After six months, Intel’s B580 graphics card has seen only minor improvements and still suffers from significant driver issues, performance spikes, and high CPU overhead, making it unreliable for gaming. The reviewer advises against buying the B580, as it remains unstable and outperformed by more stable and capable alternatives like the Nvidia RTX 3060.
The video revisits Intel’s B580 graphics card after six months to assess whether it has improved and if it’s worth buying. Initially, the reviewer thought it could be a good option for 1080p gaming, particularly for titles like Star Citizen. However, over time, the recommendation was to wait and see if the card’s performance and driver stability would improve. The current evaluation confirms that while there have been some driver updates, the card still suffers from significant issues, especially with performance spikes and inconsistent gameplay.
In testing the B580 against the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 with 12 GB of VRAM, the reviewer finds that the B580 has made some progress, performing reasonably close to the 3060 in certain scenarios like Lorville at 1080p. Despite this, the frame time graphs reveal persistent large spikes, which cause unpleasant stuttering and choppy gameplay. The initial loading phase, where shaders compile, remains particularly problematic, with performance never fully stabilizing. These issues are attributed mainly to driver problems, which have not been fully resolved over the months.
Further testing at higher resolutions (1440p) and with different game settings shows that the B580 still struggles with performance spikes and overall speed. While it can outperform the 3060 in some cases, the differences are marginal, and the card’s instability remains a concern. The reviewer notes that in Vulkan mode, performance drops significantly, likely due to high CPU overhead, especially on lower-end systems. This indicates that the B580 is not well-optimized for certain configurations and that its intended low-end market performance is compromised by these issues.
The review also highlights that on low-end systems with weaker CPUs, the B580 performs worse than expected, even falling behind older or less powerful cards like the 3060. This suggests that the card is heavily CPU-dependent, making it unsuitable for budget builds or systems with limited processing power. Instead of being a straightforward upgrade for older GPUs, the B580’s high CPU overhead and driver problems make it a poor choice for many users, further diminishing its value as a budget-friendly gaming solution.
In conclusion, after six months, the B580 has seen some minor improvements but remains largely unreliable for gaming, especially with titles like Star Citizen. The persistent performance spikes, driver issues, and CPU overhead problems mean it cannot be recommended. The reviewer advises potential buyers to avoid the B580 altogether, noting that there are better and more stable alternatives available, including upcoming new cards. Overall, the B580 is considered a disappointing release that failed to meet expectations, and the reviewer plans to test newer options like the upcoming 960 XT 16 GB variant.