Intel Is Stepping Up Where AMD and Nvidia Have Fallen Short: The New Arc B580 GPU Is Making Waves as an Affordable Gaming Option

The price of Intel’s new graphics card, the Intel Arc B580, is set at $249. Instead of trying to compete with AMD and Nvidia at the high end of the market, Intel focuses on capturing a segment that both companies seem to have overlooked: affordable gaming.

A pleasant surprise. Intel is currently facing one of the most significant crises in its history. Despite this, the company has surprised gamers with the Intel Arc B580. The new GPU is particularly noteworthy, given that AMD and Nvidia have been concentrating on producing increasingly powerful and expensive GPUs for several years.

Balance. Interestingly, the Intel Arc B580 delivers impressive performance at an unbeatable price. Instead of vying for supremacy in the high-end market, Intel aims to attract gamers who either don’t require many advanced features or operate within tighter budgets. As it turns out, the company seems to have successfully achieved its goal.

Tech specs. The Intel Arc B580 GPU features the new Battlemage architecture, utilizing TSMC N5 photolithography. It comes equipped with 12 GB of video memory and support for XeSS 2 (Intel’s equivalent of DLSS). Overall, the new card demonstrates remarkable performance for just $249.

Several tech outlets, including Tom’s Hardware, Digital Trends, and TechPowerUp, have already tested the new GPU. The tests indicate that it competes effectively with Nvidia’s RTX 4060 and even the RTX 4060 Ti while coming in at a significantly lower price (at least $50 less than its Nvidia counterparts).

High power consumption. Intel’s new GPU has a notable drawback: its power consumption. With a thermal design power of 190 W, it’s less efficient than Nvidia’s RTX 4060. However, it still remains an excellent choice for smooth high-detail gaming at 1080p and 1440p, even with demanding titles.

Exceptionally high demand. Expectations for Intel’s new GPU were high due to its impressive price-performance ratio. The response when it finally went on sale has been remarkable. In fact, the Intel Arc B580s are either out of stock or, if available, are being sold at a significant price premium. This indicates that speculators are trying to capitalize on the high demand. On eBay, prices come to around $400 instead of the usual $249.

Nvidia may soon respond. Rumors that Nvidia is preparing to launch its new RTX 5000 have been circulating for weeks. The tech company might take this opportunity to introduce an alternative to the Intel Arc B580. However, given Nvidia’s trend of raising prices with each new generation, it appears challenging for the company to maintain affordable pricing.

Image | imgix | Microsoft

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