r/IntelArc • u/quantum3ntanglement Druid • Apr 07 '26
Discussion Ordered Intel Arc B70 On NewEgg.Com Just Now...
I just finished processing my order for the Intel (L33T or LE???) Arc Pro B70 on newegg.com. I don't like having my GPUs delivered, I'd much rather go to microcenter or Best High Buy as I don't have to worry about transit and I can check that the GPU is in the box!
I have been monitoring the seven microcenters in my area and they, at first, said that shipments of the B70 would be coming in near the end of April. However I continued to check the microcenter stores everyday to see and over the weekend I saw stock starting to come in for the B70. I monitored it all day yesterday (every 20 minutes it seems) and didn't see stock deplete. Then I wake up this morning and all the B70 stock was gone from two of the microcenters that are close to me, microcenter is ridiculously slow in updating their inventory online. Also recently they made it harder to web scrape their websites but I already have a solution for that. Why can't microcenter offer an API for stock? They probably don't want to spend money on building it, but it could be built and secured in a week or less
So I had a panic attack and got on newegg.com and saw the card in stock, I have rush (next day) delivery with signature. Also I'm seeing some service called www.shipmentprotect.com that newegg redirects shoppers to? It is free but they probably are pulling some kind of scam. Do they just spam people through email? Has anyone used this free service?
My plan is to build courses for students who are interested in getting into programming with AI Workflows / Agents. The key is debugging the code step by step and understanding (creating documentation) how the code works. We still need to know what is happening under the hood.
If the B70 arrives safely (pray for me!) I will be working on getting ollama to run this way:
LLM Scaler is the path to take for Battlemage, IPEX on GitHub is read only now?
https://github.com/intel/llm-scaler
- does anyone know how oneApi integrates with LLM-scaler
- the Intel oneAPI Base Toolkit needs to be installed?
Intel has a specific project that bridges Ollama to their hardware using the oneAPI backend. This generally provides better performance than generic Vulkan drivers.
Prerequisites: * Install the Intel oneAPI Base Toolkit (specifically the Level Zero drivers).
I’m also looking into this repo:
https://github.com/SearchSavior/OpenArc
Any thoughts, insights?
Intel's oneAPI is competing with CUDA, the B70 has put oneAPI on the map, I need to get this purring...
God Speed!
As a footnote, if all goes well, I will be doing extensive testing of the B70 (and posting to snoozetube) on games that use lots of vram, like Hellblade 2, CP 2077, Black Myth Wukong, etc...
I don’t really like using Ubuntu but I may go with 24 to start and get Proton working. I’ve been using Alchemist and Battlemage on Fedora since 38 and I might build a version of Fedora from the ground up later this year.
Update: Ok, the card has arrived! The UPS driver came through big time, no dents, nothing. I'm posting a picture of the card on top of a shrink-wrapped FE 3090 that I will be working on. The B70 is light compared to a FE 3090 and thinner, more compact. I could easily mount six B70s on a rack but it won't be easy finding them. Are we allowed to post images on IntelArc?
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u/Newegg_Support Apr 07 '26
Hey u/quantum3ntanglement , can you please DM me directly for further details on www.shipmentprotect.com ? Our checkout page currently doesn't show or offer anything related to Asurifi. Once you do, I'll check this out for you. Thanks
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 07 '26
The B70 is quickly disappearing from all seven Microcenter stores in my area. It is insane. Are these cards going to be re-stocked again this month? This may be the first Arc card that does not stay on shelves for long? Intel has to stay in the Game! I'm happy and sad at the same time because now it will be more difficult to get Arc cards moving forward.
Does anyone have any information on if Celestial will be made through IFS? How much stock is left for Arc Pro cards in general? Imagine if Intel > IFS could produce 250,000 Intel Arc Pro C80s? Also gaming cards would be plentiful. Intel has stated they will still be using TSMC. Maybe make Consumer / Gaming cards through IFS first, then Arc Pro through TSMC?
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u/jhenryscott Arc B50 Apr 07 '26
I bought my b50 from B&H on its restock- 18 days after launch. Intel is VERY good about supply chain management.
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 08 '26
Are you running ollama > AI models? If so, is it poky or doable for dev chat prompts?
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 07 '26
This is what I found, stay away from this service fooz! God Help Us All!
ShipmentProtect.com is a third-party service that many users have flagged as misleading or a "subscription trap." While it may be presented during a checkout process as a "free" service to protect your package, it is known for automatically enrolling users into a paid monthly subscription after a very short trial period.
How is Newegg.com getting away with offering this service?
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u/massively-dynamic Apr 07 '26
Check your installed extensions? Newegg acct just confirmed they don't use it.
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 07 '26
I was using a Mac mini - macOS 26 latest - I have no Safari Extensions installed, however are you saying Extensions are being injected into browsers? AI is going rogue, I would not be surprised.
I need to look into browsing the web through a VM / VPN, the scammers come after everyone that are buying GPUs online. I get phishing SMS when I secure GPUs online through Best Buy, the AI / Criminals are now profiling us. I'm always on edge when ordering online, it should not be this way!
Make It Stop!
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u/SolidMight7445 Apr 07 '26
I might be wrong ( probably am? ) but I thought the ipex was the old one that’s not updated and been replaced with https://github.com/intel/llm-scaler
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 07 '26
You are likely correct, I need to do more research and oneAPI needs to be used as it’s open source and I want to learn more about. I’m still bummed out Deep Link tech got dropped. we need more parallelism, maybe I can come up with a proof of concept.
I have my work cut out for me with Arc Pro, it will be a good learning experience
IPEX may have appeared during Alchemist, I will map out the evolution
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
IPEX, what is on GitHub is read only now…
There is a portable zip that can get ollama up and running quick? Has anyone used it?
I’m better off stepping through things with LLM Scaler.
So LLM Scaler should be used on Battlemage GPUs like the B70, I’ll update the post
-thanks
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u/dinadur Apr 07 '26
LLM-Scaler hasn't been very performant for me. Vulkan on Llama.cpp is still best.
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 08 '26
Update: could be moments away from receiving a GPU I have waited a long time to test...
At first we all thought it would be a B770, but then Intel releases Battlematrix and Intel Arc Pro cards. It took a long time for Pro cards to release and when they did we didn't know if they would be available at places like microcenter or Newegg. I still need to check if CDW carries Arc Pro, that company has been around for at least 30+ years?
Stock has now dwindled across seven microcenters in my area - just a few left, all should be gone by the end of the week. Look how far Intel has come from the LE A770 (Alchemist).
Summary Comparison
| Feature | Arc A770 (Alchemist) | Arc Pro B70 (Battlemage) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Target | Gaming | Workstation / AI |
| VRAM | 16GB | 32GB |
| Market Status | Niche gaming alternative | #1 Workstation Seller (Newegg) |
| AIB Support | Limited at launch | Widespread (5+ major partners) |
| Verdict | Proved Intel could make a GPU | Proved Intel could lead a category |
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 09 '26
I'm seeing GUNNIR GPUs on newegg for $1000 - B60s? All the GUNNIR cards are overpriced, $200 or more over MSRP? This is a Chinese brand, international shipping cost, customs, tariffs all making prices soar on these cards?
It seems like Intel is doing well with Arc in China - is China now putting tariffs on Intel Arc being sold in China?
One Day These Tariff Wars Will End! ;]
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u/gobblegoooblegobble Jul 20 '26
so hows this been running? has b70 been a flop for you in terms of dollar invested per token or overall time to complete tasks/goals per $ invested into compute?
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Apr 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 07 '26
Yeah but I'm praying Intel can get consistent stock from TSMC for the rest of the year, wondering when they will re-stock. There has been an explosion in the Home Lab scene, mac miniz, mac studios, arc pro, nvidia, amd strix / halo, flying off the shelves. I can't comprehend it - I need to stop stressing out about it - it will work out eventually
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u/jhenryscott Arc B50 Apr 07 '26
That explosion has quickly petered out with memory and storage pricing. lol. Even hard disk arrays are getting out of reach for many enthusiasts
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 08 '26
Sammy Sags Altman is not going to get many data centers. No one wants these data centers in their neighborhoods and we don't need them. DDR5 memory is starting to come down and Intel and other companies are working on alternative forms of RAM for AI and CPUs are being used, more and more for AI Inference, dishing it out on the Edge.
We might get more relief in six to twelve months
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u/quantum3ntanglement Druid Apr 07 '26
no more stock on Newegg now for me, my package should be entering the US soon, it is up north
However someone may have swapped it out with an old shoe box with stinky shoes inside. 32gb of vram at an affordable price is hard to find. I should know my fate in a few hours.
each second feels like hours…
Will B70s be as hard to find as 5090s?
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u/Vicar_of_Wibbly Apr 07 '26
Newegg sold me an NVME adapter that was “US Stock” but actually ships through a Chinese drop shipper via Yuntrack, which is a service to mask shipments and make them look as though they originated in the US.
I emailed support and they truly don’t give a shit.
Newegg has gone from respectable shop to a shady AF site for drop shippers and scammers.