Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA N1X 48SM Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Arc B580?

A: The Intel Arc B580 is a discrete graphics card based on the BMG-G21 chip, using the Xe2-HPG architecture. It belongs to the Battlemage (Arc 5) generation and is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC.

Q: What is the NVIDIA N1X 48SM?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 48SM is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the GB20B chip, using the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It belongs to the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation, also built on a 5 nm process at TSMC.

Q: Which has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, while the Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. Despite the smaller capacity, the Arc B580 delivers higher memory bandwidth at 456.0 GB/s versus 273.2 GB/s.

Q: What are the core counts for each?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 80 ROPs, and 20 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 48 ray tracing cores, and 192 tensor cores.

Q: Which has the higher FP32 compute?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 48SM delivers 28.83 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is more than double the Intel Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS.

Q: Are there benchmark scores for the NVIDIA N1X 48SM?

A: No, the database contains no benchmark scores for the NVIDIA N1X 48SM. It has an average benchmark score of 0 and no nearest rivals listed, while the Intel Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021 and sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs.

Architecture Differences

The two products take fundamentally different architectural approaches. The Intel Arc B580 is a discrete add-in card using the Xe2-HPG architecture on the BMG-G21 chip, designed for standalone installation in a PCIe slot. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM is an integrated graphics processor on the GB20B chip using the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, intended to be part of a larger system package rather than a separate card.

Process technology is shared: both use a 5 nm node at TSMC. The Intel chip has 19,600 million transistors across a 272 mm² die, for a transistor density of 72.1M / mm². The NVIDIA chip's transistor count is listed as unknown, but its die size is larger at 382 mm².

The compute layout differs substantially. The Intel Arc B580 packs 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has significantly more shading units at 6144, more TMUs at 384, but fewer ROPs at 48. The NVIDIA part also includes 192 tensor cores, a feature absent from the Arc B580's specification list.

Ray tracing hardware is present on both but in different quantities: the Arc B580 has 20 ray tracing cores, while the N1X 48SM has 48. The NVIDIA chip's FP16 throughput matches its FP32 at 28.83 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), whereas the Intel part achieves 27.34 TFLOPS FP16 through a 2:1 ratio relative to its FP32.

Memory architecture also diverges. The Arc B580 uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, achieving 456.0 GB/s bandwidth. The N1X 48SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, but its bandwidth is lower at 273.2 GB/s. The NVIDIA part's memory clock is 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective, while the Intel part runs at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective.

Interface and power delivery differ as well. The Arc B580 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, requires a dual-slot cooler, has a 1x 8-pin power connector, and lists a suggested PSU of 450 W. The N1X 48SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16, is an IGP with no slot width, and has no power connectors. The Intel card's TDP is 190 W, while the NVIDIA part's TDP is unknown.

API support is another major split. The Arc B580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1X 48SM lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan as N/A, indicating it is not designed for standard desktop graphics API workloads in the same manner.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 wins in every measurable benchmark category because it is the only product with recorded test results. The database shows scores for 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, Geekbench Vulkan, and multiple Passmark tests. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has no benchmark entries, so it cannot claim any performance advantage based on recorded data.

The Arc B580's strengths lie in discrete rendering performance. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan capability. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 92821 shows general compute throughput.

The NVIDIA N1X 48SM's theoretical advantages are in raw shader count and FP32 compute, but without benchmark data, these do not translate into recorded wins. Its higher shading unit count (6144 versus 2560) and FP32 output (28.83 TFLOPS versus 13.67 TFLOPS) suggest potential compute strength, but the database does not confirm this with any test results.

The Arc B580 also wins on memory bandwidth. Its 456.0 GB/s exceeds the N1X 48SM's 273.2 GB/s by a substantial margin, which typically benefits texture-heavy and bandwidth-sensitive workloads. The NVIDIA part's larger 128 GB memory pool could be advantageous for capacity-limited tasks, but no benchmark confirms this.

For graphics API compatibility, the Arc B580 wins as well. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 support are listed, while the N1X 48SM has N/A for all three major APIs. This makes the Arc B580 the only one of the two that can run standard PC games and graphics applications according to the recorded specifications.

Specification Differences

Process Node: Both use 5 nm at TSMC, so no difference.

Transistors: Intel Arc B580 has 19,600 million. NVIDIA N1X 48SM is unknown.

Die Size: Intel Arc B580 is 272 mm². NVIDIA N1X 48SM is 382 mm².

Base Clock: Intel Arc B580 runs at 2670 MHz. NVIDIA N1X 48SM runs at 741 MHz.

Boost Clock: Intel Arc B580 runs at 2670 MHz. NVIDIA N1X 48SM runs at 2346 MHz.

Memory Size: Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 128 GB.

Memory Type: Intel Arc B580 uses GDDR6. NVIDIA N1X 48SM uses LPDDR5X.

Memory Bus Width: Intel Arc B580 uses 192 bit. NVIDIA N1X 48SM uses 256 bit.

Memory Bandwidth: Intel Arc B580 delivers 456.0 GB/s. NVIDIA N1X 48SM delivers 273.2 GB/s.

Shading Units: Intel Arc B580 has 2560. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 6144.

TMUs: Intel Arc B580 has 160. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 384.

ROPs: Intel Arc B580 has 80. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 48.

RT Cores: Intel Arc B580 has 20. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 48.

Tensor Cores: Intel Arc B580 has none listed. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 192.

Pixel Rate: Intel Arc B580 reaches 213.6 GPixel/s. NVIDIA N1X 48SM reaches 112.6 GPixel/s.

Texture Rate: Intel Arc B580 reaches 427.2 GTexel/s. NVIDIA N1X 48SM reaches 900.9 GTexel/s.

FP32 Compute: Intel Arc B580 delivers 13.67 TFLOPS. NVIDIA N1X 48SM delivers 28.83 TFLOPS.

FP16 Compute: Intel Arc B580 delivers 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1). NVIDIA N1X 48SM delivers 28.83 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP: Intel Arc B580 is 190 W. NVIDIA N1X 48SM is unknown.

Slot Width: Intel Arc B580 is dual-slot. NVIDIA N1X 48SM is IGP.

Power Connectors: Intel Arc B580 has 1x 8-pin. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has none.

Bus Interface: Intel Arc B580 uses PCIe 4.0 x8. NVIDIA N1X 48SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16.

Display Outputs: Intel Arc B580 has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 1x HDMI.

APIs: Intel Arc B580 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4. NVIDIA N1X 48SM lists all as N/A.

Dimensions: Intel Arc B580 is 272 mm long, 115 mm high, 45 mm wide. NVIDIA N1X 48SM has no listed dimensions.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark entries for these two products. The winsA and winsB fields are both 0, and the headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty. This means there is no direct comparative testing recorded between the Intel Arc B580 and the NVIDIA N1X 48SM.

However, the Intel Arc B580 has a full set of standalone benchmark scores. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result is 3068, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP with an average score of 23061 and a delta of -0.2%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with an average score of 22895 and a delta of 0.6%, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with an average score of 23172 and a delta of -0.7%, and the NVIDIA P106-100 with an average score of 23249 and a delta of -1%.

These deltas indicate the Arc B580 sits within a tight band around these rivals. It is 0.6% ahead of the RTX 2080, 0.2% behind the RX 580 2048SP, 0.7% behind the RTX 3080, and 1% behind the P106-100. The performance spread is narrow, suggesting the Arc B580 is competitive with mid-range GPUs from previous generations.

In individual tests, the Arc B580 shows varied strengths. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 is notably higher than the OpenCL score of 92821, suggesting the Vulkan path is better optimized. The Passmark G3D score of 15748 is the strongest Passmark result, while the DirectX 10 and DirectX 12 scores are both 76, the DirectX 11 score is 128, and the DirectX 9 score is 183. The Passmark GPU compute score is 7729, and the Passmark G2D score is 709.

The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has no benchmark scores, no average score, no percentile rank beyond the 50th percentile placeholder, and no nearest rivals. Its theoretical specifications suggest high compute capability, but the database records no evidence of actual performance.

The Verdict

Based strictly on recorded data, the Intel Arc B580 is the only product with measurable performance. It has an average benchmark score of 23021, sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, and has a full suite of test results across DirectX, Vulkan, OpenCL, and Passmark workloads. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has no benchmark scores at all, making any performance comparison impossible from the database.

The Arc B580 is appropriate for users who need a discrete graphics card with established driver support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its 12 GB GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are recorded, and its 190 W TDP with a 450 W suggested PSU indicates a conventional desktop installation. Its pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are both substantial for its class.

The NVIDIA N1X 48SM, as an IGP with no recorded benchmarks and no API support listed, should be considered only in contexts where its 128 GB LPDDR5X memory capacity and 28.83 TFLOPS FP32 compute are directly relevant. Its PCIe 5.0 x16 interface and lack of power connectors suggest it belongs to an integrated platform rather than a standalone graphics solution. Its 48 ROPs and 112.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are lower than the Arc B580, while its 384 TMUs and 900.9 GTexel/s texture rate are higher.

Users seeking confirmed graphics performance should select the Intel Arc B580. Users who require the NVIDIA part's specific features, such as 192 tensor cores or 128 GB of memory, must accept that no benchmark evidence exists to validate its real-world behavior. The database favors the Arc B580 because it has data, and data is the basis for any verdict here.