Intel Arc A380 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and Intel Arc A380 represent two distinct approaches to entry-level discrete graphics, and the benchmark data shows a clear overall winner. Across eight head-to-head tests, the NVIDIA part claims seven victories, while the Intel Arc A380 manages a single win. The average benchmark scores reinforce this separation, with the RTX 3050 A Mobile at 8746 points versus 8558 for the Arc A380. Both occupy the same 44th percentile among all GPUs, yet their performance profiles differ sharply, making the choice dependent on workload priorities rather than raw tier placement.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 A Mobile is the dominant choice for virtually every 3D and compute-oriented task. Its most decisive advantage appears in DirectX 11 workloads, where it scores 94 against Intel’s 38, a 147.4% lead. DirectX 9 performance tells a similar story, with the NVIDIA part at 152 versus 73, a 108.2% gap. These legacy API results indicate that the Ampere architecture handles older rendering paths with far greater efficiency, a critical factor for compatibility with a broad library of games.

In modern DirectX 12 scenarios, the RTX 3050 A Mobile again prevails, posting 55 versus 35, a 57.1% margin. The compute-oriented Passmark GPU test shows a 60% advantage (4419 vs 2762), while the overall 3D graphics score (Passmark G3D) gives NVIDIA an 86.6% lead (11664 vs 6252). Even in OpenCL, a workload where Intel’s architecture might be expected to compete, the RTX 3050 A Mobile wins by 38.7% (52998 vs 38224). The Arc A380’s only victory is in the Passmark G2D test, where it scores 610 versus 526, a 13.8% advantage in 2D graphics throughput.

For prospective buyers, the data suggests the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the pick for gaming, content creation, or any application that stresses the GPU’s shading and compute units. The Arc A380’s win in 2D operations is narrow and does not compensate for its substantial deficits elsewhere. The NVIDIA card’s percentile rank of 44, combined with its nearest rivals (GTX 460 v2 at 8743, Quadro P2200 at 8686), places it in a competitive position within its class, whereas the Arc A380 sits alongside AMD FirePro W5170M and Radeon HD 8870M, indicating a lower performance ceiling.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip based on the Ampere architecture, manufactured on Samsung’s 8 nm process. Intel’s Arc A380 employs the DG2-128 chip with the Xe-HPG architecture, produced on TSMC’s 6 nm node. The process advantage goes to Intel, with a denser transistor layout: 45.9 million transistors per square millimeter versus 43.5 million for NVIDIA. However, the RTX 3050 A Mobile compensates with a larger overall die: 276 mm² containing 12,000 million transistors, compared to Intel’s 157 mm² die with 7,200 million transistors.

Core configurations differ markedly. The RTX 3050 A Mobile fields 1792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It also includes 14 dedicated ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS. Intel’s Arc A380 has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with 8 ray tracing cores but no tensor cores. The NVIDIA card’s higher shading unit count translates to a FP32 throughput of 4.813 TFLOPS, while the Arc A380 manages 4.198 TFLOPS in FP32. Notably, Intel’s card achieves 8.397 TFLOPS in FP16 due to a 2:1 ratio, whereas NVIDIA’s FP16 performance is identical to its FP32 at 4.813 TFLOPS.

Memory subsystems also diverge. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. Intel’s Arc A380 offers 6 GB of GDDR6 on a narrower 96-bit bus, resulting in 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. Despite having less memory, NVIDIA’s wider bus provides slightly higher bandwidth. Clock speeds favor Intel, with a base of 2000 MHz and boost of 2050 MHz, versus NVIDIA’s 1065 MHz base and 1343 MHz boost. However, the NVIDIA card’s higher pixel rate (42.98 GPixel/s) and texture rate (75.21 GTexel/s) are eclipsed by Intel’s 65.60 GPixel/s and 131.2 GTexel/s, reflecting the Arc A380’s higher clocks.

Power and physical design separate the two as well. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a 45 W TDP and no power connectors, suited for thin-and-light laptops. The Arc A380 is a dual-slot discrete card drawing 75 W, requiring a single 8-pin connector and a 250 W suggested PSU. Its dimensions are 222 mm in length, 114 mm in height, and 42 mm in width. The NVIDIA part has no listed dimensions, as it is portable-device dependent. Both support PCIe 4.0 x8, but Intel offers fixed display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0), while NVIDIA’s outputs are portable-device dependent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile leads in FP32 with 4.813 TFLOPS versus Intel’s 4.198 TFLOPS. However, Intel’s Arc A380 achieves 8.397 TFLOPS in FP16, double its FP32 rate, while NVIDIA’s FP16 matches its FP32 at 4.813 TFLOPS.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Arc A380 has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card offers slightly higher bandwidth despite less capacity.

Q: What is the performance difference in DirectX 11?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 94 in Passmark DirectX 11, while the Arc A380 scores 38, giving NVIDIA a 147.4% advantage. This is the largest margin in any head-to-head test.

Q: Is the Intel Arc A380 better in any benchmark?

A: Yes, the Arc A380 wins the Passmark G2D test with a score of 610 versus 526 for the RTX 3050 A Mobile, a 13.8% lead in 2D graphics performance.

Q: Which card has more ray tracing cores?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 14 ray tracing cores, while the Arc A380 has 8. Intel’s card lacks tensor cores entirely, whereas NVIDIA includes 56.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile is an IGP with a 45 W TDP and no power connectors. The Arc A380 is a dual-slot card with a 75 W TDP, requiring one 8-pin power connector and a 250 W suggested PSU.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile | Intel Arc A380 |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 12,000 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 276 mm² | 157 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 43.5M / mm² | 45.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 2000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1343 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 96 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | 186.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 56 | 64 |

| ROPs | 32 | 32 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 14 | 8 |

| Tensor Cores | 56 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 4.813 TFLOPS | 4.198 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 4.813 TFLOPS | 8.397 TFLOPS |

| Pixel Rate | 42.98 GPixel/s | 65.60 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 75.21 GTexel/s | 131.2 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 45 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | None listed | 250 W |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 |

| Release Date | 2023-12-31 | 2022-06-13 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 20 Mobile | Xe Graphics |

| Successor | None listed | Battlemage |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking victory for the RTX 3050 A Mobile comes in Passmark DirectX 11, where its score of 94 dwarfs the Arc A380’s 38. A 147.4% delta in this legacy API suggests that NVIDIA’s driver maturity and architecture efficiency provide a substantial edge in older game titles. DirectX 9 results follow the same pattern, with NVIDIA at 152 versus 73, a 108.2% lead. These two tests alone demonstrate that the RTX 3050 A Mobile is clearly superior for backwards compatibility.

In Passmark G3D, the RTX 3050 A Mobile posts 11664 against Intel’s 6252, an 86.6% margin. This aggregate 3D score correlates strongly with gaming performance, and the gap is decisive. The OpenCL benchmark also favors NVIDIA, with 52998 versus 38224, a 38.7% advantage, indicating better general-purpose compute throughput. Passmark GPU Compute shows a 60% lead (4419 vs 2762), reinforcing the NVIDIA card’s computational strength.

The Arc A380’s sole victory in Passmark G2D (610 vs 526, a 13.8% margin) is noteworthy but isolated. In DirectX 12, NVIDIA leads 55 to 35, a 57.1% gap, while DirectX 10 sees NVIDIA at 61 versus 37, a 64.9% margin. Across all eight benchmarks, NVIDIA wins seven, and the average score difference favors the RTX 3050 A Mobile by 2.2% (8746 vs 8558). The data unequivocally positions the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile as the superior choice for nearly all workloads, with the Intel Arc A380 offering only a narrow 2D performance edge that most users will rarely notice.