AMD Radeon R9 M265X vs Intel Arc A380 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 M265X and Intel Arc A380 represent two very different eras of mobile graphics, and the benchmark data reflects a decisive generational shift. In the single available head-to-head metric, Geekbench OpenCL, the Intel Arc A380 delivers a score of 38,224, which is 76.8% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M265X’s 8,851. This is not a close contest; the data shows a clear performance hierarchy where the newer Intel part is in a different league entirely, despite both occupying the 44th percentile of all GPUs.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A380 is the clear winner in every measurable performance category from the provided data. The head-to-head benchmark shows it triumphing in the only direct comparison available, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 38,224 versus 8,851 for the AMD Radeon R9 M265X, a delta of -76.8% from the AMD's perspective. This suggests the Arc A380 is designed for modern, compute-heavy workloads where its architectural advantages can be fully utilized.

The AMD Radeon R9 M265X, conversely, does not win any of the head-to-head benchmarks. Its strength lies not in performance but in its historical context as an older, end-of-life mobile part. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8,863) and AMD Radeon 550X (8,918), show that it performs in line with other older, low-power mobile GPUs. The data suggests that the R9 M265X was a capable part for its era, but it has no competitive standing against the Arc A380.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is vast, explaining the performance gap. The AMD Radeon R9 M265X is built on the veteran GCN 1.0 architecture using a 28 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 123 mm² and 1,500 million transistors. This results in a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². In contrast, the Intel Arc A380 uses the modern Xe-HPG architecture on a much more advanced 6 nm process, also from TSMC. It packs 7,200 million transistors into a 157 mm² die, achieving a density of 45.9M per mm².

Core configurations differ significantly. The AMD chip has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster output pipelines (ROPs), with no dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores. The Intel Arc A380, however, offers 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, alongside 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. This hardware ray tracing capability is a feature the older AMD GPU completely lacks, marking a fundamental generational leap in feature set.

Memory subsystems also tell a story of progress. The R9 M265X uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A380 steps up to 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, but with a much faster effective speed, achieving 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A380 also supports modern PCIe 4.0 x8, whereas the R9 M265X is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. Finally, the API support shows the generational gap: the R9 M265X supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the Arc A380 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a landslide victory for the Intel Arc A380. The Intel GPU scores 38,224 points, while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores a mere 8,851 points. This represents a performance delta of -76.8% for the AMD part, meaning the Intel GPU is over four times faster in this compute test. This single result is stark evidence of the massive compute throughput advantage held by the newer architecture.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite for the Arc A380, the data reinforces its dominance. In Vulkan, it scores 36,736, nearly matching its OpenCL result. Its Passmark G3D score is 6,252, with a GPU compute score of 2,762. While the R9 M265X has no other benchmark scores to compare, the Arc A380's performance in a range of APIs, from DirectX 9 (73) to DirectX 12 (35), shows it is a versatile and modern part. The R9 M265X's average benchmark score is 8,851, while the Arc A380's is slightly lower at 8,558, but this is due to the Arc's inclusion of many lower-scoring legacy API tests.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is not a difficult one based on the data. The Intel Arc A380 is the superior product in almost every way. Any user requiring modern features like hardware ray tracing, support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, or high compute performance for tasks like content creation or modern gaming should choose the Intel Arc A380. Its 6 GB of VRAM also provides a substantial advantage over the 2 GB on the AMD part for texture-heavy workloads.

The AMD Radeon R9 M265X should only be considered by users with very specific legacy requirements, perhaps for a system that predates the Arc A380's release and cannot be upgraded. Its performance is aligned with other older parts like the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 and AMD Radeon 550X, indicating it belongs to a bygone era of mobile computing. For anyone building or upgrading a system today, the data unequivocally points to the Intel Arc A380 as the only rational choice.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The Intel Arc A380 is significantly faster, scoring 38,224 compared to the AMD Radeon R9 M265X's 8,851, a difference of 76.8%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R9 M265X support hardware ray tracing?

A: No, the AMD Radeon R9 M265X has no ray tracing cores. The Intel Arc A380, in contrast, has 8 dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two cards?

A: The Intel Arc A380 offers 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantially higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M265X's 64.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The Intel Arc A380 has 7,200 million transistors, far more than the AMD Radeon R9 M265X's 1,500 million transistors.

Q: What is the process node for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M265X is built on a 28 nm process, while the Intel Arc A380 is built on a much more advanced 6 nm process.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A380 support newer versions of DirectX?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A380 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X only supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 M265X | Intel Arc A380 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 157 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 45.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 575 MHz | 2000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 625 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 96 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | 186.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 40 | 64 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 0 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 10.00 GPixel/s | 65.60 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.00 GTexel/s | 131.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 800.0 GFLOPS | 4.198 TFLOPS |

| TDP | Not specified | 75 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-03-20 | 2022-06-13 |

| Launch MSRP | Not specified | 149 USD |