Intel Arc B580 Battlemage Tested: $250 Graphics Cards Are Worthy Once Again

Intel has released the new Arc B580 graphics card, which marks a second-generation effort from the company with a fully refreshed Intel Xe2 graphics architecture, also known as Battlemage. The Arc B580 promises significant gains in performance and efficiency compared to its Arc Alchemist ancestors. Despite having fewer resources, the Arc B580's performance specifications are comparable to its predecessors due to architectural improvements focusing on efficiency and better resource utilization. The Arc B580 features 12GB of GDDR6 memory at 19Gbps and delivers performance that typically beats a GeForce RTX 4060 and even an RTX 4060 Ti in some cases, especially when its extra 4GB of frame buffer memory is utilized. The Arc B580 is a strong contender in the $250 graphics card segment and should sell well in the coming months based on its value proposition, improved performance in ray tracing, and advanced upscaling technologies.