AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs Intel Arc B570 Comparison

Intel Arc B570 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX occupy opposite ends of the GPU spectrum. The Arc B570 is a 150 W, 10 GB graphics card built for 1080p and entry-level 1440p gaming, while the RX 7900 XTX is a 355 W, 24 GB flagship designed for 4K and heavy compute. Benchmark data shows the AMD card wins 8 of 10 head-to-head tests, often by massive margins, yet the Intel card claims two surprising victories in OpenCL and Vulkan compute workloads. Understanding where each card excels versus where it falls flat is critical for making an informed choice.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has a higher average benchmark score of 20556 points compared to the AMD RX 7900 XTX’s 19410 points. This is despite the AMD card winning the majority of individual tests, indicating that the Arc B570’s compute-heavy scores skew its average upward.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 12 gaming performance?

A: The AMD RX 7900 XTX dominates in DirectX 12, scoring 131 on the PassMark DirectX 12 test versus the Arc B570’s 72, a 45% advantage for AMD. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 7900 XTX scores 6841 against 2649, a 61.3% lead.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the Intel Arc B570 wins?

A: Yes, the Arc B570 wins two tests: Geekbench OpenCL (83514 vs 50465, a 65.5% lead) and Geekbench Vulkan (96844 vs 85612, a 13.1% lead). These results suggest the Intel card performs better in certain raw compute and API-level workloads.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Arc B570 has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card offers 2.5x the memory and 2.5x the bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count and die size?

A: The RX 7900 XTX uses the Navi 31 chip with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die. The Arc B570 uses the BMG-G21 chip with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. AMD’s chip is larger and denser, with 109.1M transistors per mm² versus Intel’s 72.1M per mm².

Q: How do the cards compare in pixel and texture rates?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has a pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s. The Arc B570 has a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. AMD leads by 139.8% in pixel rate and 166.4% in texture rate.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD RX 7900 XTX is the clear winner in traditional rasterization and DirectX gaming workloads. It wins all PassMark DirectX tests (9, 10, 11, 12) by margins ranging from 45% to 66.9%. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it is 61.3% faster. The RX 7900 XTX also wins the PassMark G3D test (31238 vs 14195, a 54.6% lead) and the PassMark G2D test (1267 vs 661, a 47.8% lead). For 2D desktop work, legacy DirectX titles, and modern DX12 games, the AMD card is decisively faster.

The Intel Arc B570 wins in two compute-oriented benchmarks: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In OpenCL, it scores 83514 against 50465, a 65.5% advantage; in Vulkan, it scores 96844 against 85612, a 13.1% lead. These wins indicate that for compute-heavy tasks like machine learning inference or certain API-optimized workloads, the Arc B570 can outperform the much larger RX 7900 XTX. The Arc B570 also has a higher average benchmark score (20556 vs 19410) due to these two outlier results.

For gaming, the RX 7900 XTX is the only choice. Its 61.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 54.6% lead in PassMark G3D are decisive for any modern game. The Arc B570’s 10 GB memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth will struggle at 4K, while the RX 7900 XTX’s 24 GB and 960.0 GB/s handle high-resolution textures easily.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The Intel Arc B570 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, with the BMG-G21 chip. It has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, 80 ROPs, and 18 ray tracing cores. The RX 7900 XTX uses RDNA 3.0 on the same 5 nm TSMC node, with the Navi 31 chip. It features 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, 192 ROPs, and 96 ray tracing cores. The AMD chip has 2.7x more shading units, 2.7x more TMUs, 2.4x more ROPs, and 5.3x more ray tracing cores.

The transistor density also differs significantly: the RX 7900 XTX packs 109.1M transistors per mm² versus the Arc B570’s 72.1M per mm². This higher density, combined with the larger die, gives the AMD card far more raw compute capacity. The RX 7900 XTX also has a wider memory interface (384-bit vs 160-bit), which directly contributes to its 2.5x bandwidth advantage.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical. However, the RX 7900 XTX uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the Arc B570 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, halving the available bandwidth for CPU communication. This could impact performance in CPU-bound scenarios, though the benchmark data shows the AMD card still wins decisively in gaming.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ substantially across nearly every specification. The RX 7900 XTX has 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, versus the Arc B570’s 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Ray tracing cores are 96 on AMD versus 18 on Intel. The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth; the Arc B570 has 10 GB GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Clock speeds differ: the RX 7900 XTX has a base clock of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost of 2498 MHz. The Arc B570 has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, but no game clock. The AMD card has a higher memory clock at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) versus 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). Pixel rate is 479.6 GPixel/s on AMD versus 200.0 GPixel/s on Intel; texture rate is 959.2 GTexel/s versus 360.0 GTexel/s.

Power and physical specs also diverge: the RX 7900 XTX has a 355 W TDP, requires a 750 W PSU, and uses 2x 8-pin connectors. The Arc B570 has a 150 W TDP, requires a 450 W PSU, and uses 1x 8-pin. The RX 7900 XTX is longer (287 mm vs 272 mm), wider (51 mm vs not specified), but shorter in height (110 mm vs 115 mm). Display outputs are identical except the RX 7900 XTX adds a USB Type-C port. The RX 7900 XTX is end-of-life with a successor (Navi IV), while the Arc B570 is active with no successor.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 7900 XTX wins 8 of 10 benchmarks, and the margins are often enormous. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the AMD card scores 6841 versus 2649, a 61.3% advantage. PassMark DirectX 11 shows 356 vs 118, a 66.9% lead. PassMark G3D is 31238 vs 14195, a 54.6% lead. PassMark GPU Compute is 17689 vs 7281, a 58.8% lead. These results cover modern DX12, legacy DX11, and general compute.

The PassMark DirectX 10 test (166 vs 65, a 60.8% lead), DirectX 9 (330 vs 164, a 50.3% lead), and G2D (1267 vs 661, a 47.8% lead) all favor AMD. The RX 7900 XTX’s smallest win is in DirectX 12 (131 vs 72, a 45% lead), which is still substantial. In every gaming-oriented metric, the AMD card is at least 45% faster and often over 60% faster.

The Intel Arc B570 wins Geekbench OpenCL by a staggering 65.5% (83514 vs 50465) and Geekbench Vulkan by 13.1% (96844 vs 85612). These are the only two tests where Intel wins, but they are significant. The OpenCL result suggests that in compute workloads using that API, the Arc B570 is 1.65x faster than the RX 7900 XTX. The Vulkan win is narrower but still shows Intel’s architecture can outperform AMD in certain API-specific tasks. However, these wins do not translate to gaming, where the AMD card’s massive shading unit and ROP advantages dominate.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX wins 8 of 10 benchmarks, with margins of 45% to 66.9% in gaming and rasterization tests. For any gaming workload, the RX 7900 XTX is the superior card by a wide margin. It offers 2.5x more memory, 2.5x more bandwidth, and over 5x the ray tracing cores. The 355 W TDP is high, but the performance justifies it for high-refresh 4K or demanding 1440p gaming.

The Intel Arc B570 is the better choice only for specific compute workloads, specifically OpenCL and Vulkan compute, where it leads by 65.5% and 13.1% respectively. Its lower power draw (150 W vs 355 W) and smaller physical footprint make it easier to install and cool, but its 10 GB memory and 160-bit bus limit its gaming potential. The Arc B570’s higher average benchmark score (20556 vs 19410) is misleading because it is driven by those two compute wins.

For most users, the RX 7900 XTX is the obvious pick. It wins every gaming test, has superior specs across the board, and its end-of-life status means it is being replaced by Navi IV, but it remains a top-tier performer. The Arc B570 is a niche product for compute-focused users who prioritize OpenCL or Vulkan performance over gaming. If your workload relies on those APIs and you do not need high-end gaming, the Arc B570 is worth considering. Otherwise, the RX 7900 XTX is the clear winner in virtually every scenario that matters.