GPU Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in overall benchmark averages?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600M has an average benchmark score of 23,273, while the Intel Arc B580 scores 23,021. The AMD part is marginally ahead by roughly 1%, and both sit at the 68th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Which GPU wins in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The Intel Arc B580 dominates this test with a score of 3,068 versus 1,495 for the AMD Radeon RX 6600M. That is a 51.3% advantage for Intel in this specific workload.

Q: What about DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 legacy performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600M wins in both. In DirectX 10, it scores 87 versus 76 for Intel, a 14.5% lead. In DirectX 9, AMD scores 184 versus 183, a razor-thin 0.5% margin.

Q: How do the memory specifications differ?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s bandwidth, exactly double the AMD card's bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has better compute performance?

A: The Intel Arc B580 wins in PassMark GPU Compute, scoring 7,729 versus 5,646 for AMD, a 27% advantage. Intel also leads in Geekbench OpenCL, with 92,821 versus 67,765, another 27% gap.

Q: What is the power and cooling requirement for each?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600M has a 100 W TDP and no power connectors, being an IGP-class mobile part. The Intel Arc B580 has a 190 W TDP, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and a 450 W suggested PSU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a clear split: Intel wins the modern and compute-heavy tests, while AMD retains an edge in several legacy and 2D workloads. The largest single margin comes from 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the Intel Arc B580 scores 3,068 against the AMD Radeon RX 6600M's 1,495. That translates to a 51.3% deficit for AMD, making it the most lopsided result in the entire comparison.

Looking at API-level benchmarks, the Intel card maintains consistent leads. In Geekbench Vulkan, Intel scores 109,672 versus 73,740 for AMD, a 32.8% gap. The same pattern appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where Intel's 92,821 beats AMD's 67,765 by 27%. PassMark DirectX 12 also favors Intel, with a score of 76 versus 52 for AMD, a 31.6% difference. These four tests represent Intel's most decisive victories, all exceeding a quarter of performance advantage.

The AMD Radeon RX 6600M counters with wins in the older DirectX tests. Its PassMark DirectX 10 score of 87 beats Intel's 76 by 14.5%. In DirectX 11, AMD scores 136 versus 128, a 6.3% lead. The DirectX 9 result is nearly a tie, with AMD at 184 and Intel at 183, a 0.5% margin that effectively shows parity in that legacy API. AMD also wins PassMark G2D, scoring 728 versus 709, a 2.7% edge in 2D workloads.

The overall PassMark G3D score, which aggregates multiple DirectX tests, goes to Intel: 15,748 versus 13,929 for AMD, an 11.6% difference. The compute-focused PassMark GPU Compute test also favors Intel, with 7,729 versus 5,646, matching the 27% gap seen in OpenCL.

Counting wins, Intel takes 6 of the 10 head-to-head benchmarks, while AMD wins 4. However, the magnitude of Intel's wins is generally larger. Intel's victories include margins of 51.3%, 32.8%, 31.6%, 27%, 27%, and 11.6%. AMD's wins are 14.5%, 6.3%, 2.7%, and 0.5%. The data shows Intel not only wins more tests but wins them by wider margins, while AMD's victories are concentrated in smaller, legacy-oriented gaps.

The Verdict

From the benchmark data alone, the Intel Arc B580 is the stronger performer in modern workloads. Its 51.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 32.8% lead in Geekbench Vulkan indicate a substantial advantage in DirectX 12 and Vulkan scenarios. The 27% edge in both OpenCL and PassMark GPU Compute further establishes Intel as the compute leader. For users prioritizing current-generation gaming or GPU-accelerated compute, the data clearly favors Intel.

The AMD Radeon RX 6600M, however, holds its ground in legacy APIs. Its 14.5% DirectX 10 win and 6.3% DirectX 11 win suggest better compatibility or optimization for older software. The 2.7% G2D advantage indicates a slight edge in 2D desktop workloads. The DirectX 9 result is essentially a tie, meaning AMD's legacy advantage is real but narrow in that specific API.

The overall averages are nearly identical, 23,273 for AMD versus 23,021 for Intel, but this masks the distribution of wins. Intel's large modern-test victories are offset by AMD's smaller legacy wins in the aggregate. The choice depends on the workload: Intel for modern graphics and compute, AMD for legacy API compatibility and lower power consumption.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ substantially in nearly every core specification. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M uses a Navi 23 chip with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. The Intel Arc B580 uses a BMG-G21 chip with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. Intel's die is 35 mm² larger but packs 77% more transistors, yielding a higher transistor density of 72.1M / mm² versus 46.7M / mm² for AMD.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. AMD offers 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. Intel offers 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth, double the bandwidth and 50% more capacity. Clock speeds also favor Intel: 2670 MHz base and boost, versus AMD's 2068 MHz base and 2416 MHz boost. AMD lists a game clock of 2177 MHz, which Intel does not specify.

Compute unit counts scale accordingly. Intel has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, versus AMD's 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Intel also has more ray tracing cores (20 versus 28 for AMD, though AMD has more RT units). Pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s for Intel versus 154.6 GPixel/s for AMD, and texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s versus 270.6 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 13.67 TFLOPS for Intel versus 8.659 TFLOPS for AMD, and FP16 is 27.34 TFLOPS versus 17.32 TFLOPS.

Power and physical specifications differ dramatically. AMD is a 100 W IGP-class part with no power connectors, designed for mobile integration. Intel is a 190 W dual-slot card requiring a single 8-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU, measuring 272 mm in length. AMD's display outputs are portable-device dependent, while Intel offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. Both use PCIe 4.0 x8.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. AMD's Radeon RX 6600M is built on RDNA 2.0, part of the Navi Mobile generation (RX 6000M series), while Intel's Arc B580 uses Xe2-HPG, part of the Battlemage generation (Arc 5 series). Both are manufactured by TSMC, but on different nodes, 7 nm for AMD and 5 nm for Intel. The process node difference explains part of Intel's transistor density advantage: 72.1M / mm² versus 46.7M / mm².

Transistor counts tell a story of design philosophy. AMD crams 11,060 million transistors into 237 mm², while Intel packs 19,600 million into 272 mm². Intel's larger die and newer process allow for more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, as reflected in the specification table. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical at the feature level.

Ray tracing hardware differs in count: AMD has 28 RT cores, Intel has 20. Despite fewer RT units, Intel's overall performance lead in modern tests suggests its RT implementation or the rest of the architecture compensates. Neither GPU has tensor cores listed. The AMD part is end-of-life, released on 2021-05-30, with a predecessor of Polaris Mobile. Intel's Arc B580 is active, released on 2024-12-12, with a predecessor of Alchemist. AMD's production status is end-of-life, while Intel's is active, a practical consideration for availability.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 wins decisively in modern graphics workloads. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,068 versus AMD's 1,495 makes it the clear choice for DirectX 12 gaming scenarios that stress the latest rendering features. The 32.8% lead in Geekbench Vulkan extends this advantage to Vulkan-based games and applications. For any workload that uses Vulkan or DirectX 12, the data shows Intel is substantially ahead.

Compute-heavy tasks also favor Intel. The 27% lead in both Geekbench OpenCL and PassMark GPU Compute indicates Intel handles general-purpose GPU compute more efficiently. The 11.6% lead in PassMark G3D, which aggregates DirectX performance, reinforces Intel's overall graphics superiority. Users running rendering, simulation, or machine learning workloads would see measurable gains with Intel.

The AMD Radeon RX 6600M wins in legacy API scenarios. Its 14.5% DirectX 10 lead and 6.3% DirectX 11 lead make it the better option for older games or applications that rely on those APIs. The 2.7% G2D advantage suggests slightly better 2D desktop performance. The DirectX 9 result is a virtual tie at 184 versus 183, so neither card has a meaningful edge there.

Power-constrained environments favor AMD. With a 100 W TDP and no power connectors, the RX 6600M is designed for mobile integration where the 190 W, dual-slot Intel card cannot fit. The AMD part's IGP slot width and portable-device-dependent display outputs indicate it belongs in laptops or compact systems. The Intel card's 450 W suggested PSU requirement further cements its desktop-oriented positioning.

In summary, Intel wins where modern APIs and compute matter; AMD wins where legacy APIs and low-power mobile operation matter. The benchmark data supports this split without ambiguity.