The first generation of dedicated graphics cards from Intel failed miserably, even though it was known from the beginning that they were not going to compete in the gaming ecosystem with amd and NVIDIA. However, now it seems that the tables are beginning to turn, as it has been learned that the new Intel Arc B580 They are selling like candy at the door of a school.
And we are happy. Not because we are pro-Intel by any means, but because as we always repeat over and over again, competition is good for us, the consumers, and the fact that there is a third contender that challenges the duopoly that AMD and NVIDIA have maintained for years can only mean better products and better prices for us. Well, or so the theory goes at least.
The Intel Arc B580 are sold out as stock is replenished
The second generation of dedicated graphics cards from Intel has just seen the light of day very recently, and has already become a success among critics but also among enthusiasts and practically everyone. It is undeniable, especially if we compare these graphics with those of NVIDIA and AMD, which have an excellent price-performance ratio, undoubtedly their strong point, and as we mentioned a moment ago this contributes a very good point to the competition in the market.
Specifically, the Intel Arc B580, which has a base recommended retail price of $249, is the one that is taking the lead. This graphics card competes in the mid-range, offering better performance than NVIDIA’s RTX 4060 and AMD’s RX 7600 but at a lower price. So much so that many retailers are reporting that they are running out of stock of these graphics cards as soon as they receive more from Intel, and the company in blue had to come forward saying that they are working hard to put more GPUs on the shelves of the stores. stores:
«Demand for Arc B580 graphics cards is very high and many retailers have sold out of their initial inventory within days of launch. “We hope to replenish stock on a weekly basis, and we are working hard with our partners to ensure more consistent availability.” said Mark Anthony Ramirez, an Intel spokesman.
The success of the Arc B580 is like a breath of fresh air for Intel, given the bad times the company is in. Just a few months ago Intel was quite disappointed with the stability problems of its Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh processors, then came the “resignation” of its CEO, followed by massive layoffs to help it recover from losses of more than 1,600 million in August of this year.
Let Intel not rest on its laurels
But, even if it weren’t because this success will surely help the company to raise its head even a little, it is very good news because it will force both AMD and NVIDIA to get their act together, at least in the gaming segment. mid-range which, after all, is the one that sells the most. Let’s see if it’s true and we stop seeing mid-range graphics at 400-500 euros, which are prohibitive prices when you want to build a modest PC.
In any case, being able to have these mid-range graphics cards (which are great for playing at Full HD resolution, really) at reasonable prices (remember, $249) is also good for users. To give an example, the NVIDIA RTX 4060 came out at $299 and the AMD RX 7600 at $269, and both only come with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB, also GDDR6 (and even the lower model, the B570 which costs $210 has 10 GB). In addition, Intel has worked hard to polish its graphics drivers, leaving behind the initial problems it suffered with the first generation.
However, we also hope that this does not mean that Intel rests on its laurels. They need to keep pushing and pushing, especially since both NVIDIA and AMD are expected to present their new generations of graphics at next year’s CES, and that’s only 3 weeks away…