Intel Arc B580 Review: A $249 RTX 4060 Killer, One-and-a-Half Years Later
Freeman writes:
After much anticipation, many delays, and an anticipatory apology tour for its software quality, Intel launched its first Arc GPUs at the end of 2022. There were things to like about the A770 and A750, but buggy drivers, poor performance in older games, and relatively high power use made them difficult to recommend. They were more notable as curiosities than as consumer graphics cards.
[...]
The new Arc B580 card, the first dedicated GPU based on the new "Battlemage" architecture, launches into the exact same "sub-$300 value-for-money" graphics card segment that the A770 and A750 are already stuck in. But it's a major improvement over those cards in just about every way, and Intel has gone a long way toward fixing drivers and other issues that plagued the first Arc cards at launch. If nothing else, the B580 suggests that Intel has some staying power and that the B700-series GPUs could be genuinely exciting if Intel can get one out relatively soon.
[...]
As with the Arc A-series cards, Intel emphatically recommends that resizable BAR be enabled for your motherboard to get optimal performance. This is sometimes called Smart Access Memory or SAM, depending on your board; most AMD AM4 and 8th-gen Intel Core systems should support it after a BIOS update, and newer PCs should mostly have it on by default. Our test system had it enabled for the B580 and for all the other GPUs we tested.
[...]
Intel is explicitly targeting Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4060 with the Arc B580, a role it fills well for a low starting price. But the B580 is perhaps more damaging to AMD, which positions both of its 7600-series cards (and the remaining 6600-series stuff that's hanging around) in the same cheaper-than-Nvidia-with-caveats niche.
[...]
All of that said, Intel is putting out a great competitor to the RTX 4060 and RX 7600 a year and a half after those cards both launched-and within just a few months of a possible RTX 5060. Intel is selling mid-2023's midrange GPU performance in late 2024. There are actually good arguments for building a budget gaming PC right this minute, before potential Trump-administration tariffs can affect prices or supply chains, but assuming the tech industry can maintain its normal patterns, it would be smartest to wait and see what Nvidia does next.
Related articles on SoylentNews:
Intel Entrance To Graphics Card Market Has Failed - 20241008
Intel's GPU Drivers Now Collect Telemetry, Including 'How You Use Your Computer' - 20230818
Getting AAA Games Working in Linux Sometimes Requires Concealing Your GPU - 20230811
Rumors, Delays, and Early Testing Suggest Intel's Arc GPUs are on Shaky Ground - 20220810
Intel Arc GPUs Could Give Gamers a Reason to Drop Windows 11 for Linux - 20220202
Intel Plans to Launch High-End "Arc" GPUs in Q1 2022 - 20210817
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.