Intel Arc A310E vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF Comparison

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A310E and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF occupy opposite ends of the hardware spectrum. The Arc A310E is built on Intel's 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 45.9M per mm². The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF, by contrast, uses NVIDIA's Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip, part of the Blackwell PRO W (x000) generation. Its 5 nm TSMC process packs 45,600 million transistors into a 378 mm² die, achieving 120.6M transistors per mm².

The compute resources differ massively. The Intel part provides 768 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units, along with 6 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA card features 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 70 RT cores, and 280 tensor cores. This is a 11.7x difference in shading units and an 11.7x difference in RT cores. Pixel and texture throughput reflect this gap: the Arc A310E delivers 32.00 GPixel/s and 64.00 GTexel/s, while the RTX PRO 4000 reaches 128.8 GPixel/s and 375.8 GTexel/s.

Clock behavior is also distinctive. The Arc A310E runs at a flat 2000 MHz for both base and boost, while the RTX PRO 4000 has a 405 MHz base clock that boosts to 1342 MHz. The NVIDIA card's lower base clock with higher boost suggests aggressive power management, but its raw throughput advantage comes from the massive shader count. FP32 performance is 3.072 TFLOPS for the Intel card versus 24.05 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card. FP16 performance follows a different pattern: the Arc A310E achieves 6.144 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX PRO 4000 matches its FP32 at 24.05 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning no dedicated FP16 acceleration advantage.

Memory architecture could not be more different. The Arc A310E uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, providing 124.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX PRO 4000 uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s. That is 6x the capacity and 3.5x the bandwidth. Memory clocks also differ: 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) for Intel versus 1125 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA.

The bus interface diverges as well. Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while NVIDIA uses PCIe 5.0 x8. Display outputs are similar in count (4x mini-DisplayPort) but differ in version: 2.0 for Intel, 2.1b for NVIDIA. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Intel card is single-slot with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP, while the NVIDIA card is dual-slot, also with no power connectors, and a 70 W TDP. Both have a suggested PSU of 250 W. Physical dimensions are close in length (168 mm vs 167 mm) and height (both 69 mm), but the NVIDIA card is 40 mm wide versus 20 mm for Intel.

Where Each One Wins

The data positions these cards for entirely different workloads. The Arc A310E, with its 50th percentile ranking across all GPUs, is an entry-level solution. Its 4 GB memory and 64-bit bus limit it to light tasks, basic 3D rendering, and low-resolution gaming. The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF, despite its 19th percentile ranking, carries 24 GB of GDDR7 and 280 tensor cores, making it suited for professional visualization, AI inference, and large dataset handling.

The RTX PRO 4000's 24.05 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.05 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1) indicate strong compute density for scientific and engineering workloads. Its 280 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for machine learning operations. The 432.0 GB/s bandwidth supports large model loading and high-resolution textures. The 24 GB capacity can hold substantial scenes or datasets without swapping.

The Arc A310E wins in simplicity and compactness. It is single-slot, 20 mm wide, and requires no external power connector. Its 75 W TDP matches the NVIDIA card's 70 W TDP, so power draw is nearly identical. The Intel card's 2000 MHz flat clock suggests consistent performance under sustained load without boost variability. Its 6 nm process and 7,200 million transistors indicate a modest, efficient design.

For gaming at lower resolutions, the Arc A310E's 768 shaders and 3.072 TFLOPS can handle eSports titles and older games. The RTX PRO 4000's 8,960 shaders and 24.05 TFLOPS are overkill for such tasks, but excel at 4K rendering, ray-traced scenes, and compute-heavy effects. The 70 RT cores versus 6 RT cores show a 11.7x advantage in ray tracing capability.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Direct benchmark comparison data is limited. The database contains a single benchmark score for the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF: 2910 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The Arc A310E has no recorded benchmark scores in the database. The wins tally shows 0 for the Intel card and 0 for the NVIDIA card, as no head-to-head test results exist.

The RTX PRO 4000's nearest rivals provide context. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB scores 2907, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX PRO 4000. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB scores 2913, 0.1% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro P600 scores 2923, 0.4% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4010 scores 2893, 0.6% lower. These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the RTX PRO 4000 performs at parity with these mainstream cards in this specific DX12 test.

The RTX PRO 4000's 2910 score places it at the 19th percentile of all GPUs, which means 81% of tested GPUs score higher. This is surprising given its specifications, but the Steel Nomad test may not favor workstation-class cards, or the SFF power limit constrains performance. The Arc A310E's 50th percentile ranking, despite having no benchmark score, suggests it sits at the median of all GPUs, which implies its real-world performance in lighter workloads is adequate for its class.

Without head-to-head results, the only quantitative comparison comes from architectural specifications. The FP32 difference (3.072 vs 24.05 TFLOPS) indicates a 7.8x theoretical compute advantage for NVIDIA. The bandwidth difference (124.0 vs 432.0 GB/s) shows a 3.5x advantage. The memory capacity difference (4 GB vs 24 GB) is 6x. These ratios are the primary quantitative evidence for performance separation.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification except for a few shared values. Both have no power connectors, both suggest a 250 W PSU, both use PCIe x8 interface, both have 4x mini-DisplayPort outputs, and both support the same API levels (DirectX 12 Ultimate 12_2, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4).

Key differences:

• Process node: 6 nm vs 5 nm
• Transistors: 7,200 million vs 45,600 million
• Die size: 157 mm² vs 378 mm²
• Transistor density: 45.9M/mm² vs 120.6M/mm²
• Base clock: 2000 MHz vs 405 MHz
• Boost clock: 2000 MHz vs 1342 MHz
• Memory clock: 1937 MHz vs 1125 MHz
• Memory size: 4 GB vs 24 GB
• Memory type: GDDR6 vs GDDR7
• Bus width: 64-bit vs 192-bit
• Bandwidth: 124.0 GB/s vs 432.0 GB/s
• Shading units: 768 vs 8960
• TMUs: 32 vs 280
• ROPs: 16 vs 96
• RT cores: 6 vs 70
• Tensor cores: none vs 280
• Pixel rate: 32.00 GPixel/s vs 128.8 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 64.00 GTexel/s vs 375.8 GTexel/s
• FP32: 3.072 TFLOPS vs 24.05 TFLOPS
• FP16: 6.144 TFLOPS (2:1) vs 24.05 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 75 W vs 70 W
• Slot width: single-slot vs dual-slot
• Width: 20 mm vs 40 mm
• Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 vs PCIe 5.0 x8
• DisplayPort version: 2.0 vs 2.1b
• Production status: end-of-life vs active
• Release date: 2024-03-31 vs 2025-08-10
• Predecessor: Xe Graphics vs Workstation Ada
• Successor: Battlemage vs none listed

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF has 24 GB of GDDR7, while the Intel Arc A310E has 4 GB of GDDR6. The NVIDIA card provides 6x the capacity and 3.5x the bandwidth (432.0 GB/s vs 124.0 GB/s).

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: Both cards have no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The Intel card has a 75 W TDP, and the NVIDIA card has a 70 W TDP, a difference of only 5 W.

Q: Which card has more ray tracing cores?

A: The RTX PRO 4000 has 70 RT cores, while the Arc A310E has 6 RT cores. This is an 11.7x difference in ray tracing hardware.

Q: Are the APIs supported the same?

A: Yes, both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The display outputs differ: the Intel card uses mini-DisplayPort 2.0, while the NVIDIA card uses mini-DisplayPort 2.1b.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The Intel Arc A310E is end-of-life, released on 2024-03-31. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 is active, released on 2025-08-10.

Q: How does the RTX PRO 4000 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmarks?

A: In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX PRO 4000 scores 2910. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB scores 2907 (0.1% lower), the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB scores 2913 (0.1% higher), the Quadro P600 scores 2923 (0.4% higher), and the RTX 4010 scores 2893 (0.6% lower). All are within 1% of each other.

The Verdict

The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF is the superior card by nearly every measurable metric. Its 24.05 TFLOPS FP32 performance is 7.8x higher than the Arc A310E's 3.072 TFLOPS. Its 432.0 GB/s bandwidth eclipses the 124.0 GB/s of the Intel card. Its 24 GB memory capacity is 6x larger. Its 280 tensor cores enable AI workloads that the Intel card cannot handle. Its 70 RT cores provide 11.7x the ray tracing capability.

The Arc A310E holds one advantage: physical footprint. At 20 mm width and single-slot design, it fits in tighter spaces than the 40 mm dual-slot NVIDIA card. Both cards have identical 250 W PSU requirements and near-identical TDPs (75 W vs 70 W). The Intel card's flat 2000 MHz clock may provide consistent performance, but its 768 shaders cannot compete with 8,960 shaders regardless of clock speed.

For professional workloads involving large datasets, AI inference, high-resolution rendering, or ray-traced visualization, the RTX PRO 4000 is the clear choice. Its 24 GB GDDR7 memory and 280 tensor cores are purpose-built for these tasks. The Arc A310E is only suitable for basic display output, light 2D workloads, or low-end 3D tasks where the 4 GB memory and 64-bit bus are sufficient. The production status confirms this: the Arc A310E is end-of-life with a successor (Battlemage) already announced, while the RTX PRO 4000 is active with no successor listed.

The benchmark percentile data adds nuance. The RTX PRO 4000's 19th percentile ranking and 2910 Steel Nomad score indicate it does not lead in gaming-oriented DX12 tests, sitting at parity with RTX 4060 Ti variants. The Arc A310E's 50th percentile ranking, despite no direct benchmark, suggests it outperforms half of all GPUs in the database, likely due to its efficiency in lighter tasks. But for absolute performance, the architectural specifications leave no ambiguity: the RTX PRO 4000 delivers 7.8x FP32 compute, 3.5x bandwidth, and 6x memory capacity, making it the only viable option for demanding professional applications.