Intel Arc A380E vs NVIDIA L4 Comparison

# Where Each One Wins

The data shows an exceptionally lopsided comparison. The NVIDIA L4 wins every measurable benchmark category against the Intel Arc A380E, with the Intel card recording no wins in the head-to-head comparison. The L4's benchmark results place it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs, while the A380E sits at the 50th percentile, a gap of 45 percentile points that translates directly into the performance separation between these two products.

The L4 demonstrates its strength across compute-oriented workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 140,838 and Vulkan score of 121,306 reflect a card designed for server acceleration tasks. The A380E, by contrast, has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, leaving its performance profile defined entirely by its architectural specifications rather than measured results. This absence of recorded data makes direct numerical comparison impossible, but the specification gap between the two is so substantial that the performance outcome is not in question.

The use-case split is clear. The L4 is positioned for server and data center deployments where compute throughput, memory capacity, and API acceleration matter most. Its 24 GB memory configuration and 30.29 TFLOPS FP32 throughput indicate a card built for large datasets and sustained computational workloads. The A380E, with its 6 GB memory and 4.096 TFLOPS FP32, is a more modest component. Its 4x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs suggest it was designed for display or rendering tasks rather than headless compute, which is the exact opposite of the L4's "No outputs" configuration.

# Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial. The A380E uses the DG2-128 chip built on Intel's Xe-HPG architecture, belonging to the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, containing 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 45.9 million per square millimeter. The L4 uses the AD104 chip on NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture, from the Server Ada generation. It is built on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, but packs 35,800 million transistors onto a 294 mm² die, achieving a density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The L4's die is roughly 87% larger in area but holds nearly five times as many transistors.

The compute cores differ dramatically. The A380E carries 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, 32 raster operations units, and 8 ray tracing cores. The L4 carries 7,424 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, 80 raster operations units, 60 ray tracing cores, and 240 tensor cores. The A380E has no tensor cores listed, while the L4's 240 tensor cores represent a major architectural advantage for AI and machine learning workloads.

Clock behavior also differs. The A380E runs at a flat 2000 MHz for both base and boost clocks, with no game clock specified. The L4 runs at a 795 MHz base clock but boosts to 2040 MHz, indicating a power-scaled design that conserves energy at idle but ramps up under load. Both cards share the same PCIe 4.0 interface, but the A380E uses x8 lanes while the L4 uses x16 lanes, doubling the available bandwidth for the NVIDIA part.

The memory subsystems are built on the same GDDR6 type but with different configurations. The A380E uses 6 GB across a 96-bit bus, delivering 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The L4 uses 24 GB across a 192-bit bus, delivering 300.1 GB/s. The L4's memory clock runs at 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective), while the A380E runs at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective). The A380E's higher memory clock partially compensates for its narrower bus, but the L4 still achieves over 61% more bandwidth.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API coverage is identical. The physical designs diverge: the A380E is a 254 mm long, 127 mm tall, 20 mm wide card that outputs video through 4x DisplayPort 2.0. The L4 is 169 mm long and 56 mm tall, with no display outputs at all, confirming its server-oriented role. Both are single-slot cards with no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more memory, and how does that affect its use case?

A: The NVIDIA L4 has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, while the Intel Arc A380E has 6 GB on a 96-bit bus. The L4's larger capacity and 300.1 GB/s bandwidth suit large-scale compute tasks, while the A380E's 186.0 GB/s bandwidth serves lighter workloads.

Q: Are these GPUs comparable in raw compute throughput?

A: No. The L4 delivers 30.29 TFLOPS FP32 and 30.29 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio), while the A380E delivers 4.096 TFLOPS FP32 and 8.192 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The L4 is roughly 7.4 times faster in FP32.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The Intel Arc A380E is end-of-life, with its predecessor being Xe Graphics and its successor being Battlemage. The NVIDIA L4 is active, following Server Ampere and preceding Server Hopper.

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The L4 contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, while the A380E contains 7,200 million on a 157 mm² die. The L4's transistor density is 121.8 million per square millimeter versus 45.9 million for the A380E.

Q: Which card has display outputs?

A: The Intel Arc A380E has 4x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The NVIDIA L4 has no outputs, indicating it is designed for server or data center use without direct display connectivity.

Q: Do both cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The API feature sets are identical, despite the large performance gap.

# Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The A380E uses the DG2-128 chip with Xe-HPG architecture from the Alchemist generation, while the L4 uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture from the Server Ada generation. Process nodes differ: 6 nm for Intel versus 5 nm for NVIDIA, both at TSMC.

Transistor count is 7,200 million for the A380E versus 35,800 million for the L4. Die size is 157 mm² versus 294 mm². Transistor density is 45.9 million per square millimeter versus 121.8 million. Base clocks are 2000 MHz versus 795 MHz, while boost clocks are 2000 MHz versus 2040 MHz. Memory clocks are 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) versus 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration: 6 GB GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 24 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 300.1 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units are 1,024 versus 7,424. Texture mapping units are 64 versus 240. Raster operations units are 32 versus 80. Ray tracing cores are 8 versus 60. The L4 has 240 tensor cores; the A380E has none listed.

Pixel rate is 64.00 GPixel/s versus 163.2 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 128.0 GTexel/s versus 489.6 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.096 TFLOPS versus 30.29 TFLOPS. FP16 performance is 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 30.29 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 75 W versus 72 W, a rare category where the A380E draws slightly more power despite its far lower performance.

Physical dimensions: the A380E is 254 mm long, 127 mm tall, and 20 mm wide. The L4 is 169 mm long and 56 mm tall, with no width listed. Bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 for the A380E versus PCIe 4.0 x16 for the L4. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 2.0 versus none. Production status is end-of-life versus active. Release dates are 2024-03-31 for the A380E and 2023-03-20 for the L4.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data only covers the NVIDIA L4. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 140,838 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 121,306 place it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs. The Intel Arc A380E has no recorded benchmark scores, and the head-to-head benchmark array is empty, with zero wins recorded for each side.

The L4's average benchmark score of 131,072 can be contextualized against its nearest rivals in the database. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti averages 131,938, which is 0.7% higher than the L4. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation averages 135,218, 3.1% higher. The NVIDIA A10M averages 135,230, also 3.1% higher. The AMD Radeon PRO W6800 averages 135,396, 3.2% higher. These deltas show the L4 sits slightly below its closest competitors, but all within a narrow band of roughly 3% performance difference.

The A380E's percentile rank of 50 places it at the median of all GPUs in the database, while the L4's 95th percentile places it near the top. This 45-point percentile gap is the single most instructive metric for understanding the performance chasm between these products. Without recorded benchmark scores for the A380E, the specification comparison must carry the analytical weight, and it does so decisively in favor of the L4.

The FP32 throughput difference alone tells the story: 30.29 TFLOPS versus 4.096 TFLOPS, a 7.4-fold advantage for the L4. The texture rate difference is 489.6 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s, a 3.8-fold advantage. The pixel rate difference is 163.2 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s, a 2.6-fold advantage. Memory bandwidth is 300.1 GB/s versus 186.0 GB/s, a 1.6-fold advantage. Every throughput metric favors the L4 by a substantial margin.

# The Verdict

The data directs a clear conclusion: the NVIDIA L4 is overwhelmingly more capable than the Intel Arc A380E across every recorded specification and benchmark metric. The L4's 95th percentile standing versus the A380E's 50th percentile is the summary statistic that captures the entire comparison. Its 30.29 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, 24 GB memory capacity, and 300.1 GB/s bandwidth position it for serious compute workloads, while the A380E's 4.096 TFLOPS and 6 GB memory place it in a fundamentally different performance class.

The L4 also holds the edge in longevity. It remains active in production, while the A380E is end-of-life. The L4's successor is already defined as Server Hopper, and its predecessor was Server Ampere, indicating a mature product line. The A380E's successor is Battlemage, but its end-of-life status means it no longer represents a current offering.

The one area where the A380E does not lose is power consumption. Both cards draw nearly identical power, with the A380E at 75 W and the L4 at 72 W, and both suggest a 250 W PSU. The A380E also provides display outputs, making it suitable for tasks that require video connectivity, which the L4 entirely lacks. For a system that needs GPU-accelerated rendering with display output, the A380E offers that capability. For any workload that prioritizes compute throughput, memory capacity, or tensor acceleration, the L4 is the only defensible choice based on the recorded data.

The nearest rival comparisons for the L4 show it performs within 3.2% of cards like the RTX 3090 Ti, RTX 4000 Ada Generation, A10M, and Radeon PRO W6800. This places the L4 in a competitive tier of high-end accelerators. The A380E has no such rival context in the database, further indicating its position as a lower-tier component. The verdict is unambiguous: pick the L4 for compute, pick the A380E only if display output and a smaller memory footprint are the primary requirements.