Intel Arc A380E x2 vs Intel Arc B580 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the core architectural difference between the Intel Arc A380E x2 and the Intel Arc B580?

A: The A380E x2 uses the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process with the DG2-128 chip, while the B580 uses the newer Xe2-HPG architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process with the BMG-G21 chip.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare between the two cards?

A: The A380E x2 has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units and how does that affect FP32 performance?

A: The B580 has 2560 shading units and delivers 13.67 TFLOPS FP32, compared to the A380E x2's 1024 shading units and 4.096 TFLOPS FP32. The B580 provides roughly 3.3 times the raw FP32 throughput.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The A380E x2 has a 130 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU and a single 6-pin connector, while the B580 has a 190 W TDP with a 450 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin connector.

Q: How does the B580 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The B580's average benchmark score of 23021 places it within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, -0.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, +0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, -0.7%), and the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -1%).

Q: What is the production status and release timing for each card?

A: The A380E x2 is end-of-life and was released on 2024-03-31, while the B580 is active and was released on 2024-12-12, with a launch MSRP of 249 USD.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A380E x2 and Intel Arc B580 represent two distinct generations of Intel's discrete GPU efforts. The A380E x2 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, part of the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation, using the DG2-128 chip fabricated on TSMC's 6 nm process. The B580, in contrast, uses the Xe2-HPG architecture from the Battlemage (Arc 5) generation, built on the BMG-G21 chip with TSMC's 5 nm process. This process shrink coincides with a substantial increase in transistor count: the B580 packs 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, versus 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die for the A380E x2. Transistor density rises accordingly from 45.9M / mm² to 72.1M / mm².

The compute resources differ dramatically. The B580 doubles the shading units to 2560 from 1024, increases TMUs from 64 to 160, and raises ROPs from 32 to 80. Ray tracing hardware also scales up: the B580 has 20 RT cores versus 8 on the A380E x2. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API coverage is identical. The memory architecture shifts from a 96-bit bus with 6 GB GDDR6 on the A380E x2 to a 192-bit bus with 12 GB GDDR6 on the B580, and memory clocks rise from 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) to 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). Clock speeds also increase: the A380E x2 runs at a fixed 2000 MHz base and boost, while the B580 runs at 2670 MHz base and boost.

The physical design reflects the performance gap. The A380E x2 is a single-slot card measuring 265 mm by 127 mm by 20 mm, while the B580 is a dual-slot card at 272 mm by 115 mm by 45 mm. Power delivery scales accordingly: the A380E x2 draws 130 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU, while the B580 draws 190 W TDP with a 450 W suggested PSU. Display outputs also differ, with the A380E x2 offering 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 and the B580 offering 1x HDMI 2.1a plus 3x DisplayPort 2.1.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark records between the A380E x2 and the B580. However, the B580's individual benchmark scores provide a clear profile of its capabilities. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the B580 scores 3068. In Geekbench, it posts 92821 in OpenCL and 109672 in Vulkan. PassMark results show 15748 in G3D, 7729 in GPU compute, 709 in G2D, and legacy DirectX scores of 183 in DX9, 128 in DX11, 76 in DX10, and 76 in DX12. These results place the B580 at the 68th percentile across all GPUs in the database.

The nearest rivals for the B580 bracket its average score of 23021. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP sits essentially at parity with an average score of 23061, a -0.2% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 trails by a hair at 22895, a +0.6% delta in the B580's favor. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 leads slightly at 23172, a -0.7% delta against the B580. Finally, the NVIDIA P106-100 posts 23249, a -1% delta. The B580 thus performs within a narrow band of roughly 1% above or below these four rivals, indicating that its real-world performance clusters tightly around the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080 territory despite the generational gap in the naming.

The A380E x2, by contrast, has no recorded benchmark scores and no nearest rivals in the database. Its percentile ranking of 50 places it at the midpoint of all GPUs, while the B580's 68th percentile ranking indicates a superior position. The FP32 throughput figures corroborate this: the B580's 13.67 TFLOPS is more than triple the A380E x2's 4.096 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s shows a similar multiplier. Texture rate scales even more favorably, with the B580 delivering 427.2 GTexel/s against 128.0 GTexel/s.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two cards:

• Chip: DG2-128 (A380E x2) versus BMG-G21 (B580)
• Architecture: Xe-HPG versus Xe2-HPG
• Generation: Alchemist (Arc 3) versus Battlemage (Arc 5)
• Process node: 6 nm versus 5 nm
• Transistors: 7,200 million versus 19,600 million
• Die size: 157 mm² versus 272 mm²
• Transistor density: 45.9M / mm² versus 72.1M / mm²
• Base clock: 2000 MHz versus 2670 MHz
• Boost clock: 2000 MHz versus 2670 MHz
• Memory clock: 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) versus 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective)
• Memory size: 6 GB versus 12 GB
• Memory bus width: 96 bit versus 192 bit
• Memory bandwidth: 186.0 GB/s versus 456.0 GB/s
• Shading units: 1024 versus 2560
• TMUs: 64 versus 160
• ROPs: 32 versus 80
• RT cores: 8 versus 20
• Pixel rate: 64.00 GPixel/s versus 213.6 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 128.0 GTexel/s versus 427.2 GTexel/s
• FP32: 4.096 TFLOPS versus 13.67 TFLOPS
• FP16: 8.192 TFLOPS versus 27.34 TFLOPS
• TDP: 130 W versus 190 W
• Slot width: Single-slot versus Dual-slot
• Power connectors: 1x 6-pin versus 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: 300 W versus 450 W
• Display outputs: 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 versus 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1
• Dimensions: 265 mm x 127 mm x 20 mm versus 272 mm x 115 mm x 45 mm
• Production status: End-of-life versus Active
• Release date: 2024-03-31 versus 2024-12-12
• Predecessor: Xe Graphics versus Alchemist
• Successor: Battlemage versus null
• Percentile vs all GPUs: 50 versus 68

Identical fields include manufacturer (Intel), memory type (GDDR6), bus interface (PCIe 4.0 x8), and all API support levels.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 wins on every measurable compute and memory metric in the database. Its FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS is over three times higher, its memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s is nearly 2.5 times higher, and its VRAM capacity of 12 GB is double. The B580 also holds the advantage in ray tracing resources with 20 RT cores versus 8, and its 68th percentile ranking versus the A380E x2's 50th percentile confirms its higher standing in the aggregate GPU hierarchy. The B580's active production status and later release date (2024-12-12 versus 2024-03-31) mean it remains a current product, while the A380E x2 is end-of-life with a successor already designated (Battlemage, which the B580 represents).

The Intel Arc A380E x2 wins in power efficiency and physical footprint. Its 130 W TDP is 60 W lower than the B580's 190 W, and its 300 W suggested PSU is 150 W lower. The single-slot design at 20 mm thickness is less than half the B580's 45 mm, and the 265 mm length is slightly shorter than 272 mm. The A380E x2 also offers more display outputs with 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 versus the B580's 4 outputs (1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1), which could suit multi-display configurations. Its lower power draw and smaller size make it a candidate for constrained chassis or low-power builds, though the B580's superior compute and memory resources dominate in performance-oriented scenarios.

The Verdict

The recorded data presents a one-sided comparison. The Intel Arc B580 outperforms the Intel Arc A380E x2 across every performance metric available: FP32 compute (13.67 TFLOPS versus 4.096 TFLOPS), memory bandwidth (456.0 GB/s versus 186.0 GB/s), VRAM capacity (12 GB versus 6 GB), shading units (2560 versus 1024), and pixel/texture rates. Its 68th percentile ranking versus the A380E x2's 50th percentile further separates the two in overall database standings.

The B580's benchmark scores demonstrate competitive positioning against established NVIDIA and AMD parts. Its average score of 23021 sits within 1% of the RTX 2080, RTX 3080, RX 580 2048SP, and P106-100, meaning it delivers performance in that class despite being a newer architecture. The A380E x2 has no benchmark records to compare, so its practical performance cannot be quantified from the database, but its lower specifications and mid-tier percentile suggest it targets a more modest segment.

For users prioritizing raw performance, memory capacity, or ray tracing capability, the B580 is the clear selection. For users prioritizing low power draw, compact size, or high display output count, the A380E x2 retains specific advantages. The B580's active status and newer release date also indicate ongoing availability, while the A380E x2 has reached end-of-life. The verdict from the data: the B580 is the superior GPU by a wide margin, with the A380E x2 serving only niche use cases where its physical and power characteristics outweigh its substantial performance deficit.