Intel’s recent streak of turbulent headlines is being offset by an exciting development in the form of its second-generation “Battlemage” Arc B500-series discrete GPUs. These new cards, led by the highly anticipated Arc B580, promise to shake up the budget-friendly graphics card market, offering gamers an enticing blend of performance and affordability.
Priced at $249, the Arc B580 is set to launch in less than two weeks and brings impressive specs to the table. It boasts 12GB of video memory paired with a 192-bit memory bus, giving it an edge over Nvidia’s RTX 4060, which retails at $300, and AMD’s RX 7600, priced at $270. Alongside this, the B580 features 20 upgraded Xe cores, 20 ray tracing units, and a core clock speed that peaks at 2.67GHz, positioning it as a powerful contender in the budget GPU space.
Intel’s internal benchmarks further bolster the card’s appeal, suggesting the B580 outperforms the Arc A750—a higher-tier card from 2022—by a significant 25%, all while costing $80 less. The card also comes packed with advanced features, such as XeSS2, Intel’s AI-driven super-sampling tech that rivals Nvidia’s DLSS, and XeLL, a latency reduction technology designed to enhance gaming responsiveness. For those seeking even more budget-friendly options, Intel plans to release the Arc B570 in January, priced at $219.
These announcements signal Intel’s continued push to carve out a space in the competitive GPU market. By targeting the underserved budget segment with high-performance cards, Intel’s Arc B500-series could attract gamers looking for alternatives to Nvidia and AMD without compromising on value or features.
