Intel Arc Pro B50 Workstation GPU Appears in First Geekbench Tests
The first tests of the Geekbench witnessed the Intel Arc Pro B50, a workstation GPU for budget-minded users. Vulkan and OpenCL tests provide a first insight into the performance of the latest Xe2-based graphics processor.
Geekbench Performance and Comparison
The Arc Pro B50 is derived from a castrated version of the BMG-G21 die, giving it 16 Xe2 cores. Hence, it sits below the mainstream Arc B570, which has 18. The performance difference shows in the average benchmark scores:
- Vulkan Score: 78,661
- OpenCL Score: 69,890
Compared to an average of about 100,000 in Vulkan and 85,000 in OpenCL for the Arc B570, the Arc Pro B50 would be roughly 20-25% behind in those synthetic benchmarks. By the way, scores on Geekbench fluctuate wildly between runs.
Meant for Workstation Use, Rather Than Synthetic Scores
Otherwise, for synthetic scores, the Arc Pro B50 would seem slightly underwhelming compared to the more mainstream counterpart, for the Arc Pro B50 was made with a somewhat different priority. With a workstation GPU designation, therefore, it boasts incredibly strong specifications for memory demanding tasks:
- VRAM: It comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, a glorious increase from the 10 GB found in the Arc B570.
- Memory interface: Compared to the B570's 160-bit interface, it has much wider access through a 256-bit memory bus.
In terms of connectivity, while Pro B50 runs on the newer PCIe 5.0 interface, it is not expected to make such a difference in performance when compared with PCIe 4.0. Thus, these features make the Arc Pro B50 a more appropriate fit for professional and AI type applications that favor larger VRAM and memory bandwidth.
Launch and Availability Status
Intel has not yet launched the Arc Pro B50 to retail. The tentative price is still an area of speculation. Not so long from now, the Arc Pro B50 is scheduled to be launched, alongside its sibling, the Arc Pro B60. While AIB partners in some cases will house the cards as stand-alone products, they will also be included in pre-built systems.
However, the supply at launch may be far from abundant. The Arc Pro B60 is in dire trouble regarding production, which, everything considered, may reflect in its availability at launch.
