NVIDIA & AMD are the kings of the GPU markets & can pair with any processor. Intel is trying to enter the race with its Arc graphics cards.
While NVIDIA solely produces GPUs & AMD is handling the both GPU & CPU business, a question can arise, will the Intel GPU work with the Ryzen?
In this article, I will clarify the requirements of Intel’s Arc GPU. Let’s dive in.
What is the Resizable BAR?
If you are interested in the Intel Arc GPU, then you have to know what Resizable BAR is.
Resizable BAR is a mechanism of PCIe devices to optimize the system by dealing with the Base Address Register size. With this optimization, it has the capability to improve performance in games.
Textures, shaders, etc. are processed by the CPU that is gathered from the GPU’s frame buffer to produce images. Though most modern graphics cards have at least 6 or 8 GB VRAM, processors can only obtain 256 MB read blocks from the buffer.
To overcome this, with help of the Resizable BAR, the CPU can access the frame buffer in total at once. As the geometry, shaders, and textures are loaded faster for full access to the buffer, this should enhance the performance.
ReBAR is NVIDIA’s marketing term introduced during the RTX 30 series. However, back in 2020, this concept was first used by AMD as the SAM (Smart Access Technology) paired with AMD processors.
As you need an AMD CPU & GPU to make SAM work, NVIDIA didn’t hardware limit it & the ReBAR is accessible for all CPUs with compatible hardware.
Is it Possible to Run Intel Arc GPU With AMD Ryzen CPU?
If you want to buy a processor, you have to find a compatible motherboard, cooling system, and memory stick because they complement each other. Also, you may want to know which is the better CPU between AMD vs. Intel. So much direction to focus on, right?
But when you buy an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card, you don’t need to target various parts like the processor. Though, you require picking a suitable CPU that is not bottlenecking with the GPU. For graphics cards, you look for a sufficient PSU & the GPU’s specs & features.
As Intel introduced itself into the GPU market, it released supported hardware configurations. There they mentioned, for optimal performance, ReBAR must be enabled for the Intel Arc A-Series GPU. Additionally, they initially stated that Intel 10th to 12th gen are approved for the Arc. 
This created confusion among the consumers. Will Intel Arc work with AMD Ryzen?
The answer is — Yes, it is possible to use an Intel Arc graphics card with a Ryzen CPU. Though there is a Cold War between Intel & AMD, gamers use AMD GPUs with Intel chips for a long time. So, Intel wouldn’t hardware limit its GPU & lose customers.
However, there is a catch. For optimum performance, Intel specifies that you must enable Resizable BAR.
This left a situation where you will require to use AMD Ryzen 3000 series & above CPUs. As only these Ryzen CPUs support ReBAR. This also indicates that you will have to use Intel 10th-gen to 13th-gen chips for the Arc GPU for optimal performance.
But this doesn’t mean you can’t use older chips for the Arc GPU. Though it just works, it doesn’t mean you should pair with systems that don’t support ReBAR. Because you won’t get the performance as intended as the system that has enabled Resizable BAR.
Intel Arc is built on a modern design that can take full benefits of ReBAR technology. Though with enabled ReBAR, there is no huge noticeable performance uplift for the NVIDIA cards, Intel’s Arc may handle it better.
Make sure your GPU is working properly. If it’s ok & you don’t know how to enable the Resizable BAR, read along to know the process.
How to Enable Resizable BAR?
Before enabling ReBAR, make sure you have a full-size PCIe 3.0 (or 4.0) x16 slot along with Resizable BAR support. Some motherboards don’t have initial ReBAR support, but they provide support through BIOS updates. So, it is crucial to ensure proper BIOS is installed.
Here are the steps to enable Resizable BAR:
- Enter the BIOS configuration menu with the Del key or designated key for your manufacturer during system start-up.
- Locate CSM (Compatibility Support Module) or Legacy Mode & Disable it.
- Find 4G Above Decoding and set it to Enable.
- Search Resizable BAR & select Auto or Enable.
Save the changes & reboot the system. This will turn on the Resizable BAR for your system. The Resizable BAR can also be stated as Clever Access memory, Re-Size BAR, or Smart Access Memory.
FAQs
Can you use an AMD GPU with Intel CPU?
Yes, AMD GPU is compatible with both Intel & AMD processors. AMD GPUs can benefit from SAM pairing with AMD Ryzen 3000 series & above.
What CPU do I need for Intel Arc A770?
Intel Arc A770 & A750 will perform best with Intel’s 10th-gen to 13th-gen & AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series to Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. The reason is, those chips are ReBAR supported & Arc needs the feature to be enabled for the best performance.
What’s the equivalent NVIDIA card for Arc A770?
For now, Arc A770 competes against NVIDIA’s RTX 3060 graphics card. As Intel is just entering the GPU market, its driver support is not that impactful yet. They are trying to develop their driver for better compatibility & performance.
What’s the equivalent AMD card for Arc A770?
Intel Arc A770 can be compared with AMD’s RX 6600 GPU.
Final Thought
For AMD & NVIDIA graphics cards, you should not worry about the Resizable BAR supported CPU or motherboard. However, Intel Arc GPU requires Re-BAR enabled for the best performance.
As per Intel’s recommendation, Intel 10th–12th gen & Ryzen 3000–7000 series are suitable for Intel Arc graphics cards.
In this article, I described the Arc GPU’s recommended processor choice. If you have any further queries, please leave a comment.
