Intel Arc B580 matches RTX 4060 and RX 7600 XT in Geekbench, but in-depth reviews will tell the full story

One thing to stay up for: With Intel’s second era of discrete graphics playing cards simply days from launch, Geekbench leaks are beginning to put the corporate’s efficiency claims to the take a look at. Early stories recommend the Arc B580’s efficiency is akin to present mid-range rivals, however detailed evaluation from TechSpot and different retailers will paint a extra full image.

Early Geekbench outcomes recommend that Intel’s upcoming Arc B580 graphics card performs roughly on par with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT. Whereas the preliminary benchmarks fall barely in need of Intel’s projections, the complete image might not turn into clear till the cardboard is extensively examined in real-world situations.

Examined on a system outfitted with an Intel Core Extremely 9 258K processor and 48GB of DDR5 RAM, the Arc B580 achieved an OpenCL rating of 98,343 and a Vulkan rating of 103,445. These outcomes place it in the identical efficiency vary because the RTX 4060 and RX 7600 XT. Nevertheless, counting on solely two benchmark exams leaves out different important features of efficiency that would emerge as soon as the cardboard is in broader use.

Testing the Arc B580 alongside a high-end CPU and 48GB of RAM doubtless allowed the cardboard to carry out at its peak potential, whereas the Nvidia and AMD benchmarks account for a wider vary of system configurations. As a $250 mid-range product, the B580 will doubtless be paired with mainstream CPUs and extra modest reminiscence setups in typical use circumstances.

Nevertheless, artificial benchmarks like Geekbench solely inform a part of the story. Actual-world game-specific benchmarks, that are absent from each Geekbench and Intel’s promotional supplies, will present a clearer image of the cardboard’s true capabilities.

Intel claims the B580 delivers one of the best worth within the mainstream GPU market, estimating its raster efficiency to exceed the RTX 4060 by 32 % and the RX 7600 by 26 %. These projections are considerably extra optimistic than the current Geekbench outcomes recommend.

That mentioned, the third-party exams don’t specify which drivers have been used, a important element given Arc’s historical past of driver-related efficiency challenges and subsequent important enhancements. Moreover, Geekbench benchmarks omit ray tracing efficiency, the place Intel claims the B580 outperforms the RTX 4060 by 25 % and the RX 7600 by 37 %.

Whereas the B580 debuts as an aggressive worth proposition – undercutting the RTX 4060 and RX 7600 by roughly $50 and providing considerably extra VRAM – its aggressive edge could also be short-lived.

Nvidia and AMD are anticipated to disclose their next-generation GPUs at CES in January. AMD’s RX 8000 sequence will primarily goal the mainstream sector, competing immediately with the B580, whereas Nvidia’s RTX 5000 lineup will start with enthusiast-level playing cards, adopted by mid-range choices. Nevertheless, early rumors recommend the RTX 5060 might embrace solely 8GB of VRAM in comparison with the B580’s 12GB, doubtlessly limiting its efficiency in high-resolution situations.