The Intel Arc B580 GPU could rejuvenate the budget PC market - here's why

• The Intel Arc B580 graphics card has finally released
• It's gotten positive attention due to its price and performance
• This could bring back the budget PC market

The Intel Arc B580 graphics card has finally been released after months of rumors, leaks, and reports about its prospective specs, and so far the reviews of this $250 budget card have been extremely positive.

According to reviews, the Intel card boasts higher performance than both the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 while also coming in at a lower price. While the aforementioned reports had already stated this was the case, official benchmarks from these reviews have all but confirmed it as fact.

Not only is this promising news in its own right, as Intel is offering excellent graphics cards for an even better price point which allows budget-minded gamers an affordable option for their PC without sacrificing performance. But it also heralds an even bigger change in the tech market — the rejuvenation of the budget PC.

How budget PCs can make their return

Building the best budget PC, especially a budget gaming rig, is not only the realm of those who cannot afford a premium desktop, but also a long-honored tradition among hobbyists. Finding PC components under a certain price that still offers a cost-effective value is a challenge with tangible results. We prove this with our own guides on building a budget machine, including one for less than $800.

However, in recent years the two major manufacturers of graphics cards — AMD and Nvidia — have been investing less and less in budget cards, which in turn has negatively impacted the cheap PC build. But with Intel’s Arc B580, there’s finally more competition in the market as the tech giant proves that impressive performance can come with a reasonable price tag.

The best-case scenario is that Intel’s continued presence in the budget graphics card market will encourage (and even force) Team Green and Team Red to keep competing with it by releasing their own cheaper cards. This would in turn help to bolster the cheap PC market, which is a boon for many buyers and hobbyists.

In the end, it turns out that Intel's decision not to give up on desktop graphics cards after the Battlemage line was its best decision, as the tech giant clearly has a hit niche on its hands. Especially considering the current and possible future market for tech.

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