The premiere of discrete Intel Arc graphics cards based on the Xe-HPG architecture is expected in the first quarter of next year. There are no comprehensive official details yet, but the company has already given a good price guideline by publishing the conditions of a certain competition, in which two models of Intel Arc 3D cards – Premium and Performance – are the prizes.

A total of 100 prizes will be awarded with Premium graphics cards equivalent to $ 900 each and 200 prizes with Performance graphics cards worth $ 700 each. The price is for a set, which, in addition to the video card itself, includes a subscription to the Xbox Game Pass service for three or six months, as well as branded merchandise.

Subtracting the subscription and merchandise costs from the prize, the Arc Premium 3D card will cost around $ 825 and the Performance 3D card around $ 650. A lot, considering that we are talking, in fact, about the cost price. Given the current deficit, the price can be safely multiplied by one and a half, if we talk about retail. And it turns out that on the store shelf there will not be much difference in price between the same Arc Premium, GeForce RTX 3070 (Ti) and Radeon RX 6700 XT – it is with these models from Nvidia and AMD that the novelty will compete. So what will make users buy an Intel device instead of Nvidia or AMD at roughly the same cost and performance? While this is a big question.

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Several sources have shared details about the next generation MacBook Air. The well-known resource DigiTimes claims that the laptop will receive a Mini-LED screen like the recently debuted MacBook Pro. The new model will allow Apple to increase shipments of these notebooks by 2 million units per year. The report indicates that the 11-inch iPad Pro will also launch next year and will also receive a Mini LED screen.

iOS developer and Apple analyst, known on Twitter by nickname Dylan, has more details on the upcoming MacBook Air. According to him, the new product will be released in mid-2022, will receive support for MagSafe, a webcam that allows you to broadcast Full HD video, USB-C ports, a 30-watt charger. The device will be built on the M2 platform and will receive a completely passive cooling system. The bezels of the screen and keyboard will be reduced, and the top row of keys will become full-size. But there will be no FaceID system, SD card slot and HDMI video output.

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It looks like the new Intel processors will significantly raise the price bar. A large American network MicroCenter has already added a couple of new Alder Lake generation products to its range.

The Core i7-12700K is priced at $ 470, while the top-end Core i9-12900K will cost $ 670. For comparison, the Core i9-11900K has a MSRP of $ 550, and Intel’s flagship model has always cost about the same for many years.

Of course, there hasn’t been an official announcement yet, so we don’t know the recommended prices. But today we have already seen an example from Germany, where the price was also above $ 600.

At the same time, it is hardly worth blaming Intel for such a pricing policy. First, the new CPUs will be much more efficient than their predecessors. And secondly, the same Ryzen 5000 is also not cheap, and it is not yet clear if the Ryzen 9 5950X will be able to withstand in comparison with the new flagship of Intel.

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