A real surprise – Intel Arc Pro B50 in the test and big workstation duel under 450 euros

1 - Introduction, unboxing and technical data 2 - Test system and equipment 3 - Teardown: PCB, topology and components 4 - Teardown: Cooling solution 5 - Teardown: Material analysis and ASTM TIM testing 6 - Autodesk AutoCAD 7 - Autodesk Inventor Pro 8 - PTC Creo 9 - Dassault Systèmes Solidworks 10 - Autodesk Maya 11 - SPECviewperf 15 (2025) 12 - Adobe Photoshop 26.10 13 - Adobe After Effects 2025 14 - Adobe Premiere Pro 25.41 15 - AI Benchmarks (AI Vision, Image, Text) 16 - Rendering 17 - Temperatues, clock rates, power draw and fan speed 18 - Summary and conclusion

Paste or pad?

The question of the material between the GPU and the cooler base is not just a technical detail, but also an aspect that many readers and potential buyers are keenly interested in. With over 6.3 W/mK, the pad used (here the reference measurement on a fresh material) is of course a better solution than almost all available pastes, but only insignificantly better. But I will have more measurements on this later when it comes to GPU temperatures. The fact is: I have given the card to the market just as I took it out of the box. Here again the pad up to the burn-in.

The PTM pad installed on the Intel Arc Pro B50 is a phase-change-based thermal conduction material that clearly stands out from classic silicone pads or paste-like solutions. The LIBS analysis shows a composition of around 36% aluminum, 26% oxygen, 20% zinc and a residual organic content of carbon and hydrogen. It is therefore a metal oxide-reinforced PCM that becomes plastic as the temperature rises and therefore fits perfectly to contact surfaces. It does not flow during operation, but remains dimensionally stable and returns to a solid state when it cools down, thus preventing typical problems such as pump-out or oil separation. The thermal conductivity is likely to be significantly higher than that of conventional polymer pads and is realistically in the range between 5 and 8 W/mK. The design and workmanship of the pad are exemplary, the contact surface is clean, without abrasion or excess. This solution speaks for a well thought-out thermal concept with a focus on freedom from maintenance and long-term stability – exactly what you want in continuous professional use.

The thermal pads

The thermal pads used in the Intel B50 Pro on the voltage converters and the GDDR6 memory were tested using the standardized ASTM-D5470 method on the TIMA5 system. This showed a linear behavior of the thermal contact resistances across the measured thickness range. The average thermal conductivity is 5.17 W/mK with a standard deviation of 0.082 W/mK, which is a very respectable value for a silicone-based pad with a high filler density. The interface resistance is 23.6 mm²K/W, which indicates a decent but not outstanding wetting ability.

Optical analysis using a digital microscope shows an irregular fiber matrix, which indicates a mixture of polymeric base structures and highly dispersed fillers. The EDX analysis shows a major component of aluminum (31.4%) and a significant amount of silicon (17.2%). The latter presumably originates from the silicone carrier itself, while the aluminum is present in the form of highly dispersed, thermally conductive additives. Oxygen (36.6%) supports this interpretation, as it is probably associated with aluminum oxide or organic components from the filler and matrix.

The moderate carbon content (12.1%) is striking, which indicates a relatively low polymer network and thus a specifically adjusted viscosity, which in turn explains the good dimensional stability and low pumping tendency of the pad. Based on the low hydrogen content (2.7%), the hydrophobicity is likely to be rather high, which also implies a certain resistance to ageing. This places the Intel B50 Pro Pad in the upper mid-range of available thermal pads. It is clearly not a classic mass product from OEM production with silicone gel filling, but a controlled, robust pad with defined thermal resistance. The good linear regression (R² = 0.99929) supports this assessment and indicates a high level of production consistency. The comparison with cheap thermoplastic pads based on zinc oxide or borosilicate is in favor of the material used here, as both thermal and mechanical properties are superior.

Analysis of heatsink and aluminum carrier frame

The material analysis of the two relevant heat sink parts using laser deep drilling in combination with a point-by-point spectral analysis (presumably LIBS or EDX) reveals a clear functional material separation, as is often observed in high-density assemblies from the server or edge sector. While the heat sink block with the fine fins could be clearly identified as electrolytically coated copper, the analysis of the carrier part with the embedded mounting surface for the copper plate shows a complex structure of aluminum, nickel and clearly visible intermetallic zones.

In the first image (copper lamellar structure), 15 measurement points can be recognized, which show a very high copper concentration (close to 100 % at several points) with minimal impurities from carbon, hydrogen or organic residues. This indicates a classic, cleanly processed copper heat spreader with an electroplated or chemically passivated surface. The high proportion of bare metal fins without visible oxide or sulphate residues is also striking, which indicates controlled production under inert gas or at least subsequent cleaning treatment. This is a rather above-average quality standard for an industrial heat exchanger of this design.

This combination of a copper core with precisely milled cooling fins and a stepped, galvanically reinforced aluminum carrier not only results in high mechanical rigidity with reduced weight, but also allows targeted thermal management. The copper core can efficiently absorb the punctual power loss of the die, while the larger aluminum carrier serves as a heat distribution plate. The thermally critical components such as VRM, memory and I/O benefit from this, especially as the thermal interfaces have been optimized using the analysed PTM or TIM material. In terms of design, this segmentation also plays a role in production, as different material zones can be individually machined and precisely joined.

The second image shows the area of the aluminum support structure in which the larger milled part forms the basis for the rest of the structure. Here too, 15 points were measured, whereby two significantly different zones can be seen. In the uppermost areas with a highly reflective surface, nickel dominates with up to 98 %, but in some cases also in a diffuse distribution with aluminum between 7 and 20 %. This distribution indicates a nickel coating, as is common in aluminum die casting, either to increase corrosion resistance or to create better thermally conductive transitions. The deeper surfaces, on the other hand, show a solid aluminum content with visible pore formation and cell-like boundary structures, which are typical for die-cast components with thermally induced precipitation.

In the cross-sectional analysis, the backplate shows a powder metallurgical structure with a high aluminum content, supplemented by silicon and carbon. The even distribution of the elements and the finely granulated microstructure suggest an extrusion or die-casting process with subsequent powder coating. This coating itself is chemically stable, but is apparently not based on epoxy resin, but on a silicone-containing polymer matrix, which takes on an additional insulation and corrosion protection function at high temperatures. The coating also contains titanium.

The targeted use of an alloy with a reduced linear expansion coefficient compared to pure aluminum prevents stress cracks during thermal interaction with the solid copper block and thus increases the structural integrity in continuous operation.

This analysis thus shows a high-quality cooling solution with functional material separation and a metallurgically cleanly implemented connection, which also appears to be mechanically durable and optimized for cyclical thermal loads. That concludes this part of the process and we’ll now do another round of work – or even better: let’s get to work! Please turn the page once…