Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell Comparison
Intel Arc B580
RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell
The Verdict
The recorded data presents a clear split between these two cards. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell wins 9 of the 10 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, while the Intel Arc B580 takes only 1. The NVIDIA card’s average benchmark score is 25,269, placing it at the 70th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel card’s average is 23,021, at the 68th percentile. The NVIDIA card also holds a 9.8% advantage in aggregate average score.
For users prioritizing raw compute and API compatibility, the RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell is the stronger choice. Its lead in OpenCL is 14.3%, and it wins every Passmark DirectX test from DirectX 9 through DirectX 12. The Intel Arc B580, however, wins decisively in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test with a score of 3068 versus 2374.5, a 22.6% margin. That single win suggests Intel’s architecture handles specific modern DX12 workloads better.
The RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell is the pick for professionals needing consistent wins across legacy and modern APIs, particularly DirectX 10 (60.5% ahead), DirectX 11 (35.9% ahead), and 2D graphics (83.8% ahead). The Arc B580 is the pick for users focused on one specific DX12 workload where its 22.6% advantage is unmatched.
FAQ
Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?
A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell has an average benchmark score of 25,269, compared to the Intel Arc B580’s 23,021. This puts NVIDIA at the 70th percentile and Intel at the 68th percentile of all GPUs.
Q: How many benchmark wins does each card have?
A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell wins 9 out of 10 head-to-head tests. The Intel Arc B580 wins 1, specifically the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test.
Q: What is the margin of NVIDIA’s biggest win?
A: NVIDIA’s largest victory is in the Passmark G2D test, where it scores 1303 versus Intel’s 709, a delta of 83.8%. Its second largest is in Passmark DirectX 10, with a 60.5% lead.
Q: Where does the Intel Arc B580 outperform NVIDIA?
A: The Intel Arc B580 wins only in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, scoring 3068 against NVIDIA’s 2374.5, a 22.6% advantage. This is the sole test where Intel leads.
Q: Does the Intel card have any compute advantage?
A: No. In Passmark GPU compute, NVIDIA scores 8396 versus Intel’s 7729, an 8.6% lead. In Geekbench OpenCL, NVIDIA leads by 14.3% (106087 versus 92821), and in Geekbench Vulkan, NVIDIA leads by 3.8% (113865 versus 109672).
Q: Which card is closer to its nearest rival in the database?
A: The Intel Arc B580 is nearly tied with its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, with a delta of -0.2%. The NVIDIA card is 1.4% behind its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700M.
Architecture Differences
The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell uses the GB206 chip with the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 21,900 million transistors on a die size of 181 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 121.0M per mm². The Intel Arc B580 uses the BMG-G21 chip with the Xe2-HPG architecture, also on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but with 19,600 million transistors on a larger 272 mm² die, giving a lower density of 72.1M per mm².
The NVIDIA chip integrates 4,352 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, 48 ROPs, 34 ray tracing cores, and 136 tensor cores. The Intel chip has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 80 ROPs, and 20 ray tracing cores, with no dedicated tensor cores listed. NVIDIA’s higher shading unit count aligns with its stronger compute results, while Intel’s higher TMU and ROP counts support its higher pixel and texture rates.
Memory architectures also differ. NVIDIA uses 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Intel uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s. Intel’s memory bandwidth is 58.3% higher, which may explain its strong performance in the DX12 Steel Nomad test.
The power envelopes are starkly different. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 70 W, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The Intel card has a TDP of 190 W, requires a single 8-pin connector, and suggests a 450 W PSU. This places NVIDIA in a far lower power class.
Specification Differences
Clock speeds diverge significantly. The NVIDIA card runs at a base clock of 982 MHz and a boost of 1957 MHz. The Intel card runs at a flat 2670 MHz for both base and boost, meaning Intel’s clock is 36.4% higher at base and 36.4% higher at boost. Memory clocks also differ: NVIDIA runs at 1125 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while Intel runs at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective).
The bus interfaces differ by one generation. NVIDIA uses PCIe 5.0 x8, while Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are also different: NVIDIA offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.1b, while Intel offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1.
Physical dimensions show Intel is substantially larger. NVIDIA measures 167 mm in length, 69 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. Intel measures 272 mm in length, 115 mm in height, and 45 mm in width. Both are dual-slot cards.
The FP32 compute figures favor NVIDIA at 17.03 TFLOPS versus Intel’s 13.67 TFLOPS. However, Intel’s FP16 performance is 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while NVIDIA’s FP16 is 17.03 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). Intel’s texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s versus NVIDIA’s 266.2 GTexel/s, and Intel’s pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s versus NVIDIA’s 93.94 GPixel/s.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The head-to-head data shows one dominant pattern: NVIDIA wins nearly everywhere, and Intel wins one specific test by a large margin.
In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the Intel Arc B580 scores 3068 against NVIDIA’s 2374.5, a 22.6% lead. This is Intel’s only win and its largest delta. It suggests Intel’s architecture excels in this particular DX12 rasterization workload, likely aided by its higher memory bandwidth and pixel rate.
In Geekbench OpenCL, NVIDIA scores 106087 versus Intel’s 92821, a 14.3% lead. In Geekbench Vulkan, NVIDIA scores 113865 versus Intel’s 109672, a narrower 3.8% lead. These compute tests show NVIDIA’s advantage is consistent but varies by API.
Passmark results amplify NVIDIA’s lead in older APIs. In DirectX 10, NVIDIA scores 122 versus Intel’s 76, a 60.5% margin. In DirectX 11, NVIDIA scores 174 versus Intel’s 128, a 35.9% margin. In DirectX 9, NVIDIA scores 241 versus Intel’s 183, a 31.7% margin. Even in DirectX 12, NVIDIA wins, but only by 5.3% (80 versus 76).
The 2D test is NVIDIA’s largest win at 83.8% (1303 versus 709). The G3D test shows NVIDIA at 20049 versus Intel’s 15748, a 27.3% lead. GPU compute shows a modest NVIDIA lead of 8.6% (8396 versus 7729).
Where Each One Wins
The NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell wins in every compute-oriented and legacy API scenario. Its OpenCL lead of 14.3% and Vulkan lead of 3.8% indicate strong general compute capability. Its Passmark DirectX 10, 11, and 9 wins by 60.5%, 35.9%, and 31.7% respectively make it the clear choice for applications relying on older DirectX paths. The 83.8% lead in G2D makes it dominant for 2D rendering and desktop workloads. Even in DirectX 12, where Intel is strongest, NVIDIA still edges ahead by 5.3%.
The Intel Arc B580 wins in exactly one scenario: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, with a 22.6% margin. This indicates that for a specific, modern DX12 workload that stresses memory bandwidth and pixel throughput, the Intel card is superior. Its higher bandwidth (456.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s) and higher pixel rate (213.6 GPixel/s versus 93.94 GPixel/s) support this result. However, this advantage does not translate to other DX12 tests, where NVIDIA still wins by 5.3% in Passmark DirectX 12.
For users who need broad API coverage, consistent compute performance, and low power draw, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell is the data-supported choice. For users who prioritize a single, specific DX12 workload where the Intel card’s 22.6% lead is decisive, the Intel Arc B580 is the better fit. The data shows no other scenario where Intel leads.