AMD Radeon 550X vs Intel Arc A380 Comparison

The benchmark data presents a decisive outcome: the Intel Arc A380 is in a different performance class than the AMD Radeon 550X. In the two head-to-head tests available, the Arc A380 wins both by a substantial margin, making the comparison less about nuances and more about generational and architectural superiority. The Radeon 550X, an end-of-life part from 2019, is outclassed by the newer, more powerful Intel offering from 2022.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result comes from the Geekbench OpenCL test. The Intel Arc A380 scores 38,224, compared to the Radeon 550X's 8,866. This represents a -76.8% delta for the Radeon, meaning the Arc A380 is roughly 4.3 times faster in this compute-heavy workload. This is not a marginal victory; it is a complete rout. The data indicates that the Arc A380’s architecture is vastly more efficient at handling the parallel compute tasks that OpenCL benchmarks measure.

The second test, Geekbench Vulkan, tells a similar story, though the margin is slightly less extreme. The Arc A380 again wins with a score of 36,736 against the Radeon 550X's 8,970, a -75.6% delta. This confirms that the Intel GPU's advantage is not limited to a single API; it extends to modern graphics and compute workloads executed through Vulkan as well. The Radeon 550X trails by a factor of over 4x in both of these synthetic benchmarks, leaving no ambiguity about which GPU delivers superior raw performance.

These results are consistent with the broader benchmark scores. The Intel Arc A380 has an average benchmark score of 8,558, while the AMD Radeon 550X sits at 8,918. While the Radeon's average is slightly higher, this is misleading. The Arc A380's average is dragged down by a series of low Passmark scores for specific APIs (e.g., 37 for DirectX 10, 38 for DirectX 11, and 35 for DirectX 12), which are likely not representative of its real-world gaming performance given its massive wins in Geekbench. The Radeon 550X has no Passmark scores in the data, so its average is based solely on its two Geekbench results. The head-to-head Geekbench data is the most reliable direct comparison, and it shows a clear and overwhelming victory for Intel.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental disparity in performance is rooted in the completely different architectures and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon 550X is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture, using a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This is a mature, older design that powers the Polaris generation. In contrast, the Intel Arc A380 uses the modern Xe-HPG architecture, built on a 6 nm process at TSMC. This newer process node allows for a much higher transistor density of 45.9M / mm² compared to the Radeon's 21.4M / mm².

The chip specifications reinforce this gap. The Arc A380 features 1,024 shading units, double the 512 found on the Radeon 550X. It also has twice the texture mapping units (64 vs. 32) and twice the ROPs (32 vs. 16). The Intel GPU also includes 8 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the GCN 4.0-based Radeon. The Arc A380's clock speeds are significantly higher as well, with a base clock of 2000 MHz and a boost of 2050 MHz, compared to the Radeon's 1082 MHz base and 1218 MHz boost. This combination of more cores and higher clocks leads to a massive difference in theoretical throughput: the Arc A380 delivers 4.198 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus the Radeon's 1,247.2 GFLOPS.

Memory is another major point of divergence. The Radeon 550X is equipped with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A380 comes with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a narrower 96-bit bus, but its faster 15.5 Gbps effective memory speed results in significantly higher bandwidth at 186.0 GB/s. This larger and faster memory pool is critical for modern games and applications. The Intel card also supports a newer PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the AMD card is limited to PCIe 3.0 x8.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The Intel Arc A380 is overwhelmingly more powerful. It produces 4.198 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the AMD Radeon 550X produces 1,247.2 GFLOPS. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Arc A380 scores 38,224 compared to the Radeon's 8,866, a -76.8% difference.

Q: How do their memory subsystems compare?

A: The Intel Arc A380 has a clear advantage with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and a bandwidth of 186.0 GB/s. The AMD Radeon 550X has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and a bandwidth of 112.0 GB/s. The Arc A380's larger capacity and higher bandwidth are significant.

Q: Do these GPUs support modern features like ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A380 supports ray tracing, as it features 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon 550X, based on the older GCN 4.0 architecture, has no such cores and does not support hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: What are the differences in their DirectX support?

A: The Intel Arc A380 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), the latest version with features like ray tracing and mesh shaders. The AMD Radeon 550X is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0). The Intel card also supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD card supports Vulkan 1.3.

Q: Which GPU is built on a more advanced manufacturing process?

A: The Intel Arc A380 is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the AMD Radeon 550X is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The newer 6 nm process allows for a much higher transistor density of 45.9M / mm² compared to 21.4M / mm².

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon 550X has an average benchmark score of 8,918, while the Intel Arc A380 has an average score of 8,558. However, this average is misleading; the direct head-to-head Geekbench tests show the Arc A380 is far superior, and its average is lowered by several low Passmark scores.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon 550X | Intel Arc A380 |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 2,200 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 103 mm² | 157 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 21.4M / mm² | 45.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1082 MHz | 2000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1218 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 96 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 112.0 GB/s | 186.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 32 | 64 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| RT Cores | None | 8 |

| FP32 Performance | 1,247.2 GFLOPS | 4.198 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 1,247.2 GFLOPS (1:1) | 8.397 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 50 W | 75 W |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Dimensions (Length) | 145 mm (5.7 inches) | 222 mm (8.7 inches) |

| Release Date | 2019-03-26 | 2022-06-13 |

| Successor | Vega | Battlemage |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 550X wins in exactly zero of the head-to-head benchmark tests. Its only potential advantage lies in its physical properties. It is a smaller card at 145 mm in length, consumes less power with a 50 W TDP, and requires no external power connectors. This makes it a candidate for very small form factor systems or older PCs with limited power delivery and physical space.

The Intel Arc A380 wins both head-to-head benchmarks decisively. Furthermore, its specification sheet reveals wins in nearly every other category. It offers more than double the shading units, a much faster memory subsystem, support for modern features like ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate, and a newer, faster PCIe 4.0 interface. The only areas where it does not "win" are physical size and power consumption, where it is larger and hungrier than the Radeon.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is clear from the data. The Intel Arc A380 is the superior product for virtually any use case involving performance. Its 4.198 TFLOPS of compute power, 6 GB of VRAM, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate make it a vastly more capable part for modern gaming and content creation. The benchmark results, showing a -76.8% and -75.6% delta in its favor, are conclusive. Any user seeking a GPU for gaming or compute tasks should choose the Intel Arc A380.

The AMD Radeon 550X is a legacy part. Its only niche is in ultra-low-power or space-constrained builds where its 50 W TDP and lack of a power connector are absolute requirements. However, even in this scenario, its performance is so far behind the Intel part that it can only be recommended for the most basic display output tasks. The data is unambiguous: the Intel Arc A380 is the winner in this comparison.