Intel Arc A380 vs NVIDIA Quadro P4000 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the most benchmark comparisons in the database?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P4000 wins 9 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests, while the Intel Arc A380 wins only 1.

Q: What is the single biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: In the Passmark DirectX 9 test, the Quadro P4000 scores 181 versus 73 for the Arc A380, a margin of 147.9% in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: Where does the Intel Arc A380 actually beat the Quadro P4000?

A: The Arc A380 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 38,224 versus 36,212 for the Quadro, a 5.3% advantage.

Q: How do these cards rank against all GPUs in the database?

A: The Quadro P4000 sits in the 47th percentile, while the Arc A380 sits in the 44th percentile, meaning the NVIDIA card ranks slightly higher overall.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each card in average benchmark score?

A: The Quadro P4000 is nearly tied with the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 (0.1% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (0.2% difference). The Arc A380 is closest to the AMD FirePro W5170M, which is 0.4% ahead of it.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The Quadro P4000 has an average benchmark score of 9,665, while the Arc A380 averages 8,558.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA Quadro P4000 is built on the Pascal architecture using the GP104 chip, fabricated on a 16 nm TSMC process. The Intel Arc A380 uses the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-128 chip, on a 6 nm TSMC process. Both chips contain 7,200 million transistors, but the die sizes differ significantly: the Quadro measures 314 mm², while the Arc A380 measures 157 mm². This results in a transistor density of 22.9M per mm² for the NVIDIA card versus 45.9M per mm² for the Intel card.

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The Quadro P4000 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 243.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A380 uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, providing 186.0 GB/s. The Intel card compensates with a higher effective memory speed of 15.5 Gbps versus 7.6 Gbps for the NVIDIA card.

In terms of compute resources, the Quadro P4000 has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The Arc A380 has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Intel card is the only one with dedicated ray tracing cores, featuring 8 of them. Neither card has tensor cores.

The Quadro P4000 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the Arc A380 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card outputs 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Intel card offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data shows a clear pattern of NVIDIA dominance across most tests, with one notable Intel victory. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Quadro P4000 scores 1,115 versus 808 for the Arc A380, a 38% advantage. This is a significant lead in a modern DirectX 12 workload.

The Geekbench Vulkan test also favors NVIDIA, with the Quadro scoring 41,786 against 36,736 for the Intel card, a 13.7% margin. However, the Geekbench OpenCL test flips the result: the Arc A380 scores 38,224, beating the Quadro's 36,212 by 5.3%. This suggests the Intel card has a relative strength in OpenCL compute that does not translate to other workloads.

The Passmark suite reveals the largest gaps. In DirectX 9, the Quadro scores 181 versus 73, a 147.9% lead. In DirectX 11, the scores are 86 versus 38, a 126.3% advantage. DirectX 10 shows 66 versus 37, a 78.4% difference. Even DirectX 12, where the Intel card is expected to be competitive, the Quadro wins 40 to 35, a 14.3% margin.

The 2D and 3D tests reinforce the NVIDIA lead. Passmark G2D scores 786 for the Quadro versus 610 for the Arc A380, a 28.9% difference. Passmark G3D shows a massive 83.4% gap: 11,466 versus 6,252. The compute test follows suit with the Quadro scoring 4,913 against 2,762, a 77.9% lead.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The Quadro P4000 has a base clock of 1202 MHz and a boost clock of 1480 MHz, while the Arc A380 has a much higher base clock of 2000 MHz and boost of 2050 MHz. Despite the clock advantage, the Intel card cannot overcome the NVIDIA card's wider memory bus and higher shading unit count.

Memory configuration is a key differentiator: the Quadro offers 8 GB GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus and 243.3 GB/s bandwidth, while the Arc A380 offers 6 GB GDDR6 with a 96-bit bus and 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro has a pixel rate of 94.72 GPixel/s and texture rate of 165.8 GTexel/s, versus 65.60 GPixel/s and 131.2 GTexel/s for the Intel card.

FP32 performance favors the Quadro at 5.304 TFLOPS versus 4.198 TFLOPS for the Arc A380. However, FP16 performance is drastically different: the Intel card delivers 8.397 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the Quadro manages only 82.88 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio. This makes the Arc A380 far stronger in FP16 compute workloads.

Power and physical specs also diverge. The Quadro has a TDP of 105 W with a 1x 6-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Arc A380 has a TDP of 75 W with a 1x 8-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The Quadro is single-slot, 241 mm long, and 111 mm tall. The Arc A380 is dual-slot, 222 mm long, 114 mm tall, and 42 mm wide. The Quadro uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Arc A380 uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

The release dates are separated by over five years: the Quadro launched in February 2017, and the Arc A380 in June 2022. The Quadro's predecessor is Quadro Maxwell and its successor is Quadro Volta. The Arc A380's predecessor is Xe Graphics and its successor is Battlemage.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro P4000 wins in every DirectX workload recorded, including the modern 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. It also wins the Vulkan test, the 2D test, the 3D test, and the compute test. The data indicates that the NVIDIA card is the stronger choice for general graphics rendering, legacy DirectX applications, and compute-heavy tasks. Its 147.9% lead in DirectX 9 and 126.3% lead in DirectX 11 suggest particular strength in older game titles and professional applications that rely on those APIs.

The Intel Arc A380 wins only in Geekbench OpenCL, where it beats the Quadro by 5.3%. This is a narrow margin compared to the NVIDIA card's victories, but it points to a specific advantage in OpenCL compute workloads. The Arc A380 also has the FP16 capability advantage, with 8.397 TFLOPS versus 82.88 GFLOPS, which could matter in workloads that leverage half-precision arithmetic. The Intel card is also more power-efficient per the TDP figures, drawing 75 W versus 105 W.

For use cases like CAD, 3D modeling, and video editing that rely on DirectX or Vulkan acceleration, the Quadro P4000 is the clear winner based on the benchmark data. For OpenCL-based compute tasks or FP16-heavy workloads, the Arc A380 may be worth considering, though its overall average benchmark score is lower at 8,558 versus 9,665.

The Verdict

The database makes the choice straightforward for most users. The Quadro P4000 wins 9 of 10 benchmarks, with margins ranging from 13.7% to 147.9% in its favor. Its average benchmark score of 9,665 places it in the 47th percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc A380's 8,558 average places it in the 44th percentile. The Quadro is also the closer match to its nearest rivals, with a 0.1% difference from the AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100, whereas the Arc A380's closest rival, the AMD FirePro W5170M, sits 0.4% ahead of it.

The Arc A380 does hold a few advantages that the benchmark scores do not fully capture. It has dedicated ray tracing cores, a much higher FP16 throughput, and a smaller die size at 157 mm² versus 314 mm². It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and offers DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. However, the recorded performance data shows that these features do not translate into benchmark wins in the tested workloads.

The verdict depends on the intended use. For users prioritizing raw graphics performance, DirectX compatibility, and compute throughput, the Quadro P4000 is the data-backed choice. For users who need OpenCL compute performance, FP16 capabilities, or the newer feature set including ray tracing, the Arc A380 has specific strengths. The Quadro P4000 has a launch MSRP of 815 USD, while the Arc A380 has a launch MSRP of 149 USD. Given the benchmark results, the Quadro P4000 remains the higher-performing card in the majority of recorded tests.