While Intel’s marketing strategy is subtle, whispers suggest that their upcoming Battlemage GPUs are effectively rebranding what Alchemist should have achieved in the first place. Initially, these GPUs developed their full potential as PCIe devices only after a series of arduous driver updates over several months, whereas the flagship B580 boasted Nvidia-beating gaming performance straight out of the box. Despite being on the cutting edge of current graphics tech, with the potential for the GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 debuts possibly happening as we speak at CES 2025, there’s still an undeniable allure to this notion.
The B580’s competitiveness is clarified by its lack of direct comparison to the high-end RTX 5090 or 5080, which would undoubtedly come with a price tag as daunting as the number of Fabergé eggs required to create a cloyingly sweet wedding cake. While Intel may label the B580 as a 1440p-capable device, its true nature is that of an 1080p-thriving RTX 4060 competitor. In the UK, the device’s price range is somewhat limited, even when paired with an Nvidia GPU, with prices starting at £270 for the most basic model and £300 for Intel’s own Limited Edition version. In the United States, the cost-effective option is available, as the Restricted Version requires a mere $260 investment, a significantly lower price point compared to the typical $300 price tag of most RTX 4060 models.
The additional $40 also serves as compensation for the 4GB boost in VRAM over the 4060, with the B580 boasting a total of 12GB of GDDR6 memory. Despite its demands on a resizeable BAR, the Battlemage structure effectively targets several weaknesses inherent in Alchemist, honing its ray-tracing capabilities while maintaining a healthy distance from DirectX 9 games that invite disgust and concern. It’s likely that Lord isn’t aware of a world where AMD’s Radeon 7600 GPU is considered cheap or even remotely pointless, as it offers a competitive price-to-performance ratio for gamers on a budget.
Can we see how Intel’s Arc B580 performs at 1440p?
While the Arc B580’s technical capabilities are impressive within the realm of video games, unlocking its full potential requires more than simply installing ReBAR; a nuanced understanding of its intricacies is necessary to truly maximize its performance. At Intel’s default resolution of 2560×1440, the system delivered a passable but not exceptional display performance when coupled with the Core i5-11600K processor on the RPS test rig. Without significant improvements in Metro Exodus or F1 2022, the new GPU’s performance remains remarkably similar to that of the nearly two-year-old RTX 4060, despite the additional memory advantage.
I’ve long yearned to revamp our GPU benchmarking curriculum, considering many of these games have been superseded by their sequels or are as outdated as the i5-11600K itself. As a result of this realization, I decided to stop procrastinating and explore a revitalized setup featuring more recent games and a PC built around the powerful Core i9-13900K processor. While lacking the broad appeal of a mass-market CPU, this processor is designed to be more resilient to bottlenecks compared to its predecessor, the i5.
As the B580 leveraged its enhanced processing capabilities, the battle against the RTX 4060 became a resounding victory.
Capturing an impressive leap from lagging behind at 3fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, despite distinct differences in anti-aliasing, to a smooth 12fps. In Metro Exodus, the Arc B580 benefited marginally from the CPU upgrade, while the RTX 4060 showed no noticeable gain.
Unlike its AMD counterpart, the Radeon 7600, the B580 is capable of giving NVIDIA’s offerings a genuine challenge in terms of ray tracing capabilities. Cyberpunk 2077, a visually stunning game, achieved a mediocre 39fps on our high-performance rig when enabled with Psycho-level Real-Time (RT) rendering and max-quality upscaling, paired with NVIDIA’s XeSS technology – an underwhelming result even when utilized in conjunction with the powerful RTX 4060 and its DLSS capabilities. While playing Metro Exodus with extremely-quality ray tracing enabled, the Arc A750 maintained its lead, delivering a remarkable 52 frames per second compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060’s 43 frames per second. No artificial enhancements whatsoever were applied in this instance.
The Intel Arc B580’s 1080p performance is a mixed bag. In Superposition, the GPU manages a respectable 12,300 points, yet lags behind competitors by around 1,000 points. Conversely, in Time Spy, the Arc B580 achieves an impressive 14,400 points, outperforming some rivals.
However, when it comes to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the Intel Arc B580 falls short of expectations, recording a mere 40 frames per second – a far cry from the 60 FPS mark that most modern GPUs can achieve. It seems the Arc B580 is better suited for less demanding games like League of Legends and Fortnite, where it manages smooth frame rates.
What do these results mean?
Despite Intel’s claims, I remain unconvinced that the Arc B580 is truly a budget-friendly 1440p option – it does offer high-definition visuals at that resolution, but struggles to maintain 60fps in modern games, while for just £70 more, you could opt for the significantly faster RTX 4060 Ti. At 1080p, performance remains smooth and consistent, with the RTX 4060 actually outperforming its predecessor in this test setup.
With the Core i9-13900K, Battlemage scores a decisive victory, outpacing the RTX 4060 by significant margins across multiple tests, with only a narrow shortfall in Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
In a direct comparison, the Cyberpunk 2077 ray-tracing benchmark revealed only a slim margin between the Arc B580’s 58fps and the RTX 4060’s 59fps. Meanwhile, in Metro Exodus with Extremely RT enabled, Intel’s GPU pulled ahead, averaging 149fps to the GeForce’s 142fps. The Extremely Excessive preset in F1 2024’s graphics settings also employs ray tracing as standard, further testing the Arc B580’s capabilities under intense pressure without compromising its performance.
Despite being seemingly static, this scene holds numerous benefits, even when you’re not actively shopping for something; witnessing a single component erode can be pivotal in dismantling the monopoly of modern graphics cards. While Nvidia isn’t the sole producer capable of executing ray tracing efficiently, it’s unlikely to claim dominance in manufacturing the fastest sub-£300 card currently available – at least, not at native resolution. Despite the RTX 4060’s impressive energy efficiency, it still faces a formidable challenger: the Arc B580, whose 190W power consumption and 600W PSU requirement significantly surpass those of the 4060’s 115W rating and 550W demand. While my best result for the B580 drawing was a mere 118W, surprisingly outperforming the 126W I had previously observed on the 4060. This restricted version mannequin operates at a lower temperature, typically staying around 63°C when under heavy load, whereas its NVIDIA counterpart exhibits a noticeably higher range of 69-74°C.
Like I say, good things. Despite its focus on processing power, the Arc B580’s performance is influenced by individual perspectives, making direct comparisons to traditional benchmarks less relevant. This card doesn’t take full advantage of newer CPU technology, as its performance largely relies on the latest and most expensive processors.
It’s likely a combination of both. While budget-friendly graphics cards may find their way into aging desktops, it’s counterintuitive that the Arc B580’s impressive features are closely tied to the upgrade of a relatively expensive component. While exacting demands may not apply, The disparity in performance between Intel’s i9-13900K and mid-range Core i5-13600K isn’t significant, with the latter being only marginally faster than its predecessor, the Core i5-12600K, which dates back to an earlier generation. While the Arc B580 may struggle in outdated PCs, those with modern systems from recent years should experience a smoother performance.
While Intel hasn’t been a leader in this area recently, they’re certainly making progress now. Launched exclusively in F1 24, the Arc B580 initially benefited from XeSS technology; with the introduction of XeSS 2, this latest iteration of their DLSS-like upscaling tech now enables the GPU to further boost frame rates. To date, XeSS 2 appears to be a strong contender against DLSS in terms of visible high-quality performance, considering AMD FSR has been attempting and falling short for years – and its new spatial technology component also does an impressive job of replicating the AI-driven smoothness boost seen in DLSS 3. Beating it, even. At 1440p, the performance surged from 45fps to a remarkable 80fps when XeSS 2 was enabled; similarly, at 1080p, the frame rate jumped from 56fps to an impressive 102fps, both exceeding the respective 57fps and 77fps achieved by the RTX 4060 with DLSS 3.
AMD has attempted another approach similar to FSR 3, but XeSS 2 seemingly delivers superior results without introducing noticeable input lag? While I’m keen to explore XeSS 2, one thing that stands out about F1 24 so far is its promise.
While DLSS 3 holds a significant advantage in terms of widespread support, boasting a presence in over 100 games and numerous others on the horizon? As NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 continues to outpace XeSS 2, its value proposition remains firmly established, directly benefiting GPUs like the RTX 4060.
Although the Arc B580 may not render the RTX 4060 obsolete. NVIDIA will likely claim first-mover advantage by releasing their own iteration, the anticipated RTX 4060. The GeForce is a more reliable choice for 1080p setups relying on outdated CPUs, since its performance isn’t drastically affected by the CPU’s age; conversely, newer GPUs tend to benefit significantly from improved processor power.
While other GPUs may suit new builds or freshly upgraded PCs outside of the graphics card itself, the Arc B580 presents a genuine alternative. Undeniably, residing in the higher plane should offer a more profound understanding of body and mind, free from extraneous influences? Notwithstanding its limitations in ray tracing performance, the Alchemist-based Battlemage GPU effectively addresses its previous weaknesses and maintains overall system stability, unlike the Arc A750, which I experienced crashing issues with – this pleasantly peppy and reasonably priced GPU is more than sufficient for smooth 1080p gaming. In fact, it’s expected that the device will require around twenty driver updates just to arrive at its final configuration.
The assessment is based on a retail unit provided by the manufacturer.
