Intel Arc A310E vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

The Verdict

The Intel Arc A310E and the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation occupy entirely different positions in the recorded database. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is the stronger part in raw compute capacity, memory resources, and bandwidth, while the Arc A310E serves a narrower role as a compact, low-power, single-slot option. The data shows a 5 nm TSMC part with 35,800 million transistors facing a 6 nm TSMC part with 7,200 million transistors. The recorded specifications place the NVIDIA part in a different performance class entirely.

For users constrained to a 75 W slot without external power connectors, the Arc A310E is the only viable choice. It draws 75 W, requires a 250 W suggested PSU, and occupies a single slot. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation draws 100 W, uses no power connectors, and is marked as IGP, meaning it integrates into a portable device. The Arc A310E offers four mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, making it a straightforward discrete card for embedded or small-form-factor systems. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation's display outputs are portable device dependent, so it cannot be treated as a standalone add-in card.

The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is the clear pick for workloads that need high FP32 throughput, large memory capacity, or serious ray tracing. It delivers 15.82 TFLOPS FP32 versus 3.072 TFLOPS for the Arc A310E. It has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, while the Arc A310E has 4 GB on a 64-bit bus. It also carries 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores, whereas the Arc A310E has 6 RT cores and no listed tensor cores. The verdict from the data is straightforward: the Arc A310E wins on low power and slot flexibility; the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation wins on every measured performance specification.

Architecture Differences

The two parts come from different architectural families. The Intel Arc A310E uses the DG2-128 chip built on the Xe-HPG architecture, belonging to the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, belonging to the Ada-MW generation. Both are manufactured by TSMC, but at different nodes: the Arc A310E uses a 6 nm process, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses a 5 nm process.

Transistor counts differ drastically. The Arc A310E integrates 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation integrates 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a density of 121.8M per mm². That density gap reflects the newer 5 nm node and the much larger compute array on the NVIDIA part.

Shader resources also diverge sharply. The Arc A310E has 768 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware differs as well: the Arc A310E has 6 RT cores, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores. The tensor core presence on the NVIDIA part indicates support for AI-accelerated workloads, a feature not listed for the Intel part.

Memory architecture is another major split. The Arc A310E uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 124.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s. Memory clocks differ as well: 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) for the Arc A310E versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation. The NVIDIA part has triple the capacity and more than triple the bandwidth.

Both parts support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interfaces differ: the Arc A310E uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The Arc A310E is marked end-of-life, with Xe Graphics as its predecessor and Battlemage as its successor. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is active, with Ampere-MW as its predecessor and Blackwell-MW as its successor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more FP32 compute power?

A: The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation, at 15.82 TFLOPS FP32, versus 3.072 TFLOPS for the Arc A310E.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The Arc A310E has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus.

Q: What is the power draw of each GPU?

A: The Arc A310E has a TDP of 75 W and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 100 W and no listed suggested PSU.

Q: Does the Arc A310E support tensor cores?

A: No tensor cores are listed for the Arc A310E. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation includes 160 tensor cores.

Q: What display outputs does each GPU offer?

A: The Arc A310E offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation's display outputs are portable device dependent.

Q: Which GPU is larger in die size?

A: The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has a 294 mm² die, while the Arc A310E has a 157 mm² die.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two parts:

• Chip: DG2-128 (Intel) versus AD104 (NVIDIA)
• Architecture: Xe-HPG versus Ada Lovelace
• Generation: Alchemist (Arc 3) versus Ada-MW
• Process node: 6 nm versus 5 nm
• Transistors: 7,200 million versus 35,800 million
• Die size: 157 mm² versus 294 mm²
• Transistor density: 45.9M / mm² versus 121.8M / mm²
• Base clock: 2000 MHz versus 1110 MHz
• Boost clock: 2000 MHz versus 1545 MHz
• Memory clock: 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective)
• Memory size: 4 GB versus 12 GB
• Memory bus width: 64 bit versus 192 bit
• Memory bandwidth: 124.0 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s
• Shading units: 768 versus 5,120
• TMUs: 32 versus 160
• ROPs: 16 versus 64
• RT cores: 6 versus 40
• Tensor cores: not listed versus 160
• Pixel rate: 32.00 GPixel/s versus 98.88 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 64.00 GTexel/s versus 247.2 GTexel/s
• FP32: 3.072 TFLOPS versus 15.82 TFLOPS
• FP16: 6.144 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 15.82 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 75 W versus 100 W
• Slot width: Single-slot versus IGP
• Suggested PSU: 250 W versus not listed
• Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16
• Display outputs: 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 versus Portable Device Dependent
• Dimensions: 168 mm length, 69 mm height, 20 mm width versus not listed
• Production status: End-of-life versus Active
• Release date: 2024-03-31 versus 2023-03-20
• Predecessor: Xe Graphics versus Ampere-MW
• Successor: Battlemage versus Blackwell-MW
• Series: not listed versus GeForce 30-series

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries for these two parts, and the average benchmark scores for both are recorded as 0. Both parts hold a percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs in the database. The comparison must therefore rely on the recorded specification data, which shows a consistent and large gap in favor of the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation.

The most significant compute advantage appears in FP32 throughput. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 15.82 TFLOPS, which is approximately 5.1 times the 3.072 TFLOPS of the Arc A310E. In FP16, the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation also delivers 15.82 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the Arc A310E reaches 6.144 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio. The NVIDIA part leads by roughly 2.6 times in FP16.

Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation achieves 98.88 GPixel/s and 247.2 GTexel/s. The Arc A310E achieves 32.00 GPixel/s and 64.00 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part leads by about 3.1 times in pixel rate and 3.9 times in texture rate.

Memory bandwidth is another decisive gap. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation provides 432.0 GB/s, while the Arc A310E provides 124.0 GB/s. That is roughly a 3.5 times advantage. Combined with 12 GB versus 4 GB of capacity, the NVIDIA part can handle larger datasets and higher-resolution textures without hitting memory limits.

The Arc A310E does hold advantages in a few specific areas. Its base and boost clocks are both 2000 MHz, compared to 1110 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost for the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation. The Intel part also has a lower TDP at 75 W versus 100 W, and it offers a fixed single-slot form factor with 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, while the NVIDIA part depends on the portable device for output. These advantages are real but do not offset the compute and memory gaps.

Where Each One Wins

The Arc A310E wins in scenarios defined by power and physical constraints. Its 75 W TDP places it below the 100 W requirement of the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation. It runs without any power connectors and needs only a 250 W suggested PSU. The single-slot design, with dimensions of 168 mm by 69 mm by 20 mm, fits systems where space is limited. Its 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs make it a self-contained display solution, unlike the portable device dependent outputs on the NVIDIA part. The Arc A310E is also the only one of the two with a listed fixed form factor, since the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is marked as IGP.

The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation wins in every raw performance category recorded. It has more than five times the FP32 throughput, more than two and a half times the FP16 throughput, about three times the pixel rate, about four times the texture rate, and roughly three and a half times the memory bandwidth. Its 12 GB memory capacity is three times larger than the Arc A310E's 4 GB. It has 40 RT cores versus 6, and 160 tensor cores versus none listed. Its 5 nm node with 121.8M transistors per mm² indicates a denser, more advanced design than the 6 nm Arc A310E with 45.9M per mm².

The release timeline also separates the parts. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation released on 2023-03-20 and remains active. The Arc A310E released later on 2024-03-31 but is already marked end-of-life. For any workload that depends on sustained compute, large memory buffers, or ray tracing, the recorded data favors the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation without ambiguity. For a low-power, single-slot, display-ready discrete card, the Arc A310E is the only part that fits the profile.