Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Comparison

Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER: the database shows a 5-5 split in head-to-head wins, but the nature of those wins matters more than the count. The Arc B580 leads decisively in modern DirectX 12 and compute workloads, while the RTX 2070 SUPER holds its ground in legacy API and 2D tests. The average benchmark score favors the Arc B580 at 23021 versus 20282 for the RTX 2070 SUPER, a 13.5% overall advantage. The Arc B580 also records a higher percentile rank among all GPUs (68th) compared to the RTX 2070 SUPER (65th). The data points to a generational shift: the Intel card is stronger where future-proofing matters, while the NVIDIA card remains competitive in older software environments.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single largest difference appears in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the Intel Arc B580 scores 3068, a massive 85.8% higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER's 1651. This is not a marginal edge but a decisive, near-doubling of the score, indicating the Arc B580 is in a completely different class for this modern DirectX 12 workload. No other benchmark comes close to this gap.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the Arc B580 scores 109672 against 90637, a 21% advantage. The OpenCL result follows a similar pattern: 92821 versus 83358, an 11.4% lead for the Intel card. These compute-oriented tests show the Arc B580's consistent superiority across modern APIs.

The RTX 2070 SUPER's strongest counter is in Passmark DirectX 10, scoring 132 versus 76, a 42.4% lead for the NVIDIA card. It also wins Passmark DirectX 9 by 17.9% (223 versus 183) and Passmark DirectX 11 by 15.2% (151 versus 128). In Passmark G3D, the NVIDIA card records 18169 against 15748, a 13.3% lead. The 2D test also favors NVIDIA: 878 versus 709, a 19.2% difference.

The remaining wins are narrow. The Arc B580 takes Passmark DirectX 12 with 76 versus 67, a 13.4% edge, and Passmark GPU Compute with 7729 versus 7557, a 2.3% margin. These smaller deltas show that while the Intel card wins, the margins are not always dominant. The benchmark counts are even at 5-5, but the score differences escalate sharply in favor of the Arc B580 in the most demanding tests.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 wins where modern graphics pipelines are used. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a test that stresses current API features, the Arc B580's 85.8% lead is the strongest single result in the comparison. Geekbench Vulkan and OpenCL also fall in the Arc's column, with leads of 21% and 11.4% respectively. These are the benchmarks that matter for contemporary games and professional GPU compute tasks. The Arc B580 also takes Passmark DirectX 12 and Passmark GPU Compute, rounding out a profile that favors the newest standards.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER wins across legacy and 2D-oriented workloads. It is ahead in Passmark DirectX 10, DirectX 9, and DirectX 11, with margins of 42.4%, 17.9%, and 15.2% respectively. Its 13.3% lead in Passmark G3D and 19.2% lead in Passmark G2D show strength in older game rendering and desktop 2D operations. This is a card that was built for the DirectX 11 era and it still performs best there. The data shows that for software locked to older API versions, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the safer choice.

The split is clear: the Arc B580 is for applications that use DirectX 12, Vulkan, or compute; the RTX 2070 SUPER is for older titles and 2D tasks. The average scores reinforce this interpretation, as the Arc B580's overall average of 23021 is higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282, but the NVIDIA card's performance in its niche is not irrelevant.

The Verdict

The Intel Arc B580 is the better GPU for modern gaming and compute. Its 85.8% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 21% lead in Geekbench Vulkan are not trivial; they indicate the hardware is designed for today's APIs. The Arc B580 also has a higher average benchmark score (23021 versus 20282), a higher percentile (68th versus 65th), and more memory (12GB versus 8GB). For any workload that uses DirectX 12, Vulkan, or compute, the Arc B580 is the data-backed winner.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER remains relevant only for users running older software. Its DirectX 9, 10, and 11 wins show that it can outperform the Arc B580 in legacy titles, and its Passmark G2D and G3D results confirm that it owns the 2D domain. If the primary use case is an old game library or basic desktop acceleration, the RTX 2070 SUPER is not obsolete. However, the database also shows it is end-of-life, with a 12nm process, while the Arc B580 is active on a 5nm process. The data suggests the NVIDIA card is a legacy option, not a future-proof one.

For the user who wants a card that will handle modern DirectX 12 and Vulkan with high scores, the Arc B580 wins without contest. For the user with legacy API requirements, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the only one that leads. The verdict is not about which is "better" in a vacuum, but which fits the workload. The Intel Arc B580 is the better modern GPU; the RTX 2070 SUPER is the better legacy GPU.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has an average of 23021, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER has an average of 20282. The Arc B580 leads by roughly 13.5%.

Q: How large is the DirectX 12 performance gap?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Intel Arc B580 scores 3068, which is 85.8% higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER's 1651. In Passmark DirectX 12, the Arc B580 wins with 76 versus 67, a 13.4% lead.

Q: In which benchmarks does the RTX 2070 SUPER win?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER wins in Passmark DirectX 10, 11, and 9, with margins of 42.4%, 15.2%, and 17.9% respectively. It also wins Passmark G2D by 19.2% and Passmark G3D by 13.3%.

Q: How do they compare in compute performance?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the Arc B580 scores 92821 versus 83358, an 11.4% lead. In Geekbench Vulkan, the Arc B580 scores 109672 versus 90637, a 21% lead. In Passmark GPU Compute, the Arc B580 wins 7729 versus 7557, a 2.3% margin.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB. The Arc B580's memory bus is 192-bit with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth; the RTX 2070 SUPER has 256-bit with 448.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card records more wins in the head-to-head tests?

A: The total wins are 5-5. The Intel Arc B580 wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, Geekbench Vulkan, Passmark DirectX 12, and Passmark GPU Compute. The RTX 2070 SUPER wins in Passmark DirectX 10, 11, 9, G2D, and G3D.

Architecture Differences

The core architectures differ fundamentally. Intel Arc B580 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture based on the BMG-G21 chip, built on a 5nm process at TSMC. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER uses the Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, built on a 12nm process at the same foundry. The transistor counts reflect this: the Intel chip packs 19,600 million transistors in a 272 mm² die, while the NVIDIA chip has 13,600 million in a 545 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 81.1M per mm² for Intel versus 25.0M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Memory subsystems differ. The Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and a memory clock of 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with bandwidth 448.0 GB/s and a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

The shading units are identical: both have 2560 shading units and 160 TMUs. However, the ROPs differ: the Arc B580 has 80, the RTX 2070 SUPER has 64. The ray tracing cores differ: the Arc B580 has 20 RT cores, the RTX 2070 SUPER has 40, plus 320 Tensor cores for AI workloads. The Arc B580 has no Tensor core field.

The clock speeds reflect the process difference. The Arc B580 has a base and boost both at 2670 MHz, while the RTX 2070 SUPER has a base of 1605 MHz and boost of 1770 MHz. The pixel rate is higher on the Intel card (213.6 GPixel/s versus 113.3), as is texture rate (427.2 GTexel/s versus 283.2). The FP32 compute is 13.67 TFLOPS for the Arc B580 versus 9.062 TFLOPS for the RTX 2070 SUPER. FP16 is 27.34 TFLOPS versus 18.12 TFLOPS, both at 2:1 ratio.

The Arc B580 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 2070 SUPER uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ: the Arc B580 has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the RTX 2070 SUPER has 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several core specifications. The Intel Arc B580 is a Battlemage (Arc 5) generation product, active in production, while the RTX 2070 SUPER is end-of-life from the GeForce 20-series. The process node is 5nm versus 12nm, and the die size is 272 mm² versus 545 mm². Transistor counts are 19,600 million versus 13,600 million.

Memory capacity is 12 GB versus 8 GB, with bus width 192-bit versus 256-bit, and bandwidth 456.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 2375 MHz (19 Gbps) versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps). The base clock is 2670 MHz versus 1605 MHz, and the boost clock is 2670 MHz versus 1770 MHz.

The ROPs are 80 versus 64, and the RT cores are 20 versus 40. The Tensor cores are absent in the Arc B580 field, while the RTX 2070 SUPER has 320. The pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s versus 113.3, texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s versus 283.2, and FP32 is 13.67 TFLOPS versus 9.062 TFLOPS. TDP is 190 W versus 215 W.

The power connectors: the Arc B580 uses 1x 8-pin, the RTX 2070 SUPER uses 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. The suggested PSU is 450 W versus 550 W. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 3.0 x16. The dimensions differ: the Arc B580 is 272 mm long and 115 mm high, the RTX 2070 SUPER is 267 mm and 116 mm high. The Arc B580 is 45 mm wide versus 35 mm for the NVIDIA card. The release dates are 2024-12-12 versus 2019-07-08. The launch MSRP is 249 USD for the Arc B580 and 499 USD for the RTX 2070 SUPER.