RTX 3050 vs Arc B570 vs Arc B580: The 2026 Entry/Mid-Range Showdown
RTX 3050 vs Arc B570 vs Arc B580: The Entry/Mid-Range Battle of 2026
When building a gaming PC between €750 and €1100, the graphics card choice often comes down to three options: the NVIDIA RTX 3050, the Intel Arc B570, or the Intel Arc B580. Three cards, three price points, three performance levels — but which one is truly right for you?
At DSGate, we assemble PCs with these three cards every day. We test them, compare them, and see firsthand how they perform on the games our customers play. Here's our real-world feedback, without the marketing.
The Three Cards in Brief
Before diving into the details, a quick recap of what each card offers.
The RTX 3050 is the most affordable NVIDIA card in our lineup. Released in 2022 on the Ampere architecture, it features 8GB of GDDR6 and consumes only 130W. It's a mature card, with ultra-stable drivers and DLSS 2 support. At DSGate, you'll find it in our M5-I and M5-III configurations starting from around €750.
The Arc B570 is Intel's newcomer, released in early 2025 on the Battlemage (Xe2) architecture. It boasts 10GB of GDDR6 — 2GB more than the RTX 3050 — for a price of approximately €249. It's the card we increasingly recommend to customers who want a step up without breaking the bank.
The Arc B580 is the improved version of the B570: 12GB of GDDR6, a 192-bit bus, and 20 Xe2 cores compared to 18. It retails for around €300-€359 and powers our most popular configurations (M7, M9, NYXII) between €999 and €1090.
Technical Comparison
| RTX 3050 | Arc B570 | Arc B580 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card Price Only | ~€200-€220 | ~€249 | ~€300-€359 |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR6 | 10 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 128 bits | 160 bits | 192 bits |
| Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 380 GB/s | 456 GB/s |
| Power Consumption (TDP) | 130W | 150W | 190W |
| Upscaling | DLSS 2 | XeSS 2 | XeSS 2 |
| Ray Tracing | Gen 2 (NVIDIA) | Gen 2 (Xe) | Gen 2 (Xe) |
| Recommended PSU | 450W | 500W | 600W |
| 3DMark Score (approx.) | ~6,200 | ~12,500 | ~14,650 |
The first figure that stands out is the 3DMark score: the B570 is approximately twice as fast as the RTX 3050 in synthetic benchmarks, and the B580 further extends this lead by 15-20%. In actual gameplay, the difference is less dramatic but still very significant.
In-Game Performance: Estimated FPS
The values below are estimates based on public benchmarks and our assembly experience. We will soon publish our own measurements with MSI Afterburner captures as proof.
Competitive Games — 1080p High Settings
| Game | RTX 3050 | Arc B570 | Arc B580 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortnite | ~90 FPS | ~125 FPS | ~155 FPS |
| Valorant | ~180 FPS | ~250 FPS | ~300+ FPS |
| CS2 | ~100 FPS | ~140 FPS | ~170 FPS |
| Apex Legends | ~80 FPS | ~110 FPS | ~130 FPS |
| League of Legends | ~200+ FPS | ~300+ FPS | ~350+ FPS |
AAA Games — 1080p High Settings
| Game | RTX 3050 | Arc B570 | Arc B580 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | ~45 FPS | ~60 FPS | ~75 FPS |
| Black Myth Wukong | ~40 FPS | ~55 FPS | ~65 FPS |
| Hogwarts Legacy | ~50 FPS | ~65 FPS | ~80 FPS |
AAA Games — 1440p (QHD) High Settings
| Game | RTX 3050 | Arc B570 | Arc B580 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | ~25 FPS | ~40 FPS | ~50 FPS |
| Black Myth Wukong | ~20 FPS | ~35 FPS | ~45 FPS |
| Hogwarts Legacy | ~30 FPS | ~45 FPS | ~55 FPS |
Indicative values — Estimated average FPS. Actual results vary depending on CPU, RAM, drivers, and settings.
What we observe: In competitive 1080p, all three cards get the job done. But the difference is clear in AAA games: the RTX 3050 hovers around 40-50 FPS at 1080p high, which is playable but not ultra-fluid. The B570 surpasses 60 FPS in most titles, and the B580 offers true comfort with plenty of headroom.
At 1440p, the RTX 3050 clearly falls behind. The B570 performs reasonably well on well-optimized games, and the B580 starts to feel comfortable for players targeting this resolution.
The VRAM Argument: 8GB, 10GB, or 12GB?
This is the most important point of this comparison — and one that most blogs overlook.
In 2026, games are consuming more and more video memory. Titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth Wukong, and soon GTA 6 easily exceed 8GB of usage at 1080p ultra. When VRAM saturates, performance drops sharply: stuttering, blurry textures, longer loading times.
With 8GB (RTX 3050), you're at the limit at 1080p high settings on recent titles. It's sufficient today, but it's a limiting factor for the next 2-3 years.
With 10GB (Arc B570), you have comfortable headroom at 1080p and initial viability at 1440p. These extra 2GB make a real difference in daily use.
With 12GB (Arc B580), you're set for 1080p for a long time and comfortable at 1440p. It's the most future-proof investment of the three.
DLSS vs XeSS: Does Software Make a Difference?
The RTX 3050 has access to NVIDIA's DLSS 2 — an AI-powered upscaling technology that reconstructs images to gain FPS with minimal visual impact. It's a real and measurable advantage, especially on demanding titles.
The Arc B570 and B580 use Intel's XeSS 2. Quality has improved significantly compared to the first version, but DLSS 2 remains superior in perceived image quality in most comparisons. The advantage of Arc: XeSS also works on NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, so more games are gradually supporting it.
In practice, both technologies can provide a 30% to 50% increase in FPS on compatible games. DLSS is slightly better, but the gap is narrowing with each Intel driver update.
Important note: neither the RTX 3050 nor the Arc cards have access to DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation — this is reserved for RTX 50 series. For that, you'd need at least an RTX 5060 Ti.
Ray Tracing: A Secondary Criterion at This Price Point
Let's be honest: Ray Tracing on these three cards is a bonus feature, not a primary selling point. The RTX 3050 handles RT in a basic way, with significant FPS drops. The Arc B570/B580 perform slightly better thanks to their newer architecture, but we're still far from a fluid RT experience at 1080p on demanding titles.
If Ray Tracing is important to you, you should aim for at least an RTX 5060 Ti or an RX 9060 XT. At this price level, focus on rasterization FPS.
Power Consumption and PSU Considerations
The RTX 3050 is by far the most power-efficient: 130W TDP. This is an advantage for compact builds and modest power supplies (450W is sufficient).
The B570 consumes 150W — reasonable, but requires a minimum 500W PSU.
The B580 goes up to 190W. That's 46% more than the RTX 3050, and it requires a 600W PSU for comfort. This is a point not to be overlooked in your total PC budget.
At DSGate, all our machines come with a PSU calibrated for the installed GPU — no unpleasant surprises.
Are Intel Drivers Reliable?
This is THE question we get asked most often. And the answer in 2026 is: yes, for recent games.
Intel has done considerable work on its Battlemage drivers. DirectX 12 and Vulkan games run without noticeable issues. Compatibility with competitive titles (Fortnite, Valorant, CS2, Apex) is excellent.
Where it can sometimes fall short: some older games (exclusive DirectX 9/11) may experience performance or compatibility issues. If you primarily play titles from before 2018, the RTX 3050 with its mature NVIDIA ecosystem will be more reliable.
For current and future games, Arc cards no longer have anything to prove.
Which GPU for Your Total PC Budget?
This is where it gets concrete. At DSGate, here's how these three cards integrate into our complete configurations (assembly + Windows 11 Pro + testing included).
RTX 3050 Config — around €750 Example: DSGate M5-I — i5-10500, RTX 3050, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD. The entry-level PC for 1080p gaming on all competitive titles. Sufficient for Fortnite at 90+ FPS and Valorant at 180+ FPS.
Arc B570 Config — around €850-€950 With at least a Ryzen 5 5500 or an i5-13400F, 16GB DDR4, and 512GB SSD. The new sweet spot for ultra-fluid 1080p with more headroom thanks to 10GB of VRAM.
Arc B580 Config — around €999-€1090 Examples: DSGate M7 (Ryzen 5 5500 + B580, €1030) or M9/NYXII (Ryzen 5 5600X + B580, €1090). Our best-selling config, and for good reason: 12GB of VRAM, ultra 1080p, and comfortable 1440p.
Our Verdict
RTX 3050: choose it if your budget is tight (total config ~€750), if you primarily play competitive games at 1080p, or if you need the widest possible NVIDIA compatibility (older games, streaming with NVENC).
Arc B570: choose it if you want a significant performance jump compared to the RTX 3050 for ~€50-€70 more on the card, with an additional 2GB of VRAM. It's the best raw value for money in this comparison.
Arc B580: choose it if you can invest in a config around €999. The 12GB of VRAM, 192-bit bus, and 15-20% more performance compared to the B570 make it the most future-proof card of the three. It's our recommendation for most gamers.
And if your budget exceeds €1100, check out our complete guide: Which graphics card to choose in 2026? — we also cover the RTX 3070, RTX 5060, RTX 5060 Ti, RX 9060 XT, and RTX 5070.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the B570 worth €50-€70 more than the RTX 3050? Yes, without hesitation. Benchmarks show approximately twice the performance of the RTX 3050 in synthetic tests, and a 30-40% gain in real-world gaming. With 2GB of additional VRAM, it's an investment that is fully justified.
Is the B580 worth €70-€100 more than the B570? It depends. If you only play competitive games at 1080p, the B570 is more than sufficient. But if you're aiming for ultra 1080p on AAA titles or a future transition to 1440p, the 12GB and 15-20% additional FPS of the B580 are worth the extra cost.
Can I play at 1440p with these cards? RTX 3050: no, except for very light games. B570: yes, at medium settings on recent titles. B580: yes, at high settings on most games, with XeSS enabled for the most demanding ones.
Which CPU to pair with these cards? RTX 3050 → Ryzen 5 5500 or i5-10500. B570 → Ryzen 5 5500 or i5-13400F. B580 → Ryzen 5 5600X or i5-14400F to avoid bottlenecking.
Are Intel Arc cards guaranteed at DSGate? Yes. Like all our PCs, configurations equipped with Arc cards are assembled in France, tested, and guaranteed with 2-year spare part availability.
Last updated: April 2026.
All our gaming PCs are assembled in our workshop in Paris and tested before shipment. Discover our range at dsgate.fr.
EP Digital Solutions — DSGate 1 Rue d'Enghien, 75010 Paris contact@dsgate.fr
Related articles:
- Which graphics card to choose in 2026? The complete DSGate guide
- Intel Arc B570: The best card under €250?
- Arc B580 vs RX 9060 XT: The €300-€400 showdown
- 8GB, 10GB, 12GB, or 16GB VRAM: How much do you really need?
- Gaming PC for around €750: We reveal all at DSGate
- Fortnite: How many FPS on our DSGate configurations?