AMD Radeon Pro W6600M vs Intel Arc A580 Comparison
AMD Radeon Pro W6600M
Arc A580
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD Radeon Pro W6600M vs Intel Arc A580
The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M and Intel Arc A580 occupy different corners of the GPU market, but benchmark results show a clear performance hierarchy between them. The data indicates that the Intel Arc A580 holds a decisive advantage in both available compute tests, while the AMD part counters with superior efficiency and a mobile-first design. Based strictly on the numbers, the Arc A580 wins both head-to-head benchmark comparisons, but the W6600M’s architectural efficiency and lower power envelope make it a compelling option for specific workstation scenarios.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The benchmark data shows a dominant performance gap in favor of the Intel Arc A580. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Arc A580 scores 91,657, while the Radeon Pro W6600M manages 56,140. That represents a 38.7% deficit for the AMD card, meaning the Intel part delivers roughly 63% more compute throughput in this workload. This is not a marginal difference; it is a substantial performance chasm that will manifest in any OpenCL-accelerated application.
The Vulkan results tell a similar story, though with a narrower margin. The Arc A580 posts 79,381 in Geekbench Vulkan, versus 67,652 for the W6600M, a 14.8% difference. While still a clear win for Intel, this smaller gap suggests that the AMD architecture handles Vulkan more efficiently relative to its raw specifications. The W6600M’s FP32 throughput of 7.290 TFLOPS is notably lower than the Arc A580’s 12.29 TFLOPS, yet the Vulkan score gap is less than half the OpenCL gap, indicating that API-level optimization plays a significant role.
The aggregate benchmark scores reinforce this hierarchy. The W6600M averages 61,896 across all recorded benchmarks, while the Arc A580 averages 57,756. Interestingly, the AMD part holds a higher average score despite losing both direct comparisons. This is because the Arc A580’s additional 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result (2,229) drags down its average, while the W6600M only has the two Geekbench tests. The percentile rankings are close — 89th for AMD versus 87th for Intel — but the average score paradoxically favors the losing card. This illustrates why single-test comparisons can mislead; the W6600M is more consistent, while the Arc A580 has higher peaks but also lower troughs.
Where Each One Wins
The Intel Arc A580 wins every benchmark category where both cards have recorded results. In OpenCL, it is 38.7% ahead; in Vulkan, it is 14.8% ahead. For compute-heavy tasks like rendering, physics simulations, or machine learning inference that leverage these APIs, the Arc A580 is the clear choice. Its FP32 output of 12.29 TFLOPS versus 7.290 TFLOPS gives it a massive raw compute advantage that translates directly to faster processing in floating-point workloads.
The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M wins in efficiency and form factor, even if it loses on raw benchmarks. Its TDP is 90 W, less than half of the Arc A580’s 175 W. It is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, meaning it is designed for mobile workstations where power draw and thermal output are critical constraints. The Arc A580 is a dual-slot desktop card requiring two 8-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU. For a laptop user, the W6600M is the only viable option between these two; the Arc A580 physically cannot fit in that use case.
In terms of relative standing, the W6600M sits 2.6% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and 2.6% above the Intel Arc Pro A60 in average benchmark score, according to nearest rival data. The Arc A580, meanwhile, sits 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM and 1.1% below the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT. This suggests that while the W6600M punches above its weight class, the Arc A580 is placed among stronger desktop competitors.
Architecture Differences
The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. It packs 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7 million per square millimeter. The Intel Arc A580 uses the DG2-512 chip on Xe-HPG architecture, also from TSMC but on a newer 6 nm node. It contains 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, with a density of 53.4 million per square millimeter. Intel’s chip is nearly twice the size and carries almost double the transistor count.
The compute resources differ dramatically. The Arc A580 has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. The W6600M has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. In ray tracing, the AMD card actually has more RT cores — 28 versus 24 — but those cores are spread across a smaller overall chip. Neither card has dedicated tensor cores, so AI acceleration relies on general compute paths. The Arc A580’s pixel rate of 192.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 384.0 GTexel/s dwarf the W6600M’s 130.2 GPixel/s and 227.8 GTexel/s.
Memory architecture also diverges sharply. Both cards have 8 GB of GDDR6, but the Arc A580 uses a 256-bit bus giving 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the W6600M is limited to a 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s. That is a 2.29x bandwidth advantage for Intel, which matters in texture-heavy and high-resolution workloads. Clock speeds tell a different story: the W6600M boosts to 2034 MHz versus 2000 MHz for the Arc A580, but the AMD card’s base clock is just 1224 MHz compared to 1700 MHz for Intel. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for AMD and 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for Intel.
API support is identical — both feature DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The production status diverges: the W6600M is end-of-life, released on June 7, 2021, while the Arc A580 is active, released on October 9, 2023. The AMD card’s predecessor is FirePro Mobile; the Intel card’s is Xe Graphics, with a successor named Battlemage already designated.
FAQ
Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?
A: The Intel Arc A580, with 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 versus 7.290 TFLOPS for the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. This translates to a 38.7% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL and a 14.8% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan.
Q: Are these cards suitable for the same systems?
A: No. The W6600M is an IGP with no power connectors and a 90 W TDP, designed for mobile workstations. The Arc A580 is a dual-slot desktop card with two 8-pin connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU.
Q: How do they compare in memory bandwidth?
A: The Arc A580 offers 512.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, while the W6600M provides 224.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. Both have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.
Q: What is the transistor density difference?
A: Intel’s Arc A580 has 53.4 million transistors per mm² on a 6 nm process, while AMD’s W6600M has 46.7 million per mm² on a 7 nm process. Intel’s chip is also larger at 406 mm² versus 237 mm².
Q: Which card has more ray tracing cores?
A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M has 28 RT cores, compared to 24 for the Intel Arc A580, despite having fewer overall shading units.
Q: What are the average benchmark scores?
A: The W6600M averages 61,896, placing it in the 89th percentile. The Arc A580 averages 57,756, placing it in the 87th percentile. The Arc A580’s average is lowered by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,229.
The Verdict
The choice between these two GPUs depends almost entirely on your platform constraints rather than benchmark scores. If you are building or upgrading a desktop system, the Intel Arc A580 is the superior performer in every measured category. It wins Geekbench OpenCL by 38.7% and Geekbench Vulkan by 14.8%, offers 512.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth versus 224.0 GB/s, and has 3,072 shading units versus 1,792. Its 175 W TDP is manageable with the suggested 450 W PSU, and it remains an active product with a known successor. The data simply does not support choosing the W6600M for a desktop build where the Arc A580 fits.
If you are speccing a mobile workstation, the Radeon Pro W6600M is the only functional option. Its 90 W TDP, IGP form factor, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for laptops, while the Arc A580’s dual-slot design and power requirements render it ineligible for that use case. The W6600M also holds a higher average benchmark score (61,896 versus 57,756) and a better percentile rank (89th versus 87th), driven by the Arc A580’s weaker 3DMark result. Its 2.6% lead over the RTX 4090 in average score is notable, though that comparison reflects aggregate testing rather than head-to-head equality.
For users who need ray tracing performance, the W6600M’s 28 RT cores versus 24 on the Arc A580 is a minor point in its favor, though neither card is built primarily for that workload. The Arc A580’s 2.29x memory bandwidth advantage and 1.69x FP32 throughput make it the more capable general-purpose compute GPU. The W6600M’s higher transistor density (46.7M/mm² versus 53.4M/mm² — wait, Intel is higher) actually favors Intel, indicating more efficient use of die space. In short: desktop users should take the Arc A580 without hesitation; laptop buyers have no choice but the W6600M, which holds its own surprisingly well given its far lower power budget.
Specification Differences
| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro W6600M | Intel Arc A580 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Navi 23 | DG2-512 |
| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Xe-HPG |
| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |
| Transistors | 11,060 million | 21,700 million |
| Die Size | 237 mm² | 406 mm² |
| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |
| Base Clock | 1224 MHz | 1700 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2034 MHz | 2000 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) |
| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |
| Shading Units | 1792 | 3072 |
| TMUs | 112 | 192 |
| ROPs | 64 | 96 |
| RT Cores | 28 | 24 |
| Pixel Rate | 130.2 GPixel/s | 192.0 GPixel/s |
| Texture Rate | 227.8 GTexel/s | 384.0 GTexel/s |
| FP32 | 7.290 TFLOPS | 12.29 TFLOPS |
| FP16 | 14.58 TFLOPS (2:1) | 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) |
| TDP | 90 W | 175 W |
| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |
| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |
| Suggested PSU | — | 450 W |
| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.13x DisplayPort 2.0 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |
| Release Date | 2021-06-07 | 2023-10-09 |
| Predecessor | FirePro Mobile | Xe Graphics |
| Successor | — | Battlemage |