Intel Arc A310E vs Intel Arc B580 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the Intel Arc A310E and the Intel Arc B580?

A: The A310E uses the Xe-HPG architecture (Alchemist generation) on TSMC's 6 nm process with the DG2-128 chip. The B580 uses the newer Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) on TSMC's 5 nm process with the BMG-G21 chip.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The A310E has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 124.0 GB/s bandwidth. The B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has higher shader and ray tracing counts?

A: The B580 has 2560 shading units and 20 RT cores, while the A310E has 768 shading units and 6 RT cores. The B580 also has 160 TMUs and 80 ROPs versus 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs on the A310E.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each card?

A: The A310E sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The B580 ranks higher at the 68th percentile.

Q: What is the physical size difference between the two cards?

A: The A310E is a single-slot card measuring 168 mm in length, 69 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. The B580 is a dual-slot card measuring 272 mm in length, 115 mm in height, and 45 mm in width.

Q: What are the production statuses of these cards?

A: The A310E is listed as end-of-life, while the B580 is listed as active.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 dominates the recorded performance data across every benchmark category. It holds all wins in the head-to-head comparison, with the A310E recording zero wins in the database. The B580's advantages span raw compute, graphics APIs, and memory throughput.

The A310E wins in areas that matter for specific deployment scenarios rather than raw speed. Its 75 W TDP with no power connectors makes it suitable for systems with limited power delivery. The single-slot 168 mm length allows installation in compact chassis where the B580's 272 mm dual-slot design would not fit. The A310E also provides four mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, which can support multi-display setups in industrial or embedded applications.

The B580 wins decisively in every measurable performance category. Its FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS dwarfs the A310E's 3.072 TFLOPS. Memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s versus 124.0 GB/s gives it a massive advantage in bandwidth-sensitive workloads. The 12 GB frame buffer versus 4 GB allows it to handle larger textures and datasets without spilling to system memory.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent successive generations of Intel's GPU designs. The A310E uses the Xe-HPG architecture, which Intel designated as the Alchemist generation under the Arc 3 branding. The B580 uses Xe2-HPG, the Battlemage generation under Arc 5 branding.

Manufacturing technology differs significantly. The A310E is built on TSMC's 6 nm process and packs 7,200 million transistors into a 157 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The B580 moves to TSMC's 5 nm process, fitting 19,600 million transistors into a 272 mm² die for a density of 72.1 million per square millimeter. The denser process and larger die give the B580 nearly three times the transistor budget.

The shading complex scales accordingly. The A310E has 768 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The B580 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware also expands from 6 RT cores on the A310E to 20 RT cores on the B580.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The A310E's predecessor is Xe Graphics, and its successor is Battlemage. The B580's predecessor is listed as Alchemist, with no successor recorded.

Specification Differences

Clock speeds differ substantially. The A310E runs at 2000 MHz base and boost clocks, with memory at 1937 MHz for 15.5 Gbps effective. The B580 runs at 2670 MHz base and boost clocks, with memory at 2375 MHz for 19 Gbps effective.

Memory capacity, bus width, and bandwidth all favor the B580. The A310E has 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus delivering 124.0 GB/s. The B580 has 12 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus delivering 456.0 GB/s.

Compute throughput shows a clear hierarchy. The A310E delivers 3.072 TFLOPS FP32 and 6.144 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The B580 delivers 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 and 27.34 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern: the A310E achieves 32.00 GPixel/s and 64.00 GTexel/s, while the B580 achieves 213.6 GPixel/s and 427.2 GTexel/s.

Power and cooling requirements diverge sharply. The A310E has a 75 W TDP, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W power supply. The B580 has a 190 W TDP, is dual-slot, requires one 8-pin connector, and suggests a 450 W power supply.

Physical dimensions differ considerably. The A310E measures 168 mm by 69 mm by 20 mm. The B580 measures 272 mm by 115 mm by 45 mm.

Display outputs differ in count and type. The A310E offers four mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The B580 offers one HDMI 2.1a and three DisplayPort 2.1 outputs.

Both cards use PCIe 4.0 x8 interfaces. The A310E launched on 2024-03-31 and is now end-of-life. The B580 launched on 2024-12-12 and remains active. The B580 has a launch MSRP of 249 USD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark results between these two cards. However, the B580 has a substantial body of benchmark scores that establish its performance tier, while the A310E has no recorded benchmark entries.

The B580's average benchmark score is 23021, placing it at the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals provide context for this score. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, which is 0.2% higher than the B580. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, putting the B580 0.6% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, beating the B580 by 0.7%. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, staying 1% ahead of the B580.

In individual benchmarks, the B580 shows strength across different testing methodologies. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3068. Geekbench results show 92821 in OpenCL and 109672 in Vulkan. PassMark results include 15748 in G3D, 7729 in GPU compute, 709 in G2D, 183 in DirectX 9, 128 in DirectX 11, 76 in DirectX 10, and 76 in DirectX 12.

The A310E's lack of recorded benchmark scores means the database cannot quantify its performance relative to the B580 or any other GPU. Its 50th percentile ranking indicates mid-pack positioning among all GPUs, but no specific test results support a direct comparison. The specification gap, however, is stark: the B580 has 3.4 times the FP32 throughput, 3.7 times the memory bandwidth, and 3 times the memory capacity.

The B580's nearest rival comparisons show it clustered tightly with older high-end cards. The 0.6% advantage over the RTX 2080 indicates the B580 delivers comparable performance to that card in the database's aggregate measurements. The near-ties with the RX 580 2048SP and RTX 3080 suggest the B580 sits in a competitive performance band where small percentage differences separate cards.

The Verdict

The data clearly separates these two cards into different deployment categories. The A310E is an embedded and compact-market part: 75 W TDP, no power connectors, single-slot, 168 mm length, and four mini-DisplayPort outputs. Its 50th percentile ranking and absence of benchmark scores indicate it targets specialized applications rather than general desktop gaming or compute workloads.

The B580 is a mainstream desktop GPU with a 190 W TDP, one 8-pin connector, dual-slot cooling, and a 272 mm length. Its 68th percentile ranking and average score of 23021 place it in competition with established cards like the RTX 2080, which it edges by 0.6%, and the RX 580 2048SP, which edges it by 0.2%. The 12 GB memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth position it for modern games and larger workloads.

Users requiring a compact, low-power card for multi-display embedded systems should select the A310E. Its 4 GB memory and modest compute are sufficient for such roles, and the lack of external power connectors simplifies installation in constrained environments.

Users seeking general-purpose GPU performance should select the B580. The benchmark results show it trading blows with older flagship cards while using the newer Battlemage architecture. The 249 USD launch MSRP and active production status indicate ongoing availability. The 12 GB frame buffer provides headroom for memory-intensive applications that would exhaust the A310E's 4 GB.

The architectural gap reinforces the performance difference. The B580's 5 nm process, 19,600 million transistors, and Xe2-HPG design represent a full generational leap over the A310E's 6 nm, 7,200 million transistor Xe-HPG design. The B580 is the only one of the two with recorded performance data, and that data confirms it as the substantially faster card.