AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT vs Intel Arc B570 Comparison

Intel Arc B570 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT are two graphics cards that target the same performance tier but arrive from opposite design philosophies. The Intel Arc B570, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and a 5 nm TSMC process, is the newer product with a 2025 release date, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, based on RDNA 2.0 and a 7 nm node, has been on the market since 2022 and is now listed as end-of-life. The benchmark data reveals a fascinating split: Intel decisively wins in modern DirectX 12 and compute workloads, while AMD sweeps legacy DirectX and 2D tests, making the choice highly dependent on the specific applications a user prioritizes.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score overall?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has a higher average benchmark score of 20556, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT's 19765. This places the Intel card slightly ahead in aggregate performance, though both share the same 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The Intel Arc B570 wins decisively with a score of 2649, which is 42.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT's score of 1859. This is one of the largest performance gaps in the head-to-head data and indicates a major advantage for Intel in modern DirectX 12 gaming workloads.

Q: Which card performs better in DirectX 11 legacy applications?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the clear winner in DirectX 11, scoring 169 in the Passmark DirectX 11 test, which is 30.2% ahead of the Intel Arc B570's score of 118. This suggests AMD has better optimization for older game engines and applications.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The Intel Arc B570 comes with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, offering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth, making the Intel card superior in both capacity and bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher raw compute throughput in FP32 operations?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has a higher FP32 throughput at 11.52 TFLOPS, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT's 10.79 TFLOPS. This 0.73 TFLOPS difference helps explain Intel's lead in compute-oriented benchmarks like Geekbench OpenCL.

Q: How does the launch MSRP differ between the two cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has a launch MSRP of 219 USD, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has a launch MSRP of 399 USD. The data shows that Intel's card was positioned at a significantly lower price point despite its higher average benchmark score.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, which represents Intel's second-generation dedicated GPU design, following the Alchemist predecessor. It is manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, packing 19,600 million transistors into a 272 mm² die, which results in a transistor density of 72.1M per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture on a 7 nm TSMC process, with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, yielding a lower density of 46.7M per mm².

The core configurations differ notably. Intel's chip features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, alongside 18 ray tracing cores. AMD's Navi 23 chip has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, but it includes 32 ray tracing cores, which is a higher count than Intel's. Both cards lack tensor cores, but they differ in clock speeds: the Arc B570 runs at a fixed 2500 MHz for both base and boost, while the RX 6650 XT has a base clock of 2055 MHz, a boost clock of 2635 MHz, and a game clock of 2410 MHz.

Memory architecture is another major differentiator. The Intel card uses 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, achieving 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the AMD card uses 8 GB on a 128-bit bus, providing 280.3 GB/s. This gives Intel a 35.6% bandwidth advantage and 2 GB more capacity. The process node advantage also allows Intel to achieve higher pixel and texture rates: 200.0 GPixel/s and 360.0 GTexel/s, respectively, compared to AMD's 168.6 GPixel/s and 337.3 GTexel/s.

Other architectural differences include display outputs. The Intel Arc B570 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT provides 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, indicating Intel supports a newer DisplayPort standard. Both cards feature PCIe 4.0 x8 interfaces, dual-slot designs, and 1x 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The power draw differs, with Intel at 150 W and AMD at 176 W, meaning Intel delivers higher performance while consuming less power according to the TDP figures.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head data is the Geekbench OpenCL score, where the Intel Arc B570 achieves 83514, a staggering 726% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT's 10111. This massive delta suggests that Intel's architecture is vastly superior in OpenCL compute workloads, likely due to its higher shading unit count and memory bandwidth. In Geekbench Vulkan, Intel again leads, scoring 96844 against AMD's 81306, a 19.1% advantage.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, Intel's dominance continues with a 42.5% lead, scoring 2649 versus AMD's 1859. This modern DirectX 12 benchmark highlights Intel's forward-looking design. The Passmark DirectX 12 test also favors Intel, but by a smaller margin of 16.1%, with scores of 72 versus 62.

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT fights back in legacy and 2D tests. In Passmark DirectX 10, AMD wins with 109 points, which is 40.4% higher than Intel's 65. The DirectX 11 test shows AMD ahead by 30.2%, scoring 169 against Intel's 118. DirectX 9 also goes to AMD, with 215 points versus Intel's 164, a 23.7% difference. The Passmark G2D test sees AMD winning by 28%, scoring 918 compared to Intel's 661.

In the overall Passmark G3D score, which aggregates 3D performance, AMD takes the win with 17166 against Intel's 14195, a 17.3% lead. This is surprising given Intel's victories in newer API tests, but it reflects AMD's stronger showing across the legacy DirectX tests that heavily weight the G3D metric. The Passmark GPU Compute test is nearly a tie, with AMD edging out Intel 7532 to 7281, a slim 3.3% margin. Overall, AMD wins 6 of the 10 head-to-head benchmarks, but Intel's wins in the most modern tests are often by much larger margins.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear technological split. The Intel Arc B570 is the superior choice for users running modern DirectX 12 games and compute-heavy applications, as evidenced by its massive OpenCL advantage and strong Vulkan and Steel Nomad scores. Its 10 GB memory and higher bandwidth also provide a future-proofing edge for newer titles that require more VRAM. The card's lower TDP of 150 W further suggests better efficiency per frame in these workloads.

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, while older, remains the better option for those with a library of legacy DirectX 9, 10, and 11 games. Its decisive wins in those benchmarks, particularly the 40.4% lead in DirectX 10 and 30.2% lead in DirectX 11, indicate that it will run older titles more smoothly out of the box. The higher Passmark G3D score of 17166 versus Intel's 14195 also suggests AMD holds an edge in general 3D rendering tasks that rely on those older APIs.

For a new system builder focusing on current and upcoming games, the Intel Arc B570's architecture appears better suited, given its significant wins in DirectX 12 and compute. However, for someone with an existing library of older games or specific applications that rely on DirectX 11, the AMD card's legacy performance is compelling. The data ultimately shows no universal winner; instead, it reveals two cards optimized for different software ecosystems.

Specification Differences

The Intel Arc B570 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT differ in nearly every core specification. The most notable difference is the process node, with Intel using TSMC's 5 nm process and AMD using 7 nm. This leads to a transistor count of 19,600 million for Intel versus 11,060 million for AMD, and a die size of 272 mm² versus 237 mm², respectively. The transistor density also differs, at 72.1M per mm² for Intel and 46.7M per mm² for AMD.

Clock speeds vary significantly. Intel runs at a constant 2500 MHz for both base and boost, while AMD has a base clock of 2055 MHz, a boost of 2635 MHz, and a game clock of 2410 MHz. The memory configuration is also different: Intel has 10 GB GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, while AMD has 8 GB on a 128-bit bus with 280.3 GB/s. The memory clock is 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) for Intel and 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective) for AMD.

Core counts differ, with Intel having 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, versus AMD's 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. However, AMD has more ray tracing cores at 32, compared to Intel's 18. The pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s for Intel and 168.6 GPixel/s for AMD, while the texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s for Intel and 337.3 GTexel/s for AMD. FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS for Intel and 10.79 TFLOPS for AMD, with FP16 at 23.04 TFLOPS and 21.59 TFLOPS, respectively.

Power consumption differs, with Intel rated at 150 W TDP and AMD at 176 W TDP. Both use a dual-slot design and 1x 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The display outputs also differ, with Intel offering 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while AMD offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The release dates are far apart, with Intel launching on 2025-01-15 and AMD on 2022-05-09. The production status is Active for Intel and End-of-life for AMD.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B570 wins in modern gaming and compute scenarios. Specifically, it dominates in DirectX 12 with a 42.5% lead in Steel Nomad and a 16.1% lead in Passmark DX12. It also excels in Vulkan with a 19.1% advantage and is in a league of its own in OpenCL compute, with a 726% margin. These wins make it the choice for users playing the latest AAA titles, using Vulkan-based game engines, or running compute-intensive applications like machine learning or data processing that leverage OpenCL. Its 10 GB VRAM and higher bandwidth also make it better suited for high-resolution textures and future game releases.

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT wins in legacy software and 2D workloads. It is 40.4% faster in DirectX 10, 30.2% faster in DirectX 11, and 23.7% faster in DirectX 9, making it the go-to card for older games, MMOs, and productivity apps that rely on these APIs. Its 28% lead in the Passmark G2D test indicates superior 2D rendering performance, which is relevant for desktop environments and image editing. The overall Passmark G3D score also favors AMD by 17.3%, suggesting it delivers better aggregate 3D performance across the full suite of tested applications. For users whose primary library consists of games from the early 2010s or earlier, or who run software that hasn't been updated to modern APIs, the RX 6650 XT is the more reliable performer. The compute score is nearly identical, with AMD's 7532 being 3.3% higher than Intel's 7281, so that category is effectively a wash.