Despite rumors of Intel axing its discrete graphics cards, a new leak suggests that the company's Battlemage desktop GPUs are just days away from launch. According to Videocardz, Intel will announce the Arc B580 and B570 graphics cards on December 3rd, with a launch date set for December 12th alongside media reviews.

The leaked specs of the Arc B580 and B570 indicate that these cards will not be competing at the high-end of the GPU market. Instead, they will feature fewer cores, less memory, and less memory bandwidth compared to some of their Intel predecessors. However, they may still offer a compelling value proposition, with a rumored price point of just $250 for the "Limited Edition" Arc B580.

The leaked specs of the Arc B580 suggest that it will feature 20 Xe2 cores, a 2.8GHz GPU clock, 12GB of GDDR6 graphics memory at 19Gbps with a 192-bit memory interface, and require as little as two axial fans and one single 8-pin PCIe power connector. Another variant was spotted with three fans and two connectors. The GPU will also connect to a motherboard with a PCIe 5.0 x8 connector.

The launch of the Battlemage GPUs comes at a time when the GPU market is still recovering from the pandemic-induced shortage and its aftermath. As a result, affordable GPU options have been scarce, making Intel's potential value leader a welcome addition to the market.

While the fate of Intel's discrete graphics cards remains uncertain, the imminent launch of the Battlemage GPUs suggests that the company is committed to staying in the desktop gaming graphics business. It will be interesting to see how these cards perform in real-world testing and whether they can shake up the lower end of the GPU market.

With full confirmed details expected to arrive on December 3rd, we won't have to speculate for long. One thing is certain, however: the launch of the Battlemage GPUs will be a significant event in the tech industry, and we'll be keeping a close eye on developments.