Intel Arc A380E vs Intel Arc Graphics 64EU Comparison

Intel Arc A380E and Intel Arc Graphics 64EU are both Intel GPUs, but they occupy opposite ends of the performance spectrum. The A380E is a discrete, single-slot add-in card built on the Alchemist architecture with 1,024 shading units, while the 64EU is an integrated graphics processor embedded in Arrow Lake-S silicon with just 512 shading units. The recorded data shows the A380E delivers 4.096 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 1.946 TFLOPS for the 64EU, making the discrete card roughly 2.1 times faster in raw arithmetic throughput. That gap shapes every comparison below.

Where Each One Wins

The discrete Intel Arc A380E wins in every category where dedicated graphics memory and higher shader counts matter. It carries 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, yielding 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the 64EU relies on system shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent. For workloads that stream large textures or geometry, the A380E's private memory pool avoids contention with the CPU, a decisive advantage in gaming and GPU compute tasks.

The Intel Arc Graphics 64EU wins in power efficiency and integration. Its 65 W TDP is lower than the A380E's 75 W, and it requires no power connectors, no slot width, and no separate cooler. As an IGP, it occupies zero expansion slots and draws from the motherboard's existing power delivery. The 64EU also benefits from a newer 3 nm process node from TSMC, compared to the A380E's 6 nm node, which contributes to its lower thermal footprint. The 64EU is active in production, while the A380E is end-of-life, so the integrated part remains available for new system designs.

Benchmark wins are strictly one-sided. The 64EU has a recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 733, placing it in the 3rd percentile of all GPUs. The A380E has no benchmark entries in the database, so its percentile stands at 50 with an average score of 0. The data indicates the A380E's position is based on its specification profile rather than measured tests, while the 64EU's 733 score anchors it near the very bottom of the performance distribution.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different Intel architecture families. The A380E uses Xe-HPG architecture under the Alchemist generation, built on the DG2-128 chip. The 64EU uses Xe-LPG architecture under the Arc Graphics (Arrow Lake) generation, built on the Arrow Lake-S chip. Xe-HPG is a discrete GPU architecture with dedicated ray tracing units; the A380E lists 8 RT cores. The 64EU lists no RT cores in its specification, indicating ray tracing is either absent or not exposed in the recorded data.

Process technology diverges sharply. The A380E is fabricated on a 6 nm TSMC process with 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.9 million per square millimeter. The 64EU is fabricated on a 3 nm TSMC process with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, yielding 73.3 million per square millimeter. The 64EU's denser process allows more transistors in a larger die, but those transistors are shared with the CPU cores on the Arrow Lake-S package, so only a fraction form the GPU.

The 64EU's base clock is 300 MHz with a boost of 1900 MHz, while the A380E runs a flat 2000 MHz for both base and boost. The A380E compensates for its older process with a much higher sustained clock. Memory architecture differs fundamentally: the A380E uses dedicated GDDR6 at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective), while the 64EU uses system shared memory with no dedicated bus width or bandwidth figure. The A380E's pixel rate is 64.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 128.0 GTexel/s, versus 30.40 GPixel/s and 60.80 GTexel/s for the 64EU. Both halve in ROPs and TMUs: the A380E has 32 ROPs and 64 TMUs, the 64EU has 16 ROPs and 32 TMUs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

No direct head-to-head benchmark entries exist in the database for these two products. The winsA and winsB fields are both 0, and the headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty. The comparison must rely on specification-derived metrics and the 64EU's single recorded benchmark.

The 64EU scores 733 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Arc Graphics 32EU at 733 (0% delta), the Intel Arc Graphics 24EU at 733 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon HD 6470M at 723 (1.4% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M at 751 (2.4% slower). This places the 64EU in a cluster of very low-end GPUs, with the 32EU and 24EU variants performing identically in this test. The 3rd percentile ranking confirms it sits among the weakest recorded GPUs.

The A380E has no benchmark scores, so a direct numeric comparison is impossible. However, the FP32 throughput difference is instructive: 4.096 TFLOPS versus 1.946 TFLOPS. The A380E also has double the shading units (1,024 versus 512), double the TMUs (64 versus 32), and double the ROPs (32 versus 16). Texture rate is 128.0 GTexel/s versus 60.80 GTexel/s, exactly double. Pixel rate follows suit at 64.00 GPixel/s versus 30.40 GPixel/s. These ratios suggest the A380E should outperform the 64EU by roughly a factor of two in fill-rate-bound workloads, assuming similar instruction efficiency per shader.

The 64EU's memory bandwidth is system dependent, meaning it can vary with the host CPU's memory configuration. The A380E's fixed 186.0 GB/s is a guaranteed figure. In practice, a discrete card with dedicated GDDR6 avoids the latency and bandwidth variability of shared memory, which could widen the real-world gap beyond the raw compute ratio.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ in nearly every measurable field. The A380E uses the DG2-128 chip; the 64EU uses Arrow Lake-S. Architecture is Xe-HPG versus Xe-LPG. Process node is 6 nm versus 3 nm. Transistor count is 7,200 million versus 17,800 million. Die size is 157 mm² versus 243 mm². Transistor density is 45.9M per mm² versus 73.3M per mm².

Clock behavior diverges: the A380E runs 2000 MHz base and boost, the 64EU runs 300 MHz base and 1900 MHz boost. Memory is 6 GB GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus at 186.0 GB/s for the A380E; the 64EU uses system shared memory with no size, type, bus width, or bandwidth specified beyond "system dependent." Shading units are 1,024 versus 512. TMUs are 64 versus 32. ROPs are 32 versus 16. The A380E has 8 RT cores; the 64EU has none listed. FP32 is 4.096 TFLOPS versus 1.946 TFLOPS. FP16 is 8.192 TFLOPS versus 3.891 TFLOPS, both at a 2:1 ratio.

Power and physical specs differ completely. The A380E has a 75 W TDP, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The 64EU has a 65 W TDP, is an IGP, has no slot width, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU. The A380E uses PCIe 4.0 x8; the 64EU uses a Ring Bus. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 2.0 for the A380E versus motherboard dependent for the 64EU. The A380E measures 254 mm by 127 mm by 20 mm; the 64EU has no dimensions. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Release dates differ by seven months: the A380E launched on 2024-03-31, the 64EU on 2024-10-23. The A380E's predecessor is Xe Graphics and its successor is Battlemage; the 64EU's predecessor is HD Graphics and it has no successor listed. Production status is end-of-life for the A380E and active for the 64EU.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The Intel Arc A380E has 1,024 shading units, double the 512 shading units of the Intel Arc Graphics 64EU.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference?

A: The A380E delivers 4.096 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the 64EU delivers 1.946 TFLOPS, making the A380E approximately 2.1 times faster in raw single-precision throughput.

Q: Does the 64EU have dedicated graphics memory?

A: No. The Intel Arc Graphics 64EU uses system shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent, whereas the A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus providing 186.0 GB/s.

Q: How does the 64EU's benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The 64EU scores 733 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, matching the Intel Arc Graphics 32EU and 24EU at 733, trailing the AMD Radeon HD 6470M by 1.4% (723), and leading the NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M by 2.4% (751).

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: The A380E lists 8 RT cores. The 64EU lists no RT cores in its specification.

Q: What are the TDP figures?

A: The A380E has a 75 W TDP, and the 64EU has a 65 W TDP.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. The Intel Arc A380E is the stronger graphics processor for any workload that benefits from dedicated memory, higher fill rates, and ray tracing hardware. Its 4.096 TFLOPS FP32, 186.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 8 RT cores make it the only viable choice for gaming or GPU-accelerated tasks among these two. The 64EU's 733 Steel Nomad score and 3rd percentile ranking confirm it operates at the entry level of the performance distribution, comparable to decade-old discrete mobile GPUs.

The Intel Arc Graphics 64EU is the appropriate selection when integration and power draw are the priorities. Its 65 W TDP, lack of power connectors, and IGP form factor mean it adds no bulk to a system. The 3 nm process gives it a density advantage, but that density is spread across the full Arrow Lake-S chip, not dedicated to graphics. For a system that only needs basic display output or light acceleration, the 64EU suffices.

The A380E's end-of-life status is a practical concern for new builds. The 64EU remains active, so it will continue to appear in current Arrow Lake platforms. The A380E's successor, Battlemage, is already listed, indicating the discrete part has been superseded. Buyers seeking a discrete GPU today would look to that successor rather than the A380E. The 64EU, by contrast, ships as part of a CPU package and requires no separate purchase decision.

Final positioning: the A380E wins on every raw graphics metric in the database, and the 64EU wins on integration, power, and availability. The 733 versus 0 benchmark gap is not a meaningful comparison because the A380E has no recorded tests; the specification ratios of 2x in shaders, TMUs, ROPs, and texture rate provide the best available evidence of its superiority. Users with a PCIe slot and a 250 W PSU budget should favor the A380E lineage, while those building compact, low-power systems should accept the 64EU's modest 733-point performance.