Intel Arc A580 vs RX 6600: A Comprehensive Review

Intel Arc A580 vs RX 6600: A Comprehensive Review

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Specifications of Intel A580 GPU
3. GPU Performance Benchmarks
   1. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
   2. Cyberpunk 2077
   3. Forza Horizon 5
   4. God of War
   5. Horizon Zero DAWN
   6. The Last of Us Part One
   7. Plague Tale: Requiem
   8. Ratchet and Clank
   9. Red Dead Redemption 2
   10. Resident Evil 4
   11. Returnal
   12. Total War Warhammer 3
4. Ray Tracing Performance
   1. Cyberpunk 2077
   2. Ratchet and Clank
   3. Returnal
   4. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
5. Design, Thermals, and Acoustics
6. Power Draw and Efficiency
7. Conclusion
8. FAQs

Article

📌 Introduction

It has been almost a year since we first reviewed Intel's A750 and A770 GPUs, and during that time, we didn't hear anything about the Intel A580. However, the wait is finally over as the A580 has arrived. Priced at $179, it is targeting the entry-level market. In this article, we will put the A580 through its paces to see how it stacks up against the competition.

📌 Specifications of Intel A580 GPU

The A580 is built on the same ACM G10 silicon as the A750 and A770 GPUs. However, it has been cut down and uses only six render slices or 24 XE cores, resulting in a total of 372 shaders. Each XE core is accompanied by an R racing unit, and it also features 192 tmus and 96 RS. The memory subsystem is identical to the A750, with 8GB of GDDR6 memory operating at 16GB per Second and a 256-bit memory interface providing a total bandwidth of 512GB per second. The reference clock speed of the A580 is 1.7GHz, but Sparkle has increased it to 2GHz via a factory overclock.

📌 GPU Performance Benchmarks

To evaluate the performance of the Intel A580 GPU, we conducted a series of benchmarks using various games. Here are the results:

1. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - At 1080p, the A580 performs on par with the RTX 3050, but it is 23% slower than the RX 6600. At 1440p, the A580 scales slightly better, surpassing the RTX 3050 but still lagging behind the RX 6600.

2. Cyberpunk 2077 - With the new 2.0 update, the A580 performs better, delivering 66 FPS on average. It outperforms the RTX 3050 and even comes close to the RTX 3060.

3. Forza Horizon 5 - The A580 takes a backward step compared to other games, but it is still playable, hitting 91 FPS at 1080p. It is 18% slower than the RX 6600 but 20% faster than the RTX 3050.

4. God of War - The A580 shows narrow scaling compared to the A750, with just a 4% gap between the two GPUs. It is slower than the RX 6600 but faster than the RTX 3050.

5. Horizon Zero Dawn - At 1080p, the A580 delivers similar performance to the RTX 2060 and is only 6% behind the RX 6600. At 1440p, it even edges out the RX 6600.

6. The Last of Us Part One - The A580 performs within 4% of the RTX 3050 at 1080p and is 14% behind the RX 6600. At 1440p, it improves but still trails behind the RX 6600.

7. Plague Tale: Requiem - The A580 performs well in this Game, beating the RX 6600 by a small margin. However, the 1% lows are not as impressive.

8. Ratchet and Clank - At 1080p, the A580 outperforms the RX 6600 and RTX 3050. The performance gap with the A750 is only 7%. At 1440p, it remains competitive with the A750.

9. Red Dead Redemption 2 - The A580 performs on par with the RX 6600 and is faster than the RTX 3060 at 1080p. At 1440p, it is still decently playable.

10. Resident Evil 4 - The A580 delivers good performance, surpassing the RX 6600 at 1080p. At 1440p, it remains playable and is faster than the RX 6600.

11. Returnal - The A580 shows decent performance, hitting 58 FPS on average at 1080p and drawing level with the RX 6600 at 1440p.

12. Total War Warhammer 3 - The A580 looks good in terms of average frame rate, but the 1% lows are a letdown. Efficiency is not ideal either, as it draws more power than other GPUs.

📌 Ray Tracing Performance

When it comes to ray tracing, the A580 struggles to deliver satisfactory performance. In games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Ratchet and Clank, the frame rates plummet, making ray tracing practically unplayable. Shadow of the Tomb Raider showcases mediocre performance with ray tracing enabled, falling behind competitive GPUs.

📌 Design, Thermals, and Acoustics

The design of the A580, with its blue shroud and PCB, may not appeal to everyone's taste. However, the build quality feels sturdy, thanks to the plastic shroud. The compact size of the card makes installation easier, measuring just 222x101x40.9 mm. It has a full-length metal backplate, but the cutouts on the backplate don't serve any purpose due to the PCB blocking them. The thermals of the A580 are well within safe limits, with a peak GPU temperature of 70°C and memory temperature of 78°C. However, the graphics card does produce significant fan noise, reaching up to 2300 RPM and resulting in a noise reading of 46 dB.

📌 Power Draw and Efficiency

One of the drawbacks of the A580 is its high power draw. In our testing, it drew significantly more power than both the A750 and the RX 6600, despite offering lower performance. The power efficiency of the A580 is disappointing, with higher power consumption for less performance compared to other GPUs. This raises concerns about the overall efficiency and value proposition of the A580.

📌 Conclusion

The Intel A580 GPU offers decent gaming performance, especially considering the improvements in driver stability over previous Intel Arc GPUs. However, it falls short in terms of efficiency, power draw, and consistency across different games. While it may be a suitable choice for those looking for a more affordable entry into the Intel Arc ecosystem, the RX 6600 remains the smarter choice for most PC gamers. Intel still has work to do to compete effectively in this market segment.

FAQs

Q: Is the Intel A580 GPU compatible with all motherboards? A: Yes, the Intel A580 GPU is compatible with most modern motherboards that have a PCIe x16 slot.

Q: What is the difference between the Intel A580 and A750 GPUs? A: The A580 is a cut-down version of the A750, featuring fewer render slices and lower clock speeds. However, it offers similar performance at a more affordable price point.

Q: Does the A580 support ray tracing? A: Yes, the A580 supports ray tracing, but its performance in ray-traced games is not impressive compared to other GPUs.

Q: Can the A580 handle 1440p gaming? A: The A580 can handle 1440p gaming in most titles, but it may require lowering some settings to maintain smooth frame rates.

Q: Does the A580 come with a factory overclock? A: Yes, some variants of the A580, like the Sparkle A580 Orc, come with a factory overclock. However, the performance gains from the overclock are minimal.

Q: Is the A580 a good choice for power efficiency? A: No, the A580 draws considerably more power compared to other GPUs of similar performance, making it less power-efficient.

Q: Which games does the A580 perform best in? A: The A580 performs best in games like Ratchet and Clank, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, where it can deliver smooth gameplay at 1080p and even 1440p, depending on the settings.