Intel Arc b570 GPU Review: A Deep Dive into Performance and Bottlenecks
0:00:03 Introduction: The Intel Arc b570 GPU, part of the Battle Mage series, is reviewed with a price point of $220.
0:00:22 Competitive Landscape: The b570 competes with the RTX 4060 ($300) and RX 7600 ($250), as well as the older RX 6600 and 6600 XT.
0:00:39 Initial Launch: The Battle Mage launch was generally well-received, with some caveats similar to the first-generation Intel Arc.
0:00:54 CPU Bottleneck Testing: The review focuses on the impact of pairing the b570 with lower-end CPUs (12400 and 5600x) compared to a high-end CPU (9800x2d).
0:01:35 Testing Methodology: Three different CPU platforms were used, with the 5600x and 9800x2d having their frequencies locked for consistency.
0:06:38 Driver Overhead: The discussion addresses concerns about driver overhead affecting Intel GPUs, particularly at lower resolutions and low GPU loads.
0:07:43 Final Fantasy 14 Testing (1080p, 1440p, 4K): No substantial performance changes were observed for the b580 across different CPUs at 1080p. The RTX 4060 also showed no significant changes. The RX 7600 saw a performance drop with the i5-12400. At 1440p, no meaningful differences were observed across CPUs for the tested GPUs. At 4K, results were consistent across all configurations.
0:10:23 Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p): No significant CPU-related performance changes were observed.
0:10:57 Starfield: No relative ranking changes for the b580 or b570 with different CPUs. The RTX 4060 showed worse frame time pacing on lower-end CPUs.
0:12:13 Resident Evil 4 (1080p): The 7700 XT showed slight scaling with the 12400. The b570 had minor differences between CPUs. The RTX 4060 showed minimal differences.
0:13:34 Baldur's Gate 3 (1440p, 4K): The 7700 XT was bottlenecked by the i5-12400. The RTX 4060 showed CPU-related frame time issues. The RX 7600 was CPU-bound on lower-end CPUs. The b580 had performance reductions with the 12400 and 5600x. The b570 showed similar behavior.
0:16:13 Black Myth (1080p): No meaningful scaling differences were observed across CPUs.
0:16:44 Dragon's Dogma 2: All CPUs showed similar performance, with some minor differences in 0.1% lows.
0:17:15 Overall Results: In most scenarios, there was no meaningful performance impact from using lower-end CPUs with the b570 in the reviewer's testing methodology.
0:17:26 Baldur's Gate 3 with 5600x: A significant performance drop was observed with the 5600x in Baldur's Gate 3, particularly on the b580, suggesting a potential driver overhead issue.
0:20:13 Final Fantasy 14 at 4K (Unbound): The b570 performed competitively, outperforming the RTX 4060 by 11%, the 3060 by 23%, and the RX 7600 by a notable margin.
0:21:09 Final Fantasy 14 at 1440p: The b570 was positioned between the a770 and a750, with the RTX 4060 getting closer in performance.
0:22:03 Final Fantasy 14 at 1080p: The b570 lost its advantage against the RX 7600 and RTX 4060. The b580 maintained a lead but had worse frame time pacing.
0:22:40 Starfield: Intel had significant issues with Starfield at launch, but it now works (sort of). Nvidia and AMD still hold an advantage.
0:23:48 Resident Evil 4 at 4K: The b580 outperformed the 4060 TI, and the b570 outperformed the RX 7600 by 7% and the RTX 460 by 14%.
0:24:37 Resident Evil 4 at 1440p: The b570 was roughly equivalent to the RX 7600, with the RTX 460 closing the gap.
0:25:15 Resident Evil 4 at 1080p: The b570 was roughly tied with the RX 7600, with the RTX 460 encroaching.
0:26:17 Baldur's Gate 3 (4K, 1440p): The b570 performed between the 3060 and a580 at 4K. At 1440p, the RTX 460 outperformed the b570 by 20%.
0:27:17 Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty (1440p, 1080p): The b580 bordered on RTX 4070 performance. The b570 tied with the 6700 XT. At 1080p, the RTX 460 functionally tied with the b570.
0:28:45 Black Myth (1080p, 1440p): The b570 was outperformed by the RX 6600 XT and RTX 3060 at 1080p. At 1440p, the RTX 460 maintained a significant lead.
0:29:37 Dragon's Dogma 2 (1440p, 1080p): The RTX 460 and RX 7600 outperformed the b570.
0:30:24 Dying Light 2 (1440p, 1080p): The b570 performed well, outperforming the RTX 4060 at 1440p. At 1080p, the RTX 460 was positioned between the b570 and b580.
0:31:05 Ray Tracing Tests: Performance was generally strong for Intel in ray tracing, particularly at higher resolutions.
0:34:51 Efficiency Testing: Intel Arc GPUs were power-hungry in idle. In-game efficiency was competitive with AMD but generally lower than Nvidia.
0:36:55 Conclusion: Intel has significantly improved over Alchemist. The b570 and b580 offer competitive value, particularly at higher resolutions. Driver overhead issues may exist in specific scenarios, particularly at very high frame rates or with certain CPU and game combinations.