Intel Arc A380 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M Comparison

The Intel Arc A380 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M represent two very different eras of GPU design, and the benchmark data reflects a decisive generational shift. The Arc A380, built on Intel's modern Xe-HPG architecture, dramatically outperforms the older Kepler-based GTX 880M in the available compute tests. In the sole head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, the Intel Arc A380 scores 38,224 compared to the GTX 880M's 5,622, yielding a massive 579.9% advantage for the Intel part. This is not a close contest; it is a demonstration of how far GPU compute performance has advanced since 2014. The GTX 880M’s average benchmark score of 8,040 places it at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc A380 sits at the 44th percentile with an average score of 8,558, indicating that while both are mid-pack performers overall, the Arc A380 is the stronger of the two.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is an overwhelming victory for the Intel Arc A380. The Arc A380’s score of 38,224 completely dwarfs the GTX 880M’s 5,622, representing a 579.9% performance advantage. This metric measures raw compute throughput, where the Arc A380’s 4.198 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 8.397 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (2:1 ratio) vastly exceed the GTX 880M’s 3.050 TFLOPS of FP32. The GTX 880M has no FP16 capability listed in the data, further widening the gap in modern workloads that utilize mixed-precision calculations.

However, it is crucial to contextualize this single result. The Arc A380’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark score, include the AMD FirePro W5170M (8,595, -0.4% delta), AMD Radeon HD 8870M (8,462, 1.1% delta), and NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458, 1.2% delta). The Arc A380’s average score of 8,558 places it just 0.4% behind the FirePro W5170M, indicating that its overall performance profile is competitive with other entry-level parts of its generation. Meanwhile, the GTX 880M’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 (8,039, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti (8,053, -0.2% delta), showing that its average score of 8,040 is nearly identical to those older desktop cards. This suggests that while the GTX 880M was a high-end mobile part in its day, its compute performance is now on par with mid-range desktop GPUs from a previous generation.

The discrepancy between the Geekbench OpenCL result and the average benchmark scores highlights a key difference: the Arc A380 excels in compute-heavy synthetic tests but may not always translate that into a huge lead in every workload. The data shows the Arc A380 wins the head-to-head with 1 win and 0 losses, but the single test available limits the depth of the comparison. For gaming, the GTX 880M’s higher texture rate (127.1 GTexel/s vs. the Arc A380’s 131.2 GTexel/s) is nearly identical, while the Arc A380 has a higher pixel rate (65.60 GPixel/s vs. 31.78 GPixel/s). These differences suggest the Arc A380 has an advantage in fill-rate-bound scenarios, but the lack of direct game benchmarks prevents a definitive gaming verdict.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A380 has the higher average benchmark score at 8,558, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M’s 8,040. This places the Arc A380 at the 44th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 880M sits at the 42nd percentile.

Q: How much faster is the Arc A380 in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The Arc A380 scores 38,224 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 579.9% higher than the GTX 880M’s score of 5,622. This represents a six-fold advantage in raw compute throughput.

Q: What are the closest rivals to the Arc A380 in terms of average performance?

A: The Arc A380’s nearest rival is the AMD FirePro W5170M, which has an average score of 8,595, just 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M (8,462, 1.1% higher) and NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458, 1.2% higher) are also close competitors.

Q: Does the GTX 880M support ray tracing?

A: No, the GTX 880M has no ray tracing cores listed in its specifications. The Intel Arc A380, in contrast, includes 8 ray tracing cores, supporting hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Q: Which GPU has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The Intel Arc A380 has a memory bandwidth of 186.0 GB/s, which is higher than the GTX 880M’s 160.0 GB/s. The Arc A380 uses 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus, while the GTX 880M uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What is the difference in transistor density between the two chips?

A: The Arc A380’s DG2-128 chip has a transistor density of 45.9 million transistors per mm², compared to the GTX 880M’s GK104 chip at 12.0 million per mm². This reflects the much newer 6 nm process node used by Intel versus the 28 nm node used by NVIDIA.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is vast, stemming from a near-decade gap in design philosophy. The Intel Arc A380 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 157 mm² containing 7,200 million transistors. This modern design supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes hardware ray tracing via its 8 dedicated RT cores, and Vulkan 1.4. It also features 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2050 MHz.

In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M uses the Kepler architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process, with a much larger die size of 294 mm² but only 3,540 million transistors. This older architecture lacks ray tracing and tensor cores entirely, and only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. The GTX 880M does have more shading units (1,536) and TMUs (128) than the Arc A380, but they operate at a much lower clock speed (boost 993 MHz). The Kepler design was optimized for the DirectX 11 era, and its feature set is now dated. The Arc A380’s support for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio is a key compute advantage, while the GTX 880M has no listed FP16 performance. These architectural differences explain the massive OpenCL performance gap, as the Arc A380’s newer instruction set and higher clocks allow it to process compute workloads far more efficiently.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ significantly across nearly every specification field. The most obvious is the process node: Intel uses a 6 nm TSMC process, while NVIDIA uses a 28 nm TSMC process. This leads to a massive difference in transistor density, with the Arc A380 at 45.9M per mm² versus the GTX 880M’s 12.0M per mm². Clock speeds also favor the Arc A380, with a base clock of 2000 MHz and boost of 2050 MHz, versus the GTX 880M’s 954 MHz base and 993 MHz boost. The memory subsystems are also different: the Arc A380 uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, achieving 186.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 880M uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 160.0 GB/s. Although the GTX 880M has more memory and a wider bus, the Arc A380’s faster GDDR6 memory gives it the bandwidth advantage.

Compute output differs as well: the Arc A380 delivers 4.198 TFLOPS of FP32 and 8.397 TFLOPS of FP16, while the GTX 880M delivers 3.050 TFLOPS of FP32 and no FP16 data. Pixel rate is nearly double for the Arc A380 (65.60 GPixel/s vs. 31.78 GPixel/s), while texture rates are similar (131.2 GTexel/s vs. 127.1 GTexel/s). Power consumption is notably higher on the GTX 880M at 122 W, versus the Arc A380’s 75 W. The form factors are also distinct: the Arc A380 is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 222 mm length, while the GTX 880M uses an MXM module with no power connectors and is portable-device dependent. Display outputs differ, with the Arc A380 offering 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0, while the GTX 880M’s outputs are portable device dependent. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 for the Arc A380, versus MXM-B (3.0) for the GTX 880M. Finally, the API support is more modern on the Arc A380, with DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, versus DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175 on the GTX 880M.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for most modern use cases: the Intel Arc A380. Its 579.9% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, combined with a higher average benchmark score (8,558 vs. 8,040) and superior features like ray tracing and FP16 support, make it the more capable and future-proof GPU. The Arc A380 also achieves this with a lower TDP of 75 W versus the GTX 880M’s 122 W, making it more power-efficient. Its launch MSRP was 149 USD, though pricing should not be a primary consideration in this analysis. For any workload involving compute, modern API features, or higher fill rates, the Arc A380 is the better choice based on the benchmark results.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, however, retains some niche advantages. It has 8 GB of memory versus the Arc A380’s 6 GB, which could be beneficial for certain large datasets that fit within its VRAM capacity. Its higher shading unit count (1,536 vs. 1,024) and TMU count (128 vs. 64) suggest it may handle some specific shader-heavy tasks competitively, despite the lower clocks. But these are minor points against the overwhelming compute and efficiency lead of the Arc A380. The GTX 880M’s average score of 8,040 places it just 0.2% behind the NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti, indicating its performance level is comparable to a low-end desktop card from 2012. Ultimately, for anyone choosing between these two for a new system, the Arc A380 is the pragmatic pick. The GTX 880M is a legacy part that is only relevant in refurbished laptops or specific MXM-based systems where its older interface and form factor are required. The benchmark data is unambiguous: the Arc A380 is the superior GPU in this matchup.