Intel Arc B580 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Workstation Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural identities of the Intel Arc B580 and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Workstation?

A: The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, part of the Battlemage (Arc 5) generation. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip, part of the Blackwell PRO W (x000) generation. Both are manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC.

Q: How do the memory subsystems differ between these two cards?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has more than double the memory capacity and nearly double the bandwidth.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size difference?

A: The Intel Arc B580 packs 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 72.1M per mm². The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 contains 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, achieving 120.6M per mm². The NVIDIA chip has more than twice the transistor count and a higher density.

Q: How do the shading and ray tracing resources compare?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 80 ROPs, and 20 RT cores. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 has 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, 112 ROPs, and 82 RT cores, along with 328 tensor cores. The NVIDIA card has roughly 4.1 times the shading units and 4.1 times the RT cores.

Q: What are the peak compute throughput figures?

A: The Intel Arc B580 delivers 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 and 27.34 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 delivers 50.53 TFLOPS FP32 and 50.53 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). The NVIDIA card has about 3.7 times the FP32 throughput and 1.85 times the FP16 throughput.

Q: What are the power and interface specifications?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has a TDP of 190 W, uses a 1x 8-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 450 W. It interfaces via PCIe 4.0 x8. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 has a TDP of 200 W, uses a 1x 16-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 550 W. It interfaces via PCIe 5.0 x16.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent fundamentally different design priorities. The Intel Arc B580 is a consumer-oriented GPU built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, using the BMG-G21 chip from the Battlemage generation. It has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, which is a fixed clock speed with no separate game clock. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 is a workstation-class GPU on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip. Its base clock is 1635 MHz with a boost of 2407 MHz, showing a much wider dynamic range.

The memory architecture diverges sharply. Intel uses 12 GB of GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus and a memory clock of 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), producing 456.0 GB/s. NVIDIA uses 32 GB of GDDR7 with a 256-bit bus and a memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), producing 896.0 GB/s. The GDDR7 memory operates at a lower clock frequency but achieves higher effective data rates due to the newer standard.

The compute resources are heavily skewed toward the NVIDIA card. Intel has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. NVIDIA has 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The NVIDIA card also has 82 RT cores versus Intel's 20, and 328 tensor cores versus Intel's null tensor core count. This suggests NVIDIA is designed for workloads that scale massively with parallel compute, including AI and ray tracing tasks.

The transistor budgets reflect the complexity gap. Intel's die has 19,600 million transistors on 272 mm², while NVIDIA's die has 45,600 million transistors on 378 mm². The density difference (72.1M per mm² versus 120.6M per mm²) indicates NVIDIA is packing more functionality into each square millimeter.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The physical dimensions are close: Intel is 272 mm long, 115 mm tall, and 45 mm wide, while NVIDIA is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. Both are dual-slot designs. The display outputs differ, with Intel offering 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while NVIDIA offers 4x DisplayPort 2.1b.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data in the database is empty, with no direct test scores comparing the two cards. However, the Intel Arc B580 has its own benchmark results recorded, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 has no benchmark entries. This makes a direct numerical comparison impossible from the recorded data.

The Intel Arc B580's benchmark suite shows a range of results. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3068. Geekbench OpenCL yields 92821, and Geekbench Vulkan yields 109672. PassMark tests show 76 in DirectX 10, 128 in DirectX 11, 76 in DirectX 12, and 183 in DirectX 9. The PassMark G2D score is 709, G3D is 15748, and GPU compute is 7729. The average benchmark score across all tests is 23021.

The Intel card's percentile versus all GPUs is 68, placing it in the upper third of the database. Its nearest rivals provide context: the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has an average score of 23061 with a delta of -0.2%, meaning the Intel card trails by 0.2%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895 with a delta of 0.6%, meaning Intel leads by 0.6%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172 with a delta of -0.7%, meaning Intel trails by 0.7%. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249 with a delta of -1%, meaning Intel trails by 1%.

These deltas indicate that the Intel Arc B580 sits in a tight performance cluster. The differences among rivals are all under 1%, showing that the Arc B580 is competitive with these older or lower-tier GPUs. However, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500's absence from the benchmark data means no direct comparison can be made from recorded measurements.

The raw specifications suggest a large performance gap, but the database does not contain head-to-head results to confirm it. The Intel card's FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS versus NVIDIA's 50.53 TFLOPS indicates a theoretical 3.7x advantage for NVIDIA. The pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s for Intel versus 269.6 GPixel/s for NVIDIA shows a 26% advantage for NVIDIA. The texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s for Intel versus 789.5 GTexel/s for NVIDIA shows an 85% advantage for NVIDIA.

The Verdict

The data clearly separates these two cards into different performance tiers. The Intel Arc B580 is a mid-range consumer GPU with a benchmark percentile of 68 and an average score of 23021. Its nearest rivals are all within 1% of its average score, confirming that it competes with the RTX 2080, RTX 3080, and RX 580 2048SP class of GPUs.

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Workstation is a professional-grade card with no recorded benchmarks and a percentile of 50. The absence of benchmark data for the NVIDIA card is notable, but the specification gap is unambiguous. The NVIDIA card offers 4.1 times the shading units, 4.1 times the RT cores, 2.7 times the memory capacity, and nearly double the memory bandwidth. Its FP32 throughput is 3.7 times higher, and its texture rate is 85% higher.

The Intel Arc B580 is positioned for mainstream gaming and general compute. Its 12 GB memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming workloads. Its 190 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU make it a moderate power consumer. The launch MSRP is 249 USD, which reflects its entry-level positioning.

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 is positioned for professional workstation tasks. Its 32 GB memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are suited for large datasets, AI training, and rendering workloads. Its 200 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU indicate a higher power requirement. The 328 tensor cores provide dedicated AI acceleration hardware that the Intel card lacks entirely.

Users who prioritize raw compute throughput, memory capacity, and professional-grade features should select the NVIDIA card. Users who need a capable consumer GPU with a moderate power draw and established benchmark scores should consider the Intel card. The data does not support treating these as direct competitors; they serve different market segments with different performance targets.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The chip designations are BMG-G21 for Intel versus GB203 for NVIDIA. The architectures are Xe2-HPG versus Blackwell 2.0. The generations are Battlemage (Arc 5) versus Blackwell PRO W (x000). Both use a 5 nm process at TSMC, but transistor counts differ at 19,600 million versus 45,600 million. Die sizes are 272 mm² versus 378 mm², and transistor densities are 72.1M per mm² versus 120.6M per mm².

Clock speeds differ substantially. Intel has a base and boost of 2670 MHz, while NVIDIA has a base of 1635 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. Memory clocks are 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) versus 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). Memory capacity is 12 GB versus 32 GB, with types GDDR6 versus GDDR7. Bus widths are 192-bit versus 256-bit, and bandwidth is 456.0 GB/s versus 896.0 GB/s.

Compute resources differ by large margins. Shading units are 2560 versus 10496, TMUs are 160 versus 328, ROPs are 80 versus 112, RT cores are 20 versus 82, and tensor cores are null versus 328. Pixel rates are 213.6 GPixel/s versus 269.6 GPixel/s. Texture rates are 427.2 GTexel/s versus 789.5 GTexel/s. FP32 is 13.67 TFLOPS versus 50.53 TFLOPS. FP16 is 27.34 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 50.53 TFLOPS (1:1).

Power specifications show a modest gap. TDP is 190 W versus 200 W. Power connectors are 1x 8-pin versus 1x 16-pin. Suggested PSU is 450 W versus 550 W. Bus interfaces are PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1 versus 4x DisplayPort 2.1b.

Physical dimensions are similar but not identical. Intel is 272 mm long, 115 mm tall, and 45 mm wide. NVIDIA is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. Both are dual-slot. Release dates differ, with Intel releasing on 2024-12-12 and NVIDIA on 2025-03-17. The predecessors are Alchemist for Intel and Workstation Ada for NVIDIA. The Intel card has a launch MSRP of 249 USD; the NVIDIA card has no recorded launch MSRP.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B580 wins in consumer gaming scenarios where its established benchmark scores provide confidence. The recorded data shows an average benchmark score of 23021 with a 68th percentile ranking. Its nearest rivals are all within 1%, indicating stable performance in its class. The moderate 190 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU make it suitable for mainstream power supplies. The 1x 8-pin connector is a standard, widely compatible interface.

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 wins in professional compute scenarios where raw specifications matter. Its 32 GB memory capacity is more than double the Intel card's 12 GB, which is critical for large datasets. The 896.0 GB/s bandwidth is nearly double, supporting faster data movement. The 50.53 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is 3.7 times higher, and the 50.53 TFLOPS FP16 at 1:1 ratio provides sustained half-precision performance without the 2:1 penalty seen on the Intel card.

The NVIDIA card wins in ray tracing workloads with 82 RT cores versus 20 on the Intel card. It wins in AI and machine learning workloads with 328 tensor cores versus none on the Intel card. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides twice the bus bandwidth of the Intel card's PCIe 4.0 x8, which matters for data-intensive workstation tasks.

The Intel card wins in price-conscious consumer builds, given its 249 USD launch MSRP. It also wins in compact installations, being only 45 mm wide versus 40 mm for NVIDIA, though both are dual-slot. The Intel card's display output includes HDMI 2.1a, which may be preferable for consumer displays, while the NVIDIA card offers four DisplayPort 2.1b outputs for multi-monitor professional setups.

The data does not provide direct head-to-head benchmarks, so the performance gap cannot be quantified empirically. The specification differences, however, strongly indicate that the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 is the higher-performing card across nearly every metric except clock speed and power efficiency per watt. The Intel Arc B580 has a higher boost clock at 2670 MHz versus 2407 MHz, but the NVIDIA card's massive compute resource advantage overrides the clock speed difference.