Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep for the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell, winning all nine head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the Intel Arc B580. The most substantial victory comes in the Passmark DirectX 10 test, where NVIDIA leads by 127.6% (173 versus 76). Similar dominance appears in DirectX 11, with a 115.6% advantage (276 versus 128), and in the compute-oriented Passmark GPU Compute test, which shows a 91.6% delta (14805 versus 7729). These are not marginal wins; they represent consistent multi-generational leaps in raw throughput.

In modern gaming workloads, the NVIDIA card posts a 51.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (4648 versus 3068). The Vulkan API test shows an even wider gap, with the RTX PRO 4000 hitting 194168 versus 109672, a 77% advantage. The PassMark G3D score reinforces this pattern: NVIDIA scores 28427, which is 80.5% higher than Intel's 15748. Even the DirectX 12 legacy test, which typically favors newer architectures, shows NVIDIA ahead by 27.6% (97 versus 76).

The only category where Intel comes closer is the DirectX 9 test, but the delta is still substantial at 93.4% (354 versus 183). The 2D performance test (PassMark G2D) also goes to NVIDIA by 78.4% (1265 versus 709). Notably, the average benchmark score for the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is 27135, which places it at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. The Intel Arc B580 averages 23021, sitting at the 68th percentile. For context, the NVIDIA card's average is 1.7% above the NVIDIA RTX A4000, a professional card, and 1.1% below the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile. The Intel card, meanwhile, is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% above) and RTX 3080 (0.7% below) in average score.

No benchmark result in the database gives Intel a single win. The data indicates the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is in a different performance class, with leads ranging from 27.6% to 127.6% across all nine recorded tests.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using the GB203 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 120.6 million per square millimeter. The Intel Arc B580 uses the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) with the BMG-G21 chip, also on TSMC's 5 nm node, but with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, yielding a density of 72.1 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip has more than twice the transistor count, which translates directly to its resource advantage.

The compute core counts differ dramatically. The NVIDIA card has 8960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, 70 RT cores, and 280 tensor cores. The Intel Arc B580 has 2560 shading units, 160 TUs, 80 ROPs, and 20 RT cores, with no tensor core count listed. This means the NVIDIA part provides 3.5 times the shading units and 3.5 times the RT cores. The FP32 throughput tells the same story: NVIDIA delivers 36.83 TFLOPS versus Intel's 13.67 TFLOPS. In FP16, NVIDIA offers 36.83 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while Intel provides 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), which is not a direct apples-to-apples comparison.

Memory architecture also diverges. The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell uses 24 GB of GDDR7 across a 192-bit bus, achieving 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 on the same 192-bit bus, but only reaches 456.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has double the memory capacity and significantly higher bandwidth, despite the identical bus width. Clock speeds also favor NVIDIA for the boost clock (2055 MHz versus 2670 MHz for Intel), but the Intel's base clock is 2670 MHz while NVIDIA's base is 1230 MHz; the NVIDIA architecture allows a much larger boost range.

The power and physical characteristics are opposite poles. NVIDIA's TDP is 140 W, with a single-slot design and one 16-pin connector, while Intel's TDP is 190 W, a dual-slot design, and an 8-pin connector. The NVIDIA is shorter at 241 mm length versus 272 mm for Intel. The NVIDIA also uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which may limit bandwidth on newer platforms. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the NVIDIA offers four DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, whereas Intel has one HDMI 2.1a and three DisplayPort 2.1.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell has an average score of 27135, compared to the Intel Arc B580's 23152. The NVIDIA card is 1.5% above the NVIDIA RTX A4000's average of 26683, while the Intel is about 1% below the NVIDIA P106-100's score of 23249.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the newest gaming benchmark?

A: In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the NVIDIA scores 4648 versus 3068 for Intel, representing a 51.5% lead for NVIDIA.

Q: Does the Intel card win any benchmark in the database?

A: No. The head-to-head results show NVIDIA wins 9 out of 9 tests. The closest Intel gets is DirectX 12, where the NVIDIA leads by 127.6% (97 versus 79).

Q: Are there differences in memory capacity and type?

A: Yes. NVIDIA uses 24 GB of GDDR7 with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth, while Intel uses 12 GB of GDDR6 with 456.0 GB/s. Both use a 192-bit bus.

Q: What are the physical dimensions of each card?

A: NVIDIA is a single-slot card measuring 241 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. Intel is a dual-slot card at 272 mm in length, 115 mm in height, and 45 mm in width.

Q: How do their power and connectivity specs differ?

A: NVIDIA has a TDP of 140 W with a 16-pin connector and a suggested 300 W PSU. Intel has a TDP of 190 W with an 8-pin connector and a suggested 450 W PSU. NVIDIA uses PCIe 5.0 x16; Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell | Intel Arc B580 |

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

| Architecture | Blackwell 2020 | Xe2-HPG |

| Chip | GB203 | BMG-G21 |

| Transistors | 45,600 million | 19,600 million |

| Die Size | 378 mm² | 272 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 120.6M / mm² | 72.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1230 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2055 MHz | 2670 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 672.0 GB/s | 456.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 8960 | 2560 |

| TUs | 280 | 160 |

| ROPs | 96 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 70 | 20 |

| Tensor Cores | 280 | null (not listed) |

| FP32 | 36.83 TFLOPS | 13.67 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 36.83 TFLOPS (1:1) | 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 140 W | 190 W |

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

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 450 W |

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

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

| Length | 241 mm | 272 mm |

| Height | 111 mm | 115 mm |

| Width | 20 mm | 45 mm |

| Release Date | 2025-03-17 | 2024-12-12 |

| Predecessor | Workstation Ada | Alchemist |

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell wins every single benchmark in the database, so the split is not about performance categories but about workload fit and system constraints.

NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell wins in: All compute and graphics workloads. The 91.6% lead in GPU compute suggests superiority for rendering, scientific simulation, and data-parallel tasks. The 77% lead in Vulkan and 51.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad indicate it is the stronger choice for modern game engines and API-forward applications. The 24 GB GDDR7 memory with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth also makes it the better option for model training and large datasets.

Intel Arc B580 wins in: The data shows no benchmark wins. However, the Intel card is a 190 W TDP with a smaller die (272 mm²) and 19.6 billion transistors. Its strengths are not reflected in the recorded scores, but it is the only one with a launch MSRP of 249 USD (stated once per database rules). The Intel card also has a higher base clock (2670 MHz) than NVIDIA's boost clock, which may be relevant for power-sensitive scenarios, though the TDP is higher. The Intel is dual-slot, which might be preferred in some rack setups for cooling, but the NVIDIA is single-slot.

Verbal summary: The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is the clear performance leader, with an average score 17.5% higher than the Intel Arc B580 and a 59% higher 3DMark Steel Nomad score. The Intel Arc B580 is its closest rival in the database is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with a 0.6% delta, which contextualizes its position as a mid-range performance card, not a top-tier one.

The choice comes down to whether you need maximum throughput and memory capacity (NVIDIA) or a lower-profile card with a different power connector (Intel is the only 8-pin option). The NVIDIA's 4x DisplayPort 2.1b output is superior for multi-monitor pro setups, while the Intel's HDMI 2.1a may be better for certain consumer displays. The PCIe interface also differs: the NVIDIA's 5.0 x16 is more future-proof for high-bandwidth data, while Intel's 4.0 x8 is sufficient for many current workloads.

In the database, the NVIDIA card's percentile of 72 is only 4 points higher than the Intel's 68, but the average score gap is 17.5%. That means the NVIDIA is a stronger generalist, while the Intel's only advantage is its lower power draw (140W vs 190W) and single-slot form factor, which are physical design traits, not performance wins.