Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA N1 20SM Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 is the clear performance leader in every measurable category available in the database. The NVIDIA N1 20SM returns no benchmark scores at all, so the recorded data shows zero wins for either side in direct head-to-head testing. The Arc B580 posts an average benchmark score of 23021, while the N1 20SM has an average of 0. This is not a close contest; it is a one-sided comparison.

The Arc B580 delivers its strongest results in synthetic geometry and compute workloads. Its PassMark G3D score of 15748 places it far ahead of anything the N1 20SM can offer, given that the N1 20SM has no recorded scores. The Geekbench Vulkan result of 109672 and OpenCL result of 92821 confirm that the Arc B580 handles modern graphics APIs effectively. The N1 20SM, by contrast, lists DirectX 12 Ultimate support as N/A, OpenGL as N/A, and Vulkan as N/A, meaning it cannot run the same benchmark suite at all.

Where the N1 20SM does hold an advantage is in memory capacity. It carries 128 GB of LPDDR5X across a 256 bit bus, while the Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus. That capacity gap is substantial, but the bandwidth figures tell a different story. The Arc B580 reaches 456.0 GB/s, while the N1 20SM reaches only 273.2 GB/s. The Arc B580 delivers 66% more memory bandwidth despite having roughly one-tenth the memory capacity. For rendering and gaming workloads, bandwidth matters more than sheer capacity, and the data reflects that.

The N1 20SM also differs in physical design. It is an integrated graphics processor, listed as IGP slot width with no power connectors and no dimensions recorded. The Arc B580 is a dual-slot discrete card measuring 272 mm in length, 115 mm in height, and 45 mm in width, requiring a single 8-pin power connector and a 450 W suggested power supply. These are different product categories entirely. The N1 20SM is designed for integration into a larger system, while the Arc B580 is a standalone expansion card.

Architecture Differences

The two chips share a 5 nm process node from TSMC, but the similarities end there. The Intel Arc B580 uses the BMG-G21 die with Xe2-HPG architecture, belonging to the Battlemage generation under the Arc 5 series. The NVIDIA N1 20SM uses the GB20B die with Blackwell 2.0 architecture, belonging to the Blackwell IGP generation under the N1x series. One is a discrete gaming GPU; the other is an integrated processor.

Transistor counts diverge sharply. The Arc B580 integrates 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, yielding a density of 72.1M per mm². The N1 20SM has an unknown transistor count but a larger die at 382 mm². The larger die with unknown transistor population suggests a different design priority, likely driven by the integrated memory controller and the massive 128 GB memory pool rather than raw compute.

Shader resources are identical in count. Both chips list 2560 shading units and 160 TMUs. The Arc B580 has 80 ROPs, while the N1 20SM has only 24. That is a 3.3x difference in ROP count, which directly explains the pixel rate gap. The Arc B580 reaches 213.6 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s for the N1 20SM. The N1 20SM compensates partially with 80 tensor cores, whereas the Arc B580 lists none, but the Arc B580 has 20 RT cores matching the N1 20SM's 20 RT cores.

Clock speeds differ in character. The Arc B580 runs at a flat 2670 MHz for both base and boost, with memory at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The N1 20SM has a 741 MHz base clock boosting to 2346 MHz, with memory at 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective). The N1 20SM's boost clock reaches 88% of the Arc B580's sustained clock, but its base clock is far lower. The Arc B580's fixed clock suggests a design that holds maximum frequency under load without variance.

Compute throughput favors the Arc B580. It delivers 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 and 27.34 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. The N1 20SM delivers 12.01 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.01 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio. The FP16 behavior is notable: the Arc B580 doubles FP16 throughput using a packed path, while the N1 20SM runs FP16 at the same rate as FP32. Texture rate also favors Intel, with 427.2 GTexel/s versus 375.4 GTexel/s.

API support is a decisive differentiator. The Arc B580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists all three as N/A. This alone removes the N1 20SM from consideration for traditional PC gaming and graphics workloads that rely on these APIs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries between the Intel Arc B580 and the NVIDIA N1 20SM. The wins counter shows 0 for both sides. This is expected, as the N1 20SM has an empty benchmark array and no nearest rivals listed. The comparison must therefore rely on the Arc B580's absolute scores and the N1 20SM's complete absence of measured results.

The Arc B580's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 provides a reference point for modern DirectX 12 rendering. Its PassMark G3D score of 15748 and PassMark GPU Compute score of 7729 further establish its compute capability. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 is roughly 18% higher than the Geekbench OpenCL score of 92821, indicating that the Arc B580's Vulkan driver path extracts more performance than its OpenCL path in this workload.

PassMark legacy tests show varied results. The DirectX 9 score of 183 is the highest among the PassMark DirectX tests, followed by DirectX 11 at 128, with DirectX 10 and DirectX 12 both at 76. This ordering suggests the Arc B580 handles older DirectX 9 workloads particularly well relative to its own DirectX 10 and 12 scores. The PassMark G2D score of 709 indicates solid 2D performance.

The Arc B580's percentile ranking of 68 against all GPUs places it above the median but below the top tier. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP with an average score of 23061 and a delta of -0.2%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 at 22895 with a delta of 0.6%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 at 23172 with a delta of -0.7%, and the NVIDIA P106-100 at 23249 with a delta of -1%. The Arc B580 sits within 1% of all four rivals, meaning its average score of 23021 is essentially tied with a previous-generation AMD card, a Pascal-era mining card, a Turing flagship, and an Ampere flagship. The deltas are all sub-1%, so small benchmark variance could reorder these results.

The N1 20SM has no comparable results. Its percentile of 50 is a default value, not a measured outcome. There are no rivals, no scores, and no average. The data simply records no performance information for this part.

The Verdict

The Intel Arc B580 is the only viable option for any workload that depends on standard graphics APIs, discrete rendering performance, or compute throughput. It has measurable scores across every benchmark in the database, a 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs, and an average score of 23021. The NVIDIA N1 20SM cannot be evaluated for gaming or general GPU compute because it records no benchmark results and supports none of the three major graphics APIs.

For users building a discrete graphics system, the Arc B580 delivers 13.67 TFLOPS FP32, 456.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, 213.6 GPixel/s fill rate, and 427.2 GTexel/s texture rate. Its 12 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient for modern game frame buffers, and its 20 RT cores provide hardware ray tracing support. The N1 20SM offers 128 GB of memory, but at less than 60% of the bandwidth, with one-third the ROP count, and no API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan.

The N1 20SM belongs in a system where its 128 GB unified memory pool and 80 tensor cores serve a purpose outside traditional graphics rendering. Its 12.01 TFLOPS FP32 is respectable, and its 56.30 GPixel/s pixel rate is workable for display output, but its IGP form factor means it is not a drop-in replacement for a discrete card. The Arc B580's 249 USD launch MSRP, dual-slot cooler, and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface make it a self-contained expansion card. The N1 20SM requires a host platform designed around it.

The data supports a clear split: choose the Arc B580 for any graphics workload that uses DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan; choose the N1 20SM only if the 128 GB memory capacity and integrated form factor are mandatory constraints and the workload does not rely on conventional GPU APIs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The Intel Arc B580 delivers 13.67 TFLOPS FP32, while the NVIDIA N1 20SM delivers 12.01 TFLOPS. The Arc B580 is 13.8% higher.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The Arc B580 reaches 456.0 GB/s over a 192 bit GDDR6 bus. The N1 20SM reaches 273.2 GB/s over a 256 bit LPDDR5X bus. The Arc B580 provides 66.9% more bandwidth.

Q: Does the NVIDIA N1 20SM support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: No. The N1 20SM lists DirectX as N/A, OpenGL as N/A, and Vulkan as N/A. The Arc B580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What are the memory capacities of each GPU?

A: The Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X, which is more than ten times the capacity but at lower bandwidth.

Q: How many ROPs does each chip have?

A: The Arc B580 has 80 ROPs. The N1 20SM has 24 ROPs. The Arc B580's pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s for the N1 20SM.

Q: What is the process node for both chips?

A: Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The Arc B580 has 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, while the N1 20SM has an unknown transistor count on a 382 mm² die.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc B580 | NVIDIA N1 20SM |

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

| Architecture | Xe2-HPG | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Generation | Battlemage (Arc 5) | Blackwell IGP (N1x) |

| Chip | BMG-G21 | GB20B |

| Process node | 5 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | TSMC |

| Die size | 272 mm² | 382 mm² |

| Transistors | 19,600 million | unknown |

| Base clock | 2670 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2670 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory size | 12 GB | 128 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR6 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory bus | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 456.0 GB/s | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading units | 2560 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 160 | 160 |

| ROPs | 80 | 24 |

| RT cores | 20 | 20 |

| Tensor cores | none listed | 80 |

| FP32 | 13.67 TFLOPS | 12.01 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) | 12.01 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Pixel rate | 213.6 GPixel/s | 56.30 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 427.2 GTexel/s | 375.4 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 190 W | unknown |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | none listed |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 | 1x HDMI |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release date | 2024-12-12 | 2026-05-31 |

| Launch MSRP | 249 USD | none listed |