Published in PC Hardware

Intel’s Arc requirement puzzles

by on24 June 2022


Apparently it must have an optimised BAR

Intel has published a puzzling requirement for its Arc GPUs – apparently the PCIe Resiable BAR (ReBAR) feature must be enabled for "optimal" performance.


In its guide, the company hinted at supporting AMD's implementation of ReBAR, also called Smart Access Memory (SAM). It stated:

Additional platforms/motherboards with Resizable BAR / Smart Access Memory enabled may also support Intel Arc A-Series graphics.

Intel has confirmed that Smart Access Memory (SAM) support is indeed coming to Arc which means AMD Ryzen platforms will be on an equal playing field with their Intel counterparts.

A spokesChipzilla said: “The Arc graphics product rollout involves a staggered introduction on targeted platforms to most effectively serve our customer base. We are supporting Intel platforms with resizable BAR and will add support for AMD platforms with Smart Access Memory as Intel Arc graphics cards become available for sale as components.”

Not every AMD platform will support SAM. You need a Ryzen 3000 series processor (except the 3000 G-series APUs) and pair up with a 500 series chipset AM4 board. Upcoming AM5 motherboards will very likely support SAM.

“Recently, in a comparison using the Arc A380 on an AMD platform, it was found that Arc suffered a severe performance impact on the AMD system compared to the Intel machine. This is likely due to the lack of Smart Access

Memory support alongside lack of some other optimizations. Though we must remember that Arc is very new to the market and that in the future, such teething issues are expected to be ironed out,” Intel said.

 

Last modified on 24 June 2022
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