Intel Arc A380E vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q Comparison

Intel Arc A380E and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q occupy opposite ends of the graphics hardware spectrum, and the database reflects this clearly. The Intel part is an entry-level Alchemist product designed for low-power embedded and small-form-factor systems, while the NVIDIA part is a high-end mobile Ada Lovelace chip intended for premium laptops. Although no direct head-to-head benchmark scores exist in the recorded data, the architectural and specification differences provide a complete basis for comparison. The A380E uses the DG2-128 chip with 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q uses the AD103 chip with 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. That is a 9.5x difference in shading units, a 4.75x difference in TMUs, and a 3.5x difference in ROPs. These numbers alone indicate that the RTX 4090 Max-Q has a massive raw execution resource advantage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no recorded benchmark scores for either product, and the head-to-head benchmark array is empty. The wins counter shows zero for both parts, and the average benchmark score for each is zero. This means the comparison must rest on the measured hardware specifications and the percentile rankings. Both GPUs sit at the 50th percentile against all GPUs in the database, which places them in the middle of the distribution, but the reason for that placement differs. The Intel A380E is an end-of-life product with minimal compute resources, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q is an active product with an enormous execution engine. The percentile field likely reflects the distribution of all recorded GPUs, including integrated parts, which explains why the high-end NVIDIA chip is not ranked higher.

The most decisive computational difference is floating-point throughput. The Intel A380E delivers 4.096 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q delivers 28.31 TFLOPS. That is a 6.91x advantage for NVIDIA in single-precision work. The texture rate tells a similar story: 128.0 GTexel/s for Intel versus 442.3 GTexel/s for NVIDIA, a 3.46x gap. Pixel throughput is 64.00 GPixel/s against 163.0 GPixel/s, a 2.55x gap. These ratios follow directly from the hardware counts, as the A380E has 64 TMUs and 32 ROPs while the RTX 4090 Max-Q has 304 TMUs and 112 ROPs.

Memory bandwidth also favors NVIDIA decisively. The A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, yielding 186.0 GB/s. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 576.0 GB/s. The bandwidth advantage is 3.10x, and the capacity advantage is 2.67x. For workloads that saturate memory, such as high-resolution texture streaming or large dataset processing, the NVIDIA chip has a clear operational margin. The Intel part uses 1937 MHz memory (15.5 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA part uses 2250 MHz memory (18 Gbps effective), so the higher bus width and faster memory clock both contribute to the bandwidth gap.

Ray tracing hardware shows an even larger disparity. The A380E has 8 ray tracing cores, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q has 76, a 9.5x difference. Tensor cores are present only on the NVIDIA part, which has 304 of them; the Intel specification lists null for tensor cores, indicating no equivalent hardware. This matters for any workload that uses DLSS-style upscaling, AI denoising, or other tensor-accelerated operations. The A380E cannot perform those tasks with dedicated tensor hardware, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q has a full complement.

Clock speeds complicate the raw resource comparison slightly. The Intel A380E runs at a fixed 2000 MHz base and boost, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q runs at 930 MHz base and 1455 MHz boost. The Intel chip clocks substantially higher, but the NVIDIA chip has far more execution units. The result is that NVIDIA still wins every throughput metric despite the lower clock. The A380E compensates for its smaller execution engine with a high clock, but that cannot close the gap created by a 9.5x unit count difference.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear verdict: the RTX 4090 Max-Q is the superior GPU for every performance metric recorded in the database. It leads in FP32 compute, FP16 compute, texture rate, pixel rate, memory bandwidth, memory capacity, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores. The only category where the A380E leads is clock speed, with a 2000 MHz boost versus 1455 MHz, and power envelope, with a 75 W TDP versus 80 W TDP. That 5 W difference is negligible in the context of the performance gap. The A380E also has a defined slot width of single-slot and a 254 mm length, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q is an IGP (integrated graphics package) with no listed dimensions, indicating it is soldered to a laptop motherboard.

The RTX 4090 Max-Q is the choice for anyone needing maximum graphics throughput, ray tracing capability, or tensor-based features. The A380E is the choice for systems that need a compact, low-power discrete GPU with DisplayPort 2.0 outputs and no external power connectors. The Intel part draws power from the PCIe slot alone, while the NVIDIA part also uses no external power connectors per its specification, but the A380E lists a suggested PSU of 250 W while the NVIDIA part lists none. Neither product has a launch MSRP in the database, so no price comparison is possible.

The production status differentiates the two as well. The A380E is end-of-life, with its successor listed as Battlemage. The RTX 4090 Max-Q is active, with its successor listed as GeForce 50 Mobile. This means the Intel part is a legacy product, while the NVIDIA part represents the current high end of the mobile lineup. The predecessor fields confirm the lineage: the A380E succeeds Xe Graphics, and the RTX 4090 Max-Q succeeds GeForce 30 Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The A380E wins in a narrow set of categories. It has a higher base clock and boost clock, both at 2000 MHz versus 930 MHz and 1455 MHz for the NVIDIA part. It is also the only one of the two with listed physical dimensions, measuring 254 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width, and it uses a single-slot form factor. The A380E has four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, which is a fixed, documented display configuration, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q has portable-device-dependent outputs, meaning its display connectivity varies by laptop design. The Intel part has a 75 W TDP, which is the lowest power draw in this comparison, and it has a suggested PSU rating of 250 W, indicating it can run in modest systems.

The RTX 4090 Max-Q wins in every raw performance category. Its FP32 throughput of 28.31 TFLOPS dwarfs the 4.096 TFLOPS of the A380E. Its FP16 throughput is also 28.31 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the A380E achieves 8.192 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, meaning the Intel part halves its FP16 rate relative to FP32 while the NVIDIA part maintains the same rate. The texture rate of 442.3 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s and the pixel rate of 163.0 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s both favor NVIDIA. Memory bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s versus 186.0 GB/s and memory capacity of 16 GB versus 6 GB favor NVIDIA. The 304 tensor cores and 76 ray tracing cores give NVIDIA exclusive feature support in those domains.

The bus interface also differs. The A380E uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0 x16. This doubles the available bus lanes for the NVIDIA part, which matters for data transfers between the GPU and the rest of the system. The transistor counts reflect the scale difference: the A380E has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q has 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The transistor density is 45.9M per mm² for Intel versus 121.1M per mm² for NVIDIA, which indicates a much denser design for the Ada Lovelace chip despite both using TSMC as the foundry. The process nodes are 6 nm for Intel and 5 nm for NVIDIA.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 9,728 shading units, while the Intel Arc A380E has 1,024. The NVIDIA part has 9.5 times more shading units than the Intel part.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The Intel Arc A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. The NVIDIA part has 2.67 times the capacity and 3.10 times the bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Yes, both the Intel Arc A380E and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 per the database.

Q: What is the power consumption of each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A380E has a TDP of 75 W and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q has a TDP of 80 W and no suggested PSU listed.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 Max-Q have tensor cores?

A: Yes, the RTX 4090 Max-Q has 304 tensor cores. The Intel Arc A380E does not list any tensor cores in its specification.

Q: What is the manufacturing process for each chip?

A: The Intel Arc A380E uses a 6 nm process at TSMC with 7,200 million transistors. The RTX 4090 Max-Q uses a 5 nm process at TSMC with 45,900 million transistors.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural families with fundamentally different design goals. The Intel Arc A380E uses the Xe-HPG architecture under the DG2-128 chip, and it belongs to the Alchemist generation within the Arc 3 lineup. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q uses the Ada Lovelace architecture under the AD103 chip, and it belongs to the GeForce 40 Mobile generation. The Intel architecture is the first generation of Intel's discrete gaming GPUs, while the NVIDIA architecture is a mature high-end design. The production status reflects this: the A380E is end-of-life with a Battlemage successor, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q is active with a GeForce 50 Mobile successor.

The execution resources differ by an order of magnitude. The A380E has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, and 76 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA chip also includes 304 tensor cores, which are absent from the Intel specification. These counts define the throughput limits of each chip. The Intel part reaches 4.096 TFLOPS FP32 and 8.192 TFLOPS FP16, while the NVIDIA part reaches 28.31 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16. The FP16 ratio differs: Intel uses a 2:1 ratio, meaning it performs FP16 at twice the FP32 rate, while NVIDIA uses a 1:1 ratio, meaning both rates are equal.

Memory architecture also separates the two. The A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clocks are 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) for Intel and 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA. The NVIDIA part uses a wider bus and faster memory, producing a bandwidth advantage that scales with its larger compute engine. The Intel part has a smaller memory footprint, which limits its ability to hold large textures or datasets.

The physical design differs as well. The A380E is a single-slot card measuring 254 mm by 127 mm by 20 mm, with no power connectors and a 75 W TDP. The RTX 4090 Max-Q is an IGP package with no listed dimensions, no power connectors, and an 80 W TDP. The Intel part has four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, while the NVIDIA part has portable-device-dependent outputs. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 for Intel and PCIe 4.0 x16 for NVIDIA. The die sizes are 157 mm² for Intel and 379 mm² for NVIDIA, with transistor counts of 7,200 million and 45,900 million respectively. The transistor density is 45.9M per mm² for Intel and 121.1M per mm² for NVIDIA, showing that the Ada Lovelace chip packs transistors more densely despite the larger die.

The release dates place the NVIDIA part earlier: the RTX 4090 Max-Q launched on January 2, 2023, while the Intel Arc A380E launched on March 31, 2024. The NVIDIA part is the predecessor to GeForce 50 Mobile, while the Intel part is the predecessor to Battlemage. Both support the same API set: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The clock behavior differs markedly: the Intel chip runs at a constant 2000 MHz for both base and boost, while the NVIDIA chip runs at 930 MHz base and 1455 MHz boost. The NVIDIA part compensates for its lower clock with a much larger execution engine, and the recorded data shows that this strategy yields a large lead in every throughput metric.

The database shows no benchmark scores for either part, so the comparison is purely specification-based. The percentile ranking of 50 for both parts suggests they fall at the median of the recorded GPU population, but the specification gap between them is extreme. The RTX 4090 Max-Q is the dominant part for compute, memory, and feature support. The A380E is the dominant part for compactness, fixed display outputs, and low power draw. Each part serves a different segment, and the recorded data makes that segmentation explicit.