Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile Comparison
Intel Arc B580
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile and Intel Arc B580 are closely matched desktop and mobile GPU contenders, separated by an average benchmark score of just 497 points (23,518 vs 23,021). The data shows a split decision: the NVIDIA part wins 6 of 10 head-to-head tests, while the Intel card wins 4, yet the Intel Arc B580 delivers a decisive win in modern DX12 workloads. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile holds a 0.5-point percentile advantage over all GPUs (69th vs 68th), but the Arc B580’s performance in current-generation APIs and its larger memory pool make it the stronger pick for forward-looking buyers.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The biggest single victory belongs to the Intel Arc B580 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 3,068 against the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile’s 2,572. That is a 16.2% lead for Intel, and it is the largest margin in either direction across all ten tests. This is not a narrow win — it signals that the Xe2-HPG architecture handles modern DX12 rendering with far greater efficiency than the older Ampere design.
NVIDIA’s strongest counterpunch comes in PassMark DirectX 10, where the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile scores 124 versus Intel’s 76 — a commanding 63.2% advantage. This is the most lopsided result in the entire comparison, and it shows NVIDIA’s legacy driver optimization still dominates in older API workloads. The gap narrows but remains NVIDIA-favorable in PassMark DirectX 11 (153 vs 128, a 19.5% lead) and PassMark DirectX 9 (196 vs 183, a 7.1% lead).
The compute and general-purpose picture is mixed. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile posts 106,022 against Intel’s 92,821, a 14.2% win for NVIDIA. However, in Geekbench Vulkan, Intel flips the script with 109,672 versus 100,027, an 8.8% lead. The PassMark GPU Compute test is nearly a tie: Intel edges ahead 7,729 to 7,504, a slim 2.9% margin.
In rasterization, the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile takes PassMark G3D with 17,727 points to Intel’s 15,748, a 12.6% advantage. It also wins PassMark G2D (783 vs 709, 10.4% ahead) and PassMark DirectX 12 is essentially a dead heat, with Intel winning 76 to 73, a 3.9% margin that falls within noise.
The pattern is clear: NVIDIA dominates legacy APIs and OpenCL, while Intel wins the modern DX12 and Vulkan tests that matter most for current and upcoming games. The RTX 3070 Ti Mobile’s 6-4 win count is real, but the Intel card’s victories are concentrated in the workloads that will define future performance.
FAQ
Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?
A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile has an average benchmark score of 23,518, while the Intel Arc B580 scores 23,021. That is a 0.5% difference, with the NVIDIA card sitting 0.5% behind the RTX 3080 Mobile in its nearest rival list and the Intel card 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP.
Q: How do the two compare in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?
A: Intel wins decisively, scoring 3,068 versus NVIDIA’s 2,572. That is a 16.2% lead for the Arc B580, making it the largest performance gap in any benchmark between these two cards.
Q: Which card is better for older DirectX games?
A: The NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti Mobile is clearly superior in legacy APIs. It leads by 63.2% in PassMark DirectX 10, 19.5% in DirectX 11, and 7.1% in DirectX 9. The only older-API test Intel wins is DirectX 12, by a marginal 3.9%.
Q: How do the two cards compare in compute workloads?
A: It depends on the API. NVIDIA wins Geekbench OpenCL by 14.2% (106,022 vs 92,821), while Intel wins Geekbench Vulkan by 8.8% (109,672 vs 100,027). In PassMark GPU Compute, Intel takes a narrow 2.9% lead (7,729 vs 7,504).
Q: What is the memory configuration difference?
A: The Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. Intel has 4 GB more capacity and slightly higher bandwidth.
Q: Which GPU has better 2D performance?
A: The NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti Mobile wins PassMark G2D with 783 points versus Intel’s 709, a 10.4% advantage. This suggests better desktop compositing and 2D acceleration in the NVIDIA driver stack.
The Verdict
The data points to two different buyers. Pick the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile if your library is heavy on DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 titles, or if you rely on OpenCL compute. It wins PassMark G3D by 12.6% (17,727 vs 15,748) and holds a 14.2% OpenCL lead, making it the stronger choice for older game catalogs and certain productivity workloads. Its 6-4 win count in head-to-head tests reflects this legacy strength.
Pick the Intel Arc B580 if you prioritize modern rendering. The 16.2% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is the headline, but the 8.8% Vulkan win and 12 GB memory capacity make it the more future-proof option. The 2.9% compute win and the near-tie in DirectX 12 (76 vs 73) reinforce that Intel has caught up in the APIs that matter for new releases. The Arc B580’s 68th percentile ranking versus NVIDIA’s 69th is statistically insignificant, but the workload distribution is not — Intel wins where games are heading.
Specification Differences
The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti Mobile uses 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, while the Intel Arc B580 has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Despite fewer cores, Intel achieves a higher pixel rate (213.6 GPixel/s vs 135.4 GPixel/s) and texture rate (427.2 GTexel/s vs 259.4 GTexel/s). NVIDIA’s FP32 throughput is higher at 16.60 TFLOPS versus Intel’s 13.67 TFLOPS, but Intel’s FP16 rate of 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) doubles NVIDIA’s 16.60 TFLOPS (1:1). Memory differs: NVIDIA uses 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, while Intel uses 12 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus. Clock speeds are starkly different — Intel runs at a 2,670 MHz base and boost, while NVIDIA boosts to 1,410 MHz from a 915 MHz base.
Architecture Differences
The architectural gap is generational. NVIDIA’s GA104 chip is built on Ampere architecture using Samsung’s 8 nm process, packing 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die (44.4M transistors per mm²). Intel’s BMG-G21 chip uses Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) on TSMC’s 5 nm process, with 19,600 million transistors on a smaller 272 mm² die — a density of 72.1M per mm², 62% higher than NVIDIA’s. The Intel card has 20 ray tracing cores; NVIDIA has 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. Intel lists no tensor core equivalent. NVIDIA’s TDP is 115 W with no power connectors (portable device dependent), while Intel draws 190 W via a single 8-pin connector with a 450 W suggested PSU. Intel is a dual-slot card measuring 272 mm long, 115 mm tall, and 45 mm wide, with 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1 outputs. NVIDIA’s display outputs are portable-device dependent. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but NVIDIA is end-of-life (released January 2022) while Intel is active (released December 2024).
Where Each One Wins
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile wins in: legacy DirectX APIs (63.2% in DX10, 19.5% in DX11, 7.1% in DX9), OpenCL compute (14.2% lead), overall rasterization (12.6% in PassMark G3D), and 2D performance (10.4% in G2D). This is the card for older game engines, OpenCL-based productivity tools, and users who prioritize maximum compatibility with established software stacks.
Intel Arc B580 wins in: modern DX12 rendering (16.2% in 3DMark Steel Nomad), Vulkan compute (8.8% lead), and GPU compute in PassMark (2.9% margin). Its 12 GB memory capacity and higher FP16 throughput (27.34 vs 16.60 TFLOPS) provide additional headroom for future titles and compute tasks that leverage half-precision. The Intel card also has a 190 W TDP versus NVIDIA’s 115 W, indicating more sustained performance headroom in desktop use, though at higher power draw. For new game releases, Vulkan-based applications, or workloads using FP16, the Arc B580 is the data-backed choice.