Acer's Predator BiFrost Arc A770 Goes on Sale in Taiwan for as Low as US$313

[TheLostSwede]

Acer has launched its Predator BiFrost Arc A770 graphics card in Taiwan and the official pricing appears to be NT$12,900 or US$404, local shops are already selling the card for far less. The BiFrost comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and an overclocking option that boosts the GPU speed from 2,200 MHz to 2,400 MHz. The latter also increases the TDP from 250 to 280 Watts. As seen in the launch announcement pictures, the card has a rather unusual fan design and Acer has even come up with some marketing names for the setup. The blower fan is referred to as Aeroblade 3D and the regular 92 mm fan as Frostblade 2.0. We're not sure how there's a version 2.0 when this is Acer's first retail graphics card.

The card measures 267 x 117.75 mm and has as we've also seen, a pair of 8-pin power connectors. The port configuration consists of three DP 2.0 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. Local shops are offering the card on sale for US$372 to as little as US$313 (NT$9990), which is only US$13 more than Intel's own Arc A750 cards retail for in Taiwan. This price point makes it a fair bit more attractive, even taking potential driver related issues and hardware limitations into account.



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[P4-630]

No renders!!...

So a blower combined with a regular rgb fan, at least it stands out.

 

[Chaitanya]

Thay cooler really is something interesting.

 

[ZoneDymo]

I dig it, it has that 90s cool look, now if only it did not cost as much over here and the drivers were a bit more....reliable

 

[ExcuseMeWtf]

Curious how this cooling setup would end up performing.

 

[N3utro]

Is this price with tax included or not? I think not right?

 

[tipsyorca]

Included, just got one this morning. 9990NT is early bird only.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Is this price with tax included or not? I think not right?

It's with 5% VAT.

 

[ARF]

Curious how this cooling setup would end up performing.

This is the most important. If they have found a way to extract more cooling capacity and make the card cooler and quieter compared to ordinary dual-fan arrangements.

Regarding the price, isn't $313 a bit less competitive given that it goes in direct competition with Radeon RX 6600 for $240?

radeon rx 6600 | Newegg.com

AMD Radeon RX 6600 Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database

 

[AnotherReader]

This is the most important. If they have found a way to extract more cooling capacity and make the card cooler and quieter compared to ordinary dual-fan arrangements.

Regarding the price, isn't $313 a bit less competitive given that it goes in direct competition with Radeon RX 6600 for $240?

View attachment 265462
radeon rx 6600 | Newegg.com

View attachment 265463
AMD Radeon RX 6600 Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database

The price is fine considering it's usually faster than the 6600 XT in newer games; the price also includes 5% VAT. However, given that this price segment would attract buyers who are unlikely to be playing the latest games, and Intel's lackluster performance in older games, there is a reasonable argument to be made that this price should be even lower.

 

[dj-electric]

I had the pleasure of trying this card out.
The cooler is definitely interesting and not the quietest, but props for trying some thing new

 

[Ruru]

Coolest looking (pun intended) card in a while.

 

[bug]

$300 is low? For a mid-ranger with rather unproven drivers?

 

[ARF]

$300 is low? For a mid-ranger with rather unproven drivers?

The card doesn't deserve this amount of cash.
Also, such a business practice will fail. Intel must begin with lower prices, such as 50% of the current, or $149, at least for this generation to try to attract some gullible buyers, and only if this works, next gen to be priced much more aggressively for high profit margins.

 

[Dirt Chip]

I will still wait for the flash sale in a few month, as we getting neer ARC sec gen.
Under 200$ for a 16GB GPU I see.

 

[ARF]

I will still wait for the flash sale in a few month as we are getting neer ARC sec gen.
Under 200$ for a 16GB GPU I see.

16 GB for this type of performance is utter overkill. No one puts so much memory on such a low-end tier card.

Do they confuse themselves that this will be "fine wine" or what? lol

Intel Arc A770 Review - Finally a Third Competitor - Borderlands 3 | TechPowerUp

 

[AnotherReader]

The card doesn't deserve this amount of cash.
Also, such a business practice will fail. Intel must begin with lower prices, such as 50% of the current, or $149, at least for this generation to try to attract some gullible buyers, and only if this works, next gen to be priced much more aggressively for high profit margins.

Be realistic; 16 GB of GDDR6 and a perfect 406 mm^2 N6 die can't be sold for $149 for any profit. Not just Intel, but even the partners will be selling for a loss at such a low price.

 

[ARF]

Be realistic; 16 GB of GDDR6 and a perfect 406 mm^2 N6 die can't be sold for $149 for any profit. Not just Intel, but even the partners will be selling for a loss at such a low price.

Sell at a loss then, pay for your incompetence to design decent graphics.

 

[Dristun]

16 GB for this type of performance is utter overkill. No one puts so much memory on such a low-end tier card.

Do they confuse themselves that this will be "fine wine" or what? lol

View attachment 265480
Intel Arc A770 Review - Finally a Third Competitor - Borderlands 3 | TechPowerUp

It won't be "fine wine" in the sense that performance in old games magically improves, but I'd wager that performance in the big games that are going to be released from now on is going to be much more in line with its luckier titles where it's comfortably ahead of 3060. Again, I'm not defending the purchase for 99% of the population - it's a bad card to buy for anyone without that vein of curiosity in them - but picking games from 2019 to make a conclusion also strikes me as an unfair take.

 

[AnotherReader]

16 GB for this type of performance is utter overkill. No one puts so much memory on such a low-end tier card.

Do they confuse themselves that this will be "fine wine" or what? lol

View attachment 265480
Intel Arc A770 Review - Finally a Third Competitor - Borderlands 3 | TechPowerUp

It could end up being fine wine, but I get your gripe; for non-DX12 games and even some DX12 games (Halo Infinite, Days Gone, F1 22, and Guardians of the Galaxy), it's a bad card. For DX12 games, Metro Exodus, and Red Dead Redemption 2 show the potential. It's as fast as the 3070 in those. I wouldn't buy one, because I play a lot of non DX12 games, but depending upon your usage and patience, it could be a reasonable alternative.

It won't be "fine wine" in the sense that performance in old games magically improves, but I'd wager that performance in the big games that are going to be released from now on is going to be much more in line with its luckier titles where it's comfortably ahead of 3060. Again, I'm not defending the purchase for 99% of the population - it's a bad card to buy for anyone without that vein of curiosity in them - but picking games from 2019 to make a conclusion also strikes me as an unfair take.

While I agree with your take on performance in yet to be released games, I think picking games from 2019 or even earlier is fair as many PC gamers, and especially budget gamers, don't play just the latest titles. Just look at the list of most played games on Steam and notice its lack of overlap with both TPU's test bench and Intel's strong suit.

 

[TheLostSwede]

$300 is low? For a mid-ranger with rather unproven drivers?

That's not what I wrote though, was it?
It's low compared to what Intel charges for its limited edition cards.
I mean, it's only $13 more than an A750 from Intel in Taiwan.

 

[Dragokar]

It could end up being fine wine, but I get your gripe; for non-DX12 games and even some DX12 games (Halo Infinite, Days Gone, F1 22, and Guardians of the Galaxy), it's a bad card. For DX12 games, Metro Exodus, and Red Dead Redemption 2 show the potential. It's as fast as the 3070 in those. I wouldn't buy one, because I play a lot of non DX12 games, but depending upon your usage and patience, it could be a reasonable alternative.


While I agree with your take on performance in yet to be released games, I think picking games from 2019 or even earlier is fair as many PC gamers, and especially budget gamers, don't play just the latest titles. Just look at the list of most played games on Steam and notice its lack of overlap with both TPU's test bench and Intel's strong suit.

This is the reason I told all my PC- ”friends” not to buy a ARC. Too many play DX11 and even DX9 games, and I don't want to be the troubleshooter.

 

[QuietBob]

The problem with the A750/A770 is that Intel seem to have set the MSRP based on their projected theoretical performance, rather than actual game merit. ARC will probably do quite well in future DX12/Vulkan games with RT enabled, but in its current state it's a half-baked product.

While $300 for the 16 GB version is a bit more realistic when compared to its well-established rivals, I still wouldn't buy it at this price knowing its shortcomings.

EDIT: Just saw the 6600XT on a flash sale for the equivalent of $250. Intel, I hope you're reading this

 

[kapone32]

If Intel applies the same thing to GPUs that it used with CPUs buyers of first Gen 3 years from now will lament the amount they are paying. Having said that 16GB of VRAM is nothing to laugh at regardless of the performance of the chip.

 

[Easo]

For that price I might be tempted and the drivers will improve. But, well, here in Latvia that price might as well not exist (probably in most of Europe too).