Nvidia RTX 3080 Replacement: Intel Xe HPG Release Date, Specs and Features

Intel teased the release of a new GPU--the Xe HPG--that could rival Nvidia and AMD. With the market shortage of graphics cards, the company is set to make the battle more interesting.

Not only is it Intel's first gaming-grade graphics card, but its specs and features might also be one of the most powerful.

The market is experiencing an extreme shortage of GPU stocks, especially with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT both selling out quickly barely a week after its release. New stocks are coming in, but it is hard to acquire one with the competition for purchase.

With that said, Intel is teasing about a new graphics card in their market. For those still searching for a GPU, then the Intel Xe HPG might be a suitable alternative. Not only it does have great performance, but Intel is hinting it will surpass all other graphics cards.

Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt

Intel is releasing a brand new Xe HPG, and the details might be revealed in the "Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt" launching on March 26th at 12 PM ET at 9 AM PT. This website was hidden in a binary sequence segment Intel released in the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2021. The details of this clue can be seen in the tweet of @VideoCardz. The decoded message promises the release of more information next week.

The Verge said that the upcoming "DG2" cards, an upgraded version from the first Iris Xe graphics card used in the Xe LP architecture, will offer higher performance and gaming competition against the forerunners like AMD and Nvidia. It is also possible that instead of an upgrade, Intel is working on an entirely new lineup of GPU using new architecture and technology dedicated to gaming.

Intel Xe HPG DG2 Specs and New Features

Tom'sGuide revealed that the new Xe HPG to have variants dedicated for supercomputers and gaming purposes. Xe HPG also features ray-tracing to deliver serious boosts in gaming performance. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will reportedly use lithography technology to produce the new Intel chipset.

Wccftech also caught information on the specs and gaming performance of this incoming product. The leak said that Intel Xe HPG DG2 will have 512 EU and 4096 cores. The GPU clock speed runs up to 1800MHz. It would also have 12 GB GDDR6 VRAM with 4 MP of L2 cache.

However, all these features need to be taken with a grain of salt. Some of the Intel Xe HPG specs leaked are dated back to a month past without any updated drivers. Intel may have undergone major upgrades since then, creating new technologies that easily surpasses the old leak.

Mark your calendars on the 26th of March to participate in the "Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt." It could be the date Intel announces all the details of the new Xe HPG DG2.

If Intel is feeling generous, it could also be the date of the market release!