Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics – Desktop Quick Start Guide

Documentation

Install & Setup

000091128

10/17/2023

Thank you for choosing Intel Arc™ graphics. Designed to take your gaming and creation to the next level. Let’s Play!

Intel® Arc™ Graphics products leverage the latest in system technologies to deliver a great gaming and creation experience. To ensure you get the best experiences from Intel® Arc™ A-Series Desktop Graphics, a supported hardware configuration is required, and a few system BIOS settings are critical to configure.

System BIOS configuration can have a significant impact on your GPU performance

System BIOS are designed to support configurations for a broad range of devices, and some default configurations may not be optimal for Intel® Arc™ A-Series Desktop Graphics. Please review the following guide and ensure your system has these options set correctly to get the best performance from your Intel® Arc™ Graphics card.

System Requirements

Automatic System Support Detection

Use the Intel® Driver and Support Assistant (Intel DSA) to quickly automatically detect if your system is ready for Intel® Arc™ discrete graphics.

Download the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant.

Supported Hardware Configurations

Resizable BAR or Smart Access Memory must be enabled for optimal performance in all applications using Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics. Platforms supported are listed below.

CPU Motherboard
  • 14th Gen Intel® Core™ Processors
  • Intel 700/600 Series motherboard with Resizable BAR support enabled
  • 13th Gen Intel® Core™ Processors
  • Intel 700/600 Series motherboard with Resizable BAR support enabled
  • 12th Gen Intel® Core™ Processors
  • Intel 600 Series motherboard with Resizable BAR support enabled
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ Processors
  • 10th Gen Intel® Core™ Processors
  • Intel 500 Series motherboard with Resizable BAR support enabled1
  • Intel 400 Series motherboard with Resizable BAR support enabled1
  • AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors
  • AMD 600 Series motherboard with Smart Access Memory enabled
  • AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series Processors
  • Most AMD Ryzen™ 3000 series Processors (excludes AMD 3000G-series Processors)
  • AMD 500 Series motherboard with Smart Access Memory enabled

1 Refer to your system manufacturer's support page to confirm Resizable BAR support.

Additional information: Having an integrated graphics card or not (for example: an Intel® Core i9-13900KF processor) does not affect the functionality or availability of Resizable BAR. Refer to your motherboard manufacturer's support page to confirm Resizable BAR support.

Additional platforms/motherboards not listed below and with Resizable BAR / Smart Access Memory enabled may also support Intel® Arc™ A-Series graphics.

Operating System Requirements

  • Windows® 10 64-bit 20H2 or newer
  • Windows 11* 64-bit
    • Confirm the Operating System is using the GPT partition type:
      • For Windows 11, this mode is configured by default.
      • For Windows 10, the partition type can be converted if installed with an MBR partition type.
      • Refer to the Microsoft Tool & Guide for more information.
  • Ubuntu* 22.04

Motherboard Requirements

  • Full-size PCI Express 3.0 (or newer) x16 slot
  • Resizable (Re-Size) BAR

Steps to Enable Resizable BAR:

  1. Enter the system’s BIOS/UEFI firmware configuration menu.
    1. Access Windows Settings. Click the Windows start menu and select Settings on the left panel. You may also use the Windows + I keyboard shortcut.
    2. For Windows 10: Select Update & Security.
    3. Select Recovery.
    4. Click Advanced startup.
    5. Select Restart now under Advanced Startup.
    6. Select Troubleshoot. In this window, select Advanced options, then UEFI Firmware Settings. The system will now enter the BIOS menu.
  2. Compatibility Support Module (CSM) or Legacy Mode must be disabled, and UEFI boot mode must be Enabled.
  3. Ensure the following settings are set to Enabled (or Auto if the Enabled option is not present):
    • Above 4G Decoding
    • Re-Size BAR Support
  4. Use the Intel® Driver and Support Assistant (Intel DSA) to confirm that Resizable BAR is enabled on your system.

The Resizable BAR option may be described as Re-Size BAR, Smart Access Memory, or Clever Access Memory. Contact the system manufacturer for specific details.

Use your system’s latest motherboard firmware supporting Resizable BAR.

Refer to your system manufacturer's support page for further details.

Power Supply Requirements

Power supply requirements may vary, check the manufacturer for specific details.

Intel® Arc™ A770 Limited Edition and A750 Limited Edition Graphics:

  • Minimum 600W power supply with two PCIe power connectors – 1x8-pin & 1x6-pin

For Intel Arc A770 Graphics Limited Edition Graphics Cards

How to Set Up the RGB Controller

  1. Locate and remove the RGB control cable from the box beneath the graphics card in the original packaging.

    USB RGB control cable

  2. Connect the RGB control cable to the 1 x 3-pin connector on the graphics card (shown below) and the available USB pin header on the motherboard.
    Note The location of the USB pin header varies per motherboard. Contact your motherboard manufacturer for more information on the header location.

    Graphics card

  3. Download and install the Intel® Arc™ RGB Controller.

FAQs

Q: What warranty is offered with Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics?

A: Warranty terms vary by manufacturer, check with your manufacturer for warranty coverage.

For Intel® Arc™ A770 & A750 Limited Edition Graphics:

The Intel® Graphics Card three-year limited warranty applies to eligible Intel® Graphics Cards that are packaged in authentic Intel packaging and sold to end customers as standalone components. Intel® Graphics Cards contained within Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) systems are subject to OEM manufacturer warranties and generally are not supported directly by Intel. For more information, please visit Intel® Arc 7 Graphics Cards Three-Year Limited Warranty Terms and Conditions.

Q: My system/motherboard manufacturer has provided a firmware update enabling support for Resizable BAR, but I still cannot see the Resizable BAR option!

A: For some systems, you may need to first enable ‘Above 4G decoding’, save the configuration, and restart, before the Resizable BAR option will be shown.

Q: I am on a 10th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor. Does my motherboard support Resizable BAR?

A: Support for resizable BAR on 10th Gen platforms will vary. Please contact your system/motherboard manufacturer for specific support.

Q: Why do I need to enable Resizable BAR?

A: Resizable BAR must be enabled for optimal performance in all applications using Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics.

Q: Do I need to update the firmware on my Intel® Arc™ A-Series graphics card?

A: No, the graphics card will not require a firmware update. However, if using a 10th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor based system, a firmware update for your system platform/motherboard will be required. The latest graphics driver is always recommended, please visit support.Intel.com for the latest graphics driver.

Q: How do I check if Resizable BAR has been enabled once I’ve installed my new Intel® Arc™ A-Series graphics card?

A: You can use Intel® Arc™ Control or the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant Tool.

Q: Is my Operating System boot mode is configured correctly for Intel® Arc A-Series Graphics?

A: Ensure the operating system is using the UEFI boot mode & GPT partition style. For Windows, it is possible to switch firmware modes using the MBR2GPT tool. Compatibility Support Module (CSM) must be disabled and UEFI boot mode must be enabled.

Q: Which video output supports variable refresh rate for gaming?

A: The preferred video outputs for gaming are the DisplayPort outputs. All DisplayPort outputs support Adaptive Sync for smooth, tear-free gaming. HDMI output capabilities may vary, please check the manufacturer for specific details. The Intel® Arc™ A770 Limited Edition and A750 Limited Edition Graphics offer an HDMI 2.1 output with support for variable refresh rate.

Q: What should I do if my system configuration is not listed?

For configurations not listed in this guide, there may be performance or stability issues. We recommend updating to one of the configurations listed for optimal performance with Intel® Arc™ Graphics.