Intel Arc B580 vs. Nvidia RTX 4060: a one-sided showdown

Intel is again with among the best graphics playing cards you should buy — the Arc B580. As you possibly can learn in my Intel Arc B580 assessment, it’s a graphics card that has no enterprise being as highly effective as it’s given how cheap it’s. And when evaluating it to its most important competitor, Nvidia’s RTX 4060, Intel mops the ground with its rival.

I’ve been testing Intel’s newest GPU over the past couple of weeks, and I made a decision to place it head-to-head with Nvidia’s price range RTX 4060, which is at present the second-most-popular GPU on Steam. Given the efficiency I’ve seen, Intel’s GPU deserves to begin climbing up the rankings in those self same charts.

Specs and pricing

When evaluating two completely different architectures from two completely different manufacturers, it’s necessary to not draw too many conclusions primarily based on specs alone. Intel is utilizing its Battlemage structure, and Nvidia its Ada Lovelace structure, and these two designs scale in another way by way of core depend and react in another way to clock velocity.

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There are two most important specs that we will examine between these GPUs, and each are necessary. First, energy. The Arc B580 is configured like a lowe- midrange graphics playing cards in lots of respects, and it comes with a design able to 190 watts to match. The RTX 4060, alternatively, tops out at 115W. There’s little doubt that the RTX 4060 is extra environment friendly, however each GPUs nonetheless solely require a single 8-pin energy connector.

The extra necessary distinction is VRAM. The Arc B580 comes with 12GB of GDDR6 reminiscence, whereas the RTX 4060 is locked to 8GB of GDDR6 reminiscence. Moreover, Intel is utilizing a 192-bit bus whereas Nvidia is utilizing a 128-bit bus. Not solely does the Arc B580 have larger reminiscence capability, nevertheless it additionally has larger bandwidth that helps it account for the small quantity of cache out there on the RTX 4060.

The dying of 8GB GPUs has been a gradual and painful one, however we’re beginning to see the saga come to an in depth with video games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Titles like this may stress 8GB graphics playing cards, even at 1080p. Although graphics playing cards aren’t solely outlined by their VRAM — most titles run simply effective with 8GB, notably at 1080p — you’ll respect the additional capability on the Arc B580 when video games like Indiana Jones roll round.

It’s simple to justify the additional VRAM, too, as a result of it doesn’t come at an extra value. In truth, the Arc B580 is a bit cheaper than the RTX 4060. The RTX 4060 has an inventory value of $300, and most fashions nonetheless promote round that value. Overclocked variations attain as much as $330, whereas fashions on sale often drop to round $290. But total, you must anticipate to spend about $300 on an RTX 4060.

The Arc B580, in the meantime, retails for $250. That’s the value set by Intel, although it’s exhausting to say what the value will likely be at retailers within the coming weeks. The Arc B580 simply launched, and given its surprisingly succesful efficiency, it might find yourself being a preferred GPU. If that’s the case, costs might rise as much as $300, although I don’t think about they’ll transcend that time. If you will get your foot within the door early, nonetheless, you’ll save $50 in comparison with the RTX 4060.

Gaming efficiency

Both the Arc B580 and RTX 4060 are 1080p graphics playing cards, however with a couple of graphics tweaks and the help of DLSS or XeSS, you possibly can push them to 1440p. Above, you possibly can see the benchmarks I ran for 1080p. The outcomes right here had been gathered on the identical day on the very same take a look at bench, and I used the best graphics preset out there with out upscaling (aside from Black Myth: Wukong, which I ran at 68% decision scale).

It’s a one-sided battle right here, with Intel taking the lead. If you account for ray tracing, which I’ll get into subsequent, the Arc B580 comes out a clear 9% forward of the RTX 4060. There are some video games the place the 2 playing cards are shut, reminiscent of Black Myth: Wukong and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, however the Arc B580 completely crushes its opponent in titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Returnal, and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. 

The RTX 4060 claims a few important wins, together with in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. The Arc B580 severely struggles on this title throughout resolutions. Then there’s Dying Light 2. Nvidia clearly wins on this sport at 1080p, however the Arc B580 appears to have a problem with this specific title at that decision.

You can see how the script flips in Dying Light 2 at 1440p. Intel’s structure scales higher to larger resolutions, which isn’t solely to do with the VRAM capability. The Arc B580 claims a lead at this decision in each title I examined, in need of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. 

Once you think about ray tracing, the Arc B580 finally ends up 18% forward of the RTX 4060 at 1440p, which is an enormous hole. It’d be one factor if these two GPUs had been shut, however they’re not. Intel is providing higher efficiency and a cheaper price with the Arc B580, which is severely spectacular.

Ray tracing efficiency

Nvidia usually dominates ray tracing efficiency, however the Arc A770 and A750 proved that Intel has ray tracing chops, too. The Arc B580 places that on full show. In the three titles I examined, the Arc B580 claimed a lead at 1080p, as you possibly can see above, and typically by a strong margin.

The similar was true at 1440p, and similar to rasterized efficiency, the Arc B580 has a fair wider margin over the RTX 4060. The Arc B580 is extra highly effective than the RTX 4060, however on the subject of ray tracing, that further VRAM capability definitely helps loads as nicely.

However, it’s not all upside for Intel. One sport lacking right here is Black Myth: Wukong, which might constantly crash with path tracing enabled on the Arc B580. Intel has already addressed the difficulty, nevertheless it speaks to a wider concern with Intel GPUs. Although the Arc B580 is implausible, Intel’s discrete graphics enterprise remains to be comparatively younger, and there typically are video games the place the playing cards present odd efficiency and bugs.

The state of affairs isn’t almost as unhealthy because it was with Intel’s first technology, and I think that almost all customers won’t ever run into severe points. However, Intel hasn’t labored out the entire kinks with its graphics software program but, so there are often video games the place you see minor points like this. Thankfully, a majority of these issues are often addressed inside a matter of days with a brand new driver.

DLSS and XeSS

An enormous facet of contemporary GPUs is upscaling, and Intel and Nvidia each have large instruments on that entrance. For Nvidia, it’s DLSS 3. This will get you upscaling in a whole bunch of video games, chunk of which additionally assist DLSS Frame Generation. A choose few titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2 assist Nvidia’s Ray Reconstruction as nicely, although the RTX 4060 often isn’t highly effective sufficient to reap the benefits of that function.

DLSS is basically the gold normal for each upscaling and body technology, not solely as a result of it appears and performs excellently, but additionally as a result of it’s out there in so many video games. Nvidia aggressively pushes its new options, and meaning you’ve gotten a whole bunch of fashionable titles with DLSS assist.

Intel has its XeSS, which can be superb. The Arc B580 helps XeSS 2, which mirrors the DLSS 3 bundle with each upscaling and body technology, nevertheless it’s solely out there in a single title proper now — F1 24. Intel has executed good work to choose up adoption of XeSS, although it’s sill wasy behind Nvidia.

XeSS can match DLSS’ high quality and efficiency, however the principle factor holding it again is adoption. In some video games with the Arc B580, you’ll must resort to utilizing AMD’s FSR when XeSS isn’t out there. That’s the one main trade-off on the subject of the Arc B580.

One-sided win

The headline right here is healthier efficiency and a cheaper price. The Arc B580 handily wins this comparability, not solely matching the RTX 4060, however typically showcasing a lot better efficiency with its bigger VRAM capability. The proven fact that it’s $50 cheaper is simply the cherry on high.

Time will inform if XeSS 2 adoption ramps up extra aggressively than the primary model did, however that’s the one main downside of the Arc B580 proper now. DLSS 3 is accessible in a ton of video games, and it largely justifies the typically mediocre efficiency of the RTX 4060. Thankfully, Intel is providing sufficient with the Arc B580 to beat its drawback on the upscaling and frame-generation entrance.