Intel Arc A380 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX330 Comparison

The benchmark data places the Intel Arc A380 and NVIDIA GeForce MX330 in adjacent performance tiers, with the Arc A380 holding a slim 1.2% average score advantage. However, the nature of that advantage is anything but slim: in the two compute workloads measured head-to-head, the Arc A380 delivers leads of 384.1% and 307.3%, respectively. This is not a close contest; it is a generational mismatch where the newer Intel part overwhelms the older NVIDIA chip in raw throughput, even if their aggregate scores from other databases suggest near-parity.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the Intel Arc A380 in OpenCL compute?

A: The Arc A380 scores 38,224 in Geekbench OpenCL, versus 7,896 for the MX330. That is a 384.1% advantage, making the Intel part nearly five times faster in this workload.

Q: Does the NVIDIA MX330 win any benchmark against the Arc A380?

A: No. In the two head-to-head tests recorded (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan), the Arc A380 wins both. The MX330 has zero wins in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two cards?

A: The Arc A380 has an average benchmark score of 8,558, while the MX330 scores 8,458. The delta is 1.2% in favor of the Intel card, placing them in the same performance neighborhood overall.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The Arc A380 sits at the 44th percentile, while the MX330 is at the 43rd percentile. Both are in the lower-middle range of the overall GPU distribution, but the Intel card ranks one point higher.

Q: What memory configurations do these cards use?

A: The Arc A380 uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, yielding 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The MX330 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 56.06 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. Both are marked as end-of-life. The Arc A380 was released on 2022-06-13, and the MX330 was released on 2020-02-09.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap here is vast, and it explains the benchmark results. The Intel Arc A380 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture using the DG2-128 chip, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,200 million transistors into a 157 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce MX330, by contrast, uses the Pascal architecture with the GP108B chip, built on a 14 nm process at Samsung. It contains 1,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, with a density of 24.3M per mm². The Intel chip is newer, denser, and fundamentally different in design intent.

The compute resources diverge sharply. The Arc A380 has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 render output units (ROPs). It also includes 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. The MX330 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing hardware at all. The Arc A380's FP32 throughput is 4.198 TFLOPS, while the MX330 manages 1,224.2 GFLOPS. Even the FP16 capabilities tell a story: the Arc A380 delivers 8.397 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, whereas the MX330 only reaches 19.13 GFLOPS at a severely limited 1:64 ratio.

Clock speeds and memory architecture reinforce the divide. The Arc A380 runs at a 2000 MHz base and 2050 MHz boost, with memory clocked at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective). The MX330 runs at 1531 MHz base and 1594 MHz boost, with memory at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The Arc A380 supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the MX330 uses PCIe 3.0 x4. The Intel card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the MX330 tops out at DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the feature set underneath is generations apart.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A380 wins in every measurable category where both cards have data. Its dominance is most pronounced in compute-heavy workloads, as shown by the Geekbench results. The OpenCL score of 38,224 versus 7,896 indicates the Arc A380 is suited for tasks that leverage general-purpose GPU compute, such as rendering, physics simulation, or data processing. The Vulkan score of 36,736 versus 9,019 similarly points to strong performance in modern graphics APIs that scale with parallel throughput.

The NVIDIA MX330 has no benchmark wins in the head-to-head data. Its strengths, if any, would have to be inferred from its design profile: a 10 W TDP and IGP slot width suggest it is built for ultra-portable, power-constrained devices. The Arc A380, with a 75 W TDP and dual-slot design, is a desktop-oriented card that requires an 8-pin power connector and a 250 W suggested PSU. The MX330's lack of power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs indicate it is meant for thin-and-light laptops where the Arc A380 physically cannot fit.

For users prioritizing raw compute or gaming with ray tracing, the Arc A380 is the only choice. For users who need a low-power, integrated-style solution in a laptop, the MX330 exists as a basic discrete option. But in terms of performance headroom, the data gives every advantage to Intel.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A380 | NVIDIA GeForce MX330 |

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

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Pascal |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 1,800 million |

| Die Size | 157 mm² | 74 mm² |

| Base Clock | 2000 MHz | 1531 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2050 MHz | 1594 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps) | 1752 MHz (7 Gbps) |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 96 bit | 64 bit |

| Bandwidth | 186.0 GB/s | 56.06 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 384 |

| TMUs | 64 | 24 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| RT Cores | 8 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 65.60 GPixel/s | 25.50 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 131.2 GTexel/s | 38.26 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.198 TFLOPS | 1,224.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 8.397 TFLOPS | 19.13 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 75 W | 10 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

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

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x4 |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Release Date | 2022-06-13 | 2020-02-09 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL result is the single largest margin in this comparison. The Arc A380 scores 38,224, against 7,896 for the MX330, a delta of 384.1%. To put that in perspective, the Arc A380's score is roughly 4.84 times higher. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a complete overhaul of compute capability. The MX330's Pascal architecture, with its 1:64 FP16 ratio, is simply not designed for the kind of parallel workloads that the Xe-HPG architecture handles natively.

The Geekbench Vulkan result tells a similar story, though with a slightly smaller gap. The Arc A380 scores 36,736, while the MX330 scores 9,019, a delta of 307.3%. Vulkan is a low-level API that rewards hardware with high shader counts and efficient resource utilization. The Arc A380's 1,024 shading units and 64 TMUs provide the necessary throughput, while the MX330's 384 shading units and 24 TMUs fall far behind. The Arc A380 is over four times faster in this test as well.

These two results are the only head-to-head benchmarks available, but they are decisive. The Arc A380 wins both, with an average delta of roughly 345%. The MX330's closest rival in its own nearestRivals list is the AMD Radeon HD 8870M, with a 0% delta, meaning the MX330 is effectively tied with that older card. The Arc A380, meanwhile, sits 1.2% ahead of the MX330 in average score, a figure that undersells the massive compute gap between them.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Arc A380 is the superior product for any workload that stresses the GPU. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 384.1% and 307.3%, and it carries a higher average benchmark score (8,558 vs 8,458). The Arc A380's 6 GB GDDR6 memory, 186.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 8 ray tracing cores make it a viable entry-level desktop GPU for modern gaming and compute tasks. Its 44th percentile ranking, while not impressive in absolute terms, places it one point above the MX330's 43rd percentile.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX330 should only be considered by users who require its specific form factor. At 10 W TDP with an IGP slot width and no power connectors, it is designed for laptops where power draw and physical space are at a premium. Its 2 GB GDDR5 memory and 56.06 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for basic display output and light 2D workloads, but the benchmark results show it cannot compete in any meaningful compute scenario. The MX330 is end-of-life, as is the Arc A380, but the Intel card offers a far more capable feature set within its lifetime.

For a desktop builder or anyone prioritizing performance per benchmark point, the Arc A380 is the clear pick. For a laptop manufacturer seeking a minimal discrete GPU, the MX330 has a niche, but that niche is defined by constraints, not capability. The verdict from the numbers: choose the Arc A380 unless the MX330's ultra-low-power, integrated form factor is an absolute requirement.