Intel Launches Arc B-Series Graphics Cards Starting at $249, Rivaling RTX 4060 Performance
Intel has recently unveiled its latest foray into the graphics card market with the introduction of the Arc B580 and B570 models, possibly marking Intel's final venture into standalone GPUs. This move comes shortly after Pat Gelsinger, who recently stepped down, hinted at Intel's potential withdrawal from the standalone graphics card market once again.
The "B" in these models stands for Intel's Battlemage architecture, underpinning the entry-level positioning of the B580 and B570. According to Intel's own benchmarks, these cards offer performance on par with NVIDIA's RTX 4060 and AMD's RX 7600, aiming to deliver high value for their price points. Priced at 249 for the Arc B580 and 219 for the B570, these graphics cards are set to ship on December 13th ,2024 and January 16th, 2025, respectively.
In terms of specifications, the B580 and B570 double the graphics core count compared to their laptop counterparts, enabling significantly better performance. They come with 12GB of video memory and a maximum power draw of 190W. Intel tested the B580 paired with its top-of-the-line 14900K CPU, showcasing a 10% performance increase over the RTX 4060 at 1440p resolution and higher. The tested games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, The Witcher 3, and Returnal, ran at a stable 60FPS, a feat the RTX 4060 sometimes failed to achieve.
Furthermore, in ray tracing performance, the B580 outperformed the RTX 4060 in titles like the Forza racing series, benefiting from its 12GB of VRAM compared to the 4060's 8GB, achieving 64FPS versus 57FPS.
These comparisons suggest that Intel's aim isn't to claim the B580 as superior to the RTX 4060, but rather to demonstrate its comparable performance, encouraging consumers to consider Intel alongside NVIDIA and AMD when purchasing a new graphics card.
However, there's no direct comparison available for the B570 and the RX 7600, with Intel focusing solely on the B580 versus the RTX 4060 matchup. Those interested in the B570 might want to wait for more detailed reviews before making a decision.
Key Specifications of Intel Arc B580:
- Cores: 20 Intel Xe
- Render Slices: 5
- Ray Tracing Units: 20
- XMX AI Engines: 160
- Frequency: 2670MHz
- Video Memory: 12GB
- Memory Bus Width: 192bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 456GB/s
- Max Power: 190W
- Power Connector: 8-Pin
- PCIe Configuration: PCIe 4.0×8
- Codecs: AV1, HEVC, AVC, VP9, XAVC-H
- Ports: 3x DP 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.1
Key Specifications of Intel Arc B570:
- Cores: 18 Intel Xe
- Render Slices: 5
- Ray Tracing Units: 18
- XMX AI Engines: 144
- Frequency: 2500MHz
- Video Memory: 10GB
- Memory Bus Width: 160bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 380GB/s
- Max Power: 150W
- Power Connector: 8-Pin
- PCIe Configuration: PCIe 4.0×8
- Codecs: AV1, HEVC, AVC, VP9, XAVC-H
- Ports: 3x DP 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.1