Intel Arc A310E vs NVIDIA H100 PCIe 96 GB Comparison

The Verdict

The Intel Arc A310E and NVIDIA H100 PCIe 96 GB occupy entirely different segments of the GPU market. The database shows no direct head-to-head benchmarks between them, and their recorded specifications place them at opposite ends of the performance spectrum. The Arc A310E is an end-of-life, 75 W, single-slot card built for embedded or low-power display-oriented tasks, while the H100 is an active, 700 W, dual-slot server accelerator with massive memory and compute throughput. Based strictly on the recorded data, the Arc A310E is the appropriate choice for systems requiring display outputs, low power draw, and a compact physical footprint. The H100 is the appropriate choice for workloads demanding extreme FP32, FP16, and tensor performance, huge memory capacity, and high-bandwidth HBM3 storage, with no need for display connectivity.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA H100 PCIe 96 GB has 16,896 shading units, while the Intel Arc A310E has 768. The H100’s count is 22 times higher.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The H100 provides 3.36 TB/s of bandwidth over a 5120-bit HBM3 interface, whereas the Arc A310E provides 124.0 GB/s over a 64-bit GDDR6 bus. The H100’s bandwidth is roughly 27 times greater.

Q: Do both cards support display outputs?

A: No. The Arc A310E has 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The H100 has no display outputs at all, making it unsuitable for direct monitor connection.

Q: What are the power connector requirements?

A: The Arc A310E requires no power connectors and has a suggested PSU of 250 W. The H100 requires an 8-pin EPS connector and has a suggested PSU of 1100 W.

Q: Which card is physically smaller?

A: The Arc A310E is 168 mm long, 69 mm high, and 20 mm wide, occupying a single slot. The H100 is 268 mm long and 111 mm high, occupying a dual-slot design. The H100’s width is not recorded.

Q: What is the production status of each?

A: The Arc A310E is end-of-life with a successor named Battlemage. The H100 is active with a successor named Server Blackwell.

Architecture Differences

The two cards use fundamentally different architectures from different manufacturers. The Intel Arc A310E is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-128 chip, and belongs to the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, containing 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.9 million per mm². The H100 uses the Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, from the Server Hopper (Hxx) generation. It is built on a 5 nm TSMC process, packing 80,000 million transistors on an 814 mm² die, for a density of 98.3 million per mm². The H100’s process node is smaller, its die is over five times larger, and its transistor count is over eleven times higher.

The Arc A310E includes 6 ray tracing cores, while the H100’s ray tracing core count is not recorded. The H100 instead includes 528 tensor cores, a feature the Arc A310E does not list. In terms of API support, the Arc A310E supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The H100 lists no API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, reflecting its server-oriented design rather than a consumer graphics focus. The H100 also has a higher pixel rate at 44.09 GPixel/s versus the Arc’s 32.00 GPixel/s, and a far higher texture rate at 969.9 GTexel/s versus 64.00 GTexel/s.

Specification Differences

The recorded specification differences are substantial across every major category. The Arc A310E has a base and boost clock of 2000 MHz, while the H100 has a base clock of 1665 MHz and a boost clock of 1837 MHz. The H100’s memory runs at 1313 MHz with 5.3 Gbps effective, while the Arc’s memory runs at 1937 MHz with 15.5 Gbps effective. Despite the Arc’s higher memory clock, the H100’s memory system is overwhelmingly faster due to its bus width and type.

Memory capacity differs drastically: the Arc has 4 GB of GDDR6, while the H100 has 96 GB of HBM3. The bus width is 64-bit for the Arc versus 5120-bit for the H100. Bandwidth is 124.0 GB/s versus 3.36 TB/s, a 27-fold advantage for the H100. Compute throughput shows a similar gap. The Arc delivers 3.072 TFLOPS FP32 and 6.144 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The H100 delivers 62.08 TFLOPS FP32 and 248.3 TFLOPS FP16 (4:1 ratio). The H100’s FP32 output is approximately 20 times higher, and its FP16 output is approximately 40 times higher.

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The Arc has a TDP of 75 W with a suggested PSU of 250 W, no power connectors, and a single-slot width. The H100 has a TDP of 700 W with a suggested PSU of 1100 W, requires an 8-pin EPS connector, and occupies a dual-slot width. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 for the Arc and PCIe 5.0 x16 for the H100. The Arc measures 168 mm by 69 mm by 20 mm, while the H100 measures 268 mm by 111 mm with an unrecorded width. The Arc has 768 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The H100 has 16,896 shading units, 528 TMUs, and 24 ROPs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the Intel Arc A310E and the NVIDIA H100 PCIe 96 GB. Neither card has a recorded average benchmark score, and neither lists any nearest rivals. The wins tally is 0 for both cards. This absence of measured data means the comparison must rely entirely on the recorded specifications, which nonetheless provide a clear picture of relative capability.

The most significant advantage for the H100 appears in raw compute and memory metrics. Its FP32 throughput of 62.08 TFLOPS is over 20 times the Arc’s 3.072 TFLOPS. Its FP16 throughput of 248.3 TFLOPS is over 40 times the Arc’s 6.144 TFLOPS. The H100’s texture rate of 969.9 GTexel/s is roughly 15 times the Arc’s 64.00 GTexel/s. Its memory bandwidth of 3.36 TB/s dwarfs the Arc’s 124.0 GB/s. The H100 also holds a 96 GB memory capacity advantage over the Arc’s 4 GB, a 24-fold difference.

The Arc A310E holds advantages in a few specific areas. Its base and boost clocks are both higher than the H100’s, at 2000 MHz versus 1665 MHz base and 1837 MHz boost. Its memory clock is higher as well, at 1937 MHz versus 1313 MHz. The Arc also has a higher effective memory speed of 15.5 Gbps versus 5.3 Gbps. These clock advantages do not translate into overall performance wins, as the H100’s massively wider memory bus and higher shader count overcome the frequency differences. The Arc’s pixel rate of 32.00 GPixel/s is lower than the H100’s 44.09 GPixel/s, but the Arc does provide display outputs, which the H100 lacks entirely.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A310E wins in scenarios that prioritize physical integration and display capability. Its single-slot design, 168 mm length, and 69 mm height fit into compact chassis. Its 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors mean it draws power directly from the PCIe slot, with a suggested PSU of only 250 W. The presence of 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs makes it suitable for multi-monitor setups or embedded systems requiring video output. Its end-of-life status and successor, Battlemage, indicate it is a legacy product, but its low power and small footprint remain relevant for basic graphics tasks. The higher clocks, 2000 MHz base and boost, give it a frequency advantage that suits lightly threaded or latency-sensitive workloads.

The NVIDIA H100 PCIe 96 GB wins in every compute-heavy category. Its 16,896 shading units, 528 tensor cores, and 528 TMUs provide the hardware foundation for massive parallel workloads. The 62.08 TFLOPS FP32 and 248.3 TFLOPS FP16 performance are suited for high-performance computing, AI inference, and training tasks. The 96 GB HBM3 memory with 3.36 TB/s bandwidth enables large datasets to reside on-card, reducing the need for frequent host transfers. The 5120-bit bus width is the widest recorded in this comparison, and the 814 mm² die with 80,000 million transistors indicates a purpose-built accelerator. Its dual-slot design and 700 W TDP with an 8-pin EPS connector and 1100 W suggested PSU reflect its data-center orientation, where power and space are less constrained.

The Arc A310E’s strengths are limited to clock speed, power efficiency, and display output. The H100’s strengths cover compute, memory, and bandwidth. For any workload that involves rendering large scenes, processing massive matrices, or handling multi-gigabyte datasets, the H100 is the clear choice. For basic 2D output, low-power embedded use, or systems where a 250 W PSU is the only option, the Arc A310E is the only viable choice between the two. The lack of direct benchmark data means these conclusions derive from specification analysis, but the gaps are so wide that measured results would likely confirm the same outcome.