R9 280X vs Arc B580M
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 280X | Arc B580M | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,434 | 5,119 | -72.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 29 | 54 | -46.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 16 | 32 | -50.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 17 | -52.9% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.1 | 12.2 | -66.4% |
| VRAM | 3 GB GDDR5 | 12 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 336 | 336 | — |
| TDP (W) | 250 | 114 | — |
- Arc B580M averages 32 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 50% faster.
- Arc B580M draws less power (114W vs 250W).
Verdict: R9 280X or Arc B580M?
R9 280X advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
Arc B580M advantages
- 1440p gaming (+50%)
- 4K gaming (+53%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+72%)
- Video memory (+75%)
- Power efficiency (+54%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the Arc B580M if you game at 1440p.
R9 280X vs Arc B580M: which should you choose?
R9 280X — AMD desktop graphics card (2013, GCN 1.0) with 3 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p; launched at $299.
Arc B580M — Intel desktop graphics card (2024, Battlemage) with 12 GB of GDDR6, averaging 32 fps at 1440p.
R9 280X vs Arc B580M: Arc B580M is faster for gaming. Arc B580M averages 32 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 50% faster. Arc B580M draws less power (114W vs 250W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the Arc B580M averages 32 fps against 16. At 4K (8 vs 17 fps) VRAM (3GB vs 12GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 250 W versus 114 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the R9 280X better than the Arc B580M?
Arc B580M is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. Arc B580M averages 32 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 50% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 280X and the Arc B580M?
Arc B580M averages 32 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 50% faster. Arc B580M draws less power (114W vs 250W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the Arc B580M if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.