Intel Arc B70 looks useful only up to its 32GB limit
Intel Arc B70 can be a reasonable buy when 32GB of is the main need and other tradeoffs matter less. work can run fairly well with Vulkan or SYCL as long as the job fits inside that 32GB limit.
The trouble starts when a model or workload needs 33GB or more. In this experience, two Arc B70 cards cannot be reliably combined under common software to handle one larger workload.
That leaves a bad choice: accept very slow inference closer to central speed, or replace the setup with another vendor's s. The frustration is not only about one card, but about Intel's wider delay in giving Arc users strong AI software support.
Key points
- Arc B70’s main appeal is its 32GB of .
- Vulkan or SYCL can work reasonably well when the workload fits inside 32GB.
- Workloads above 32GB expose weak multi-card support.
- Without useful multi-card support, inference can become extremely slow.
- For low-cost local AI, software support matters as much as memory size.