Intel’s latest foray into the graphics card market, the Arc Pro B70, has finally been put to the test, revealing its performance metrics in the gaming arena. According to a detailed analysis by German outlet PCGamesHardware, the B70 performs comparably to the Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti, a revelation that brings both clarity and a touch of disappointment to enthusiasts eagerly awaiting Intel’s gaming capabilities.
Performance Insights
The Arc Pro B70, part of Intel’s second-generation graphics architecture known as Battlemage or Xe2, was designed with gaming in mind. However, it has been positioned in the market not as a gaming GPU but rather as a cost-effective solution for running local AI models, boasting 32 GB of VRAM at a price point of approximately ,000.
In traditional raster gaming scenarios, the B70’s performance aligns closely with that of the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB. Yet, when ray tracing or path tracing is enabled, the B70’s performance noticeably lags behind its Nvidia counterpart. This outcome has led to the realization that the B70 is not the formidable competitor to the RTX 5070 that many had hoped for.
Despite initial aspirations for the B70 to rival the RTX 5070, expectations were tempered to align with the RTX 5060 levels, and ultimately, that is precisely where the B70 has landed. The insights gained from this testing phase shed light on why Intel opted not to market the B70 as a gaming GPU. While its performance is respectable, it must be evaluated against its production costs and size.
Size and Cost Considerations
The B70 is a substantial GPU, measuring 368 mm², produced using a TSMC N5-class node. In contrast, the RTX 5060 Ti is built on a smaller 181 mm² chip, making it significantly cheaper to manufacture. This disparity in size underscores the challenges Intel faces in positioning the B70 competitively within the gaming GPU market.
To further contextualize the performance metrics, the RTX 5070’s GB205 chip measures 263 mm², while the RTX 5080’s GPU, GB203, is only slightly larger than the B70 at 378 mm². The implications are clear: the B70, while delivering RTX 5060 Ti-level performance, does so with a footprint and cost that render it less appealing in a price-sensitive market.
Although there remains a possibility that Intel could enhance driver optimization for the B70, the benchmarks indicate that even under ideal conditions, the B70 would still fall short of competing with the RTX 5070. With 32 Xe cores compared to the 20 in the previous generation G21, the B70 is indeed faster, yet it still trails the RTX 5070 by a significant margin of 87% in gaming performance.
In summary, the Arc Pro B70’s performance may not meet the high expectations set by the gaming community, and its size and cost factors further complicate its viability as a gaming GPU. As Intel navigates this competitive landscape, the lessons learned from the B70’s performance will undoubtedly inform future endeavors in the graphics card market.
