Intel Arc Pro B70 Quad-GPU Configuration Known to Draw Up to 720W During Inference Tasks

Although there are few reviews currently available, insights into the performance of the Arc Pro B70 GPU can be gleaned from a recent analysis by Hardware Luxx.

Performance Insights from Hardware Luxx: Intel Arc Pro B70 vs. Competitors

Intel’s latest workstation GPUs, including the Big Battlemage Arc Pro B65 and B70, were launched approximately two weeks ago. Unfortunately, a lack of availability seems to have hindered widespread reviews. Echoing concerns from last year regarding the Arc Pro B60, the newer models appear to be just as scarce in the marketplace. Targeted at professional and AI applications, the Arc Pro B65 and B70 offer enhanced memory capacity and improved computational power compared to their predecessors, the Arc Pro B50 and B60.

Four Intel Arc Pro B70 graphics cards are installed in a computer case. — Image Credit: Hardware Luxx

To date, independent benchmarks have been limited, with the sole noteworthy evaluation coming from Hardware Luxx, a reputable German tech platform. They managed to secure four Arc Pro B70 GPUs, enabling comprehensive testing of this quad-GPU configuration.

In terms of performance, particularly in AI applications, the Arc Pro B70 demonstrates a speed advantage of approximately 30% to 40% over the B50 in Geekbench AI benchmarks. It also competes closely with the Radeon Pro W7900 in various tests. Notably, the energy efficiency of the Arc Pro B70 stands out; it draws significantly less power than the Radeon Pro W7800 and W7900, reportedly consuming around 180W under maximum load. This efficiency translates well, as a dual-GPU setup would theoretically draw 360W, maintaining balanced power distribution across the graphics cards, which is corroborated in quad-GPU arrangements as well.

A bar chart titled 'Power consumption load' shows the Intel Arc Pro B70 with significantly higher power usage than other models, peaking at 720.6 watts with 4x configuration. — Image Credit: Hardware Luxx

When employing a quad-GPU setup, the Arc Pro B70 reportedly maintains a maximum power consumption of around 720W, which remains under the GPU’s maximum thermal design power (TDP) rating of 230W. Remarkably, Hardware Luxx’s testing revealed that the Arc Pro B70 typically only reached approximately 180W during inference workloads. This positions the Arc Pro B70 as a robust option for AI tasks, boasting specifications that include a BMG-G31 die with 32 Xe cores, 32 GB of GDDR6 memory over a 256-bit memory bus, and a complete PCIe 5.0 x16 interface.

For further reading, visit the original review on Hardware Luxx.

Additional source: Wccftech