Linux Mint Drivers For Arc Pro B50

[MisterMitch]

I do like this video card but I'm pretty confident  I'm not getting best performance of the 16gb vram when using LLM's.  Intel has a list of Arc graphics cards with drivers for Linux but the Arc Pro B50 is not listed.  My first question... will any of the Arc drivers they have listed work on the B50 ?  And my second question.... does any one know if Intel is working on  driver ?  Thx

[CM_Intel]

Hello MisterMitch,

Thank you for posting your query on the Intel Community Forum!

We understand your concern regarding the performance of your Intel Arc Pro B50 GPU, especially while running LLM workloads, and your query about driver availability on Linux Mint.

To help you get the most accurate and detailed information on Intel graphics drivers for Linux, we recommend reviewing the official Intel support article below, which provides detailed guidance on available drivers and supported platforms:

How to Identify & Find Graphics Drivers for Linux*

This resource will help you better understand driver compatibility and installation options.

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to reach out to us. We’ll be happy to help!

Thankyou for your understanding.

Best regards,

CM

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Resolutions404]

Hi @MisterMitch,

I wanted to jump in and give you the direct, technical breakdown regarding your Arc Pro B50 on Linux Mint so you can get those LLMs running properly!

To answer your core question: No, the standard Arc drivers listed on that support page will not work for your card out-of-the-box.

Here is the logical breakdown of why:

• The Architecture Gap: The drivers on that official page are for older, first-generation "Alchemist" cards, which use the legacy i915 kernel driver. Your B50 is a next-gen "Battlemage" card, which requires Intel's brand-new xe kernel driver and updated firmware.

• The Linux Mint Hurdle: Mint uses a conservative, older Linux kernel for stability. It simply doesn't include that new xe driver natively yet. To unlock your 16GB VRAM for LLM compute workloads, you'll need to manually upgrade to a newer mainline Linux kernel and install the latest Intel Compute Runtime.

Hopefully, this gives you the exact clarity you need to take control of your setup!

Your friendly neighbourhood user!!!!