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ASUS is charging RTX 5090 money for Intel Arc, and your wallet may need a moment

ASUS prices its Intel Arc Pro B70 at nearly twice Intel’s original starting price

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Intel Arc Pro B70
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ASUS has started selling its UGen Intel Arc Pro B70 graphics card in Europe, bringing its take on Intel’s workstation GPU to customers with a hefty €1,799 recommended price. The card is available in Germany and Austria, while ASUS lists it at CHF 1,799 in Switzerland.

Intel first introduced the Arc Pro B70 in March 2026, with its own branded model starting at $949. ASUS’s version arrives several months later with the same core GPU architecture but a different cooling design and a higher power rating. The price also places it well above Intel’s original starting point, although the two prices are not directly comparable because ASUS’s European figure includes VAT.

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The UGen Arc Pro B70 targets professional users and developers running AI workloads locally, rather than gamers looking for a conventional graphics card upgrade. The biggest talking point, however, is the price. ASUS is asking €1,799 for its UGen Arc Pro B70 in Europe, equivalent to roughly $2,000 before accounting for regional pricing differences. That puts the workstation GPU in the same price territory as NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090, which launched in the US at $1,999 with 32GB of GDDR7 memory. The comparison is striking, even if the two cards target different workloads and cannot be judged on price alone. ASUS is pitching its 32GB Intel GPU at local AI inference and professional applications, but at this price, buyers will want convincing evidence that its performance, software support and workstation features justify the premium. ASUS has not announced US pricing for its version.

32GB memory targets local AI and workstation workloads

The ASUS UGen Arc Pro B70 is built around Intel’s Xe2 architecture and packs 32GB of ECC GDDR6 memory, 32 Xe2 cores and 256 XMX engines for AI acceleration. The card also features a dual-slot blower-style cooler and a rated board power of 310W, compared with 230W for Intel’s reference model.

Its large memory capacity is intended to help developers run AI models and inference workloads directly on their own systems, reducing dependence on cloud services. ASUS also promotes multi-GPU configurations, with up to four cards combining for 128GB of video memory. At the announced price, however, a four-card setup would cost €7,196 for the GPUs alone.

ASUS pricing puts pressure on the value proposition

Intel announced the Arc Pro B70 in March with a starting price of $949 for its own branded card, while partner models were expected to vary in price. ASUS’s €1,799 European recommendation is substantially higher, though the difference reflects separate products, markets and tax treatment rather than a direct like-for-like comparison.

For developers and businesses handling sensitive information, local AI processing can offer greater control over data and reduce reliance on external services. The B70’s 32GB memory capacity could also make it appealing for workloads that exceed the limits of mainstream graphics cards with less VRAM.

Still, price will matter as buyers weigh ASUS’s card against competing workstation GPUs and cloud-based AI services. Its higher power rating also means system cooling and power delivery deserve attention when planning a workstation.

For US buyers, ASUS’s European pricing raises questions about how much its Arc Pro B70 will cost if it reaches the American market. We stated earlier that Intel launched its own 32GB Arc Pro B70 at $949 in March, but retail prices for the broader card family have since climbed well above that figure at some US stores. Newegg currently lists an Intel Arc Pro B70 model for $1,945.99, while prices may vary by listing and seller. ASUS has confirmed European pricing, but it has not announced a US price or availability date for its UGen model.

With the card now reaching customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the next question is whether its real-world AI performance and software support justify the premium. ASUS is entering a market where memory capacity matters, but price, compatibility, and sustained performance will ultimately determine whether the UGen Arc Pro B70 finds an audience.

Moinak Pal
Moinak Pal is has been working in the technology sector covering both consumer centric tech and automotive technology for the…
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