Last week’s release of the Intel Arc B-Series Battlemage graphics cards prompted a deep dive into their performance across multiple workloads, including GPU compute, Linux gaming, and workstation graphics.
The Intel Arc B580 showed a notable generational improvement under Linux for most tasks, though some anomalies highlighted opportunities for better optimization in the Intel Linux graphics driver.
Interestingly, Windows benchmarks showed the Arc B580 performing more competitively against GPUs like the GeForce RTX 4060 compared to Linux results, prompting further investigation.
Benchmarking Setup
To evaluate performance differences, benchmarks were conducted on the Intel Arc A580, Arc A770, and Arc B580 across both Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.10.
Testing was done on the same system:
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Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
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Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO
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RAM: 32GB
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Storage: WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD 1TB
Both operating systems were cleanly installed, with the latest graphics drivers applied:
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Windows Drivers: Intel Arc Graphics drivers (updated as of 14 December)
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Linux Drivers: Intel open-source graphics support (Linux 6.13 Git and Mesa 25.0-devel via Oibaf PPA, as of 15 December)
All other OS settings, including platform profiles and governors, were left at default to ensure a consistent testing environment.
Comparing Windows and Linux Performance
Benchmarks focused on Intel’s graphics drivers rather than broader OS overhead or emulation performance. Key workloads included:
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Native Linux games and titles run via Steam Play.
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OpenGL and Vulkan performance tests.
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GPU compute tasks, including Blender with oneAPI.
Findings
- Windows Performance: The Intel Arc B580 showed a stronger performance relative to the competition, particularly against the GeForce RTX 4060.
- Linux Performance: While the Arc B580 demonstrated solid generational improvements, inconsistencies in driver optimization were evident, leaving room for further refinement.
These benchmarks highlight the strengths and areas for improvement in Intel’s Linux graphics drivers for Battlemage hardware, providing valuable insights for gamers, developers, and enthusiasts alike.
