Intel Arc B580 12 GB vs Nvidia RTX 3070 8 GB: Which is the better gaming GPU?

The Intel Arc B580 12 GB and the RTX 3070 8 GB are some of the most interesting GPUs in the mid-range market these days. While the Team Blue offering is brand new, and features the latest technological improvements with the Battlemage architecture, the Nvidia GPU is a generation old now and isn't the fastest card with the 70-class moniker. This also means the latter has been significantly discounted lately, which makes it an option to consider for those on a budget.

This raises the question — if you're getting a good deal on the 3070 — should you opt for the older card or get the new B580? The Intel GPU has the upper hand in terms of VRAM capacity and is more power-efficient and cheaper. This could make the choice quite difficult.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions.

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The Intel Arc B580 12 GB and Nvidia RTX 3070 8 GB are interesting options for mid-range gamers

The Nvidia RTX 3070 is a powerful mid-range gaming GPU (Image via Nvidia)

Let's look at the specs of the Arc B580 12 GB and the 3070 8 GB before delving into the performance differences between the cards. They are based on wildly different architectures that don't give a clear idea of what to expect by just looking at the hardware list. However, a quick look at the spec sheets is crucial to gauge the difference between the pixel pushers.

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Specs comparison

The Arc B580 12 GB is based on the BMG-G21 graphics chip. It is the only launch in the new Battlemage architecture for now and brings significant performance and efficiency improvements over the Alchemist alternatives. You get improved Xe2 cores with a card that delivers up to 50% better performance than the first generation.

The RTX 3070 is quite different from this. It is powered by the Ampere-based GA103 graphics chip, which is a cut-down version of the higher-end GA102 GPU found on the 3080 and 3090 cards.

You get 12 GB of VRAM with the Arc B580 card, which is impressive given its $249 MSRP. Intel hasn't been conservative with the video memory count to ensure future-proofing. However, this isn't true for the RTX 3070, which packs just 8 GB of video memory despite its slightly higher market placement.

Below is a detailed look at the specs sheets of the two graphics cards:

Specification	Intel Arc B580 12GB	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
Architecture	Xe2 (2024)	Ampere (2020)
CUDA Cores / Pipelines	2,560	5,888
Base Clock Speed	2,670 MHz	1,500 MHz
Boost Clock Speed	2,670 MHz	1,725 MHz
Memory Capacity	12 GB GDDR6	8 GB GDDR6
Memory Bus Width	192-bit	256-bit
Memory Bandwidth	456 GB/s	448 GB/s
TDP (Thermal Design Power)	190 W	220 W
Manufacturing Process	5 nm	8 nm
Ray Tracing Cores	20	46
Tensor Cores	160	184
Release Date	December 12, 2024	September 1, 2020
Launch Price (MSRP)	$249	$499

The prices are a bit different given the two cards target different price points. The Arc B580 has been priced competitively at just $249, which is just half the launch MSRP of the RTX 3070. However, the Nvidia card has been sufficiently discounted lately and is selling for about $350. You can get an even better price in the used market.

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Performance comparison

The Intel Arc B580 is a well-positioned graphics card for 1080p and 1440p gaming (Image via Newegg)

There's quite some performance gap between the two cards, as they target different market segments. Despite the lead in video memory and some other aspects, the Arc B580 consistently performs poor than the 3070 in the latest titles. This is simply because of the superior hardware that the 70-class card packs.

Below is a look at the performance of the two cards in a few video games. We sourced these numbers from the YouTube channel Testing Games.

	Nvidia RTX 3070 (FPS)	Intel Arc B580 (FPS)
Horizon Forbidden West	62	55 (-11%)
Resident Evil 4	68	65 (-4%)
God of War Ragnarok	73	53 (-27%)
Silent Hill 2	43	31 (-28%)
Cyberpunk 2077	56	55 (-2%)
Cyberpunk 2077 RT	52	44 (-15%)
Ghost of Tsushima	53	50 (-6%)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2	57	45 (-21%)
Forza Horizon 5	96	86 (-10%)
Hogwarts Legacy	72	55 (-24%)
Starfield	49	37 (-24%)

On average, the Arc B580 12 GB is about 15.76% slower than the RTX 3070. This makes the 3070 a much better option for both 1080p and 1440p gaming. However, do note that the 8 GB VRAM buffer on the Nvidia card can be a real problem at higher resolutions, where it has been seen to cause massive bottlenecks.

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For the bottom line, the B580 is a fantastic GPU but it simply doesn't pack enough rendering prowess to replace more capable last-gen cards like the 3070. If you don't have more than $249 to spend, the Arc B580 is the best GPU you can buy.

However, while the 3070 can seem like a lucrative choice at around $350-400, there are far too many issues with the card to opt for it. We recommend checking out other options like the RX 6800 16 GB and the RTX 4060 Ti before pulling the trigger.