AMD Radeon RX 6550S vs Intel Arc A380E x2 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two mobile-class graphics processors along very different lines. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 24 chip, shows a clear advantage in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 rating of 4.915 TFLOPS exceeds the Intel Arc A380E x2's 4.096 TFLOPS by roughly 20%. Texture fill rate follows the same pattern, with the AMD part reaching 153.6 GTexel/s against Intel's 128.0 GTexel/s. Pixel throughput also favors AMD, 76.80 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s. These numbers indicate that for tasks that hammer shader units, texture sampling, or rasterization, the RX 6550S holds the lead.

The Intel Arc A380E x2 counters with a decisive memory advantage. Its 6 GB GDDR6 frame buffer is 50% larger than the AMD part's 4 GB. Memory bandwidth also favors Intel, 186.0 GB/s versus 128.0 GB/s, a 45% gap. The 96-bit bus width compared to AMD's 64-bit bus explains this difference. For workloads that exceed the 4 GB capacity of the RX 6550S, such as high-resolution textures or large datasets, the Arc A380E x2 avoids swapping or compression-related slowdowns. The Intel part also supports eight display outputs via mini-DisplayPort 2.0, while the AMD solution is portable-device dependent, making the Arc A380E x2 the clear choice for multi-display configurations.

The architecture split also matters. The RX 6550S integrates 16 ray tracing cores, double the 8 found in the Arc A380E x2. However, the Intel part's Xe-HPG architecture uses a different approach to ray traversal, and the benchmark data does not include ray tracing scores. The FP16 compute rates show AMD at 9.830 TFLOPS (2:1) versus Intel's 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1), again favoring AMD by 20%. Both parts support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API-level feature support is identical.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple split: pick the AMD Radeon RX 6550S for compute-heavy, bandwidth-light tasks where its higher FP32 and texture rates deliver measurable gains. It consumes only 50 W, uses no power connectors, and fits as an IGP-class solution, making it suitable for compact portable devices. The Intel Arc A380E x2, by contrast, is the choice when memory capacity or bandwidth is the limiting factor. Its 6 GB pool and 186.0 GB/s bandwidth directly address workloads that the AMD part cannot fit. The Arc A380E x2 also wins for fixed installations requiring many displays, with its eight mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs.

The production status differentiates them further. The RX 6550S is listed as Active, while the Arc A380E x2 is End-of-life. The Intel part also requires a 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU, whereas the AMD part draws no external power. The Arc A380E x2 is a single-slot card measuring 265 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width, while the RX 6550S has no listed dimensions because it is an integrated-style mobile part. For a new design, the active production status and lower power envelope favor AMD. For legacy integration or multi-display output needs, the Intel part remains viable despite its end-of-life status.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database shows no recorded head-to-head benchmark entries for these two parts, so the comparison rests entirely on the specification-level metrics. The largest compute win for the AMD Radeon RX 6550S appears in FP32 throughput: 4.915 TFLOPS versus 4.096 TFLOPS, a 20% advantage. Texture rate shows the same 20% gap, 153.6 GTexel/s against 128.0 GTexel/s. Pixel rate favors AMD by 19%, 76.80 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s. These three metrics all trace back to the clock speeds: the RX 6550S boosts to 2400 MHz with a 2170 MHz game clock, while the Arc A380E x2 runs at a flat 2000 MHz base and boost.

The Intel Arc A380E x2's biggest wins come from memory. Its 6 GB capacity exceeds the RX 6550S's 4 GB by 50%. Bandwidth jumps from 128.0 GB/s to 186.0 GB/s, a 45% improvement. The memory clock tells the story: Intel runs at 1937 MHz with 15.5 Gbps effective, while AMD uses 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective. Despite the slightly lower effective data rate per pin, Intel's wider 96-bit bus delivers more total bandwidth. The Arc A380E x2 also doubles the display output count, offering eight mini-DisplayPort 2.0 connections versus the portable-device-dependent outputs of the RX 6550S.

The transistor counts show Intel's larger die: 7,200 million transistors on 157 mm² versus AMD's 5,400 million on 107 mm². Both use TSMC's 6 nm process, but AMD achieves a higher transistor density at 50.5M per mm² versus Intel's 45.9M per mm². The Intel chip's larger transistor budget does not translate into higher compute rates, as the AMD part's higher clocks compensate. The RX 6550S uses 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, and the Arc A380E x2 matches those counts exactly. The difference comes down to clock speed and memory subsystem.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6550S delivers 4.915 TFLOPS FP32 and 9.830 TFLOPS FP16, both 20% above the Intel Arc A380E x2's 4.096 TFLOPS FP32 and 8.192 TFLOPS FP16.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 has 6 GB GDDR6, while the AMD Radeon RX 6550S has 4 GB GDDR6. That is a 50% larger frame buffer on the Intel side.

Q: How much faster is Intel's memory bandwidth?

A: The Arc A380E x2 reaches 186.0 GB/s over a 96-bit bus, compared to 128.0 GB/s over a 64-bit bus for the RX 6550S. That is a 45% bandwidth advantage for Intel.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6550S has a 50 W TDP and uses no power connectors. The Intel Arc A380E x2 has a 130 W TDP, requires a 6-pin power connector, and lists a 300 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU supports more displays?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 outputs to eight mini-DisplayPort 2.0 connections. The AMD Radeon RX 6550S display outputs are portable-device dependent, meaning the number varies by the host device.

Q: What are the production statuses?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6550S is listed as Active. The Intel Arc A380E x2 is End-of-life, with a successor named Battlemage.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 6550S uses the Navi 24 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, part of the Radeon RX 6000 series. It integrates 5,400 million transistors on a 107 mm² die, fabricated by TSMC on a 6 nm process. The transistor density reaches 50.5 million per mm². The Intel Arc A380E x2 uses the DG2-128 chip on the Xe-HPG architecture, from the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. Its die measures 157 mm² with 7,200 million transistors, also on TSMC 6 nm, but at a lower density of 45.9 million per mm². Both chips have identical counts of 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. The key architectural difference lies in the ray tracing hardware: AMD includes 16 RT cores, while Intel includes 8. Neither part has tensor cores.

The memory subsystems diverge significantly. The RX 6550S uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 128.0 GB/s. The Arc A380E x2 uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, delivering 186.0 GB/s. Both use 2000 MHz memory clocks, but Intel's effective data rate is 15.5 Gbps versus AMD's 16 Gbps effective. The wider bus compensates for the slightly lower data rate.

Clock behavior differs sharply. The RX 6550S has a 2000 MHz base clock, a 2170 MHz game clock, and a 2400 MHz boost clock. The Arc A380E x2 runs at a constant 2000 MHz for both base and boost, with no separate game clock listed. These clocks produce the compute differences noted earlier. The RX 6550S also has a higher pixel rate of 76.80 GPixel/s and texture rate of 153.6 GTexel/s, versus 64.00 GPixel/s and 128.0 GTexel/s for the Intel part.

Power and physical design set them apart. The RX 6550S is classified as IGP (integrated graphics processor), consumes 50 W, and has no power connectors or slot width. The Arc A380E x2 is a single-slot card, 265 mm long, 127 mm tall, and 20 mm wide, with a 130 W TDP, one 6-pin power connector, and a 300 W suggested PSU. The bus interface also differs: the AMD part uses PCIe 4.0 x4, while the Intel part uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The Intel part's larger physical footprint and power draw reflect its desktop-oriented design, while the AMD part targets portable devices. The release dates show the RX 6550S arriving in January 2023, with the Arc A380E x2 following in March 2024. The RX 6550S's predecessor is Polaris Mobile, while the Arc A380E x2's predecessor is Xe Graphics and its successor is Battlemage.