Intel Arc A310 vs NVIDIA Quadro 5000 Comparison

The data presented here offers a stark contrast between two generations of graphics hardware. The Intel Arc A310 and the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 represent different eras, with the former being a modern, efficient entry-level chip and the latter a professional workstation card from over a decade ago. The benchmark results, while limited, decisively illustrate the technological gulf between them.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark between the two cards is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the Intel Arc A310 delivers a score of 30607, while the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 manages 7289. This represents a delta of 319.9% in favor of the Intel card, meaning the Arc A310 is roughly four times faster in this compute-focused workload. This is a decisive victory, not a marginal one. The A310’s score is over four times higher, showcasing the massive advancements in raw compute throughput over the past decade.

Looking at the broader performance context, the Intel Arc A310 has an average benchmark score of 7550. This places it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, based on this average, are the AMD Radeon R7 250 (avg score 7557, just 0.1% behind) and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (avg score 7580, 0.4% behind). Interestingly, it also sits just 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (avg score 7472). This suggests the A310’s overall performance level is comparable to those older, mainstream cards, despite its huge lead in the specific OpenCL test.

The NVIDIA Quadro 5000, in contrast, has an average benchmark score of 7289, also placing it in the 40th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (avg score 7222, 0.9% ahead of the Quadro) and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (avg score 7203, 1.2% ahead). This data indicates that the Quadro 5000’s performance is not only vastly inferior to the Arc A310, but also sits in a much lower performance tier, competing with entry-level cards from its own and subsequent generations. The average scores of the two cards in this review differ by only 261 points, but the single head-to-head test tells a completely different story, highlighting the A310's strength in compute tasks.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The Intel Arc A310 is the clear winner in every measurable aspect of this comparison. Its single head-to-head benchmark shows a 319.9% performance advantage in OpenCL compute, and its average benchmark score is higher. The Quadro 5000’s only advantage is its legacy status; it is a product from a bygone era with no modern feature set.

For any user seeking a contemporary graphics solution, the Intel Arc A310 is the only rational choice. It offers dramatically superior compute performance, a modern feature set, and significantly lower power requirements. The Quadro 5000 is an outdated piece of hardware whose performance is now matched by much older, mainstream components. The choice here is not about one card being better for a specific niche; it is about one card being fundamentally obsolete in the face of modern silicon. The Arc A310 is the definitive pick based on the available data.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is vast. The Intel Arc A310 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture (generation Alchemist) using a 6 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.9 million per mm². Its chip is the DG2-128. In contrast, the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 uses the much older Fermi architecture (generation Quadro Fermi) on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains only 3,100 million transistors on a significantly larger 529 mm² die, resulting in a far lower density of 5.9 million per mm².

These fundamental differences lead to major gaps in features and capabilities. The Intel card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Quadro 5000 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed. The Arc A310 also includes 6 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Fermi-based Quadro. The memory subsystems are also different generations. The A310 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, while the Quadro 5000 uses 2.5 GB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus. While the Quadro has a much wider bus, the A310's faster GDDR6 memory provides a slightly higher bandwidth of 124.0 GB/s versus the Quadro's 120.0 GB/s.

The power profiles are equally divergent. The Arc A310 has a TDP of just 30 W and requires no power connectors, while the Quadro 5000 has a TDP of 152 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector. The A310 is also a single-slot card with a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, whereas the Quadro 5000 is a dual-slot card using the older PCIe 2.0 x16 interface. The output capabilities also reflect their different target markets, with the A310 featuring four mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs and the Quadro 5000 offering one DVI and two DisplayPort outputs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in compute benchmarks?

A: The Intel Arc A310 is significantly faster. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scored 30607 compared to the NVIDIA Quadro 5000's 7289, a 319.9% difference in favor of the Intel card.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has a 30 W TDP and requires no external power connectors. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 has a much higher 152 W TDP and requires a single 6-pin power connector. The suggested PSU for the A310 is 200 W, while the Quadro 5000 suggests a 450 W unit.

Q: Do both GPUs support modern graphics APIs?

A: No. The Intel Arc A310 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 124.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 has 2.5 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 120.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card has ray tracing support?

A: Only the Intel Arc A310 has ray tracing capabilities, featuring 6 dedicated ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000 has no such hardware.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The Intel Arc A310 has an average benchmark score of 7550, while the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 has an average score of 7289. Both sit in the 40th percentile of all GPUs.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A310 wins in essentially every category that matters to a modern user. Its primary victory is in compute performance, as evidenced by the 319.9% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test. This makes it the clear choice for any workload that leverages GPGPU compute, such as video encoding, machine learning inference, or other parallel processing tasks. It also wins decisively on efficiency, with a 30 W TDP versus the Quadro's 152 W, making it far better suited for low-power or small-form-factor systems. Its support for modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, along with dedicated ray tracing cores, gives it a massive feature advantage for gaming and modern graphical applications. Its 4 GB of VRAM and faster memory also provide a tangible, albeit small, bandwidth advantage.

The NVIDIA Quadro 5000’s wins are far more limited and historical. It does have a wider 320-bit memory bus, which in theory could be beneficial for certain memory-latency-sensitive tasks, but its slower GDDR5 memory and overall lower performance negate any practical advantage. It also has a higher texture fillrate and pixel rate, but these are dwarfed by the massive compute and shader throughput of the Arc A310. The Quadro 5000 could be considered a "winner" only in the context of legacy software that requires specific, outdated driver support or for a collector of vintage hardware. For any practical, modern application, the Intel Arc A310 is the definitive and superior choice.