Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear split between these two GPUs. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 wins 8 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests, while the Intel Arc B580 takes the remaining 2. The most significant victory for the A4000 comes in PassMark DirectX 10, where it scores 126 against the Arc B580’s 76, a 65.8% advantage. This is the largest delta in either direction across the entire comparison suite.

The A4000 also dominates in compute-oriented workloads. In PassMark GPU Compute, it scores 9760 versus 7729, a 26.3% lead. Its PassMark G3D score of 19459 beats the B580’s 15748 by 23.6%. The Geekbench results reinforce this pattern: the A4000 posts 105739 in OpenCL (13.9% ahead) and 127645 in Vulkan (16.4% ahead). PassMark DirectX 11 shows a 23.4% edge (158 vs 128), and DirectX 9 favors the A4000 by 31.1% (240 vs 183). Even the 2D score, PassMark G2D, goes to the A4000 at 1024 versus 709, a 44.4% gap.

The Intel Arc B580’s two wins are narrower. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3068 against the A4000’s 2604, a 15.1% advantage. In PassMark DirectX 12, the B580 wins by a slim margin: 76 versus 72, a 5.3% difference. These are the only two tests where the B580 comes out ahead, and the DirectX 12 result is close enough that it could be considered negligible in practical terms.

Looking at overall averages, the A4000’s average benchmark score is 26683, while the B580 sits at 23021. That places the A4000 in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs in the database, compared to the B580’s 68th percentile. The A4000’s nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.5% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (1% ahead), and AMD Radeon 860M (1.1% ahead). The B580’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% ahead), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% behind). These proximity figures suggest both cards sit in a crowded performance band, but the A4000’s raw scores are consistently higher across most workloads.

Architecture Differences

The underlying architectures could hardly be more different. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 uses the GA104 chip built on Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It packs 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The Intel Arc B580 uses the BMG-G21 chip on Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation), built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, achieving 72.1M per mm². Intel’s smaller, denser die is a direct consequence of the more advanced 5 nm node.

The A4000’s compute configuration is built around 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, which are absent from the B580’s specification sheet. The B580 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with 20 RT cores and no listed tensor cores. Despite having fewer shading units, the B580 posts a higher pixel rate: 213.6 GPixel/s versus 149.8 GPixel/s for the A4000. Its texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s also exceeds the A4000’s 299.5 GTexel/s.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The B580 runs at a flat 2670 MHz for both base and boost, while the A4000’s base clock is 735 MHz with a boost of 1560 MHz. The B580’s much higher clock speed helps it overcome its smaller core count in some tests. In FP32 throughput, the A4000 still leads with 19.17 TFLOPS versus 13.67 TFLOPS for the B580. However, in FP16, the B580 reaches 27.34 TFLOPS using a 2:1 ratio, while the A4000 manages 19.17 TFLOPS at 1:1. This gives the B580 a clear advantage in half-precision compute, which matters for certain AI and scientific workloads.

Memory configurations also diverge. The A4000 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, but its bandwidth is slightly higher at 456.0 GB/s due to faster 19 Gbps effective memory clocks versus the A4000’s 14 Gbps. The B580’s memory runs at 2375 MHz, while the A4000’s memory clock is 1750 MHz.

Power and physical design differ as well. The A4000 is rated at 140 W TDP with a single-slot cooler and a 6-pin power connector, requiring a 300 W suggested PSU. The B580 draws 190 W, uses a dual-slot cooler with an 8-pin connector, and recommends a 450 W PSU. The A4000 is shorter at 241 mm (9.5 inches) and 112 mm tall (4.4 inches), while the B580 is 272 mm long (10.7 inches), 115 mm tall (4.5 inches), and 45 mm wide (1.8 inches). The A4000 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the B580 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which could matter for bandwidth-sensitive workloads on older platforms.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Display outputs differ: the A4000 offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the B580 provides 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. The A4000 is end-of-life and was released on 2021-04-11, with a predecessor of Quadro Turing and successor of Workstation Ada. The B580 is active, released on 2024-12-12, with a predecessor of Alchemist and no listed successor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the most benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4000 wins 8 out of 10 head-to-head tests. Its victories include Geekbench OpenCL, Geekbench Vulkan, PassMark DirectX 10, DirectX 11, DirectX 9, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute. The Intel Arc B580 wins only 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and PassMark DirectX 12.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 faster in any meaningful workload?

A: Yes, the B580 is 15.1% ahead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (3068 vs 2604) and 5.3% ahead in PassMark DirectX 12 (76 vs 72). It also has higher FP16 throughput at 27.34 TFLOPS versus 19.17 TFLOPS, and slightly higher memory bandwidth at 456.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s.

Q: How do their overall benchmark averages compare?

A: The A4000 has an average benchmark score of 26683, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The B580 has an average score of 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile. The A4000’s average is roughly 15.9% higher.

Q: What is the biggest single-test margin between them?

A: The largest delta is in PassMark DirectX 10, where the A4000 scores 126 versus the B580’s 76, a 65.8% lead for NVIDIA.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. However, the A4000 has 192 tensor cores, while the B580 lists no tensor cores, which may affect AI-related features.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has a transistor density of 72.1M per mm² on a 5 nm TSMC process, significantly higher than the A4000’s 44.4M per mm² on an 8 nm Samsung process. The B580 also packs more total transistors: 19,600 million versus 17,400 million.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A4000 | Intel Arc B580 |

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

| Chip | GA104 | BMG-G21 |

| Architecture | Ampere | Xe2-HPG |

| Generation | Workstation Ampere (Ax000) | Battlemage (Arc 5) |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 19,600 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 272 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 72.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 735 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1560 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |

| Bus Width | 256 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 456.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 192 | 160 |

| ROPs | 96 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 48 | 20 |

| Tensor Cores | 192 | None listed |

| Pixel Rate | 149.8 GPixel/s | 213.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 299.5 GTexel/s | 427.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 19.17 TFLOPS | 13.67 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1) | 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 140 W | 190 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 450 W |

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

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 |

| Length | 241 mm (9.5 inches) | 272 mm (10.7 inches) |

| Height | 112 mm (4.4 inches) | 115 mm (4.5 inches) |

| Width | Not listed | 45 mm (1.8 inches) |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2021-04-11 | 2024-12-12 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Turing | Alchemist |

| Successor | Workstation Ada | None listed |

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX A4000 is the clear winner in legacy DirectX workloads. Its PassMark DirectX 10 score is 65.8% higher, DirectX 9 is 31.1% higher, and DirectX 11 is 23.4% higher. If you are running older applications or games that rely on these APIs, the A4000 offers substantially better performance. It also wins decisively in compute benchmarks: GPU Compute (26.3% ahead), OpenCL (13.9% ahead), and Vulkan (16.4% ahead). For CUDA-like or general-purpose GPU compute tasks, the A4000 is the stronger option. Its 192 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for AI acceleration that the B580 lacks entirely.

The A4000 also has a significant memory capacity advantage at 16 GB versus 12 GB. For workloads that need large datasets in VRAM, such as machine learning inference or rendering scenes with heavy textures, the extra 4 GB can be the difference between fitting and spilling to system memory. The A4000’s single-slot design and 140 W TDP make it easier to fit into dense workstations or servers where space and power are constrained. Its 300 W suggested PSU is also more forgiving for older or smaller power supplies.

The Intel Arc B580 wins in modern DirectX 12 workloads. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 15.1% higher, which indicates strong performance in current-generation games that leverage DX12 features. The PassMark DirectX 12 win, though narrow at 5.3%, confirms this trend. The B580 also excels in FP16 compute with 27.34 TFLOPS versus 19.17 TFLOPS, making it suitable for half-precision workloads that can tolerate reduced precision. Its higher pixel rate (213.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (427.2 GTexel/s) suggest better raw throughput for rasterization-heavy tasks when clocks are high.

The B580’s memory bandwidth is slightly higher at 456.0 GB/s, and its 272 mm length with dual-slot cooling may allow for more aggressive thermal management. It also offers HDMI 2.1a output, which is useful for connecting to modern TVs or monitors that prefer HDMI over DisplayPort. The B580 is actively produced, so availability and driver support are ongoing, while the A4000 is end-of-life.

The Verdict

The data points to two different use cases. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 is the better all-around performer for compute, legacy API compatibility, and memory capacity. It wins 8 of 10 benchmarks, leads by double-digit percentages in most of them, and has 16 GB of VRAM compared to 12 GB. Its 19.17 TFLOPS FP32 and 19.17 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1) give it balanced compute throughput, and the 192 tensor cores add AI capabilities that the B580 cannot match. The A4000 is also more power-efficient at 140 W versus 190 W, and its single-slot size makes it easier to deploy in multi-GPU or space-limited systems. For workstation tasks, scientific computing, or any workload that relies on OpenCL, Vulkan, or older DirectX, the A4000 is the clear choice.

The Intel Arc B580 is the better option if your primary focus is modern DirectX 12 gaming. Its 15.1% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and narrow win in PassMark DirectX 12 show that it handles current-generation graphics APIs more effectively. The B580’s higher pixel and texture rates, combined with its 2670 MHz boost clock, make it competitive in rasterization-heavy scenarios. Its FP16 throughput of 27.34 TFLOPS is also superior for half-precision compute. With 12 GB of VRAM and a 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, it remains a capable choice for most gaming workloads. The B580’s active production status and newer release date mean it benefits from ongoing driver development.

In practical terms, the A4000 suits professionals who need reliability, compute performance, and memory capacity. The B580 suits gamers or users who prioritize DX12 performance and modern display connectivity (HDMI 2.1a, DisplayPort 2.1). The A4000’s higher average benchmark score (26683 vs 23021) and percentile ranking (72nd vs 68th) give it the overall edge, but the B580’s wins in DX12-specific tests indicate that the choice depends heavily on the workload mix. If your software is DX12-heavy, the B580’s margins are real. If it touches DX9 through DX11 or any compute API, the A4000 is the safer bet.