Intel Arc A380E vs NVIDIA H20 Comparison

The Verdict

The Intel Arc A380E and NVIDIA H20 occupy entirely different segments of the GPU market, and the data makes that distinction unambiguous. The Arc A380E is a compact, single-slot, 75 W graphics card built on Intel's Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-128 chip. The NVIDIA H20 is a 500 W SXM module based on the GH100 chip and Hopper architecture, designed for server deployments. The H20 carries 80,000 million transistors on an 814 mm² die, while the A380E uses 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die. The transistor density figures reinforce the divide: the H20 packs 98.3M transistors per mm², compared to 45.9M per mm² for the A380E.

Benchmark results show both cards sitting at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, but that percentile alone masks the scale of their differences. The H20 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 79.07 TFLOPS of FP16 compute, while the A380E delivers 4.096 TFLOPS and 8.192 TFLOPS respectively. The H20 leads by a factor of roughly 9.6 in FP32 and 9.6 in FP16. Memory capacity and bandwidth follow the same pattern: the H20 has 96 GB of HBM3 on a 6144-bit bus with 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth, while the A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s. The H20 offers 16 times the memory capacity and over 21 times the bandwidth.

The verdict is straightforward. The NVIDIA H20 is the choice for server-side compute workloads where massive FP32 and FP16 throughput, tensor core acceleration, and 96 GB of HBM3 memory matter. The Intel Arc A380E is the choice for desktop or embedded systems requiring a low-power, single-slot GPU with display outputs, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and no external power connectors. The H20 is an active production part; the A380E is end-of-life. The A380E released on 2024-03-31, and the H20 released earlier on 2024-01-31. Neither card shows a benchmark score in the recorded data, so direct performance comparisons rely on the architectural and specification figures available.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A380E wins in power efficiency, physical footprint, and display capability. Its 75 W TDP requires only a 250 W suggested PSU and no power connectors, making it suitable for systems where power delivery is limited. The A380E occupies a single slot with dimensions of 254 mm length, 127 mm height, and 20 mm width. It provides 4x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, which the H20 lacks entirely; the H20 lists no display outputs. The A380E also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the H20 lists N/A for all three APIs, confirming its role as a compute accelerator without graphics rendering duties.

The A380E uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, which is narrower than the H20's PCIe 5.0 x16, but the A380E's lower bandwidth requirements make this adequate. The A380E's pixel rate of 64.00 GPixel/s actually exceeds the H20's 47.52 GPixel/s, and its 32 ROPs outnumber the H20's 24 ROPs. The A380E also has 8 dedicated ray tracing cores, while the H20 lists none. For rendering-oriented tasks, the A380E holds clear advantages in output options and graphics API support.

The NVIDIA H20 wins in raw compute, memory, and tensor processing. Its 9984 shading units dwarf the A380E's 1024. The H20 has 312 TMUs and 312 tensor cores, while the A380E has 64 TMUs and no tensor cores. Texture rate favors the H20 heavily: 617.8 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s. The H20's memory subsystem is in a different class entirely. The 4.03 TB/s bandwidth enables data movement that the A380E's 186.0 GB/s cannot approach. The H20's 96 GB capacity suits large model residency, whereas the A380E's 6 GB is suited to framebuffer workloads.

The H20's boost clock of 1980 MHz is slightly lower than the A380E's boost clock of 2000 MHz, but the H20 compensates with 9.75 times more shading units and a much wider memory bus. The H20's base clock of 1830 MHz is also lower than the A380E's base clock of 2000 MHz, yet the massive core count advantage carries the H20 to a 39.54 TFLOPS FP32 result. The H20's memory clock runs at 1313 MHz with 5.3 Gbps effective, whereas the A380E's memory runs at 1937 MHz with 15.5 Gbps effective; the H20 wins on bandwidth through its 6144-bit bus rather than raw memory clock speed.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different manufacturers, foundries, and architecture generations. Intel builds the Arc A380E on a 6 nm process at TSMC, using the DG2-128 chip with Xe-HPG architecture. The generation is listed as Alchemist (Arc 3), with a predecessor of Xe Graphics and a successor of Battlemage. NVIDIA builds the H20 on a 5 nm process at TSMC, using the GH100 chip with Hopper architecture. The generation is listed as Server Hopper (Hxx), with a predecessor of Server Ada and a successor of Server Blackwell.

Transistor counts illustrate the gulf in complexity. The H20 integrates 80,000 million transistors, more than 11 times the A380E's 7,200 million. Die size tells a similar story: 814 mm² for the H20 versus 157 mm² for the A380E. The transistor density of 98.3M per mm² for the H20 reflects a denser design than the A380E's 45.9M per mm². Both rely on TSMC, but the process nodes differ (5 nm for the H20, 6 nm for the A380E).

Memory architecture represents a fundamental split. The A380E uses 6 GB of GDDR6 with a 96-bit bus. The H20 uses 96 GB of HBM3 with a 6144-bit bus. GDDR6 operates at a higher effective data rate (15.5 Gbps) compared to HBM3 (5.3 Gbps), but HBM3's enormous bus width yields 4.03 TB/s versus 186.0 GB/s. The H20's memory clock is lower at 1313 MHz, while the A380E's memory clock is 1937 MHz; the bus width difference overrides the clock speed difference.

Core organization differs substantially. The A380E has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. The H20 has 9984 shading units, 312 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 312 tensor cores. The H20 has no ray tracing cores listed, which aligns with its server compute positioning. The A380E has no tensor cores listed, which limits its AI acceleration capabilities compared to the H20's dedicated tensor hardware.

The H20's power envelope is far larger: 500 W TDP versus 75 W for the A380E. The suggested PSU reflects this: 900 W for the H20, 250 W for the A380E. The H20 is an SXM Module form factor, while the A380E is a standard single-slot card. The H20 has no display outputs, whereas the A380E provides 4x DisplayPort 2.0. The H20 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the A380E uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The H20 lists no API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan; the A380E supports all three. The H20's production status is Active, while the A380E is End-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more FP32 compute power?

A: The NVIDIA H20 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is approximately 9.6 times the Intel Arc A380E's 4.096 TFLOPS.

Q: How does memory capacity compare between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA H20 has 96 GB of HBM3 memory, while the Intel Arc A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6. The H20 offers 16 times the capacity.

Q: Which card can connect to displays?

A: Only the Intel Arc A380E has display outputs, providing 4x DisplayPort 2.0. The NVIDIA H20 lists no display outputs.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A380E has a 75 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 250 W, with no power connectors. The NVIDIA H20 has a 500 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 900 W.

Q: Does either card support tensor cores?

A: The NVIDIA H20 includes 312 tensor cores. The Intel Arc A380E lists no tensor cores.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: The Intel Arc A380E includes 8 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA H20 lists no ray tracing cores.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head benchmark data is empty, so the comparison relies on the specification-derived figures in the database. The largest wins for the NVIDIA H20 appear in compute throughput and memory bandwidth. The H20's FP32 result of 39.54 TFLOPS stands at 9.65 times the A380E's 4.096 TFLOPS. FP16 follows the same ratio: 79.07 TFLOPS for the H20 versus 8.192 TFLOPS for the A380E. Texture rate shows a 4.83 times advantage for the H20 (617.8 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s). Memory bandwidth shows a 21.67 times advantage for the H20 (4.03 TB/s versus 186.0 GB/s).

The Intel Arc A380E posts wins in several specific metrics. The A380E's pixel rate of 64.00 GPixel/s exceeds the H20's 47.52 GPixel/s by about 34.7%. The A380E has 32 ROPs versus the H20's 24 ROPs, a 33.3% advantage. The A380E's boost clock of 2000 MHz is slightly higher than the H20's 1980 MHz, a 1% difference. The A380E's base clock of 2000 MHz is 9.3% higher than the H20's 1830 MHz. The A380E's memory clock of 1937 MHz is 47.5% higher than the H20's 1313 MHz, though the H20's bus width makes this irrelevant for bandwidth.

Shading unit counts show the H20's dominance: 9984 versus 1024, a 9.75 times advantage. The H20's 312 TMUs compare to the A380E's 64 TMUs, a 4.875 times advantage. The H20's 312 tensor cores have no counterpart in the A380E. Transistor count favors the H20 by 11.11 times (80,000 million versus 7,200 million). Die size favors the H20 by 5.18 times (814 mm² versus 157 mm²). Transistor density favors the H20 by 2.14 times (98.3M per mm² versus 45.9M per mm²).

The H20's memory bus width of 6144 bits is 64 times the A380E's 96-bit bus. Memory type differs completely: HBM3 versus GDDR6. The H20's 96 GB capacity is 16 times the A380E's 6 GB. The H20's 500 W TDP is 6.67 times the A380E's 75 W. The suggested PSU for the H20 (900 W) is 3.6 times the A380E's suggested PSU (250 W). The H20's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface provides more lanes and newer generation than the A380E's PCIe 4.0 x8.

The A380E supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the H20 lists N/A for all three. The A380E's 4x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs contrast with the H20's no outputs. The A380E measures 254 mm by 127 mm by 20 mm and fits a single slot; the H20 is an SXM Module with no listed dimensions. The A380E uses no power connectors, while the H20 lists none as well, though its SXM form factor typically receives power through the module socket.

The production status differs: the H20 is Active, the A380E is End-of-life. The release dates place the H20 earlier at 2024-01-31 and the A380E at 2024-03-31. The A380E's predecessor is Xe Graphics and its successor is Battlemage. The H20's predecessor is Server Ada and its successor is Server Blackwell. Both cards sit at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, and neither has an average benchmark score recorded.

For compute-heavy server workloads, the H20's advantages in FP32, FP16, tensor cores, memory capacity, and memory bandwidth make it the only viable choice between these two. For desktop rendering, display output, and low-power operation, the A380E's advantages in pixel rate, ROP count, ray tracing cores, and graphics API support make it the functional option. The data does not show any overlap in their intended use cases.