Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA H20 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 and NVIDIA H20 occupy entirely different segments of the GPU market, and the recorded data confirms that they do not compete on the same workloads. The Arc B580 is a consumer-focused graphics card with a full suite of benchmark results, while the H20 has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, meaning its wins cannot be quantified through the standard test suite. The B580 therefore wins every available benchmark comparison by default, but this is a reflection of data availability rather than a statement of superiority in all tasks.

The Arc B580 shows its strengths across the DirectX and general compute tests. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3068, a result that places it above the 50th percentile of all GPUs, specifically at the 68th percentile. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 and OpenCL score of 92821 indicate that the card handles modern graphics APIs and compute workloads with reasonable efficiency. The PassMark G3D score of 15748 further confirms that the card is a capable DirectX performer, while the PassMark GPU Compute score of 7729 shows moderate compute throughput.

The H20, by contrast, is a server-oriented accelerator with no display outputs, no DirectX support, and no recorded benchmarks. Its architecture is built for throughput in dense compute environments, and its specifications reflect that: 96 GB of HBM3 memory, a 6144-bit bus, and 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth. The database contains no benchmark scores for the H20, so the analysis of its performance must rely on its architectural specifications and the fact that it sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, which is a placeholder value given the absence of measured results.

The use-case split is clear. The Arc B580 wins in all consumer-facing workloads where benchmarks exist, including DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, Vulkan, OpenCL, and general 2D and 3D performance. The H20 has no recorded wins in these categories, and its design purpose, a high-memory, high-bandwidth server accelerator, suggests that its strengths lie in workloads not covered by the benchmark suite, such as large-scale AI inference or training, where its 312 tensor cores and massive memory capacity would be relevant.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The Arc B580 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture, specifically the BMG-G21 chip, and belongs to the Battlemage generation within the Arc 5 lineup. It is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 72.1 million transistors per mm². The H20 uses the Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, also built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but with 80,000 million transistors on an 814 mm² die, giving a density of 98.3 million transistors per mm². The H20's transistor count is roughly four times that of the B580, and its die is nearly three times larger.

The memory subsystems are radically different. The B580 uses 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The H20 uses 96 GB of HBM3 memory on a 6144-bit bus, delivering 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth. That is an eightfold increase in capacity and nearly a ninefold increase in bandwidth. The H20's memory clock is listed at 1313 MHz with 5.3 Gbps effective, while the B580 runs at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective, but the H20's enormous bus width more than compensates for the lower clock rate.

The compute resources also differ in scale and type. The B580 has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, 80 ROPs, and 20 ray tracing cores. It has no dedicated tensor cores. The H20 has 9984 shading units, 312 texture mapping units, 24 ROPs, and 312 tensor cores. The H20 has no listed ray tracing cores. The H20's shading unit count is nearly four times that of the B580, and its tensor core count is substantial, but its ROP count is far lower, at 24 versus 80. This suggests the H20 is not optimized for traditional rasterization output.

Clock speeds differ as well. The B580 runs at 2670 MHz for both base and boost. The H20 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 1980 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, the H20's larger core count gives it significantly higher raw throughput. The B580 delivers 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 and 27.34 TFLOPS of FP16. The H20 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS of FP32 and 79.07 TFLOPS of FP16. The H20 is roughly three times faster in both precision formats.

The B580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The H20 lists N/A for all three of those APIs, which is consistent with its server role and lack of display outputs. The B580 uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the H20 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, giving the H20 more host bandwidth. The B580 has a TDP of 190 W and requires a 450 W power supply, while the H20 has a TDP of 500 W and requires a 900 W power supply. The B580 is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector, while the H20 is an SXM module with no power connectors listed, meaning it is designed for server chassis integration.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no head-to-head benchmark results recorded in the database for these two GPUs. The headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty, and both winsA and winsB are zero. The only comparison possible is through the Arc B580's individual benchmark results, which stand alone because the H20 has no scores.

The Arc B580's benchmark scores provide a picture of its performance tier. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 places it at the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 and OpenCL score of 92821 are relatively close, indicating balanced performance across those two APIs. The PassMark suite shows a G3D score of 15748, which is its strongest result in that family, while the G2D score is 709. The DirectX-specific PassMark scores are 183 for DX9, 128 for DX11, and 76 for both DX10 and DX12. The GPU Compute score is 7729.

The nearest rivals for the Arc B580, based on average benchmark score, include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which has an average score of 23061, a delta of -0.2 percent relative to the B580. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 has an average score of 22895, a delta of 0.6 percent. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has an average score of 23172, a delta of -0.7 percent. The NVIDIA P106-100 has an average score of 23249, a delta of -1 percent. The B580's average benchmark score is 23021, which sits between the RTX 2080 and the RTX 3080 in this grouping, within roughly one percent of all four rivals. This indicates that the B580 performs in the same general tier as those older and newer NVIDIA and AMD parts, despite the wide variance in their individual specifications.

The H20 has no nearest rivals and no average benchmark score, so it cannot be placed in the same comparison framework. Its 50th percentile value is a default placeholder, not a measured result. The database simply has no performance data for the H20.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward conclusion. The Intel Arc B580 is a consumer graphics card with measurable benchmark results across multiple APIs, and it sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 23021 places it within one percent of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, and the NVIDIA P106-100. For anyone seeking a card for DirectX gaming, Vulkan workloads, or general OpenCL compute, the B580 has verified performance data.

The NVIDIA H20 is a different product entirely. It has no benchmark scores, no display outputs, no DirectX support, and no recorded average score. Its specifications point to a server accelerator designed for high-memory, high-bandwidth compute tasks. The 96 GB of HBM3 memory, the 4.03 TB/s bandwidth, the 312 tensor cores, and the 39.54 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput are all indicators of a workload profile that the benchmark suite does not cover. The H20's 500 W TDP and SXM module form factor reinforce that it is not intended for desktop use.

From the data alone, the Arc B580 is the only one of the two that can be evaluated through benchmarks. The H20 cannot be scored in the same tests, so any direct comparison of performance is impossible. The choice between them is not a matter of preference but of application. The B580 serves consumer graphics and general compute. The H20 serves server-side compute with massive memory and tensor throughput. Neither card is a substitute for the other.

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score of the Intel Arc B580?

A: The average benchmark score is 23021, placing it at the 68th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the NVIDIA H20 have any recorded benchmark scores?

A: No, the database lists no benchmark scores for the H20. Its average benchmark score is 0, and its percentile is listed as 50, which is a default value.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in average score?

A: The B580 is within one percent of all four nearest rivals. It is 0.2 percent behind the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, 0.6 percent ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, 0.7 percent ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, and 1 percent ahead of the NVIDIA P106-100.

Q: What memory configurations do the two GPUs use?

A: The Arc B580 uses 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA H20 uses 96 GB of HBM3 memory on a 6144-bit bus with 4.03 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA H20 has 9984 shading units, while the Intel Arc B580 has 2560. The H20 also has 312 tensor cores, while the B580 has none listed.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The Arc B580 has a TDP of 190 W and a suggested power supply of 450 W. The NVIDIA H20 has a TDP of 500 W and a suggested power supply of 900 W.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc B580 | NVIDIA H20 |

|----------------|----------------|------------|

| Chip | BMG-G21 | GH100 |

| Architecture | Xe2-HPG | Hopper |

| Generation | Battlemage (Arc 5) | Server Hopper (Hxx) |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 19,600 million | 80,000 million |

| Die Size | 272 mm² | 814 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 72.1M / mm² | 98.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2670 MHz | 1830 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2670 MHz | 1980 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2375 MHz 19 Gbps effective | 1313 MHz 5.3 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 96 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 6144 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 456.0 GB/s | 4.03 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 9984 |

| Texture Mapping Units | 160 | 312 |

| ROPs | 80 | 24 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 20 | null |

| Tensor Cores | null | 312 |

| Pixel Rate | 213.6 GPixel/s | 47.52 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 427.2 GTexel/s | 617.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 13.67 TFLOPS | 39.54 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) | 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 190 W | 500 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | SXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | null |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 900 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 | No outputs |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL Support | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | N/A |

| Length | 272 mm 10.7 inches | null |

| Height | 115 mm 4.5 inches | null |

| Width | 45 mm 1.8 inches | null |

| Release Date | 2024-12-12 | 2024-01-31 |

| Predecessor | Alchemist | Server Ada |

| Successor | null | Server Blackwell |

| Launch MSRP | 249 USD | null |