AMD Radeon RX 5700 vs Intel Arc B570 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 and Intel Arc B570 represent two distinct generations of GPU design, and the benchmark data reveals a fascinating split between modern API performance and legacy compatibility. Across ten head-to-head tests, the Intel Arc B570 claims six victories, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 takes four, yet the margins and contexts of these wins tell a more nuanced story than the raw win count suggests. The data indicates a clear generational shift in priorities, with Intel’s newer architecture excelling in DirectX 12 and compute workloads, while AMD’s older design retains surprising strength in legacy DirectX 9 and 2D operations.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory for the Intel Arc B570 arrives in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where it scores 2649 against the RX 5700’s 1862. That is a 29.7% advantage, representing the largest single-test gap between the two cards. This result signals that Intel’s Xe2-HPG architecture is substantially more efficient at handling modern, low-level graphics APIs, a trend that continues in the Geekbench Vulkan test where the B570 posts 96844 versus 64166 for the RX 5700, a 33.7% margin. The Vulkan gap is particularly telling, as it suggests the B570’s driver and hardware scheduler are better equipped to exploit explicit multi-threading and reduced CPU overhead.

The B570 also wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with 83514 points, beating the RX 5700’s 69603 by 16.7%. In Passmark’s DirectX 11 test, the B570 scores 118 against 101, a 14.4% lead, and in DirectX 12 it scores 72 against 54, a 25% advantage. The Passmark GPU Compute test also favors Intel, with the B570 scoring 7281 versus 6517, a 10.5% margin. These results indicate that the B570’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power translates into real-world advantages across both gaming and general-purpose compute workloads.

However, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 fights back in several legacy scenarios. Its most significant win comes in Passmark DirectX 10, where it scores 87 against the B570’s 65, a 33.8% advantage. The RX 5700 also dominates Passmark DirectX 9, scoring 209 versus 164, a 27.4% lead. In the Passmark G2D test, the AMD card wins decisively with 877 points against 661, a 32.7% margin. Interestingly, the two cards are nearly identical in Passmark G3D, with the RX 5700 scoring 14314 and the B570 scoring 14195, a razor-thin 0.8% difference. This near-tie in the overall 3D graphics test suggests that while the B570 excels in specific modern API tests, its overall rasterization performance is comparable to the older RX 5700.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data points to a clear use-case divergence. The Intel Arc B570 is the stronger choice for any workload that leverages DirectX 12, Vulkan, or OpenCL. Its 29.7% lead in Steel Nomad and 33.7% lead in Vulkan make it the obvious pick for modern game titles that use these APIs, particularly those with ray tracing or heavy compute effects. The B570’s 18 dedicated ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) give it capabilities that the RX 5700 simply lacks, as the AMD card only supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and has no ray tracing hardware. For compute-heavy tasks like rendering, physics simulation, or machine learning inference, the B570’s 10.5% advantage in Passmark GPU Compute and 16.7% lead in OpenCL make it the more capable tool.

Conversely, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 wins decisively in legacy API scenarios. Its 33.8% lead in DirectX 10 and 27.4% lead in DirectX 9 suggest it is better suited for older game titles, many of which rely on these APIs for rendering. The RX 5700’s 32.7% advantage in Passmark G2D also indicates superior 2D performance, which could matter for desktop compositing, video playback, or older applications that still use GDI-style rendering. The near-tie in Passmark G3D means that for DirectX 11-era games, the two cards are essentially interchangeable, with the RX 5700 holding a negligible 0.8% edge. Users with extensive back catalogs of pre-2015 games may find the RX 5700 more reliable, as its legacy driver support appears stronger.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial and explains most of the benchmark divergence. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 uses the Navi 10 chip built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The Intel Arc B570, by contrast, uses the BMG-G21 chip based on Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process also at TSMC. This newer process allows Intel to pack 19,600 million transistors onto a 272 mm² die, achieving a much higher density of 72.1 million per square millimeter. This 90% increase in transistor count, combined with the smaller process node, gives the B570 significantly more computational resources per unit area.

The B570’s architecture introduces hardware features that the RX 5700 lacks entirely. Intel’s chip includes 18 dedicated ray tracing cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing in supported games. The RX 5700 has no ray tracing cores at all, meaning any ray tracing effects would have to be computed via shader-based approximations, which is far less efficient. The B570 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like mesh shaders, variable rate shading, and sampler feedback, while the RX 5700 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both cards support Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6, so API compatibility is equal in those respects.

The B570 also benefits from a more modern memory architecture. While both use GDDR6, the Intel card has a 160-bit bus width with 10 GB of memory, whereas the RX 5700 uses a 256-bit bus with 8 GB. The wider bus on the AMD card gives it higher bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s compared to the B570’s 380.0 GB/s, but the B570 compensates with a higher effective memory clock of 19 Gbps versus 14 Gbps. The B570’s larger 10 GB capacity could be beneficial for modern games that exceed 8 GB at high resolutions, even if its raw bandwidth is lower.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across several key specification fields. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 has a base clock of 1465 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, with a game clock of 1625 MHz. The Intel Arc B570 has a base clock of 2500 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with no separate game clock listed. This higher clock speed helps the B570 achieve its 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance, compared to the RX 5700’s 7.949 TFLOPS. The B570 also leads in pixel rate at 200.0 GPixel/s versus 110.4 GPixel/s for the RX 5700, and in texture rate at 360.0 GTexel/s versus 248.4 GTexel/s.

The memory subsystems differ as noted: the RX 5700 has 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the B570 has 10 GB GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5700 has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations pipelines. The B570 also has 2304 shading units and 144 TMUs, but it has 80 ROPs, which explains its higher pixel rate. Power requirements differ, with the RX 5700 rated at 180 W TDP and the B570 at 150 W TDP, though both suggest a 450 W power supply. The RX 5700 uses a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector setup, while the B570 uses a single 8-pin connector.

The bus interface also differs: the RX 5700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the B570 uses PCIe 4.0 x8. This could matter for bandwidth-sensitive workloads, though the practical impact may be limited for gaming. Display outputs vary, with the RX 5700 offering 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the B570 offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. The B570 also has a newer production status as Active, while the RX 5700 is End-of-life. The RX 5700 has a launch MSRP of 349 USD, while the B570 has a launch MSRP of 219 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card performs better in DirectX 12 games?

A: The Intel Arc B570 is significantly ahead, winning the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test by 29.7% and the Passmark DirectX 12 test by 25%. The B570 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5700 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 5700 better for older games?

A: Yes, the data shows the RX 5700 wins Passmark DirectX 10 by 33.8% and DirectX 9 by 27.4%. This suggests it has a significant advantage in legacy titles that use these older APIs.

Q: How do the two cards compare in overall compute performance?

A: The Intel Arc B570 leads in compute workloads, winning Passmark GPU Compute by 10.5% and Geekbench OpenCL by 16.7%. Its 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 rating is also substantially higher than the RX 5700’s 7.949 TFLOPS.

Q: What about ray tracing capabilities?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has 18 dedicated ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The AMD Radeon RX 5700 has no ray tracing cores and only supports DirectX 12 (12_1), so it cannot perform hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, meaning the AMD card has higher raw bandwidth but less capacity.

Q: How close are the cards in overall 3D performance?

A: In the Passmark G3D test, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 14314 while the Intel Arc B570 scores 14195, a difference of just 0.8%. This indicates they are nearly identical in general 3D graphics performance, despite their differences in specific API tests.

The Verdict

The benchmark data paints a clear picture: the Intel Arc B570 is the superior choice for modern workloads, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 retains value only for legacy applications. For anyone playing current games that use DirectX 12 or Vulkan, the B570’s 29.7% lead in Steel Nomad and 33.7% lead in Vulkan make it the obvious pick. Its 18 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support future-proof it for upcoming titles, while its 10 GB memory capacity offers more headroom for high-resolution textures. The B570 also consumes less power at 150 W TDP versus 180 W for the RX 5700, and uses a simpler single 8-pin power connector.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 should only be considered by users with extensive back catalogs of DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 games, where it wins by 27.4% and 33.8% respectively. Its 32.7% advantage in G2D performance also makes it suitable for desktop and 2D workloads. However, its End-of-life production status means no further driver optimizations are likely, while the B570 is Active and will receive ongoing updates. The near-tie in Passmark G3D suggests that for DirectX 11-era games, either card will perform similarly, but the B570’s superior compute, modern API support, and lower power draw make it the more balanced and forward-looking selection. Given that the RX 5700 launched at 349 USD and the B570 at 219 USD, the Intel card offers better performance per dollar in every modern benchmark category.