{"id":259115,"date":"2025-09-10T23:11:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T21:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/?p=259115\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T04:39:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T02:39:47","slug":"asrock-intel-arc-b580-steel-legend-12gb-review-third-in-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/en\/asrock-intel-arc-b580-steel-legend-12gb-review-third-in-the-game\/","title":{"rendered":"ASRock Intel Arc B580 Steel Legend 12GB Review: Third in the Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Intel Arc B580 is currently the most powerful model in Intel’s new generation graphics card lineup. The ASRock Steel Legend 12GB OC version offers more efficient cooling, very low noise levels, and striking ARGB lighting compared to the base models. Its performance beats the RTX 3060, but it falls behind newer rivals. Compared to cards like the RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT, it stands out more for its larger memory than for its price-to-performance ratio.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve already covered the architecture<\/a> and specs<\/a> of Intel\u2019s latest Arc B580 and B570 graphics cards at launch. What was missing from our test results until now was the Arc B580\u2014so today we\u2019re filling that gap with the ASRock Arc B580 Steel Legend OC.<\/p>\n

A little reminder to start: these cards build on the previous A580 series with the Alchemist architecture. The B580 lineup moves to the new Battlemage architecture and targets gaming at 1080p and 1440p resolutions, including ray tracing.<\/p>\n

The card is powered by the BGM-G21 chip, manufactured by TSMC on the 5nm process. While the raw specifications might not suggest radical changes, efficiency has improved significantly, with higher clocks and better core performance. The X\u1d492 architecture introduces second-generation ray tracing units with a 26% boost in throughput, and Intel claims up to 70% higher performance per X\u1d49-Core. In practice, the B580 should be roughly 24% faster than the Arc A750 at 1440p, while offering up to 50% better performance-per-watt thanks to architectural optimizations.<\/p>\n

The new models use a narrower memory bus\u2014192 or 160 bits compared to the A580\u2019s 256-bit bus. This reduces bandwidth but allows for more balanced memory configurations of 10 GB and 12 GB, which make more sense for 1440p than the older 8 GB or 16 GB options.<\/p>\n

In its reference specs for the Arc B580, Intel lists a GPU clock of 2670 MHz and memory running at 19 Gb\/s, with a TDP of 190\u00a0W.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nArc B570<\/strong><\/td>\nArc B580<\/strong><\/td>\nArc A580<\/strong><\/td>\nArc A750<\/strong><\/td>\nArc A770 8 GB<\/strong><\/td>\nArc A770 16 GB<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Microarchitecture<\/td>\nXe2<\/td>\nXe2<\/td>\nXe HPG<\/td>\nXe HPG<\/td>\nXe HPG<\/td>\nXe HPG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Codename<\/td>\nBattlemage<\/td>\nBattlemage<\/td>\nAlchemist<\/td>\nAlchemist<\/td>\nAlchemist<\/td>\nAlchemist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manufacturing Process<\/td>\nTSMC N5<\/td>\nTSMC N5<\/td>\nTSMC 6nm<\/td>\nTSMC 6nm<\/td>\nTSMC 6nm<\/td>\nTSMC 6nm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GPU Codename<\/td>\nBGM-G21<\/td>\nBGM-G21<\/td>\nACM-G10<\/td>\nACM-G10<\/td>\nACM-G10<\/td>\nACM-G10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Transistor Count<\/td>\n19.6 bn<\/td>\n19.6 bn<\/td>\n21.7 bn<\/td>\n21.7 bn<\/td>\n21.7 bn<\/td>\n21.7 bn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Die Size<\/td>\n272 mm\u00b2<\/td>\n272 mm\u00b2<\/td>\n406 mm\u00b2<\/td>\n406 mm\u00b2<\/td>\n406 mm\u00b2<\/td>\n406 mm\u00b2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
X\u1d49-Cores<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
XMX Engines<\/td>\n144<\/td>\n160<\/td>\n384<\/td>\n448<\/td>\n512<\/td>\n512<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
X\u1d49 Vector Engines<\/td>\n144<\/td>\n160<\/td>\n384<\/td>\n448<\/td>\n512<\/td>\n512<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GPU Shader Count<\/td>\n2304<\/td>\n2560<\/td>\n3 072<\/td>\n3 584<\/td>\n4 096<\/td>\n4 096<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rasterization Units<\/td>\n80<\/td>\n80<\/td>\n96<\/td>\n112<\/td>\n128<\/td>\n128<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Texture Mapping Units (TMUs)<\/td>\n144<\/td>\n160<\/td>\n192<\/td>\n224<\/td>\n256<\/td>\n256<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ray Tracing Units<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chip Clock Speed (Average)<\/td>\n2500 MHz<\/td>\n2670 MHz<\/td>\n1700 MHz<\/td>\n2050 MHz<\/td>\n2100 MHz<\/td>\n2100 MHz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory<\/td>\n10 GB GDDR6<\/td>\n12 GB GDDR6<\/td>\n8 GB GDDR6<\/td>\n8 GB GDDR6<\/td>\n8 GB GDDR6<\/td>\n16 GB GDDR6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory Interface<\/td>\n160-bit<\/td>\n192-bit<\/td>\n256-bit<\/td>\n256-bit<\/td>\n256-bit<\/td>\n256-bit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory Speed<\/td>\n19 Gbps<\/td>\n19 Gbps<\/td>\n16 Gbps<\/td>\n16 Gbps<\/td>\n16 Gbps<\/td>\n17.5 Gbps<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory Bandwidth<\/td>\n380 GB\/s<\/td>\n456 GB\/s<\/td>\n512 GB\/s<\/td>\n512 GB\/s<\/td>\n512 GB\/s<\/td>\n560 GB\/s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total Card Power (Typical Load)<\/td>\n150 W<\/td>\n190 W<\/td>\n185 W<\/td>\n225 W<\/td>\n225 W<\/td>\n225 W<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bus Interface<\/td>\nPCI Express 4.0 x8<\/td>\nPCI Express 4.0 x8<\/td>\nPCIe 4.0 \u00d716<\/td>\nPCIe 4.0 \u00d716<\/td>\nPCIe 4.0 \u00d716<\/td>\nPCIe 4.0 \u00d716<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Graphics Output<\/td>\n3\u00d7 DP 2.1 up to UHBR 13.5, 1\u00d7 HDMI 2.1 (VRR)<\/td>\n3\u00d7 DP 2.1 up to UHBR 13.5, 1\u00d7 HDMI 2.1 (VRR)<\/td>\neDP 1.4, DP 2.0 up to UHBR 10, HDMI 2.0b, HDMI 2.1 (optional, requires converter)<\/td>\neDP 1.4, DP 2.0 up to UHBR 10, HDMI 2.0b, HDMI 2.1 (optional, requires converter)<\/td>\neDP 1.4, DP 2.0 up to UHBR 10, HDMI 2.0b, HDMI 2.1 (optional, requires converter)<\/td>\neDP 1.4, DP 2.0 up to UHBR 10, HDMI 2.0b, HDMI 2.1 (optional, requires converter)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Testing the ASRock Intel Arc B580 Steel Legend 12GB OC (B580 SL 12GO)<\/h2>\n

The Intel Arc B580 Steel Legend 12GB OC is ASRock\u2019s top-of-the-line B580 model. For an extra 40 EUR over the bare-bones version, it offers good value: thanks to an improved cooler and fan tuning, it performs excellently in terms of noise, comes in an eye-catching white finish, and appeals to RGB enthusiasts with strong ARGB lighting.<\/p>\n

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It ships with a factory overclock, raising the GPU clock to 2800 MHz. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory remains at 19 Gb\/s.<\/p>\n

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GPU-Z monitoring shows the standard data we\u2019ve come to expect from other cards.<\/p>\n

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HWiNFO, on the other hand, provides a lot more sensor readouts than GPU-Z. These include values not usually seen on other GPUs, like VRM temperature, while some metrics are missing.<\/p>\n

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Some of them can\u2019t even be found in the monitoring in control panel. Though the latter is better if you want to monitor data pertaining to the performance of cards directly in games.<\/p>\n

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The card comes packaged in a simple, standard-size cardboard box. On the back, ASRock highlights key features: a triple-fan cooler, stylish metal backplate, ARGB lighting configurable via Polychrome Sync, and fan blades with an outer ring. Intel\u2019s technologies common to all Arc cards are also emphasized, such as AI-based XeSS upscaling, AI compute units, ray tracing support, and the Advanced Media Engine for video processing.<\/p>\n

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Accessories are limited to a quick-installation guide. No power adapter is required, and despite the card\u2019s weight, there\u2019s no need for a support bracket either.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019ll take a closer look at the card\u2019s physical details in the following chapter.<\/p>\n