Intel Arc A380 vs NVIDIA Tesla C2070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark between the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 and the Intel Arc A380 is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The Intel Arc A380 scores 38,224, while the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9,716. That is a 74.6% advantage for the Intel part, meaning the Arc A380 delivers roughly four times the OpenCL compute throughput of the Fermi-generation Tesla. In this single head-to-head test, the Intel card wins 1 to 0.

This margin is not a small lead; it is a generational gap expressed in raw numbers. The Tesla C2070's 1,027.7 GFLOPS of FP32 performance is dwarfed by the Arc A380's 4.198 TFLOPS, and even the Tesla's older architecture cannot compensate. The Arc A380 also brings modern API support, including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and 8 dedicated ray tracing cores, none of which exist on the Tesla C2070. While the Tesla does support DirectX 12 (11_0), that is a feature-level limitation that excludes hardware features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading.

The Intel card's advantage extends beyond raw compute. Its pixel rate is 65.60 GPixel/s versus 16.07 GPixel/s for the Tesla, a 4x difference. Texture rate follows suit: 131.2 GTexel/s versus 32.14 GTexel/s. These numbers indicate that the Arc A380 is not merely faster in compute-bound workloads, it is also faster in fill-rate and texture-bound scenarios, which matter for real-time graphics.

The Tesla C2070's only nominal win is in the context of its nearest rivals. The database places the Tesla at the 47th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 9,716. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA Tesla M10, scores 9,724, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the C2070 is essentially tied with that card. The Quadro P4000 is 0.5% behind, the Radeon Pro WX 2100 is 0.7% behind, and the GeForce GTX 1070 is 0.7% ahead. These are all near-identical scores, so the Tesla sits in a cluster of mid-range workstation and consumer GPUs from a similar era.

The Arc A380, by contrast, sits at the 44th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 8,558 across all its recorded tests. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W5170M (8,595, delta -0.4%), the AMD Radeon HD 8870M (8,462, delta 1.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458, delta 1.2%), and the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436, delta 1.4%). Notably, the Arc A380's average score is lower than its Geekbench OpenCL result because its other benchmark scores, such as Passmark G3D at 6,252 and Passmark GPU Compute at 2,762, drag the average down. The OpenCL score is an outlier on the high side for this GPU.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL score?

A: The Intel Arc A380 scores 38,224 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9,716. The Arc A380 wins by a 74.6% margin.

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

A: The Tesla C2070 has an average benchmark score of 9,716, which is exactly its Geekbench OpenCL score. The Arc A380 has an average score of 8,558 across all its benchmark entries, which includes Passmark tests and 3DMark.

Q: How does the Tesla C2070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Tesla C2070 is essentially tied with the Tesla M10 (delta -0.1%), and it is 0.5% ahead of the Quadro P4000, 0.7% ahead of the Radeon Pro WX 2100, and 0.7% behind the GeForce GTX 1070.

Q: How does the Arc A380 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc A380 is 0.4% behind the AMD FirePro W5170M, 1.1% ahead of the Radeon HD 8870M, 1.2% ahead of the GeForce MX330, and 1.4% ahead of the Radeon 880M.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The Intel Arc A380 has 1,024 shading units, while the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 has 448 shading units.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of each GPU?

A: The Tesla C2070 has a 384-bit memory bus with GDDR5 memory and 143.4 GB/s bandwidth. The Arc A380 has a 96-bit bus with GDDR6 memory and 186.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A380 wins in every measurable compute and graphics workload represented in the database. Its OpenCL score is 74.6% higher, its FP32 throughput is 4.198 TFLOPS versus 1,027.7 GFLOPS, and it has higher pixel and texture rates. For any modern workload that leverages DirectX 12 Ultimate features, ray tracing, or Vulkan 1.4, the Arc A380 is the only one of the two that can even run those APIs at full feature level. The Tesla C2070's DirectX 12 support is limited to feature level 11_0, which excludes many modern rendering techniques.

The Arc A380 also wins on memory bandwidth, 186.0 GB/s versus 143.4 GB/s, despite having a much narrower 96-bit bus. This is achieved through faster GDDR6 memory running at 15.5 Gbps effective, compared to the Tesla's GDDR5 at 3 Gbps effective. The Arc's higher bandwidth makes it more suitable for texture-heavy workloads and higher resolutions.

The Tesla C2070's wins are confined to its peer group. It sits at the 47th percentile, slightly higher than the Arc A380's 44th percentile, and its average score is higher at 9,716 versus 8,558. But that average is driven by the Arc's lower Passmark scores, which include entries like Passmark DirectX 9 at 73, DirectX 10 at 37, DirectX 11 at 38, and DirectX 12 at 35. These very low scores indicate that the Arc A380 is not optimized for legacy DirectX paths, while the Tesla, being a compute-focused card, does not have such legacy graphics benchmarks recorded in the database.

For use cases that rely on legacy DirectX 9/10/11 applications, the Tesla C2070 may be the safer choice, as the Arc A380's Passmark scores in those categories are extremely low. However, for any modern compute task, OpenCL, or current-generation graphics, the Arc A380 is clearly superior.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 uses a 40 nm process node, while the Intel Arc A380 uses a 6 nm node. The Tesla has 3,100 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². The Arc A380 has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, with a density of 45.9M per mm².

Memory configuration differs significantly: both have 6 GB, but the Tesla uses GDDR5 with a 384-bit bus and 143.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the Arc uses GDDR6 with a 96-bit bus and 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Tesla's memory clock is 747 MHz (3 Gbps effective), while the Arc runs at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective).

The Tesla has 448 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The Arc has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Arc also has 8 ray tracing cores, which the Tesla lacks entirely.

Power requirements differ dramatically: the Tesla is rated at 238 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the Arc is rated at 75 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The Tesla requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors; the Arc requires a single 8-pin connector.

The bus interface also differs: the Tesla uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the Arc uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are minimal on the Tesla (1x DVI) versus the Arc's 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0.

Dimensions differ as well: the Tesla is 248 mm (9.8 inches) long, while the Arc is 222 mm (8.7 inches) long, 114 mm (4.5 inches) high, and 42 mm (1.7 inches) wide.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 is built on the Fermi architecture, specifically the GF100 chip. Fermi was NVIDIA's compute-focused architecture from 2011, designed for high-performance computing and professional workloads. It supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but does not support Vulkan. The Tesla has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores.

The Intel Arc A380 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-128 chip. This is part of the Alchemist generation (Arc 3), released in 2022. Xe-HPG is a gaming and consumer graphics architecture, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. It includes 8 dedicated ray tracing cores and supports FP16 at 8.397 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, which the Tesla does not have.

The process technology difference is stark: 40 nm versus 6 nm. This explains the transistor density difference: the Tesla packs 3,100 million transistors into 529 mm², while the Arc packs 7,200 million into 157 mm². The Arc is also a more modern design with a smaller die, lower power draw (75 W versus 238 W), and faster memory.

The Tesla's memory interface is wider (384-bit) but older (GDDR5), resulting in lower bandwidth. The Arc uses a narrow 96-bit GDDR6 interface but achieves higher bandwidth through faster clocks. This suggests the Arc is designed for consumer workloads where bandwidth matters more than raw bus width.

The Tesla's lack of Vulkan support is a significant architectural limitation, as is its lack of ray tracing hardware. The Arc's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate means it can handle hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shaders, and other modern rendering features that the Fermi architecture cannot.

The production status of both is end-of-life, so neither is a current product. The Tesla's successor is Tesla Kepler, while the Arc's successor is Battlemage. The Tesla's release date was in 2011, the Arc's in 2022. The Arc has a recorded launch MSRP of 149 USD.