Intel Arc B580 GPU Launches with Promising Performance but Driver Issues

The $249 budget graphics card offers impressive specs and ray tracing capabilities but struggles with software reliability at launch.

Intel's Arc B580 is the first discrete graphics card featuring its new Battlemage architecture, priced at $249 and targeting budget gamers.
The GPU boasts 12GB of VRAM, a 192-bit memory bus, and XeSS 2 technology, delivering strong performance in many games, especially at 1440p resolution.
While the B580 outperforms Nvidia's RTX 4060 and AMD's RX 7600 XT in several benchmarks, it suffers from inconsistent performance and driver-related game compatibility issues.
Ray tracing is a highlight for the B580, with the card outperforming AMD's offerings and occasionally rivaling Nvidia's higher-tier GPUs in ray-traced workloads.
Reviewers note that the GPU's potential could be unlocked with improved drivers, making it a compelling option for budget gamers if Intel addresses current software challenges.