Recently, Intel Arc GPUs have gained a lot of competitive edge. The brand has offered a good number of affordable options that are perfect for gamers on a strict budget. But these GPUs lack high-end rendering features like Path Tracing.
Well, Intel has revealed its plans to make the Trackpad for everyone. In fact, according to various research papers published by Intel, Arc GPUs, along with all kinds of iGPUs, may in the future feature real-time neural rendering. This can allow all gamers to enjoy the real physics of light in games without spending a lot of money.
What is tracking and why does it matter
Wonder what exactly is track tracking? At its core, Path Tracing is a computer graphics technology that simulates the behavior of light in a realistic environment. In other words, it makes the light in games more realistic and makes them behave more naturally.
Track tracing can achieve stunning visual effects. It includes:
Soft shadows Depth of field Motion blur Caustic Clogging Perimeter Indirect lighting
But it also requires a lot of computing power and can take a long time to render images without noise or artifacts. Therefore, it has always been exclusive to high-end GPUs. But it could be available to the masses with future developments of Intel Arc and Intel iGPU.
Intel’s real-time neural rendering will make track progress on affordable Intel GPUs and iGPUs
All of the research papers published by Intel are about real-time neural rendering. These papers also address the benefits of real-time neural rendering over ray tracing, sampling, and shading. Intel believes that offering neural rendering across the affordable Arc and iGPU lineup can make efficient and faster ray tracing available to everyone.
At the time, Intel is working on multiple neural tools that enable real-time tracing at up to 90% of the compression of native renderers. While doing this, the display technology Intel uses can also provide higher performance. Intel discussed all of this in the “Trace the Path in a Trillion Triangles” session.
Intel says, “These are critical components for making photorealistic rendering with path tracing available on more expensive GPUs, such as Intel Arc GPUs.”
How will budget GPUs perform
Intel recently made a demo. In it, the company offered a file “Efficient” algorithms on low-power, budget Arc GPUs. Currently, CyberPunk 2077 is the only game that offers real visuals of the track. But to enjoy the track tracking visuals, you need an RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 card, which are quite expensive.
If your system is not running one of these GPUs, you need to use DLSS algorithms. Although DLSS can produce good images, it can affect the visual resolution of the original image in some cases. Intel says the company’s approach will enable real-time routing without compromising budget Arc GPUs.
Intel also talked about making the neural real-time rendering framework open source. This will enable third-party vendors and developers to use it on their own machines and boost the performance of this budget-friendly solution.
Meanwhile, Nvidia is also working to highlight more neural display technologies. Recently announced neural radiation and neural pressure buffering technology in cigraph. So, with the new technology, low-cost Intel Arc GPUs and iGPUs can sit next to Nvidia cards with cutting-edge visual technologies.
Another interesting point here is that the company is working on making future Intel Arc GPUs using this technology. There have also been nice price cuts on Arc GPUs lately. You might want to consider it if you are looking forward to enjoying improved visual fidelity in your favorite games.
