Intel Arc A310E vs NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the architectural generations of the Intel Arc A310E and NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB?

A: The Intel Arc A310E belongs to the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation and uses the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-128 chip. The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB belongs to the Server Hopper (Hxx) generation and uses the Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip.

Q: How do the two GPUs differ in memory capacity and type?

A: The Intel Arc A310E has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 124.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB has 94 GB of HBM3 memory on a 6016-bit bus, delivering 3.94 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Intel Arc A310E has a TDP of 75 W and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB has a TDP of 400 W, uses an 8-pin EPS power connector, and requires a suggested PSU of 800 W.

Q: Which card has tensor cores and how many?

A: The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB has 528 tensor cores. The Intel Arc A310E has no tensor cores listed in the database.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A310E is end-of-life, having been released on 2024-03-31. The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB is active, having been released on 2023-03-20.

Q: What display outputs does each card provide?

A: The Intel Arc A310E provides 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB has no display outputs.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A310E and NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The Arc A310E is built on Intel's Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-128 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 6 nm process. This chip contains 7,200 million transistors on a die size of 157 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². The H100 NVL is built on NVIDIA's Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. This massive chip contains 80,000 million transistors on a die size of 814 mm², achieving a transistor density of 98.3M per mm².

The compute layouts diverge sharply. The Arc A310E deploys 768 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs), along with 6 ray tracing cores. The H100 NVL deploys 16,896 shading units, 528 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with 528 tensor cores and no dedicated ray tracing cores listed. The H100 NVL has no listed API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, reflecting its server-oriented role, while the Arc A310E supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory architecture differs entirely. The Arc A310E uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) yielding 124.0 GB/s bandwidth. The H100 NVL uses 94 GB of HBM3 on a 6016-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1310 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective) yielding 3.94 TB/s bandwidth. The H100 NVL's memory bandwidth is approximately 31.8 times higher, though the effective memory clock is lower.

Clock behavior also differs. The Arc A310E has a fixed clock of 2000 MHz for both base and boost. The H100 NVL has a base clock of 1080 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, a 705 MHz difference. The Arc A310E uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the H100 NVL uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Physical dimensions reflect their intended environments: the Arc A310E measures 168 mm in length, 69 mm in height, and 20 mm in width, occupying a single slot with no power connectors. The H100 NVL measures 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, occupying a dual-slot design.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no recorded head-to-head benchmark entries for these two GPUs, and neither card has individual benchmark scores in the database. Both cards sit at the 50th percentile against all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 0. The wins count is 0 for each card. Consequently, direct performance comparisons must be derived from the specification data recorded in the database.

The FP32 compute figures show a massive gap. The Arc A310E delivers 3.072 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the H100 NVL delivers 60.32 TFLOPS. This places the H100 NVL at approximately 19.6 times the FP32 throughput of the Arc A310E. For FP16, the Arc A310E delivers 6.144 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the H100 NVL delivers 241.3 TFLOPS (4:1 ratio), a factor of roughly 39.3 times.

Texture and pixel throughput follow similar patterns. The Arc A310E achieves a texture rate of 64.00 GTexel/s, while the H100 NVL achieves 942.5 GTexel/s, approximately 14.7 times higher. Pixel rates are closer: the Arc A310E achieves 32.00 GPixel/s versus 42.84 GPixel/s for the H100 NVL, a 1.34 times advantage for the NVIDIA card. The H100 NVL's smaller ROP count (24 versus 16) relative to its massive shading array explains why its pixel rate advantage is modest compared to other metrics.

Memory bandwidth is the most extreme differentiator. The H100 NVL's 3.94 TB/s bandwidth is roughly 31.8 times the Arc A310E's 124.0 GB/s. This bandwidth advantage, combined with 94 GB of HBM3 capacity versus 4 GB of GDDR6, indicates workloads that are memory-bound will see disproportionate gains on the H100 NVL.

The absence of benchmark scores in the database means these specification-derived ratios serve as the primary quantitative comparison. The transistor count difference is also notable: the H100 NVL's 80,000 million transistors versus the Arc A310E's 7,200 million represents an 11.1 times difference, though the die size ratio is only 5.2 times (814 mm² versus 157 mm²), reflecting the higher transistor density of the 5 nm process.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A310E | NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB |

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

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Hopper |

| Generation | Alchemist (Arc 3) | Server Hopper (Hxx) |

| Chip | DG2-128 | GH100 |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 80,000 million |

| Die Size | 157 mm² | 814 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.9M / mm² | 98.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2000 MHz | 1080 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2000 MHz | 1785 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1937 MHz, 15.5 Gbps effective | 1310 MHz, 5.2 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 94 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 6016 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 124.0 GB/s | 3.94 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 16896 |

| TMUs | 32 | 528 |

| ROPs | 16 | 24 |

| RT Cores | 6 | null |

| Tensor Cores | null | 528 |

| Pixel Rate | 32.00 GPixel/s | 42.84 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 64.00 GTexel/s | 942.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.072 TFLOPS | 60.32 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 6.144 TFLOPS (2:1) | 241.3 TFLOPS (4:1) |

| TDP | 75 W | 400 W |

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

| Power Connectors | None | 8-pin EPS |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 800 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 | No outputs |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | null |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | null |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | null |

| Length | 168 mm, 6.6 inches | 267 mm, 10.5 inches |

| Height | 69 mm, 2.7 inches | 111 mm, 4.4 inches |

| Width | 20 mm, 0.8 inches | null |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2024-03-31 | 2023-03-20 |

| Predecessor | Xe Graphics | Server Ada |

| Successor | Battlemage | Server Blackwell |

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A310E wins in areas related to physical integration and client-oriented features. Its single-slot design with no power connectors allows installation in compact systems, and its 75 W TDP requires only a 250 W suggested PSU. The card provides 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, enabling direct display connectivity. Its fixed 2000 MHz clock across base and boost simplifies thermal management. The Arc A310E supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it suitable for graphics workloads. Its 168 mm length and 69 mm height fit in smaller chassis. The 6 nm process and 7,200 million transistor count represent a more modest power envelope.

The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB wins decisively in raw compute throughput and memory capacity. Its FP32 output of 60.32 TFLOPS exceeds the Arc A310E by roughly 19.6 times. The FP16 output of 241.3 TFLOPS is over 39 times higher. The 94 GB HBM3 memory with 3.94 TB/s bandwidth provides capacity and speed for large datasets. The 528 tensor cores enable matrix operations that the Arc A310E cannot perform. The 16,896 shading units and 528 TMUs deliver texture rates of 942.5 GTexel/s. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides host bandwidth that the Arc A310E's PCIe 4.0 x8 cannot match.

The H100 NVL's 24 ROPs produce a pixel rate of 42.84 GPixel/s, which is 1.34 times the Arc A310E's 32.00 GPixel/s, indicating that even in rasterization terms, the NVIDIA card leads, albeit by a smaller margin than in other metrics. The 400 W TDP and 800 W suggested PSU reflect the H100 NVL's server orientation, as does the absence of display outputs and API support for client graphics standards.

The production statuses indicate different lifecycles. The Arc A310E is end-of-life with the Battlemage successor named in the database. The H100 NVL is active with the Server Blackwell successor named. The release dates show the H100 NVL launched earlier on 2023-03-20, while the Arc A310E launched on 2024-03-31. The transistor density figures show the 5 nm H100 NVL achieves 98.3M transistors per mm², more than double the Arc A310E's 45.9M per mm², indicating a more advanced manufacturing process despite the larger overall die.

For workloads involving large memory footprints, tensor operations, or massive parallel compute, the H100 NVL is the clear choice based on the recorded specifications. For tasks requiring display output, low power draw, or compact physical dimensions, the Arc A310E holds the advantage. The database shows no overlapping benchmark results, so these conclusions derive entirely from the specification differences recorded above.