Pick the Arc A770 if you game at 1440p or want 16 GB of VRAM for the long haul, and pick the Arc A580 if you play at 1080p on a tight budget, because the A580 delivers roughly 80-85% of the A770’s frame rate for far less money. The A580 arrived a year after the A770, but it is a cut-down version of the same chip, so it is a cheaper sibling rather than an upgrade.
Both cards belong to Intel’s first-generation Arc “Alchemist” family. Intel’s current desktop cards are the Battlemage-based Arc B570 and B580, so the A770 and A580 now mostly appear as discounted leftovers or on the used market. That context shapes the whole decision: what matters is how much you pay for each frame and how much VRAM you get for the money.
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Same Silicon, Different Cut
The A770 uses the full ACM-G10 die with 4096 shaders and 16 MB of L2 cache. The A580 disables a quarter of the Xe-cores, leaving 3072 shaders and 8 MB of L2, and runs a lower boost clock. Interestingly, the A580 keeps the full 256-bit memory bus, which is why its memory bandwidth matches the 8 GB A770. The shortfall is in compute and cache, not in the memory interface.
Spec Sheet Side by Side
| Specification | Arc A770 | Arc A580 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Xe-HPG (Generation 12.7) | Xe-HPG (Generation 12.7) |
| Release date | 12 October 2022 | 10 October 2023 |
| Launch MSRP | $329 (16 GB) | about $179 |
| Shaders | 4096 | 3072 |
| Boost clock | 2400 MHz | 2000 MHz |
| Process | 6 nm | 6 nm |
| Board power | 225 W | 175 W |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |
| L2 cache | 16 MB | 8 MB |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Display outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 |
Note that the A770’s bandwidth figure above corresponds to 16 Gbps memory; Tom’s Hardware lists the 16 GB Limited Edition with faster 17.5 Gbps memory for about 560 GB/s, so some 16 GB versions have slightly more bandwidth than the table shows.
How Far Apart They Are in Games
According to Tom’s Hardware’s GPU hierarchy data, the A770 16GB runs about 15% faster than the A580 at 1080p medium, about 18% faster at 1080p ultra, about 23% faster at 1440p ultra and close to 27% faster at 4K ultra. Tom’s Hardware’s A580 review and Digital Trends’ summary of launch reviews also found that even the Arc A750 was only around 9-10% faster than the A580, which places the A770 a further step above. Gamers Nexus’ 2024 Arc revisit, run on newer drivers, put the A770 roughly level with the RTX 4060 and the A580 between the RX 6600 and RTX 3060.
In everyday terms, a demanding game that runs in the mid-60s fps on the A580 at 1080p ultra tends to land in the mid-to-high 70s on the A770. At 1440p the A580 often drops into the high 40s to low 50s while the A770 holds closer to 60. These figures move a lot with the game, settings, CPU and driver version.
Ray tracing
Alchemist’s ray tracing units are relatively capable for the price class, often trading blows with NVIDIA’s RTX 30 cards at the same tier. In Tom’s Hardware’s ray tracing tests the A770 leads the A580 by roughly 18% at 1080p and about 24% at 1440p. Neither card is suited to heavy ray tracing at native resolution, but the A770 is the more realistic choice for light RT effects with upscaling.
XeSS upscaling and frame generation
Feature support is identical. Both cards have XMX matrix engines, so they run the higher-quality XMX path of XeSS upscaling. They also support XeSS 2 frame generation with XeLL latency reduction, and an Intel driver released in February 2026 extended XeSS 3 multi-frame generation to all Alchemist cards, including the A770 and A580. PC Games Hardware’s testing, reported by PC Guide, measured large frame-rate gains on the A770 with frame generation enabled. Intel advises a base frame rate of around 60 fps before turning frame generation on, which favors the faster A770.
VRAM: Where the A770 Pulls Ahead Long Term
Eight gigabytes is the A580’s biggest weakness. Many 2025-2026 releases need 8 GB or more at 1080p high settings, and 1440p ultra textures often call for 10-12 GB. The 16 GB A770 avoids texture streaming problems that 8 GB cards can show in memory-heavy games. If you keep cards for four or five years, the extra VRAM matters more than the 18-23% raw speed gap.
Cost per Frame: The Numbers
Using launch prices and Tom’s Hardware’s 1080p ultra averages (about 77 fps for the A770 16GB and about 65 fps for the A580):
- Arc A770: $329 / 77 fps = about $4.30 per frame
- Arc A580: $179 / 65 fps = about $2.75 per frame
At launch the A580 delivered roughly 35% better value per frame. That gap is why the A580 earned respect as a budget pick despite its 8 GB limit. Today, the comparison depends on clearance and used pricing, where broad ranges such as roughly $160-$240 for an A770 16GB and roughly $110-$160 for an A580 are typical, depending on model and condition.
Power Draw, PSU and Platform Requirements
Using the formula of GPU power plus CPU power plus about 150 W of headroom:
- A770: 225 W + 125 W + 150 W = about 500 W, so a quality 550 W unit is sensible.
- A580: 175 W + 125 W + 150 W = about 450 W, so 450-550 W works.
Connector layouts differ: the A770 uses one 6-pin and one 8-pin, while the A580 listed here uses two 8-pin connectors, and partner designs can vary. Both cards are 2-slot designs, though partner coolers vary in length, so measure your case before buying.
One platform rule matters more than wattage: Arc cards need Resizable BAR enabled in the motherboard BIOS to perform properly. On older platforms without ReBAR support, performance can drop sharply. Check this before buying either card for an older PC. Intel’s drivers have improved a lot since launch, including for older DirectX titles, but occasional game-specific issues are still more common than on AMD or NVIDIA hardware.
Decision Table
| Your situation | Pick | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p, lowest possible budget | Arc A580 | About 35% better cost per frame at launch pricing. |
| 1080p, keeping the card 4+ years | Arc A770 16GB | 8 GB is already tight in new games. |
| 1440p gaming | Arc A770 16GB | About 23% faster and double the VRAM. |
| Frame generation use | Arc A770 16GB | Reaches the recommended 60 fps base more often. |
| Small PSU (450-500 W) | Arc A580 | 50 W lower board power. |
| Older PC without Resizable BAR | Neither | Arc performance suffers badly without ReBAR. |
Consider the Current Arc Cards Too
The Battlemage-based Arc B570 and B580 are the current generation and generally outperform the A580 while using less power, with the B580 also offering 12 GB of VRAM. If a new B570 or B580 costs only slightly more than a used A770 or A580, the newer card is the safer buy thanks to better efficiency, a full warranty and the stronger architecture. The older Alchemist cards make sense mainly at clearly lower prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Arc A580 faster than the Arc A770?
No. The A580 is a cut-down version of the same chip and is roughly 15-27% slower depending on resolution, according to Tom’s Hardware’s data. Its later release date reflects a cheaper product, not a newer architecture. Both cards share the same features.
Do I need Resizable BAR for Intel Arc?
Yes, effectively. Intel designed Arc around Resizable BAR, and performance can drop significantly without it. Most Intel 10th-gen and newer and AMD Ryzen 3000 and newer platforms support it after a BIOS update.
Do these cards support XeSS frame generation?
Yes. Both support XeSS upscaling with the XMX path and XeSS 2 frame generation. A February 2026 Intel driver also added XeSS 3 multi-frame generation to Alchemist cards in games that support it.
Is 8 GB on the A580 enough for 1080p?
It is enough for most games at medium to high settings. Some recent titles exceed 8 GB at ultra textures, which can cause stutter or forced texture reductions. Lowering texture quality one step usually fixes it.
Should I buy an A770 or a new Arc B580?
The B580 is the newer, more efficient design and generally matches or beats the A770 in games. The A770 keeps a VRAM edge with 16 GB versus 12 GB. If prices are close, the B580 is the safer choice.
