Intel Unveils Arc A580 GPU For $179, A New Budget Gaming Champ?
by
Thiago Trevisan
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Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 10:30 AM EDT
The budget gaming GPU space has been the last to add some interesting options this generation, with emphasis going towards the pricey high-end from manufacturers. Things are changing for the better, though, with the $179 MSRP Intel Arc A580 adding to the family line of the Arc A750 and A770. This new sub-$200 GPU promises to shake up the entry level space with some much needed value. Intel has also been hard at work with driver updates, signaling they're serious about GPUs.
Intel Arc Family of GPUs
The new Arc A580 shares more in common with its higher-end brethren than the disappointing Arc A380. First, it packs the same 8GB of VRAM at 512GB/s as most of the lineup, with a 256-bit bus to boot. That's a wider memory bus than comparable competition such as NVIDIA's RTX 4060. While 8GB of VRAM won't win any awards in 2023, it's certainly acceptable for 1080p gaming at this price level. The 185W TDP is the lowest of the current Intel lineup, but it's still far beneath that of the efficiency monsters that are the NVIDIA RTX 40 series.
Competition from AMD in this price bracket will also be tough—namely the RX 6600 XT. With strong performance of its own, coupled with a near-$200 price, the A580 has to really shine here. NVIDIA's RTX 3050 will also offer some competition, but its higher price will likely push gamers towards the A580 or AMD options first. With the Intel Arc A750 recently going on sale for $199, the nuanced price-performance gap is highly competitive in this field.
Upscaling has been all of the rage lately, with NVIDIA's DLSS 3 and AMD with FSR 3. Intel has its own Xe Super Sampling, which is in full use for the Arc A580. As we see with the performance graph provided by Intel, it's averaging a 63% bump in framerates. That's impressive (if it holds up to reviewer scrutiny), considering ray tracing performance has also been strong on Intel Arc. This combination is ideal, giving gamers the eye candy they want, with less of the performance penalties.
Intel is certainly rounding out its Arc lineup nicely, with a midrange A770 down to the budget-friendly A580. it's up against very tough competition, however. The biggest opponent is Intel itself—driver issues have plagued the early launch of GPUs such as the A770, with some notable games such as Starfield being highly problematic. They've been diligent about fixes, and often improving older titles along with new releases. This is a good sign, because software stability is of paramount importance next to the price-performance aspect.
