Intel Arc A310 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Arc A310 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has an average benchmark score of 7550, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE scores 7171. The Arc A310 sits in the 40th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the GTX 560 SE is in the 39th percentile.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between these two cards in the head-to-head test?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Intel Arc A310 scores 30607 against the GTX 560 SE's 7171, giving the Arc A310 a 326.8% advantage. This is the only head-to-head benchmark available, and the Arc A310 wins it outright.

Q: Which card has more memory and what type?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 124.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus with 91.87 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has a 30 W TDP and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 200 W. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE has a 150 W TDP, needs two 6-pin power connectors, and suggests a 450 W PSU.

Q: Which card supports newer display outputs and APIs?

A: The Intel Arc A310 offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 560 SE has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: How do these cards compare in terms of transistor density and process node?

A: The Intel Arc A310 uses a 6 nm TSMC process with 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, achieving 45.9M transistors per mm². The GTX 560 SE uses a 40 nm TSMC process with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, giving 5.9M transistors per mm².

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A310 is built on Intel's Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-128 chip, and belongs to the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. It uses a 6 nm process at TSMC, packing 7,200 million transistors into a 157 mm² die. The GTX 560 SE, in contrast, is based on NVIDIA's Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF114 chip, from the GeForce 500 generation. It uses a much older 40 nm process, also at TSMC, but with only 1,950 million transistors spread across a larger 332 mm² die.

The Arc A310 features 768 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation pipelines. It also includes 6 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the GTX 560 SE. The Fermi-based card has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, but no ray tracing hardware. The Arc A310's compute capabilities are notably higher: it delivers 2.688 TFLOPS FP32 and 5.376 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), while the GTX 560 SE manages only 847.9 GFLOPS FP32 with no FP16 support listed.

Memory architecture differs substantially. The Arc A310 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 with a 64-bit bus, achieving 124.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 560 SE uses 1 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 192-bit bus, but only reaches 91.87 GB/s due to slower clock speeds. The Arc A310's memory runs at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective), while the GTX 560 SE's memory runs at 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective).

The API support gap is significant. The Arc A310 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 560 SE only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support. The Arc A310 also uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the GTX 560 SE uses the older PCIe 2.0 x16 interface.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. Here, the Intel Arc A310 scores 30607, which is 326.8% higher than the GTX 560 SE's 7171. This is a massive margin that reflects the architectural leap between a modern 6 nm part and a 40 nm design from 2012.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the Arc A310's average score of 7550 places it essentially level with the AMD Radeon R7 250 (7557, delta -0.1%) and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (7580, delta -0.4%). It is slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472, delta 1%) and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7447, delta 1.4%). This suggests the Arc A310, despite its low TDP, performs in the range of entry-level discrete GPUs.

The GTX 560 SE's average score of 7171 puts it near the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170, delta 0%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7157, delta 0.2%). It trails the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203, delta -0.4%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222, delta -0.7%). In practical terms, the GTX 560 SE is competitive with integrated graphics from later generations, which underscores its age.

Beyond the single head-to-head result, the Arc A310 wins 1 benchmark category and the GTX 560 SE wins 0. The other benchmark scores in the fact pack reinforce this pattern. The Arc A310 shows strong results in Passmark G3D (5433) and Passmark GPU Compute (2157), while its DirectX scores are low (29-33 for DX10/11/12, 69 for DX9). The GTX 560 SE has no additional benchmark data beyond the Geekbench OpenCL score.

Specification Differences

The table below highlights only the fields where the two cards differ:

| Specification | Intel Arc A310 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | DG2-128 | GF114 |

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Fermi 2.0 |

| Generation | Alchemist (Arc 3) | GeForce 500 |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 157 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.9M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Memory Clock | 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps) | 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 64 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 124.0 GB/s | 91.87 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 288 |

| TMUs | 32 | 48 |

| ROPs | 16 | 24 |

| RT Cores | 6 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 28.00 GPixel/s | 8.832 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 56.00 GTexel/s | 35.33 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.688 TFLOPS | 847.9 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 5.376 TFLOPS (2:1) | None |

| TDP | 30 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 200 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | None |

| Length | Not listed | 210 mm (8.3 inches) |

| Release Date | 2022-10-11 | 2012-02-19 |

| Predecessor | Xe Graphics | GeForce 400 |

| Successor | Battlemage | GeForce 600 |

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A310 wins decisively in raw compute and modern feature support. Its 2.688 TFLOPS FP32 performance is over three times the GTX 560 SE's 847.9 GFLOPS. The pixel rate of 28.00 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s and texture rate of 56.00 GTexel/s versus 35.33 GTexel/s show clear advantages in fill-rate-bound workloads. The Arc A310 also brings ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and Vulkan 1.4 support, making it the only one of the two that can handle modern graphics APIs and effects.

The Arc A310's power efficiency is a major differentiator. With a 30 W TDP and no power connectors, it can run in systems with a 200 W PSU. The GTX 560 SE requires 150 W, dual 6-pin connectors, and a 450 W PSU. This makes the Arc A310 suitable for small-form-factor or low-power builds where the GTX 560 SE simply cannot fit or run.

The GTX 560 SE has a few narrow advantages based on specifications. Its 192-bit memory bus is wider than the Arc A310's 64-bit bus, and it has more TMUs (48 vs 32) and ROPs (24 vs 16). The card's length of 210 mm is specified, whereas the Arc A310's dimensions are not listed. However, these advantages do not translate into benchmark wins, as the head-to-head data shows the Arc A310 winning the only available test by a wide margin.

In terms of memory capacity, the Arc A310's 4 GB is four times the GTX 560 SE's 1 GB. This matters for modern games and applications that exceed 1 GB of video memory. The Arc A310 also has higher memory bandwidth at 124.0 GB/s versus 91.87 GB/s, despite the narrower bus.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Arc A310 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE across every measurable dimension in the fact pack. The 326.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is a generational gap, not a marginal one. The Arc A310's average benchmark score of 7550 versus 7171 places it in a higher percentile (40 vs 39) and closer to more modern entry-level cards like the GTX 1650.

For users building a low-power system, the Arc A310 is the obvious choice. Its 30 W TDP, lack of power connectors, and 200 W PSU requirement mean it can drop into almost any desktop. The GTX 560 SE's 150 W TDP and 450 W PSU requirement make it a non-starter for such builds. The Arc A310 also offers modern display outputs (4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0) and API support, which the GTX 560 SE lacks.

For legacy compatibility, the GTX 560 SE might appeal to someone specifically needing DVI outputs or running software that predates Vulkan. But the card's 1 GB memory and lack of DirectX 12 Ultimate support severely limit its usefulness in 2024 and beyond. The Arc A310's 4 GB GDDR6 memory and modern feature set make it the better long-term investment, even for older titles.

The GTX 560 SE's wider memory bus and higher TMU/ROP counts do not overcome its architectural disadvantages. A 40 nm Fermi chip from 2012 cannot compete with a 6 nm Xe-HPG chip from 2022 in compute efficiency or feature support. The Arc A310's 45.9M transistors per mm² versus 5.9M reflects the massive density advantage of modern manufacturing.

For anyone choosing between these two, the Intel Arc A310 is the clear winner. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark, offers superior compute performance, consumes 80% less power, and supports modern APIs. The GTX 560 SE is a historical artifact that should only be considered for niche retro builds or if the system absolutely cannot support a PCIe 4.0 x8 card. The data says pick the Arc A310 without hesitation.