_678x452.jpg?resize=780&w=780)
Last year, as Intel’s line of video card board partners expanded, so did the diversity of the ecosystem as newly formed partners began designing their own products around Intel’s emerging GPU family. Thankfully, this is starting to include underserved markets such as thin video cards that have been left out of the focus on larger, higher performance video cards. So let’s talk about ASRock’s latest Arc A380 graphics card. This is a new low-profile A380 design that brings Intel’s entry-level discrete GPU to smaller systems.
When it comes to specifications, ASRock’s Arc A380 Low Profile 6GB (A380 LP 6G) is a typical Arc A380 product with Intel’s ACM-G11 GPU (1024 stream processor, 2.0 GHz) and 6 GB GDDR6 memory connected via a 96-bit interface. Amazingly, the card keeps his TDP below his 75W, which eliminates the need for an extra power connector. This allows upgrades for small form factor machines and older PCs that don’t have a spare PCIe power connector.
But keep in mind that even though the A380 LP 6G is a low-profile card, it’s still a relatively powerful card, so it needs a dual-slot cooler. So while this card should work in most compact PCs, it might still be a bit too bulky for the smallest systems.
The thin design of the ASRock Arc A380 graphics card suggests that it isn’t necessarily targeting even entry-level gaming consoles. Rather, it seems like a reasonable choice for a minimalist office PC or home theater PC (HTPC). Speaking of office PCs, ASRock’s Arc A380 low profile 6GB graphics card only has his two display outputs, DisplayPort 2.0 and HDMI 2.0b. This characteristic places a constraint on applications that require more than two monitors. Of course, not all office PCs need more than three displays, but ASRock’s boards cannot be used for things like video walls, which are usually driven by compact PCs.
ASRock’s low-profile Arc cards will be available in retail stores soon. However, at least for now, the company has not disclosed the price of the pint-sized product.
