The Intel Arc B580 graphics card has been drawing attention for offering strong performance at an affordable price, especially when used in modern gaming systems. However, it’s currently facing serious performance issues when paired with older CPUs particularly those that lack support for technologies like Resizable BAR (ReBAR) or Smart Access Memory (SAM). In recent tests, performance dropped significantly on systems using older processors such as Ryzen 5 2600/5600 or Intel i5-9600K. In these configurations, the GPU’s performance takes a hit compared to setups with higher-end processors, such as the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. According to YouTuber Hardware Canucks, the Arc GPU experiences a significant drop in performance when running on older hardware. In particular, games like Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Starfield performed so poorly that they were nearly unplayable in some cases.
Intel has acknowledged the problem and stated that they are actively investigating. They’ve reportedly replicated some of the performance issues and are working on solutions. In the meantime, users with newer CPUs like Intel’s 10th Gen or newer, or AMD Ryzen 3000 series and above should generally see good performance with the Arc B580. These systems support ReBAR or SAM, which helps the GPU perform as intended.
For those still running older hardware, the Arc B580 might not be the best choice until Intel rolls out better drivers. Alternatives like the NVIDIA RTX 4060 or AMD RX 7600 offer more consistent performance across a wider range of setups, including older ones.