The video evaluates Intel’s B580 GPU in Star Citizen, comparing its performance against the Nvidia 4060, 3060, and AMD 6700 XT and 7600, highlighting mixed results and the importance of VRAM for consistent gameplay. While the B580 is presented as a budget option, its performance is deemed inadequate, with the 6700 XT recommended as a more reliable choice despite its higher price.
The video discusses Intel’s new GPU, the B580, and its performance in the game Star Citizen compared to other graphics cards, including the Nvidia 4060 and 3060, as well as the AMD 6700 XT and 7600. The presenter notes that while the B580 is praised as a budget option, its performance is mixed, especially at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The video highlights the increasing VRAM usage across all tested cards, suggesting that 8 GB of VRAM may no longer be sufficient for Star Citizen, particularly for AMD cards that have historically struggled with VRAM limitations.
In the testing conducted in Area 18, the B580 performs adequately but is positioned in the middle of the pack compared to its competitors. The 6700 XT shows strong performance, while the 3060, with its 12 GB of VRAM, provides smoother gameplay than the 4060, which has only 8 GB. The presenter emphasizes the importance of VRAM, noting that the 3060’s 1% low FPS is significantly better than that of the 4060, indicating that VRAM capacity plays a crucial role in performance consistency, particularly in demanding titles like Star Citizen.
When comparing performance at 1440p, the B580 shows some promise but is often outperformed by the 6700 XT and the 3060. The video illustrates that while the B580’s performance is decent, it is not exceptional, and players may need to consider enabling upscaling techniques to achieve satisfactory results at higher resolutions. The presenter also discusses the implications of using PCIe Gen 3 versus Gen 4, noting that the B580’s performance can suffer on older motherboards that only support Gen 3 due to its limited lane configuration.
The B580’s reliance on resizable BAR and 4G encoding is also addressed, with the presenter highlighting that without enabling these features, performance can be severely impacted. The video further explores the Vulkan API’s performance in Star Citizen, noting that while it can improve the 1% low FPS for some cards, the B580 has issues with crashes when attempting to use Vulkan. This raises concerns about Intel’s driver maturity and support for gaming, particularly for titles like Star Citizen, which may not attract a large user base for Intel GPUs.
In conclusion, while the B580 is positioned as an affordable option, the presenter expresses skepticism about its overall value, especially given its performance inconsistencies and driver issues. They recommend the 6700 XT as a more reliable choice, despite its higher price point, due to its superior performance and fewer spikes in gameplay. The presenter intends to keep the B580 for future testing, hopeful for improvements over time, but currently advises against purchasing it for Star Citizen or similar gaming experiences.