The Intel Arc B580 and the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super represent two different approaches in the GPU market. The Arc B580, released on January 16th, 2025, is Intel’s latest attempt at penetrating the competitive GPU industry, leveraging advanced technologies and a smaller process node. In contrast, the RTX 2070 Super, released on July 9th, 2019, has established itself as a reliable performer in both gaming and productivity tasks, benefiting from Nvidia’s mature ecosystem and driver support. This article seeks to evaluate which GPU offers better value, performance, and efficiency at their current price points by providing detailed technical specifications, benchmark results, and various other relevant metrics.
Key Specifications and Technical Comparison
The Intel Arc B580 boasts a 5nm process node, a fixed clock speed of 2670 MHz, and includes 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 192-bit bus. It integrates 2560 CUDA cores, 160 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 160 Tensor Cores, and 20 RT Cores, with a suggested PSU requirement of 450W and a TDP of 190W. This setup makes the Arc B580 a very technically advanced and efficient design, leveraging the latest process technology.
On the other hand, the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super uses a 12nm process node with clock speeds ranging from 1605 MHz (base) to 1770 MHz (boost). It includes 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 256-bit bus, with 2560 CUDA cores, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 320 Tensor Cores, and 40 RT Cores. It has a higher suggested PSU requirement of 550W and a TDP of 215W. Nvidia’s card offers extensive support for well-established technologies like DLSS 3, putting it in a strong position for overall graphical prowess and efficiency, albeit with older manufacturing technology.
Key supporting technologies further differentiate the two; the Arc B580 includes AV1 encoding/decoding and Intel’s new XeSS technology for upscaling, while the RTX 2070 Super is commonly recognized for its well-optimized DLSS 3 support that has become an industry standard in recent gaming titles. These differences indicate that while the Intel Arc B580 focuses on achieving high performance through newer production processes and innovative features, Nvidia’s RTX 2070 Super relies on its tried and tested technologies to provide reliable and stable performance, particularly useful for gamers who also engage in other intensive tasks.
Gaming Performance at 1080p
To assess gaming capabilities, the cards were tested across a variety of games, each chosen to reflect diverse performance demands and test scenarios. The differences became apparent from the outset, with the Arc B580 generally outperforming in many titles.
In Resident Evil 4 Remake, the Arc B580 led with 88 FPS and 63 FPS (1% lows), significantly outpacing the RTX 2070 Super’s 71 FPS and 51 FPS. This almost 21.4% higher average frame rate highlighted the strength of the Arc GPU in modern game engines. However, the gap closed slightly in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, where the Arc B580’s 81 FPS just barely edged out the RTX 2070 Super’s 80 FPS. This slight difference demonstrated the Nvidia GPU’s stronger stability in low frame rate situations, posting 63 FPS in 1% lows compared to Arc’s 44 FPS.
In more demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 with Ray-Tracing and Upscaling enabled, the Arc B580 shone bright with 65 FPS and 52 FPS (1% lows) versus the RTX 2070 Super’s 49 FPS and 39 FPS. This 28.1% advantage speaks volumes about Intel’s advancements in handling sophisticated lighting and upscaling techniques. Similarly, in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, the Arc B580’s 70 FPS edged out the RTX 2070 Super’s 61 FPS, with a respectable 13.7% performance bump.
Switching to older, CPU-intensive titles like The Last of Us, the RTX 2070 Super regained its footing, outperforming with 66 FPS and 61 FPS (1% lows) over Arc B580’s 62 FPS and 56 FPS. God of War saw the Arc B580 take the lead again with 77 FPS, albeit with nearly identical 1% lows for both cards. In Hogwarts Legacy, however, the Arc B580’s impressive average of 66 FPS was dampened by its poor 21 FPS in 1% lows, compared to the RTX 2070 Super’s consistent average and low performance at 65 FPS and 50 FPS, respectively.
Finally, in Red Dead Redemption 2, a notorious benchmark for games with expansive open worlds, the Arc B580 excelled with 103 FPS, just ahead of the RTX 2070 Super’s 98 FPS. However, the Nvidia GPU’s better handling of the 1% lows underscored the nuances when high stable frame rates are required across diverse and intensive gaming sessions.
Productivity Benchmarks
While gaming benchmarks provided a strong case for the Arc B580, productivity benchmarks painted a different picture. The RTX 2070 Super generally outshone its Intel counterpart in content creation and other complex computational tasks, which required robust and stable performance in non-gaming applications.
In Blender, the RTX 2070 Super rendered 2,327 samples per minute, outperforming the Arc B580’s 1,800 samples per minute by a significant 25.5%. This trend of performance advantage continued in Geekbench 6 (OpenCL) where the RTX 2070 Super scored 103,038 compared to Arc B580’s 97,939, a 5.1% lead suggesting Nvidia’s stronger overall performance in compute-heavy environments.
Passmark testing showed a similarly stark contrast, with the RTX 2070 Super achieving 18,217 points against Arc B580’s 11,916. This 41.8% difference highlighted Nvidia’s maturity in optimized productivity tasks, a crucial point for professionals working in areas like 3D rendering, video editing, and other GPU-accelerated workloads. Such substantial performance differences indicate that while the Arc B580 can compete strongly in gaming scenarios, when it comes to productivity tasks, the RTX 2070 Super remains a preferred choice for users needing consistent computational power.
Power Consumption and Thermal Efficiency
Power consumption and thermal efficiency form critical considerations in GPU selection, impacting overall system stability, longevity, and operating costs. Here, the Arc B580 demonstrated marked superiority over the RTX 2070 Super, emphasizing its cutting-edge engineering advancements.
In terms of power consumption, the Arc B580 averaged 90.4W across all tested games, a remarkable feat considering the complexity of modern titles. This 75% increase in power efficiency compared to the RTX 2070 Super’s substantial 198.8W underscores Intel’s effective strategy in leveraging a smaller process node to achieve significant power savings without compromising performance.
Thermally, the Arc B580 continued to shine. It recorded average temperatures of 59.3°C, maintaining much cooler operations than the RTX 2070 Super, which averaged 64.4°C. This 8.3% cooler performance can result in significant benefits, especially in smaller, more compact builds where thermal management is crucial for system integrity and longevity. Furthermore, cooler operations usually equate to quieter operations, an often-overlooked advantage that can considerably improve the overall user experience for those who use their systems intensively or in quieter environments.
Pricing and Availability
When evaluating GPUs, especially for budget-conscious buyers or performance enthusiasts alike, pricing forms a fundamental part of the decision-making process. The current market prices heavily favor the Intel Arc B580, significantly skewing the decision towards Intel’s offering for many buyers.
Arc B580 is available at an incredibly competitive price of $250, making it an attractive option for gamers and users seeking high performance without the financial commitment of more expensive GPUs. This advantageous price point coupled with its advanced specifications and efficient power consumption provides a compelling value proposition, particularly as newer games and higher resolutions become standard.
Conversely, the RTX 2070 Super, with a market price hovering around $675, places it well beyond what many casual gamers or general users may consider feasible. While it excels in productivity and offers mature driver support, the substantial cost difference means it only truly becomes justifiable for productivity-focused users who rely heavily on consistent performance in demanding applications.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The Intel Arc B580 and Nvidia RTX 2070 Super exemplify two distinct strategies in the GPU market. Released on January 16th, 2025, the Arc B580 marks Intel’s ongoing efforts to carve out a place in the competitive GPU landscape by employing advanced technologies and a smaller process node for improved performance and efficiency.
On the other hand, the RTX 2070 Super, introduced on July 9th, 2019, has built a robust reputation over the years. It stands out for its reliability in both gaming and productivity tasks, largely thanks to Nvidia’s well-established ecosystem and dependable driver support.
This article aims to compare these two graphics cards to determine which one provides better value in terms of performance and power efficiency at their respective price points. We’ll delve into detailed technical specifications, benchmark results, and a range of other pertinent metrics to deliver a comprehensive analysis.
Additionally, we will look at how each GPU handles different workloads, the effectiveness of their cooling systems, and user experiences. By examining these aspects, we can provide a clearer picture of which GPU may be the right choice for various user needs, whether they’re gaming enthusiasts or professionals requiring strong performance for productivity.