Intel Arc B570 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile Comparison
Intel Arc B570
GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: Intel Arc B570 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The aggregate benchmark data places these two GPUs in a near-dead heat. The Intel Arc B570 posts an average benchmark score of 20,556, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile sits at 20,534 — a negligible 0.1% gap that positions them as direct rivals. Yet the individual test breakdown reveals a fascinating split in strengths, with the Intel card taking six of the ten head-to-head matchups while the NVIDIA card claims four.
The most dramatic Intel victory comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the Arc B570 scores 96,844 against the RTX 3070 Mobile's 86,768 — an 11.6% advantage. This is complemented by an 11.3% win in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (2,649 vs 2,380), suggesting Intel's architecture handles modern, low-level graphics APIs with particular efficiency. The DirectX 12 Passmark test reinforces this pattern, with the Arc B570 winning 72 to 64, a 12.5% margin.
NVIDIA's strongest counterpunch lands in the legacy DirectX 10 benchmark, where the RTX 3070 Mobile scores 113 versus Intel's 65 — a commanding 42.5% lead. This is a striking result, hinting that NVIDIA's mature driver stack retains a significant edge in older API workloads. The RTX 3070 Mobile also wins the DirectX 11 test by 14.5% (138 vs 118) and the Passmark G3D benchmark by 7.3% (15,309 vs 14,195), showing sustained superiority in conventional rasterization scenarios.
The OpenCL compute test favors NVIDIA, with the RTX 3070 Mobile scoring 92,939 against 83,514 — a 10.1% advantage. However, Intel answers in the Passmark GPU Compute test, winning 7,281 to 6,827, a 6.7% margin. This split suggests the two architectures handle compute workloads differently depending on the specific workload characteristics.
The remaining tests are closer. Intel edges out NVIDIA in DirectX 9 (164 vs 160, a 2.5% win) and in the 2D test (661 vs 641, a 3.1% win). These narrow margins indicate that in legacy and 2D scenarios, the two GPUs are effectively interchangeable. The overall win count — 6 for Intel, 4 for NVIDIA — might suggest Intel dominance, but the magnitude of NVIDIA's DirectX 10 victory (42.5%) versus Intel's largest win (11.6%) means the average scores remain nearly identical.
Architecture Differences
The underlying architectures diverge sharply. Intel's Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. NVIDIA's RTX 3070 Mobile uses the older Ampere architecture on Samsung's 8 nm node. This process advantage is reflected in transistor density: Intel packs 72.1 million transistors per square millimeter versus NVIDIA's 44.4 million. The Intel chip contains 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, while NVIDIA's GA104 has 17,400 million transistors spread across a larger 392 mm² die.
Core configurations tell a more complex story. The RTX 3070 Mobile fields 5,120 shading units — more than double Intel's 2,304. NVIDIA also leads in texture mapping units (160 vs 144) and has 40 RT cores versus Intel's 18, plus 160 tensor cores that Intel's chip lacks entirely. Yet Intel's clock speeds compensate significantly: the Arc B570 runs at a flat 2,500 MHz for both base and boost, while NVIDIA's mobile chip has a 1,110 MHz base and 1,560 MHz boost. This clock advantage helps Intel achieve a 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate versus NVIDIA's 124.8 GPixel/s, despite having the same 80 ROPs.
Memory configurations differ substantially. Intel provides 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. NVIDIA offers 8 GB on a wider 256-bit bus, achieving 448.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card's higher bandwidth is offset by Intel's larger capacity, creating a trade-off between sheer data throughput and available working set. Intel's memory runs at 2,375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) versus NVIDIA's 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), though the wider bus still gives NVIDIA the overall bandwidth advantage.
Power requirements are asymmetric despite similar performance. Intel's Arc B570 carries a 150 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and a single 8-pin connector, requiring a 450 W suggested PSU. The RTX 3070 Mobile has a lower 115 W TDP and uses no external power connectors, reflecting its laptop-oriented design. NVIDIA also uses a wider PCIe 4.0 x16 interface versus Intel's x8, which could matter in bandwidth-sensitive scenarios. Both support identical API levels: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.
Where Each One Wins
The data paints a clear picture for modern gaming workloads. Intel's Arc B570 excels in DirectX 12 and Vulkan scenarios, which dominate current AAA titles. The 11.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and the 11.6% Vulkan advantage suggest that gamers focused on contemporary titles will see better performance from the Intel card. The additional 2 GB of VRAM also supports higher-resolution textures and larger scenes in modern games.
NVIDIA's RTX 3070 Mobile is the stronger choice for legacy software. The 42.5% DirectX 10 win and 14.5% DirectX 11 advantage indicate that older titles, or games running in compatibility modes, will perform noticeably better on the NVIDIA hardware. This could matter for users with extensive back catalogs or those playing games that haven't been updated for newer API versions. The 7.3% Passmark G3D win also suggests NVIDIA handles traditional 3D rasterization more effectively.
Compute workloads split by application type. NVIDIA's 10.1% OpenCL advantage points to better performance in OpenCL-heavy applications, while Intel's 6.7% Passmark GPU Compute win suggests it handles certain compute tasks more efficiently. The presence of tensor cores in the RTX 3070 Mobile, which Intel lacks entirely, implies NVIDIA has dedicated hardware for AI and DLSS workloads, though the benchmark data doesn't directly measure this capability.
The DirectX 9 test shows near-parity (2.5% Intel win), and the 2D test similarly favors Intel marginally (3.1%). Users running older 2D applications or lightweight DX9 games will see minimal differences. The 6-4 win split in Intel's favor, combined with the near-identical average scores, means the choice depends heavily on workload composition rather than overall capability.
The Verdict
The average benchmark scores place these GPUs in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with a 0.1% difference that is statistically insignificant. For modern DX12 and Vulkan gaming, the Intel Arc B570 is the clear pick: it leads by 11.3% and 11.6% respectively, and its larger 10 GB frame buffer provides headroom for future titles. The 12.5% DirectX 12 Passmark win reinforces this conclusion.
For legacy DX10 and DX11 workloads, the NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile is the definitive choice. Its 42.5% and 14.5% margins in those tests are substantial, and the 7.3% G3D win suggests better general 3D performance in traditional rendering paths. Users with large libraries of older games, or those running applications that still rely on pre-DX12 APIs, will find NVIDIA's card more capable.
The compute decision is less clear-cut. NVIDIA's OpenCL advantage (10.1%) might matter for specific professional applications, while Intel's Passmark GPU Compute win (6.7%) suggests broader compute versatility in other contexts. The RTX 3070 Mobile's tensor cores give it a theoretical edge in AI-accelerated workloads, though this isn't directly reflected in the benchmark scores.
The production status differences are notable: Intel's Arc B570 is listed as Active, while the RTX 3070 Mobile is End-of-life. For new system builders, this favors Intel for longevity and ongoing driver support. The Intel card also has a launch MSRP of 219 USD, though that should not factor into performance-based purchasing decisions. Ultimately, the data supports choosing the Arc B570 for future-facing DX12/Vulkan gaming and the RTX 3070 Mobile for legacy software compatibility.
FAQ
Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?
A: The Intel Arc B570 scores 20,556 on average, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20,534 — a 0.1% difference favoring Intel.
Q: What is the biggest performance gap in any single test?
A: The largest margin is NVIDIA's 42.5% win in the Passmark DirectX 10 test, where it scores 113 versus Intel's 65.
Q: How do the memory configurations compare?
A: Intel offers 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, while NVIDIA provides 8 GB on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.
Q: Which GPU is better for modern DirectX 12 gaming?
A: The Intel Arc B570 wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test by 11.3% (2,649 vs 2,380) and the Passmark DirectX 12 test by 12.5% (72 vs 64).
Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?
A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.
Q: What are the power consumption differences?
A: The Intel Arc B570 has a 150 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and 1x 8-pin connector, while the NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile has a 115 W TDP and no external power connectors.
Specification Differences
| Specification | Intel Arc B570 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Xe2-HPG | Ampere |
| Process Node | 5 nm | 8 nm |
| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |
| Transistors | 19,600 million | 17,400 million |
| Die Size | 272 mm² | 392 mm² |
| Transistor Density | 72.1M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |
| Base Clock | 2500 MHz | 1110 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2500 MHz | 1560 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |
| Memory Size | 10 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory Bus Width | 160 bit | 256 bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 380.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |
| Shading Units | 2304 | 5120 |
| TMUs | 144 | 160 |
| ROPs | 80 | 80 |
| RT Cores | 18 | 40 |
| Tensor Cores | None | 160 |
| Pixel Rate | 200.0 GPixel/s | 124.8 GPixel/s |
| Texture Rate | 360.0 GTexel/s | 249.6 GTexel/s |
| FP32 | 11.52 TFLOPS | 15.97 TFLOPS |
| FP16 | 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1) | 15.97 TFLOPS (1:1) |
| TDP | 150 W | 115 W |
| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Not specified |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |
| Suggested PSU | 450 W | Not specified |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 | Portable Device Dependent |
| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |
| Release Date | 2025-01-15 | 2021-01-11 |
| Predecessor | Alchemist | GeForce 20 Mobile |