Intel Arc A310 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Arc A310 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M in overall performance?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has an average benchmark score of 7550, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M scores 6513. The Arc A310 sits at the 40th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the GTX 670M is at the 38th percentile. The A310's closest rival, the AMD Radeon R7 250, scores 7557, a negligible 0.1% difference.

Q: Which GPU has the more modern architecture?

A: The Intel Arc A310 uses the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm process, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture on a 40 nm process. The A310 was released in 2022, a decade after the GTX 670M's 2012 debut.

Q: What memory configurations do these two GPUs offer?

A: The Arc A310 has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 124.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 670M has 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The A310's memory clock runs at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective), compared to 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) on the GTX 670M.

Q: Which GPU supports modern graphics APIs?

A: The Intel Arc A310 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The Arc A310 has a TDP of 30 W, while the GTX 670M has a TDP of 75 W. The A310 also lists a suggested PSU of 200 W, whereas the GTX 670M has no suggested PSU listed.

Q: What is the only direct head-to-head benchmark recorded?

A: The database records one head-to-head test: Geekbench OpenCL. The Intel Arc A310 scores 30607 versus 6513 for the GTX 670M, a 369.9% advantage for the A310.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A310 is built on the DG2-128 chip using the Xe-HPG architecture, part of the Alchemist generation (Arc 3). It is fabricated by TSMC on a 6 nm process, with 7,200 million transistors packed into a 157 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². This is a modern, efficiency-focused design.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M uses the GF114 chip with the Fermi 2.0 architecture, part of the GeForce 600M generation. It is also made by TSMC, but on a much older 40 nm process. The GTX 670M has 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, giving a transistor density of just 5.9M per mm².

The architectural gap is enormous. The A310's 6 nm process allows for more than seven times the transistor density in less than half the die area. The A310 also includes 6 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Fermi-based GTX 670M. The A310 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 670M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support.

Memory architecture differs significantly as well. The A310 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, while the GTX 670M uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus. Despite the narrower bus, the A310's much faster memory clock (1937 MHz versus 750 MHz) gives it higher total bandwidth: 124.0 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s.

The A310 is a single-slot card with no power connectors and a 30 W TDP. The GTX 670M is an MXM module with a 75 W TDP and no power connectors either. The A310 uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface and provides four mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, whereas the GTX 670M uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface and its display outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is lopsided. The Intel Arc A310 scores 30607, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M scores 6513. That is a 369.9% lead for the A310. In practical terms, the A310 delivers roughly four times the OpenCL compute performance of the older NVIDIA part.

Looking beyond the single direct comparison, the broader benchmark data reinforces the gap. The A310 records a Passmark G3D score of 5433, a Passmark GPU Compute score of 2157, and Geekbench Vulkan score of 28964. The GTX 670M has no corresponding scores in the database, only the Geekbench OpenCL result of 6513.

The A310 also has a higher average benchmark score: 7550 versus 6513. That is a 15.9% advantage in average performance across all recorded tests. The A310's nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon R7 250 (7557, 0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (7580, 0.4% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472, 1% lower), and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7447, 1.4% lower). The GTX 670M's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6493, 0.3% lower), the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (6481, 0.5% lower), the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6476, 0.6% lower), and the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554, 0.6% higher).

The A310's OpenCL score is so far above the GTX 670M that it sits in a different performance class entirely. The GTX 670M's score of 6513 places it near integrated graphics solutions like the Intel UHD Graphics P750, while the A310's 30607 approaches workstation-class territory.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A310 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M |

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

| Chip | DG2-128 | GF114 |

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Fermi 2.0 |

| Generation | Alchemist (Arc 3) | GeForce 600M |

| 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 |

| Base clock | 1750 MHz | Not listed |

| Boost clock | 1750 MHz | Not listed |

| Memory clock | 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) | 750 MHz (3 Gbps effective) |

| Memory size | 4 GB | 1536 MB |

| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory bus width | 64 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 124.0 GB/s | 72.00 GB/s |

| Shading units | 768 | 336 |

| TMUs | 32 | 56 |

| ROPs | 16 | 24 |

| Ray tracing cores | 6 | None |

| Pixel rate | 28.00 GPixel/s | 8.372 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 56.00 GTexel/s | 33.49 GTexel/s |

| FP32 performance | 2.688 TFLOPS | 803.7 GFLOPS |

| FP16 performance | 5.376 TFLOPS (2:1) | Not listed |

| TDP | 30 W | 75 W |

| Slot width | Single-slot | MXM Module |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan support | 1.4 | Not listed |

| Release date | 2022-10-11 | 2012-03-21 |

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A310 wins decisively in compute performance. Its FP32 throughput of 2.688 TFLOPS is more than three times the GTX 670M's 803.7 GFLOPS. The A310 also offers FP16 performance at 5.376 TFLOPS, a capability the GTX 670M does not list at all. The Geekbench OpenCL result, with a 369.9% advantage, confirms this is a compute-heavy win for Intel.

The A310 also wins on memory bandwidth, delivering 124.0 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s, despite using a 64-bit bus versus the GTX 670M's 192-bit bus. The faster GDDR6 memory and higher clock speed more than compensate for the narrower interface. Pixel rate and texture rate also favor the A310: 28.00 GPixel/s versus 8.372 GPixel/s, and 56.00 GTexel/s versus 33.49 GTexel/s, respectively.

The A310 wins on power efficiency as well. It delivers roughly 3.3 times the FP32 performance while drawing 30 W compared to the GTX 670M's 75 W. The A310 also has modern features the GTX 670M lacks entirely, including 6 ray tracing cores, Vulkan 1.4 support, and DirectX 12 Ultimate.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M does retain some advantages, though they are limited. It has more TMUs (56 versus 32) and more ROPs (24 versus 16). It also has a wider memory bus at 192 bit versus 64 bit. These factors give it a structural edge in certain fill-rate-bound scenarios, but the A310's higher pixel and texture rates in practice negate most of that benefit.

The GTX 670M's nearest rival comparison shows it is competitive with mobile and entry-level parts from its era, but the data places it in the 38th percentile of all GPUs, below the A310's 40th percentile.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The Intel Arc A310 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M across every meaningful benchmark category. The single head-to-head test shows a 369.9% lead for the A310 in Geekbench OpenCL. The A310's average benchmark score of 7550 versus 6513 represents a 15.9% overall advantage. The A310 also has more than three times the FP32 compute, nearly double the memory bandwidth, and significantly higher pixel and texture rates.

The Arc A310 is the clear choice for any workload involving modern graphics APIs, ray tracing, or compute-heavy tasks. Its Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 Ultimate support mean it can handle current-generation software requirements, while the GTX 670M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support. The A310's 30 W TDP also makes it far more suitable for compact or power-constrained systems compared to the GTX 670M's 75 W draw.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M's only theoretical advantages are its higher TMU and ROP counts and wider memory bus. However, the benchmark results do not show these translating into real-world wins, as the A310's higher clocks and newer memory technology deliver superior measured performance. The GTX 670M sits in the 38th percentile of all GPUs, just below the A310's 40th percentile, and its nearest rivals are largely integrated graphics and older mobile parts.

For anyone choosing between these two, the Intel Arc A310 is the superior product by every recorded metric. The GTX 670M is a legacy part from 2012, and while it was respectable in its time, the A310 represents a generational leap that the data makes clear. The A310 wins the compute crown, the memory bandwidth race, and the efficiency contest. The verdict is straightforward: the Intel Arc A310 is the recommended pick.