Intel shows off Xe DG1 GPU at CES 2020

Intel has revealed more details about its first discrete graphics card: the Xe DG1. But don't get too excited. It's only available to developers right now.

Relatively few details have been released about the Xe DG1 but we do know a few things about it. For one thing, it's considered to be a 10nm GPU that's based on Intel's forthcoming Xe graphics architecture. Latest pictures of the developer build show that there's no external power connector right now, so that means it currently draws under 75w of power. Having said that, it seems fairly plausible that this developer build isn't the final product. We'd expect that once it actually becomes available to the masses that it may well be a lot more powerful.

Elsewhere on photos of the device, it's evident that the card's shroud is aluminium, it features RGB LED lighting (of course. What component doesn't these days?) and offers three DisplayPort connectors and an HDMI connection. All of this, however, seems likely to be subject to change. After all, the Xe DG1 has a very specific purpose right now - development. 

No details have been released regarding clock speeds, the type of RAM used, or mostly anything else that would be important when it comes to your decision making process for your next graphics card. 

One semi-useful thing is that attendees at CES 2020 were able to see it running. It was able to play Warframe at 1080p and there's footage out there of it running Destiny 2 as well. In both cases, no details on frame rates were provided but there weren't any reports of either game looking a mess. 

Intel has the right idea working towards getting software developers on board first. Competing against the already established forces of Nvidia and AMD is a big risk to take and it obviously won't pay off unless developers are keen to adapt and work with Intel - something that may seem like there isn't much point in them doing given the dominance of GPUs already out there. 

It wasn't a particularly exciting CES for Intel given it didn't have as much to show off as the likes of, well, everyone else. So, a showy example of the Xe DG1 seems like a smart move, right down to the seemingly pointless RGB lights on the card. 

For now, maybe don't make any plans to jump ship with your next GPU (or even the one after that). We really need to know more about Intel's plans and what its card will actually entail.