Intel demos its own DG1 graphics card, but doesn't tell us much
We got footage of Destiny 2 running on the GPU -- and that's kind of it.
Intel briefly demoed its DG1 GPU at CES 2020.
Intel wowed during its CES keynote with Horseshoe Bend, a prototype PC. Though the name doesn't roll off the tongue, it's a seriously cool folding concept that will hopefully lead to wicked new laptop designs. But Intel ended its keynote at the world's biggest tech convention with a different unveil: DG1, its very own (codenamed) GPU.
It's not exactly a surprise. Intel actually announced that it was working on its own dedicated graphics card back in 2018, but we hadn't heard much about it since. At CES, Intel's VP of Architecture for Graphics and Software came on stage to briefly demo Destiny 2 running on the DG1 graphics card.
Other than superfluous descriptors like "content creation and gaming optimized," and the fact that it runs on the Xe architecture, that's basically all we got. No word on specs or performance expectations. Frame rate, resolution and detail level weren't even specified for the Destiny 2 demo.
One last thing, @Intel DG1 discrete graphics is running on stage! #CES2020 pic.twitter.com/4VE43WCVoE
— Anshel Sag (@anshelsag) January 7, 2020
In other words, it's not clear yet whether this will be a replacement for integrated graphics in high-end productivity laptops , or if the DG1 will be sold as a replacement for the Nvidia and AMD graphics cards you find in gaming rigs, premium 15-inch laptops and Macs.
The Xe architecture is also the foundation for Intel's new 10nm Tiger Lake CPUs, also revealed at the keynote. Those Tiger Lake chips will ship later this year, Intel said, but there's no date on the DG1 GPU.
See also
- CNET's 20 favorite products of CES 2020
- All the cool new gadgets at CES 2020
- Full coverage of CES 2020