AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary vs Intel Arc B580 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results show a split decision, with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary taking 5 wins and the Intel Arc B580 taking 4. The most decisive victories belong to Intel in the compute and modern API categories. In Geekbench Vulkan, the Arc B580 scores 109,672 against 74,281 for the AMD card, a 32.3% advantage. That is a substantial margin and indicates a major gap in Vulkan performance. The Geekbench OpenCL result follows the same pattern: 92,821 for Intel versus 77,161 for AMD, a 16.9% lead. These are the two largest deltas in either direction, and they show that the Arc B580 is the stronger card for raw compute and Vulkan-based workloads.

The AMD card fights back in the DirectX legacy tests. In Passmark DirectX 10, AMD scores 98 against Intel's 76, a 28.9% win. In DirectX 9, AMD scores 219 against 183, a 19.7% lead. These are significant margins, but they apply to older APIs that matter less for current titles. AMD also wins the 2D test decisively: 941 versus 709, a 32.7% gap. That is the largest percentage difference in any benchmark, though 2D performance rarely drives purchasing decisions.

The remaining tests are closer. In Passmark DirectX 11, Intel takes a 9.4% win (128 versus 116). In DirectX 12, Intel wins by 13.2% (76 versus 66). These are moderate margins, but they favor the newer architecture. The two general 3D tests are tight. Passmark G3D goes to AMD, 16,437 versus 15,748, a 4.4% edge. Passmark GPU Compute goes to AMD as well, 7,923 versus 7,729, a 2.5% edge. Neither of these is a blowout, but they give AMD the overall win count.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the database shows AMD at 26,553 and Intel at 23,021. That is a 15.3% gap in favor of AMD, which aligns with the win count. The percentile rankings tell a similar story: AMD sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, while Intel sits in the 68th. When placed against their nearest rivals, AMD's average score is 0.5% below the NVIDIA RTX A4000 and 0.5% above the GeForce MX550. Intel's average is 0.2% below the RX 580 2048SP and 0.6% above the RTX 2080. The data places both cards in a crowded mid-range cluster, but AMD holds the higher overall position.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is built on RDNA 1.0, using the Navi 10 chip, and is part of the Radeon RX 5000 series. It uses a 7 nm process from TSMC with 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 41.0 million per mm². The Intel Arc B580 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture, specifically the BMG-G21 chip, and is part of the Battlemage generation. It is built on a 5 nm process, also from TSMC, with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, resulting in a density of 72.1 million per mm². Intel's die is slightly larger, but it packs nearly twice the transistor count into a similar area.

Memory configurations differ in capacity but not in bandwidth. The AMD card has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, producing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel card has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus, producing 456.0 GB/s. The effective memory clocks are 14 Gbps for AMD and 19 Gbps for Intel. The wider bus on AMD compensates for the lower clock speed, so the practical bandwidth is nearly identical. However, the 4 GB capacity advantage for Intel matters for modern games with large texture pools.

Shader and texture resources are partly shared. Both cards have 2,560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units. The AMD card has 64 render output units, while Intel has 80. This gives Intel a higher pixel rate: 213.6 GPixel/s versus 126.7 GPixel/s for AMD. Texture rate also favors Intel, 427.2 GTexel/s versus 316.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput is 13.67 TFLOPS for Intel versus 10.14 TFLOPS for AMD, and FP16 is 27.34 TFLOPS versus 20.28 TFLOPS.

The most important architectural difference is ray tracing. The Intel Arc B580 includes 20 dedicated RT cores. The AMD card has no RT cores at all. Intel also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while AMD is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. Display connectivity differs as well: AMD offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while Intel offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1.

Power and board design also differ. The AMD card has a 225 W TDP, while Intel is lower at 190 W. AMD requires both a 6 pin and an 8 pin power connector; Intel only needs a single 8 pin. The suggested power supply is 550 W for AMD and 450 W for Intel. Both are dual-slot cards with the same 272 mm length, but Intel is slightly taller (115 mm versus 111 mm) and wider (45 mm versus 40 mm). The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for AMD and PCIe 4.0 x8 for Intel.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is the better choice for legacy DirectX workloads. Its wins in DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 are large, and it also takes the G2D test by a wide margin. If the workload involves older games or applications that rely on those APIs, the AMD card has a clear advantage. It also holds a narrow lead in the general G3D test and in GPU compute, which suggests it remains competitive in general rasterization despite being the older design.

The Intel Arc B580 is the better choice for modern and forward-looking workloads. Its Vulkan lead of 32.3% is decisive, and its OpenCL lead of 16.9% is substantial. DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 also favor Intel, with margins of 9.4% and 13.2% respectively. The 12 GB memory capacity is a practical advantage for games that exceed 8 GB of VRAM, and the 20 RT cores provide hardware ray tracing support that the AMD card lacks entirely. The lower TDP of 190 W and the single 8 pin connector make it easier to integrate into existing systems with a 450 W power supply.

The split comes down to API generation. For users who run current titles with Vulkan or DirectX 12, Intel is the stronger performer. For users who need compatibility with older DirectX versions or who prioritize 2D performance, AMD holds the edge. The overall win count favors AMD, but the magnitude of Intel's wins in the modern API tests carries more weight for future-proofing.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary has an average benchmark score of 26,553, compared to 23,021 for the Intel Arc B580. AMD also holds a higher percentile ranking at 72 versus 68.

Q: How large is Intel's lead in Vulkan performance?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the Intel Arc B580 scores 109,672 against 74,281 for AMD, a 32.3% advantage. This is the largest performance gap in any head-to-head test.

Q: Does the AMD card win any benchmarks by a significant margin?

A: Yes, AMD wins Passmark G2D by 32.7% (941 versus 709) and Passmark DirectX 10 by 28.9% (98 versus 76). It also wins DirectX 9 by 19.7% (219 versus 183).

Q: What memory capacity does each card offer?

A: The AMD card has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, while the Intel card has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus. Memory bandwidth is nearly identical at 448.0 GB/s for AMD and 456.0 GB/s for Intel.

Q: Does the Intel card support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc B580 includes 20 dedicated RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The AMD card has no RT cores and is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: Which card is more power efficient?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has a 190 W TDP and requires a 450 W power supply. The AMD card has a 225 W TDP and requires a 550 W power supply. Intel also uses a single 8 pin connector, while AMD needs both a 6 pin and an 8 pin.

The Verdict

The data points to different buyers for each card. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is the choice for users who prioritize legacy DirectX performance and general 2D/3D rasterization. Its wins in DirectX 9, DirectX 10, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute give it the higher average score and the better overall percentile rank. It is an end-of-life product, but the benchmark results show it still competes effectively in the mid-range tier.

The Intel Arc B580 is the choice for users building a system around current and future titles. The 32.3% Vulkan lead and the 16.9% OpenCL lead are decisive, and the DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 wins confirm that the newer architecture handles modern APIs better. The 12 GB memory capacity and 20 RT cores provide headroom that the AMD card cannot match. The lower TDP and simpler power requirements also make it an easier fit for a wider range of systems.

Strictly from the recorded data, the AMD card wins more tests and has the higher average score. But the Intel card wins the tests that matter most for contemporary gaming and compute workloads. Users on older software should pick AMD. Users on current software should pick Intel. The production status reflects this split: AMD is end-of-life, while Intel is active.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary | Intel Arc B580 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | Xe2-HPG |

| Process node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 19,600 million |

| Die size | 251 mm² | 272 mm² |

| Transistor density | 41.0M / mm² | 72.1M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1680 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1980 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Memory size | 8 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory bus | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 456.0 GB/s |

| Render output units | 64 | 80 |

| RT cores | None | 20 |

| Pixel rate | 126.7 GPixel/s | 213.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 316.8 GTexel/s | 427.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 10.14 TFLOPS | 13.67 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 20.28 TFLOPS | 27.34 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 225 W | 190 W |

| Power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 450 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 |

| DirectX support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Height | 111 mm | 115 mm |

| Width | 40 mm | 45 mm |