Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC Graphics Card Assessment: Intel On-Board

When Acer supplied to ship over certainly one of its Predator BiFrost A770 OC playing cards, nevertheless, it gave us the proper alternative to revisit Arc and see how issues are going a yr out from launch. That is proper: it is already been a yr for the reason that A770 and A750 launched final October. Time positive flies, does not it?

We might prefer to excitedly inform you that each one of Arc’s points are resolved and that this Acer card is an unimaginable gaming worth, however that’d be getting forward of ourselves. First, let’s discuss in regards to the card itself and its specs.

Acer’s Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC is predicated on Intel’s Arc A770 product that’s itself primarily based on the ACM-G10 GPU. That is the most important “Alchemist” GPU, and it is also used within the Arc A750, albeit in cut-down type. Trying on the specs, it has spectacular numbers: 4,096 shaders, 128 ROPs, and a 256-bit reminiscence bus giving it 560 GB/second of reminiscence bandwidth. For perspective, let us take a look at a number of competing GPUs on this helpful chart:

That appears fairly promising, proper? Practically double the feel fillrate of most competing playing cards, gobs of reminiscence bandwidth, and big compute throughput. In any case, the ACM-G10 GPU is definitely fairly massive in comparison with, say, the AD106 within the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti or the Navi 33 chip used within the Radeon RX 7600. We did not have all of those playing cards available for re-testing as we speak, however we have been in a position to make do with a barely decreased choice that also paints a fairly first rate image of the efficiency of the Predator BiFrost A770 card.

If you have not learn our earlier protection of Intel’s Arc GPUs, it is best to in all probability try this to get an concept of how issues have modified. This assessment will not embrace benchmark information for earlier driver variations as a result of we’re making an attempt to get an concept of how Arc, and particularly this Predator BiFrost Arc A770 card, compares to different choices obtainable out there. Nonetheless, we did lately do a brief publish with some checks of the unique launch driver in opposition to a a lot newer driver. Here is a number of hyperlinks to our earlier protection that present some further background element:

Intel Arc A770 And A750 Restricted Version Assessment: Placing Alchemist To The Check

Arc Graphics Updates And PresentMon Examined: Intel Makes Enormous Strides

The Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC

So, in regards to the Predator BiFrost itself. The look of the cardboard is actually distinctive. It has what seems to be like a classical blower shroud, supposed to vent warmth out the again aspect of the case, however then on the finish of the board, there’s a big axial fan that vents air via the bottom of the cardboard towards the CPU cooler. It is an attention-grabbing design, and we’re not fully offered on the cooling advantages, but it surely actually seems to be flashy.

Whereas we’re discussing the design, we must always point out that RGB LED lighting is current in each the axial fan in addition to the squirrel cage in the midst of the cardboard. Presumably this dual-fan setup is what evokes the “BiFrost” title.

On the highest of the cardboard, you’ve got the Intel Arc A770 branding in addition to some RGB LEDs that illuminate a Predator emblem when the cardboard is on; you possibly can see these within the rendered picture above. The Predator BiFrost Arc A770 takes a pair of eight-pin energy connectors giving it some 375W whole of accessible energy, however that needs to be gross overkill for a card of this energy degree. It is attainable that Acer supposed customers to have some headroom for overclocking, which we’ll speak about a lot later.

Across the again of the cardboard, you’ve got a partial backplate that bears the Predator monster head emblem in addition to the Intel Arc A770 branding, after which one other backplate behind that one which protects the rear of the GPU. Total the design seems to be sophisticated and we suspect it could be cheaper to easily manufacture a single aluminum plate, however we do should admit it seems to be fairly wild.

Many of the card’s rear case bracket is taken up by fan vents for the centrifugal blower that directs air towards each the vents and the axial fan on the rear of the cardboard, that ejects air upward (in a standard tower case). The output cluster on the Predator BiFrost A770 is identical triple-DisplayPort-plus-one-HDMI cluster that we see on most fashionable GPUs, so full marks for obtainable ports, however no factors for originality.

Total the cardboard is a pleasant, cheap measurement, effectively inside acceptable bounds, and far smaller than many current GPUs. It does not stick up too far above the enlargement card backplate, and it does not have backward-facing PCIe energy connectors, a pet peeve of mine. We do not actually have any complaints with the development of the cardboard, however taking it aside to re-paste it looks as if it may very well be a problem, because the design of the cooler is kind of sophisticated.

You are not simply right here to gawp on the factor, although, are you? Let’s begin some charts and numbers.