Intel is the most recent player in the GPU game, releasing its very first batch of budget GPUs in late 2022. Now, the second generation of dedicated cards is here, although it could very well be the last one.
Intel’s Arc B-series GPUs, codenamed Battlemage, have finally been unveiled by Intel. There are two cards belonging to this range at the moment, the B580 and B570, which Intel says are designed to provide a cost-effective option for gamers seeking high-performance 1440p gaming. The Battlemage range has been in the works for a long time and has suffered a few setbacks—more on that later—but given the larger landscape of budget GPUs at the moment, it’s certainly good to see these finally launched.
The cards feature second-generation Xe-cores with enhanced ray tracing capabilities and XMX AI engines that power the new XeSS 2 technology. XeSS 2, which competes with Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR, combines upscaling, frame generation, and low latency optimization to significantly boost performance, potentially increasing frame rates by up to 3.9x in demanding games.
The B580 offers 12GB of dedicated memory, while the B570 has 10GB. Benchmarks show the B580 outperforming the previous generation A750 by an average of 24% at 1440p resolution. Intel also claims the B580 delivers up to 32% better performance-per-dollar than competitors. As always, these are numbers provided by the manufacturer which are meant to make the card look better, and we’ll have to wait for real-life tests to see how it actually measures up to other options on the market. But if this is true, then it’s a pretty decent bump over the previous generation.
Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that these will be the last dedicated GPUs Intel will release. At a recent earnings call, Intel’s former CEO Pat Gelsinger (who, as a matter of fact, just stepped down yesterday) was noted for his non-committal to Intel’s future in the dedicated GPU market. Whether we’ll see third-gen GPUs remains an open question with no concrete answer—maybe Intel’s new leadership will change its mind.
The cards will become available from various board partners including Acer and ASRock over the coming days, so you should keep an eye out for them.
