AMD FirePro D500 vs Intel Arc B570 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the Intel Arc B570 and AMD FirePro D500 compare in overall benchmark standing?

A: The Intel Arc B570 records an average benchmark score of 20,556, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The AMD FirePro D500 records an average benchmark score of 18,533, placing it in the 62nd percentile. The B570 sits 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750, while the D500 sits 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 560X and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Arc A770M.

Q: Which card wins in the only shared benchmark test?

A: The only test recorded for both cards is Geekbench Vulkan. The Intel Arc B570 scores 96,844, while the AMD FirePro D500 scores 18,533. This gives the B570 a decisive 422.5% advantage in that test.

Q: What is the architectural generation gap between these two cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The AMD FirePro D500 uses the GCN 1.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The B570 belongs to the Battlemage (Arc 5) generation, while the D500 belongs to the FirePro Data Center (Dx00) generation.

Q: How do the memory subsystems differ?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD FirePro D500 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 243.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The B570 has more capacity and higher bandwidth despite a narrower bus.

Q: What are the transistor and die size differences?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, giving a density of 72.1M transistors per mm². The AMD FirePro D500 has 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die, giving a density of 12.3M transistors per mm². The B570 packs more than four times the transistor count into a smaller die.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The Intel Arc B570 is listed as Active, with a release date of January 15, 2025. The AMD FirePro D500 is listed as End-of-life, with a release date of January 17, 2014. The D500's predecessor is FirePro Terascale and its successor is Radeon Instinct; the B570's predecessor is Alchemist.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B570 wins the head-to-head comparison outright, taking the only shared benchmark test and recording superior scores across every category where data exists. The Geekbench Vulkan result shows the B570 at 96,844 versus the D500 at 18,533, a 422.5% lead that reflects a massive gap in modern API performance. The B570 also holds advantages in raw compute metrics: its FP32 throughput is 11.52 TFLOPS versus 2.227 TFLOPS for the D500, and its pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s versus 23.20 GPixel/s.

The AMD FirePro D500 does not win any benchmark test in this comparison. Its only recorded score is the Geekbench Vulkan result, where it trails by a wide margin. However, the D500 has strengths in legacy-oriented specifications. Its 384-bit memory bus is wider than the B570's 160-bit bus, and its 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 plus 1x SDI output configuration exceeds the B570's 1x HDMI 2.1a plus 3x DisplayPort 2.1 setup in terms of display count. The D500 also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the B570 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which can matter for older platforms.

For users evaluating these cards purely on recorded data, the B570 is the clear performance winner. The D500's niche would be in environments requiring multiple display outputs or legacy PCIe bandwidth, but benchmark results do not favor it anywhere.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc B570 and AMD FirePro D500 represent two very different eras of GPU design. The B570 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture, a modern gaming-oriented design from Intel's Battlemage generation. The D500 uses GCN 1.0, AMD's first-generation Graphics Core Next architecture, designed for professional FirePro workloads.

The manufacturing processes differ significantly. The B570 is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the D500 uses a 28 nm process at the same foundry. This process gap explains the transistor density disparity: the B570 achieves 72.1M transistors per mm² on a 272 mm² die, while the D500 manages only 12.3M transistors per mm² on a larger 352 mm² die. The B570 packs 19,600 million transistors total, compared to 4,313 million for the D500.

Ray tracing support is another key architectural difference. The B570 includes 18 dedicated RT cores, while the D500 has none. The B570 also lists tensor cores as null in the database, meaning no dedicated tensor hardware is recorded for either card. The B570 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the D500 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), reflecting a generational gap in API feature levels. Vulkan support also differs: the B570 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the D500 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

The memory architectures follow different paths. The B570 uses GDDR6 with a 160-bit bus, while the D500 uses GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus. The B570's memory clock is 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), while the D500's memory clock is 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective). The B570's bandwidth advantage comes from the faster memory technology, not the bus width.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The Intel Arc B570 has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. The AMD FirePro D500 has 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The B570 also has 18 RT cores; the D500 has none.

Clock speeds are recorded differently. The B570 has a base clock of 2500 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, both fixed at the same value. The D500 has no recorded base or boost clock, only its memory clock. The B570's pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s versus 23.20 GPixel/s for the D500. Texture rates are 360.0 GTexel/s versus 69.60 GTexel/s.

FP16 compute is listed for the B570 at 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while no FP16 figure is recorded for the D500. FP32 compute is 11.52 TFLOPS for the B570 versus 2.227 TFLOPS for the D500.

Power requirements differ substantially. The B570 has a TDP of 150 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W and a single 8-pin power connector. The D500 has a TDP of 274 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W and no recorded power connector type. Both are dual-slot cards, but the B570 measures 272 mm in length, while the D500 measures 279 mm.

The B570 uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the D500 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ: the B570 has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the D500 has 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 and 1x SDI. The B570 has a launch MSRP of 219 USD; the D500 has no recorded launch MSRP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark recorded in the database is Geekbench Vulkan. In this test, the Intel Arc B570 scores 96,844, while the AMD FirePro D500 scores 18,533. The B570 wins by 422.5%, a margin that dwarfs any other comparison in this matchup.

This Vulkan result is telling for modern workloads. Vulkan is a low-overhead API used in contemporary games and compute applications. The B570's Xe2-HPG architecture with DX12 Ultimate support is designed for this era, while the D500's GCN 1.0 architecture predates Vulkan's widespread adoption. The 422.5% delta represents not just a clock speed or core count difference, but a fundamental architectural advantage in handling modern rendering workloads.

The B570's other benchmark scores provide context for its overall standing. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2,649. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 83,514. PassMark results show 14,195 in G3D, 7,281 in GPU Compute, 661 in G2D, 164 in DirectX 9, 118 in DirectX 11, 72 in DirectX 12, and 65 in DirectX 10. These scores reflect a balanced profile across legacy and modern APIs.

The D500 has no other recorded benchmark scores. Its average benchmark score of 18,533 comes entirely from the single Geekbench Vulkan result. This makes the comparison one-sided: the B570 has a full suite of measurements, while the D500 has only one data point. Even so, that single data point shows a decisive B570 victory.

The nearest rival data reinforces the B570's positioning. Its average score of 20,556 is within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20,534) and 0.1% below the Intel Arc A750 (20,582). The D500's average score of 18,533 is 0.5% below the AMD Radeon RX 560X (18,626) and 0.8% above the Intel Arc A770M (18,383). These deltas show that the B570 competes with modern mid-range mobile GPUs, while the D500 sits near older entry-level desktop parts.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner: the Intel Arc B570. It wins the only shared benchmark test by 422.5%, holds a 65th percentile standing versus the D500's 62nd percentile, and has a substantially higher average benchmark score of 20,556 versus 18,533. The B570 also offers more shading units, more ROPs, ray tracing support, higher memory bandwidth, and a far more efficient 5 nm process.

The AMD FirePro D500's only advantage in the recorded data is its wider 384-bit memory bus and its larger number of display outputs (6x mini-DisplayPort and 1x SDI versus 1x HDMI and 3x DisplayPort). For users who need many simultaneous display connections from a single card, the D500 has a functional edge. Its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface may also be preferable on older platforms that lack PCIe 4.0.

For any modern rendering, gaming, or compute workload, the B570 is the logical choice from the database perspective. Its Vulkan score alone demonstrates a 422.5% lead over the D500. The B570 also has a lower TDP of 150 W versus 274 W for the D500, making it easier to integrate into systems with modest power budgets.

Buyers who prioritize current API support, ray tracing capability, and raw performance should select the Intel Arc B570. Buyers who need legacy multi-display output or have a platform limited to PCIe 3.0 might consider the FirePro D500, but the benchmark data does not support choosing it for performance reasons. The B570's active production status and 2025 release date also contrast with the D500's end-of-life status and 2014 release date, making the B570 the more future-proof option.