AMD Radeon 780M vs Intel Arc A380E x2 Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon 780M and Intel Arc A380E x2 occupy completely different positions in the hardware landscape, and the data reflects that split clearly. The Radeon 780M is an integrated graphics processor built into AMD's Phoenix chips, designed for systems where the CPU and GPU share the same package and memory pool. The Intel Arc A380E x2 is a discrete, single-slot card with its own dedicated GDDR6 memory, aimed at embedded or multi-display deployments. The 780M carries a 61st percentile ranking across all GPUs in the database, while the Arc A380E x2 sits at the 50th percentile. The 780M's average benchmark score of 17,588 places it within a fraction of a percent of discrete cards like the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (0.2% ahead) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (0.3% behind). The Arc A380E x2 has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, so its performance cannot be directly quantified against the 780M. Anyone selecting between these two should base the decision on form factor, memory configuration, and the specific workload requirements, not on raw score comparisons, because only one of them has measurable data.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon 780M wins in scenarios that favor its architecture and integration. It uses system-shared memory, which means the available bandwidth and capacity scale with the host platform's RAM. This makes it flexible for lightweight gaming, media playback, and general GPU-accelerated tasks where the host memory is sufficient. Its 61st percentile ranking shows it outperforms a majority of all GPUs tracked in the database, and its nearest rivals include discrete cards like the Radeon Pro 560 and RTX 4060, meaning it delivers competitive throughput despite being an IGP. The 780M also draws a 15 W TDP, a figure that makes it suitable for compact, power-constrained systems where a discrete card would be impractical.

The Intel Arc A380E x2 wins in scenarios that require dedicated graphics memory and multiple display outputs. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a fixed resource that does not compete with the CPU for system RAM. The card provides 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, a configuration that points directly at digital signage, industrial visualization, or multi-monitor setups. Its single-slot design, 265 mm length, and 1x 6-pin power connector make it a straightforward add-in card for systems with a free PCIe slot. The Arc A380E x2 is marked end-of-life in the database, while the 780M remains active, which matters for long-term availability and driver support planning.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different architectures and manufacturing processes. The Radeon 780M uses RDNA 3.0, the architecture behind AMD's Phoenix IGP line, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The Intel Arc A380E x2 uses Xe-HPG, the architecture behind Intel's Alchemist Arc 3 generation, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The 780M packs 25,390 million transistors into a 178 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 142.6M per mm². The Arc A380E x2 has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, for a density of 45.9M per mm². The 780M's smaller process node and higher density reflect a more modern integration approach.

The compute configurations differ substantially. The 780M has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 32 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. The Arc A380E x2 has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. The Arc card has more shading units and TMUs, but fewer ray tracing cores. The 780M delivers a higher pixel rate at 92.80 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s, and a higher texture rate at 139.2 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput also favors the 780M at 8.909 TFLOPS, more than double the Arc card's 4.096 TFLOPS. The Arc card wins in FP16, delivering 8.192 TFLOPS versus the 780M's 8.909 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, though the Arc's 2:1 ratio means it splits the work differently. The 780M's 12 ray tracing cores outnumber the Arc's 8, which may affect ray-traced workloads, though no benchmark data exists to confirm the real-world gap.

The memory architecture is another major divider. The 780M uses system-shared memory with bandwidth that is system dependent, meaning its performance scales with the host platform's RAM speed and channel configuration. The Arc A380E x2 uses 6 GB of GDDR6 at 15.5 Gbps effective, on a 96-bit bus, for a fixed 186.0 GB/s. The 780M has no dedicated VRAM, so large textures or datasets must fit within the host system's memory allocation. The Arc card has a fixed memory pool that does not contend with the CPU.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better recorded benchmark performance?

A: The AMD Radeon 780M has recorded scores of 480 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 18,602 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 33,683 in Geekbench Vulkan, with an average benchmark score of 17,588. The Intel Arc A380E x2 has no recorded benchmark scores in the database.

Q: How does the Radeon 780M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The 780M's average score of 17,588 places it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551), 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17,509), 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639), and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17,666).

Q: What is the power requirement for each GPU?

A: The Radeon 780M has a 15 W TDP and uses no power connectors. The Intel Arc A380E x2 has a 130 W TDP, requires a 1x 6-pin power connector, and the database lists a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Q: What display outputs does each GPU provide?

A: The Radeon 780M's display outputs are motherboard dependent, meaning they vary by the host board. The Intel Arc A380E x2 provides 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Radeon 780M is marked active, with a release date of January 30, 2024. The Intel Arc A380E x2 is marked end-of-life, with a release date of March 31, 2024.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 has 1,024 shading units, while the AMD Radeon 780M has 768. The Arc card also has more texture mapping units (64 versus 48), but the 780M has more ray tracing cores (12 versus 8).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database lists no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the AMD Radeon 780M and the Intel Arc A380E x2, and the Arc card has no individual benchmark scores recorded. The comparison therefore relies on the measurable data available for the 780M and the architectural specifications of the Arc card.

The 780M's strongest recorded result is its Geekbench Vulkan score of 33,683, which far exceeds its OpenCL score of 18,602 and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 480. The Vulkan result suggests the 780M handles low-level graphics APIs efficiently, and its 61st percentile ranking confirms broad competitiveness across the database. Its FP32 throughput of 8.909 TFLOPS more than doubles the Arc A380E x2's 4.096 TFLOPS, indicating a significant raw compute advantage in single-precision workloads. The pixel rate difference reinforces this: 92.80 GPixel/s for the 780M versus 64.00 GPixel/s for the Arc card. The texture rate also favors the 780M at 139.2 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s.

The Arc A380E x2 counters with its memory subsystem. The 780M's bandwidth is system dependent, which means it can vary wildly depending on the host platform's RAM configuration. The Arc card's 186.0 GB/s is fixed and dedicated. For workloads that repeatedly access large datasets, the Arc card's predictable bandwidth may be more reliable, even though its raw throughput numbers are lower. The Arc card also has more shading units (1,024 versus 768) and more TMUs (64 versus 48), which could help in highly parallel shader workloads, but its lower FP32 rate suggests those extra units are not translating into higher overall compute output.

The 780M's FP16 performance is listed at 8.909 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning it processes FP16 and FP32 at the same rate. The Arc A380E x2 delivers 8.192 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, so it achieves that number by running two FP16 operations per FP32 operation. For workloads that specifically use FP16, the Arc card is close to the 780M, but its FP32 performance is far behind. The 780M's 12 ray tracing cores versus the Arc's 8 may give it an edge in ray-traced content, but no benchmark data confirms this.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The 780M uses a 4 nm process at TSMC, while the Arc A380E x2 uses a 6 nm process at the same foundry. Transistor counts diverge sharply: 25,390 million for the 780M versus 7,200 million for the Arc card, on die sizes of 178 mm² and 157 mm² respectively. The 780M's clock behavior is dynamic, with a base of 800 MHz and a boost of 2900 MHz; the Arc card runs at a fixed 2000 MHz base and boost. The 780M's memory is system shared with system-dependent bandwidth, while the Arc card has 6 GB of GDDR6 at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) on a 96-bit bus, delivering 186.0 GB/s.

Compute resources differ as follows: the 780M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores; the Arc card has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. The 780M produces 92.80 GPixel/s and 139.2 GTexel/s, while the Arc card produces 64.00 GPixel/s and 128.0 GTexel/s. FP32 output is 8.909 TFLOPS for the 780M versus 4.096 TFLOPS for the Arc card. FP16 output is 8.909 TFLOPS (1:1) for the 780M versus 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1) for the Arc card. Power draw is 15 W for the 780M versus 130 W for the Arc card, which also needs a 1x 6-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. The 780M is an IGP with no slot width, while the Arc card is single-slot, 265 mm long, 127 mm high, and 20 mm wide. The 780M has no power connectors and motherboard-dependent display outputs; the Arc card has 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0. Both use PCIe 4.0 x8 and support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 780M is active with a January 30, 2024 release date; the Arc card is end-of-life with a March 31, 2024 release date.