Intel Arc A370M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti Comparison

# Intel Arc A370M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti

The benchmark data places the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti clearly ahead in raw compute performance, winning both head-to-head tests decisively. The GTX 980 Ti scores 43,513 in Geekbench OpenCL and 47,724 in Geekbench Vulkan, versus 29,676 and 28,673 respectively for the Intel Arc A370M. This translates to a 31.8% lead in OpenCL and a 39.9% lead in Vulkan for the older NVIDIA card. However, the Arc A370M is a mobile-first, low-power part from 2022, while the GTX 980 Ti is a desktop flagship from 2015, so context matters significantly. The data shows the GTX 980 Ti remains competitive even against newer hardware, but the Arc A370M offers modern features and efficiency that the older card lacks.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A370M has an average benchmark score of 29,175, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti has a lower average score of 28,020, placing it in the 73rd percentile.

Q: How does the GTX 980 Ti perform relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 980 Ti's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X, which scores 27,973 (0.2% behind). It also leads the AMD FirePro S7150 by 0.3% and the AMD Radeon RX 7800M by 0.5%, while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 by 0.7%.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The Intel Arc A370M has a TDP of 35 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti has a TDP of 250 W. The Arc A370M is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factor, whereas the GTX 980 Ti is a dual-slot card requiring a 600 W power supply.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: The Intel Arc A370M includes 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti has no RT cores listed in its specifications.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The Arc A370M has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus with 336.6 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the release dates compare?

A: The Intel Arc A370M was released on 2022-03-29, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti was released on 2015-06-01. Both are now end-of-life products.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti wins both head-to-head benchmark tests with substantial margins. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 43,513 versus 29,676 for the Arc A370M, a 31.8% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens to 39.9%, with scores of 47,724 and 28,673 respectively.

However, the verdict depends entirely on the intended use case. For desktop users with a 600 W power supply, dual-slot clearance, and a need for raw compute throughput, the GTX 980 Ti is the clear choice. It offers 6.060 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 96 ROPs, and 336.6 GB/s memory bandwidth — figures that still hold up against modern mid-range cards.

For mobile or compact systems, the Arc A370M is the only viable option. Its 35 W TDP and IGP form factor make it suitable for thin laptops, while the GTX 980 Ti's 250 W TDP and 267 mm length render it impractical for such systems. The Arc A370M also brings modern features like DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), ray tracing cores, and a 6 nm process node.

If the choice is purely about benchmark scores, pick the GTX 980 Ti. If efficiency, portability, and modern API support matter more than raw performance, the Arc A370M is the sensible pick despite losing every benchmark.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows a clean sweep for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti across both tested workloads.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 980 Ti scores 43,513 against the Arc A370M's 29,676. This 31.8% delta is substantial and reflects the NVIDIA card's higher shading unit count (2,816 versus 1,024) and greater memory bandwidth (336.6 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s). The GTX 980 Ti's FP32 throughput of 6.060 TFLOPS also exceeds the Arc A370M's 4.198 TFLOPS, which explains the OpenCL gap.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows an even wider margin. The GTX 980 Ti posts 47,724, while the Arc A370M manages only 28,673 — a 39.9% difference. This result is notable because the Arc A370M is a newer architecture with native Vulkan 1.4 support, whereas the GTX 980 Ti also supports Vulkan 1.4. The performance gap suggests that the NVIDIA card's raw compute resources (2,816 shading units, 176 TMUs, 96 ROPs) dominate despite the architectural age.

The data shows zero wins for the Intel card in head-to-head tests. However, the Arc A370M's average benchmark score of 29,175 is actually higher than the GTX 980 Ti's 28,020 average. This is because the GTX 980 Ti's average includes additional benchmarks — like the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,321 and the Geekbench Metal score of 19,520 — which drag its average down. The head-to-head tests are a narrower sample, but they are the only direct comparisons available.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A370M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti |

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

| Process Node | 6 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 8,000 million |

| Die Size | 157 mm² | 601 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.9M / mm² | 13.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1550 MHz | 1000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2050 MHz | 1076 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 64 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 112.0 GB/s | 336.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 2816 |

| TMUs | 64 | 176 |

| ROPs | 32 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 8 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 65.60 GPixel/s | 103.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 131.2 GTexel/s | 189.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 4.198 TFLOPS | 6.060 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 8.397 TFLOPS (2:1) | None listed |

| TDP | 35 W | 250 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Dimensions | None listed | 267 mm × 111 mm × 40 mm |

| Release Date | 2022-03-29 | 2015-06-01 |

| Predecessor | None | GeForce 700 |

| Successor | None | GeForce 10 |

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different architectural eras. The Intel Arc A370M uses the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, with the DG2-128 chip. It packs 7,200 million transistors into a 157 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². This is a modern, efficiency-focused design with 8 dedicated ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture on a 28 nm TSMC process, with the GM200 chip. It contains 8,000 million transistors on a massive 601 mm² die, giving a transistor density of just 13.3M per mm². This is a large, power-hungry design from 2015 that lacks ray tracing support and only supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

The clock speeds tell a similar story: the Arc A370M boosts to 2050 MHz versus 1076 MHz for the GTX 980 Ti, thanks to the newer manufacturing process. However, the GTX 980 Ti compensates with far more execution resources — nearly triple the shading units (2,816 vs 1,024) and nearly triple the ROPs (96 vs 32). The GTX 980 Ti also has a 384-bit memory bus versus 64-bit, giving it 336.6 GB/s bandwidth compared to 112.0 GB/s.

The Arc A370M has a 2:1 FP16 ratio, enabling 8.397 TFLOPS half-precision performance, while the GTX 980 Ti lists no FP16 capability. Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the Arc A370M's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is a generation ahead of the GTX 980 Ti's DirectX 12 (12_1).

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti wins on raw performance. It leads by 31.8% in Geekbench OpenCL and 39.9% in Geekbench Vulkan. Its 6.060 TFLOPS FP32 output, 103.3 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 189.4 GTexel/s texture rate all exceed the Arc A370M's corresponding figures. For desktop gaming, content creation, or any compute-heavy workload where power draw is not a constraint, the GTX 980 Ti is the superior choice.

Intel Arc A370M wins on efficiency and portability. Its 35 W TDP is a fraction of the GTX 980 Ti's 250 W. The Arc A370M requires no power connectors and no suggested PSU, while the GTX 980 Ti needs a 600 W power supply and dual 6-pin/8-pin connectors. The Arc A370M's IGP form factor means it can fit in devices where a 267 mm dual-slot card cannot. It also supports ray tracing, which the GTX 980 Ti does not.

Intel Arc A370M wins on architectural modernity. The 6 nm process node, PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and FP16 2:1 ratio are all features the GTX 980 Ti lacks. The Arc A370M's transistor density (45.9M / mm²) is over three times higher than the GTX 980 Ti's (13.3M / mm²), reflecting the generational leap in manufacturing.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. With 6 GB versus 4 GB, and 336.6 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s, the GTX 980 Ti can handle larger textures and higher resolutions without bottlenecking. The Arc A370M's 64-bit memory bus is a significant limitation for memory-intensive workloads.

The verdict is context-dependent. For a desktop tower with a robust PSU, the GTX 980 Ti is the obvious pick — it wins every benchmark and offers superior memory resources. For a thin-and-light laptop or a compact system, the Arc A370M is the only realistic option, and its modern feature set partially compensates for its lower scores. The data shows no scenario where the Arc A370M outperforms the GTX 980 Ti in compute benchmarks, but the GTX 980 Ti cannot match the Arc A370M's efficiency or form factor.