Intel has apparently ditched its plans for a new high-end gaming GPU based on the Battlemage architecture, according to the latest leak. Reportedly codenamed BMG-G31, the new Intel GPU originally looked set to take on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 and AMD Radeon RX 9070, but it now looks as though the Intel Arc B580 is as fast as the company’s GPUs are going to get.
While the Intel Arc B580 is widely regarded as the best graphics card for under $300 right now, the company has struggled to produce enough stock to meet demand, with cards usually going for at least $335.99, well above the original MSRP of $249. That’s a shame, as this ostensibly budget-focused Intel card comes with 12GB of VRAM, compared to just 8GB on the RTX 4060 and standard Radeon RX 7600.
However, Intel was also rumored to be working on another, more powerful gaming GPU for the Battlemage lineup, with appearances of the BMG-G31 in shipping manifests, and tech leaker Bionic_Squash claiming the new GPU would have 32 of Intel’s Xe cores, compared to just 20 in the B580. At one time, the new GPU even inadvertently appeared in official Intel documentation, which has since been taken down.
Now, however, the latest word on the rumor mill is that BMG-G31 is dead. This latest bit of gossip comes from regular Intel leaker Jaykihn, who said the new GPU “died in Q3 of last year” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). In a follow-up post, Jaykihn clarifies that this statement refers to the “retail product,” implying that there may be OEM G31 GPUs, but that customers won’t be able to buy the graphics cards for themselves.
Meanwhile, Intel’s latest annual stockholders report contains a letter from the company’s new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, which confirms the company’s commitment to releasing its Panther Lake CPUs in 2025 and Nova Lake in 2026, but notably doesn’t contain a single reference to any forthcoming GPUs.
As always with rumor stories, bear in mind that all of the above is based on leaks, and none of it has been officially confirmed by Intel. Given Intel’s current predicament, it’s understandable that it would choose to focus on making sure it can hit its CPU targets, but the company also needs a decent GPU architecture to compete with AMD and Nvidia. There’s also a notable lack of competition beyond Nvidia and AMD in the gaming GPU market at the moment, and competition in the industry is good for gamers when it comes to bringing down prices and encouraging innovation.
In the meantime, check out our AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT review to see why this new GPU is our current top recommendation if you can find 9070 XT stock. You can also read our RTX 5090 review to see how Nvidia’s latest flagship performs, and check our where to buy 5090 page to see where stock can be found.
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