Intel Arc Pro B50 Gaming Performance Surpasses Expectations in Small Form Factor Builds

Introduction

The Intel Arc Pro B50 has been marketed primarily as a workstation GPU, but recent testing shows it can hold its own in the gaming arena—especially when paired with a high‑end CPU in a compact chassis. In this article we break down real‑world performance, power characteristics, and the practical implications for gamers and creators who need a low‑profile, dual‑slot solution.

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Overview of the Arc Pro B50

• Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 on a 128‑bit bus
• Compute Units: 16 Xe cores, 4 render slices, 16 ray‑tracing units, 128 XMX AI engines
• Power: 70 W total graphics power (TGP), drawing all power directly from the PCIe slot—no auxiliary connectors required
• Form Factor: Low‑profile dual‑slot design with both full‑size and low‑profile brackets included

These specifications place the B50 in a niche between entry‑level gaming cards and professional workstation GPUs, offering a blend of rasterization, ray tracing, and AI acceleration in a package that fits tight builds.

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Test Platform

To evaluate the B50’s gaming capabilities, we installed it in a pre‑built ASUS system that originally shipped with a Radeon RX 970 XT. The machine was upgraded with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, widely regarded as one of the best gaming CPUs on the market. This combination allows us to isolate the GPU’s performance without being limited by the processor.

Key components of the test rig:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Motherboard: ASUS (model not disclosed)
• Memory: 32 GB DDR4
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Power Supply: 550 W unit, sufficient for the low‑draw B50
• Cooling: Standard case fans; the B50’s 70 W TGP kept temperatures modest

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Gaming Benchmarks

All games were run at 1080p or 1440p unless otherwise noted, using Intel’s XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) and XESS frame‑generation technologies where available. Settings were chosen to reflect typical gamer preferences—“Ultra” or “Medium” graphics quality with XCSS (XeSS Configurable Scaling) set to Balanced unless stated otherwise.

Borderlands 4

• Resolution: 1080p, Medium preset
• XCSS: Balanced
• Average FPS without frame gen: ~64 fps (below 60 fps in some scenes)
• With XESS Frame Generation and low‑latency mode enabled: > 100 fps average

Takeaway: Frame generation dramatically lifts performance, turning a sub‑60 fps experience into a smooth 100 fps+ session.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Resolution: 1080p, Ultra preset
• XCSS: Quality
• Average FPS without frame gen: 77 fps (playable for a demanding title)
• Enabling XESS Frame Generation allows comfortable play at 1440p Ultra, pushing frame rates well above 60 fps.

Takeaway: The B50 can handle demanding AAA titles at high settings, especially when leveraging Intel’s frame‑gen tech.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

• Resolution: 1080p, Ultra preset
• VRAM usage: > 8 GB (approaching the card’s memory ceiling)
• Performance remained acceptable, but the game’s heavy texture load shows the limits of a 128‑bit bus and 16 GB VRAM in lower‑end GPUs.

Takeaway: Memory‑intensive titles can stress the B50, but it still delivers playable frame rates.

Forza Horizon 5

• Resolution: 1440p, Ultra preset
• No XESS needed; average FPS: ~75 fps

Takeaway: At 1440p the B50 provides a solid high‑refresh experience without additional tricks.

Doom: The Dark Ages (Doom Eternal)

• Resolution: 1080p, Ultra preset
• XCSS: Balanced
• VRAM usage: > 10 GB (pushing the card’s capacity)
• Stable performance observed, confirming the B50’s ability to handle modern shooters even when VRAM demand spikes.

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Power Consumption and Thermals

The 70 W TGP stayed within the PCIe slot’s power budget, eliminating the need for extra power connectors. In our tests, the GPU hovered around 45‑55 W under typical gaming loads, with occasional peaks near the 70 W limit during intensive ray‑tracing scenes. Thermal performance was excellent; the low‑profile cooler kept temperatures well below 70 °C, even with the case’s modest airflow.

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Practical Implications

• 1080p Gaming: The B50 comfortably exceeds 60 fps in most titles, especially when XESS Frame Generation is enabled.
• 1440p Gaming: Viable for many games at Ultra settings; frame‑gen can further boost performance.
• 4K Gaming: Not recommended; the card lacks the raw rasterization power and memory bandwidth for high‑resolution play.
• Small Form Factor Builds: Its low‑profile, dual‑slot design makes it ideal for compact PCs where space is at a premium.
• AI and Content‑Creation Workloads: The 16 GB of VRAM and 128 XMX AI engines provide a modest but useful boost for AI‑accelerated tasks.

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Verdict

The Intel Arc Pro B50 proves that a workstation‑oriented GPU can double as a competent gaming solution—provided you pair it with a strong CPU like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and take advantage of Intel’s software stack (XeSS, XESS, and XCSS). While it won’t replace a high‑end gaming card for 4K enthusiasts, it offers a compelling balance of size, power efficiency, and performance for 1080p‑to‑1440p gaming, especially in space‑constrained builds.

If you need a low‑profile GPU that can handle both creative workloads and solid gaming performance without breaking the bank—or if you’re looking for a secondary GPU dedicated to frame generation—the Arc Pro B50 is worth a closer look.

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Future Outlook

The reviewer hinted at a forthcoming experiment using the B50 as a secondary frame‑generation GPU. Keep an eye on the channel for that deep‑dive, which may reveal additional ways to squeeze performance out of this modest yet versatile card.

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