A mysterious entry has been spotted in the Intel Ark online database. Tom’s Hardware Germany alumnus Igor Wallossek spotted a DG2MB entry, which is part of the DG2 family, which has a mix of specs that doesn’t quite match a DG2 product we know of today. The main points of dissonance are that the database values, taken at face value, indicate that DG2MB operates at 4 GHz and consumes 200 W, while being a portable product.
Before we continue, it’s worth remembering that Igor’s Lab acquired the screenshot below from the “internal access with NDA” version of the Ark. So the source is a different Intel ark where anyone can check out the processor specs of existing launched products.
Going through the above spec list of the DG2MB from top to bottom, we can see that the database “confirms” that it is part of the DG2 family of graphics products, based on the Xe-HPG architecture.
Continuing, we see the first surprising specification (for a GPU) which is a clock speed of 4 GHz. The fastest clocked GPUs currently on the market are the low-end AMD RDNA2 parts like the Radeon RX 6500 XT with a boost clock of over 2.8 GHz. So something is wrong here, but there is at least one possible explanation if you read on.
Wallossek refers to additional Ark data not shown in the screenshot. He says the DG2MB comes with package code FC-BGA16E, with 2660 pins, just like the larger DG2-512EU laptop GPU, indicating that it should be a discrete laptop GPU . However, another nugget of missing data in the screenshot, the item market description, indicates that this is something different from the usual DG2 mobile products.
Before we move on to estimating the actual DG2MB goal, we should also mention the final stat shown in the screenshot, Power. The claimed 200W TDP is very high for a laptop GPU, which normally maxes out at around 150W, where the laptop’s thermal design is capable enough (e.g. laptop designs thick and heavy traditional game boards).
Gathering all the specs listed above, some extra nuggets from Igor’s lab, and a pinch of salt or two, we think this Intel Ark database entry may be for some sort of reference motherboard with CPU and GPU soldered. This would make sense of the Ark database entry, because the 4.0GHz could be the onboard CPU boost clock, and the 200W could be the combined power of the CPU, GPU, and map.
In summary, Intel’s DG2MB can therefore be a motherboard (MB) with soldered CPU and GPU, targeting markets/form factors like small form factor PC (SFF) and home theater (HTPC), including Intel’s NUC line. Alternatively, it may be aimed at all-in-one designs with integrated displays or powerful laptops with a total TDP of 200W. This looks like an interesting reference design from Intel and, if the estimates and guesses are correct, it could form the basis of some attractive PCs.
Of course, Intel’s DG2 graphics performance for laptops and desktops is still very much unknown, with very few official benchmarks shared. We can safely assume it will be faster than current DG1 solutions, but will the drivers work properly with all games? This is unlikely to happen at launch, as even AMD and Nvidia are struggling to get started with new GPUs.
