Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060: Which mainstream GPU is right for you?

There's no reason why PC gaming needs to cost an arm and a leg, and we've seen massive steps forward taken in the mainstream GPU market, with options like Intel's latest B580 and the tried-and-true RTX 4060 as viable offerings for 1080p and 1440p.

While we're still awaiting the yet-to-be-announced RTX 5060, Nvidia's previous-generation mainstream remains a solid performer. However, Intel's second-generation Arc graphics card line boasts a significant performance uplift over its Alchemist line from 2022. But does it do enough to justify jumping ship from the more established Nvidia?

To find the answer, we're comparing the Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia's RTX 4060 based on their price, specs, and performance so you can make an informed purchasing decision in 2025. After all, even if neither model rivals what the best graphics cards can do, they're still an investment that will last you many years to come.

Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060: Price

One of the biggest deciding factors in weighing up the Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060 is the price, and that's why it's vital to know the respective MSRP. Intel's second-generation Arc graphics card was released in December 2024 for $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$449 depending on the partner card, but an Intel-made version is available.

In contrast, Nvidia's mainstream Ada option debuted in June 2023 an is available for $299.99 / £289 / AU$460 and beyond, depending on the AIB model. That's because there was no Founders Edition (Nvidia-made) version released, so you're beholden entirely to Nvidia's partners for the pricing, and whether they stick to the MSRP or not.

Despite being the newer graphics card, the Intel Arc B580 is (generally) cheaper online than Nvidia's RTX 4060 in the US, the UK, and Australia through major retailers. For this reason, we have to give the edge to Team Blue; cheaper out of the gate and still a more affordable GPU in 2025.

• Winner: Intel Arc B580

Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060: Specs

Starting with the immediate similarities between the Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060's specs, both GPUs utilize the older (and slower) GDDR6 VRAM and PCIe 4.0 x8 connectivity. That's about where things end, however, as there are drastic differences between the two mainstream graphics cards that you need to know.

Chiefly, the Intel Arc B580 has 12GB RAM compared to the Nvidia RTX 4060's 8GB, a difference of 50%. It may not sound too dramatic on paper, but that can make a huge difference for gaming in 1080p and 1440p, especially when loading in larger games with more demanding textures. We see this reflected in the differing memory bus sizes (192-bit against 128-bit) and the corresponding bandwidth of 456 GB/s for the former and 272 GB/s for the latter. It extends to the respective effective memory speeds of 19 Gbps versus 17 Gbps in favor of Intel.

With that in mind, Nvidia's RTX 4060 features 20% more Compute Units, Shaders, and Ray Tracing Cores compared to Intel's B580, showing the differing design philosophies of Ada and Battlemage. As expected, with more under the hood, Intel's graphics card has a higher power draw with its 190W TDP compared to Nvidia's 115W TDP. You should be fine with either as long as you have a minimum of a 450W PSU, however, we would recommend a minimum of 550W to give you a little more overhead, should you want to overclock, etc.

• Winner: Intel Arc B580

Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060: Performance

Now that we've analyzed the price and specs of both Intel's B580 and Nvidia's RTX 4060, it's time to put them through their paces with our suite of real-world performance tests for the true showcase of their gaming, creative, and synthetic prowess.

Starting with synthetics, the Intel Arc B580 impresses in 3DMark Night Raid and Fire Strike with figures of 153,083 and 35,780, respectively. In contrast, the RTX 4060 achieved respectable figures of 134,628 and 28,313, with Team Blue taking the lead by 22.% and 26.3%.

With that said, we see the script flipped in other tests like GeekBench 6 Compute (OpenGL) and PassMark 3D Graphics (Total), with the Arc B580 boasting scores of 98,550 and 19,519 compared to the RTX 4060's 106,118 and 21,372. Coming out on top by 7.6% and 9.4%.

Things get more interesting when analyzing the gaming performance of the two mainstream GPUs.

Starting with 1440p, the Intel Arc B580 achieves playable framerates in today's demanding games, such as a 61fps average in Cyberpunk 2077 on Ultra settings, a 91fps average in Dying Light 2 (High Quality), and a 71fps average in Returnal (Epic). However, some software was too demanding for the card, such as in Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic mode, 50% Upscaling) at just 31fps and Metro Exodus (Ultra) at 36fps. Still more-than-playable, sure, but far from ideal.

By comparison, the RTX 4060 manages a 69fps average in Cyberpunk 2077 and a 69fps average in Dying Light 2 but just a 59fps average in Returnal, falling just short of the coveted 60fps mark. Demanding games prove far more challenging for the mainstream Ada card, as Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 50% upscaling) runs at 42fps on average; however, Metro Exodus (Ultra) is too much for it, running at an unplayable 18fps on average.

1080p gaming is more of a sweet spot for these two graphics cards. Looking at the same game selection with the Intel Arc B580, Team Blue's latest sings in Cyberpunk 2077 (91fps), Dying Light 2 (133fps), and Returnal (90fps). However, there's not much of an improvement in Black Myth: Wukong (34fps) nor Metro Exodus (42fps). While you can have an excellent gaming experience with this card, some intensive games may be too much for it, although, we argue that 30fps is still playable.

Nvidia's RTX 4060 is stronger in 1080p as well, but not quite as consistently good as Intel's GPU. This can be seen with Cyberpunk 2077 (72fps), Dying Light 2 (81fps), and Returnal (81fps). Team Blue has a respective lead of 26.3%, 64.1%, and 11.1%. With that said, it scores identically in Black Myth: Wukong (42fps) but struggles in Metro Exodus with only a 22fps average.

Lastly, we can look at the creative workloads handled by the Intel Arc B580 and Nvidia RTX 4060. The former achieved a figure of 10,009 in PugetBench for Adobe Premiere and a 226fps average framerate in Handbrake 1.6's 4K to 1080p H.264 encode. In contrast, the RTX 4060 pulled ahead in the first test with 10,360 (3.5%) but lost out in the second test with a 212fps average (6.6%).

From this, we can gauge that the Intel Arc B580 is better for gamers than the Nvidia RTX 4060 (arguably). a better choice if you're after an affordable GPU for creativity and productivity tasks. Despite having less VRAM and a slower bandwidth, Nvidia's card holds up with intensive tasks.

• Winner: Intel Arc B580

Intel Arc B580 vs Nvidia RTX 4060: Verdict

While the Intel Arc B580 and RTX 4060 are similarly powerful and priced, Team Blue's card (largely) offers superior performance and value for money for gamers in 1080p and 1440p with strong (but not leading) performance for creatives as well. Nvidia's weakest Ada card pulls respectable numbers for gamers but can do a little more for creatives, thanks to its increased Compute Units and RT cores despite the slower bandwidth and smaller VRAM pool.

We recommend the Intel Arc B580 for what it can offer you at the $250 mark. It's genuinely unrivalled, given how affordable it is. As with Nvidia, some of the AIBs can weaken the aggressive pricing, with some partner cards costing upwards of $300 (and even $400) depending on the retailer. In these situations, you may be better with an alternative GPU with more power behind it, however, for the sticker price, we're backing Team Blue on this one.

• Winner: Intel Arc B580