AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 vs Intel Arc B580 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700, which wins 9 of the 10 head-to-head comparisons against the Intel Arc B580. The most dramatic separation occurs in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the R9700 scores 7006 against the Arc B580’s 3068 — a 128.4% advantage. That is more than double the Intel card’s performance in a modern DirectX 12 workload, and it sets the tone for the rest of the suite.

The AMD card also dominates legacy DirectX tests. In Passmark DirectX 11, the R9700 posts 272 versus 128 for the Arc B580, a 112.5% lead. Passmark DirectX 10 shows a similar story: 155 versus 76, a 103.9% margin. Even in the older DirectX 9 test, the R9700 doubles the Intel part, scoring 363 against 183 — a 98.4% gap. These results indicate that the R9700 is not merely faster in modern titles; it carries that advantage backward through older APIs, which matters for compatibility with legacy software.

Compute workloads tell the same tale. Passmark GPU Compute gives the R9700 15300 points versus 7729 for the Arc B580, a 98% lead. Geekbench OpenCL also favors AMD, with 118202 against 92821 — a 27.3% advantage. The R9700’s raw FP32 throughput of 47.84 TFLOPS versus 13.67 TFLOPS for the Arc B580 explains much of this, as does its 4096 shading units versus 2560.

The one bright spot for Intel is Geekbench Vulkan. There, the Arc B580 scores 109672 against the R9700’s 63550, a 42.1% reversal. This is a significant win for Intel, suggesting that its Xe2-HPG architecture handles Vulkan workloads particularly well, or that the R9700’s drivers are less optimized for that API. It is the only test where Intel leads, but it is not a small margin — it is a substantial one.

Other wins for AMD are more moderate but consistent. Passmark G3D shows 26979 versus 15748, a 71.3% lead. Passmark G2D is 1236 versus 709, a 74.3% margin. Passmark DirectX 12 is closer: 83 versus 76, just 9.2% apart. That near-tie in DirectX 12 is notable because it suggests that in some modern API paths, the gap narrows considerably, even if the R9700 still comes out ahead.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different foundries and process nodes. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 uses a 4 nm process at TSMC, while the Intel Arc B580 uses a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The R9700’s die, Navi 48, measures 357 mm² and packs 53,900 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 151.0M per mm². The Arc B580’s BMG-G21 die is smaller at 272 mm² with 19,600 million transistors, giving a density of 72.1M per mm². The R9700 is built on RDNA 4.0 architecture, while the Arc B580 uses Xe2-HPG. The AMD card belongs to the Radeon Pro Navi (Navi IV Series) generation; Intel’s is from the Battlemage (Arc 5) generation.

Memory configurations differ sharply. The R9700 carries 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with 456.0 GB/s. That is a 2.66x capacity advantage and a 41% bandwidth advantage for AMD. For workloads that stress memory capacity — such as large AI models or high-resolution textures — the R9700’s 32 GB is a clear separator.

Clock behavior also differs. The R9700 has a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2350 MHz, and a boost clock of 2920 MHz. The Arc B580 runs at a flat 2670 MHz base and boost, with no game clock specified. Memory clocks are similar in effective terms: 20.1 Gbps for AMD versus 19 Gbps for Intel. The R9700’s higher boost clock, combined with more shading units, explains much of its compute advantage.

The R9700 has 64 ray tracing cores, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The Arc B580 has 20 ray tracing cores, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Pixel rate is 373.8 GPixel/s for AMD versus 213.6 GPixel/s for Intel. Texture rate is 747.5 GTexel/s versus 427.2 GTexel/s. The R9700’s FP16 throughput is 47.84 TFLOPS (1:1 with FP32), while the Arc B580’s FP16 is 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). This means the AMD card does not gain extra FP16 performance from a packed math path, whereas Intel effectively doubles its FP16 rate.

Power and connectivity also diverge. The R9700 has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 700 W suggested PSU, with a single 16-pin connector. The Arc B580 has a TDP of 190 W and a 450 W suggested PSU, using a single 8-pin connector. The R9700 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Arc B580 uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Both are dual-slot cards, but the R9700 is slightly shorter (267 mm versus 272 mm), narrower (111 mm versus 115 mm), and thinner (40 mm versus 45 mm). Display outputs are similar: the R9700 has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a; the Arc B580 has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more benchmarks overall?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 wins 9 of 10 head-to-head tests. The only Intel win is Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: How large is the AMD card’s lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad?

A: The R9700 scores 7006 versus 3068 for the Arc B580, a 128.4% advantage — more than double.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 competitive in any compute workload?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the Arc B580 scores 109672 against 63550 for the R9700, a 42.1% lead. In Passmark GPU Compute, however, the R9700 leads by 98%.

Q: What memory capacity does each card offer?

A: The R9700 has 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The R9700 has a 300 W TDP and needs a 700 W PSU. The Arc B580 has a 190 W TDP and needs a 450 W PSU.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The R9700 boosts to 2920 MHz. The Arc B580 runs at a flat 2670 MHz.

The Verdict

The data points to two different use cases. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the clear performance leader, winning 9 of 10 benchmarks with margins ranging from 9.2% to 128.4%. Its 32 GB memory, higher FP32 throughput, and larger shading unit count make it the choice for compute-heavy, memory-hungry, or modern DX12-heavy workloads. The 128.4% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 98% lead in Passmark GPU Compute are decisive.

The Intel Arc B580 is not without merit. Its 42.1% win in Geekbench Vulkan shows that in Vulkan-specific applications, it can outperform the AMD card significantly. It also has a much lower TDP — 190 W versus 300 W — and a lower suggested PSU requirement of 450 W versus 700 W. For a builder prioritizing power efficiency or Vulkan-based software, the Arc B580 is a viable alternative.

However, the overall average benchmark scores tell a different story. The R9700’s average is 23315, while the Arc B580’s is 23021 — only 1.3% apart. That near-parity in average score is misleading because it hides the R9700’s dominant wins in specific tests. The R9700 sits at the 69th percentile of all GPUs; the Arc B580 is at the 68th. In practical terms, the R9700 is the stronger card for most workloads, but the Arc B580 is competitive in a narrower slice.

The R9700’s nearest rivals are AMD Radeon R9 M290X (0.2% higher average), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.2% higher), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (0.3% higher), and NVIDIA P106-100 (0.3% higher). The Arc B580’s nearest rivals include AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% higher), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% higher), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% lower), and NVIDIA P106-100 (1% lower). Both cards sit in a crowded performance band, but the R9700’s specific test wins push it ahead.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 | Intel Arc B580 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 4.0 | Xe2-HPG |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 53,900 million | 19,600 million |

| Die Size | 357 mm² | 272 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 151.0M / mm² | 72.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1660 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2920 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2350 MHz | None |

| Memory Size | 32 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 644.6 GB/s | 456.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4096 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 256 | 160 |

| ROPs | 128 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 64 | 20 |

| FP32 | 47.84 TFLOPS | 13.67 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 47.84 TFLOPS (1:1) | 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 373.8 GPixel/s | 213.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 747.5 GTexel/s | 427.2 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 300 W | 190 W |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 450 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Length | 267 mm | 272 mm |

| Height | 111 mm | 115 mm |

| Width | 40 mm | 45 mm |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 wins in every category except one. It is the pick for DirectX 12 gaming, as shown by the 128.4% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and the 9.2% lead in Passmark DirectX 12. It is also the pick for legacy DirectX titles, with leads of 103.9% in DX10, 112.5% in DX11, and 98.4% in DX9. For compute work, the R9700’s 98% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and 27.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL make it the stronger choice. Its 32 GB memory capacity is a major advantage for large datasets or high-resolution textures, and its 644.6 GB/s bandwidth supports that capacity. The R9700 also wins in 2D performance, leading 74.3% in Passmark G2D, and in overall 3D performance with a 71.3% lead in Passmark G3D.

The Intel Arc B580 has one clear domain: Vulkan. Its 42.1% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is substantial and suggests that applications built on Vulkan — many modern games and compute frameworks — will run better on this card. The Arc B580 also wins on power efficiency, with a 190 W TDP versus 300 W, and a lower 450 W PSU requirement. For a system builder constrained by power delivery or thermals, that is a meaningful advantage. The Arc B580 is also smaller in length and height, though slightly thicker, and uses a single 8-pin connector instead of a 16-pin, which may simplify cable routing in some builds.

If the workload is Vulkan-centric, the Arc B580 is the better buy. For everything else — DX12, DX11, DX10, DX9, OpenCL, compute, or memory-heavy tasks — the R9700 is the clear winner, often by double-digit or triple-digit margins. The data does not support a general-purpose recommendation for the Intel card, but its Vulkan performance is a genuine outlier that cannot be ignored.