behind reasonable expectations derived from hardware specifications. Third, Intel has released at least one driver that provides significant performance gains.

On the third point, in CS:GO, its December driver dump improved the average 1080p frame rate by 80%, from 177 fps to 318 fps. Even better, the 99th percentile performance jumped 130%.

In short, we can say with confidence that Intel's Arc GPUs have plenty of performance left at launch, some of which has since been unlocked. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that there may be more significant performance gains to unlock.

More broadly, Intel's current work on the first generation of Arc graphics, codenamed "Alchemist," is being followed by the rumored "Alchemist+" update and the "Battlemage" known as "Battlemage," which could be available as early as early 2024. It is reasonable to assume that this should also apply to the 2nd generation GPUs, known as "Battlemage", which could arrive as early as early 2024.

If so, Battlemage has a much better chance of becoming a truly competitive alternative to AMD and Nvidia graphics cards. And it would be a welcome addition to the GPU market. A three-way battle for gamers' attention could help push prices back to normal levels.