Intel has officially announced the upcoming release of its new Arc B580 and B570 “Battlemage” graphics cards, marking an important step in the company’s ongoing efforts to compete in the desktop GPU market. Set to launch in December 2024, these cards are designed to provide budget-conscious gamers with solid performance and greater value for money. The B580, priced at $249, and the B570, at $219, are positioned as excellent “performance per dollar” options. Intel promises that these cards will deliver impressive results in gaming, particularly at 1440p resolution and ultra settings, while also featuring more memory and improved core architecture compared to previous models.
Performance and Specs
Both the B580 and B570 graphics cards are built on Intel’s Xe2 “Battlemage” GPU architecture, which is also used in Intel’s Lunar Lake laptop chips. However, these desktop variants come with major improvements, including significantly more graphics cores and up to 12GB of dedicated video memory—double that of their laptop counterparts. These changes make the new cards more powerful, capable of handling more demanding tasks than the limited laptop versions.
Intel’s benchmarks suggest that the Arc B580 offers better-than-expected performance, sometimes edging out competitors like Nvidia’s $299 RTX 4060 and AMD’s $269 RX 7600. In general, the B580 is reported to run around 10% faster than the RTX 4060 in a range of games at 1440p and ultra settings, provided both cards are paired with Intel’s high-end Core i9-14900K CPU. This combination reportedly achieves a consistent 60fps or higher in demanding titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Returnal, and The Witcher 3, where the RTX 4060 struggles to maintain that frame rate.
However, while the B580 performs well in several titles, it still falls behind the Nvidia card in some games, such as Starfield, Gears 5, and certain Assassin’s Creed titles. In less demanding games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and League of Legends, the performance gap is much smaller, with both cards performing admirably. Intel’s strategy here is to offer a competitive price, undercutting Nvidia’s offerings, which may make it more appealing to those looking for value without sacrificing too much in terms of performance.
Memory and Gaming Performance
One of the key advantages Intel touts for the B580 is its 12GB of video memory, compared to the RTX 4060’s 8GB. This additional memory could make a significant difference in memory-heavy games, particularly those with large, complex environments or more demanding graphical features. For instance, in Forza Motorsport, the RTX 4060 manages 86fps compared to the B580’s 77fps, but when ray tracing is enabled, the B580 pulls ahead with 64fps to the 4060’s 57fps. This shows that Intel’s card is better equipped for ray tracing, which can quickly saturate the memory of less powerful GPUs.
Intel has also compared the B580 to its own previous-gen A750, which originally retailed for $289 but is now available for as low as $180. The new Arc B580 is 24% faster on average in many games, thanks to the enhanced cores and memory bandwidth. However, there are instances where performance gains are less noticeable, especially in games that benefit more from Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR technologies. For example, Baldur’s Gate 3 saw minimal performance improvement with the new card, likely due to Intel’s XeSS AI upscaling feature, which isn’t always as effective in every title.
Limited Edition and Partner Variants
Intel will release its own Arc B580 Limited Edition card, which will feature a dual-fan design, a single 8-pin power connector, and a focus on quiet operation. In addition to Intel’s own offering, several third-party manufacturers such as Acer, ASRock, Gunnir, Sparkle, Maxsun, and Onix will also produce versions of the B580, giving customers more variety and potentially better cooling options.
Future Prospects and XeSS Technology
Despite its promising specifications, Intel’s entry into the discrete GPU market has faced some significant challenges, particularly in terms of market share. Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, recently hinted that the company’s discrete graphics card lineup could be at risk, especially following his departure from Intel, leaving the future of Intel’s desktop GPU efforts uncertain.
In addition to the Arc B580 and B570 cards, Intel also introduced upgrades to its XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) technology, which competes with Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR. XeSS 2 offers new features such as frame generation, which helps increase frame rates by generating new frames between existing ones, and a Low Latency mode, which aims to eliminate the lag typically associated with frame generation. While this Low Latency mode requires game developers to integrate it into their engines for optimal results, Intel will also offer a driver-based version, allowing users to toggle the feature on and off.
Some games that will benefit from XeSS 2 include F1 24, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Dying Light 2, Killing Floor 3, and RoboCop: Rogue City, among others. This could be an important factor for gamers who want a more fluid experience in supported titles.
Conclusion
The Intel Arc B580 and B570 graphics cards represent the company’s most significant push into the desktop GPU market in recent years, offering competitive performance at a budget-friendly price. While the cards may not fully dethrone Nvidia or AMD in the high-end GPU market, their price-to-performance ratio and large memory capacity could make them a solid option for gamers on a budget, especially those looking for 1440p gaming performance.
However, the GPU market is known for rapid shifts in pricing and competition, and with Intel’s future in discrete GPUs uncertain, the long-term success of these cards remains to be seen. With the introduction of XeSS 2, Intel is also aiming to close the gap with Nvidia’s and AMD’s AI-driven upscaling technologies, though it will depend on developer adoption. Ultimately, Intel’s Arc B580 and B570 cards are an exciting step forward, but their ability to disrupt the market will depend on how well they can capitalize on their price advantage and memory capacity.
