Intel Arc A380E vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the Intel Arc A380E and the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation?

A: The Intel Arc A380E uses the DG2-128 chip with Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process.

Q: How do their memory subsystems compare?

A: The Intel Arc A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation delivers 23.04 TFLOPS FP32, while the Intel Arc A380E delivers 4.096 TFLOPS FP32. The NVIDIA part is approximately 5.6 times higher in FP32 throughput.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The Intel Arc A380E has a TDP of 75 W and a suggested PSU of 250 W. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has a TDP of 100 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Q: What display outputs does each GPU provide?

A: The Intel Arc A380E provides 4x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation provides no display outputs, indicating it is designed for embedded or compute-focused applications.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A380E is end-of-life, with its successor being Battlemage. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation is active, with its successor being Blackwell-MW.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A380E is built on the DG2-128 chip, implementing Intel's Xe-HPG architecture. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². The GPU belongs to the Alchemist generation (Arc 3) and was released in March 2024. It uses 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 RT cores, but has no dedicated tensor cores. Its FP16 throughput is 8.192 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32, indicating that it uses shader-based FP16 execution rather than dedicated tensor hardware.

The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation is built on the AD104 chip, implementing the Ada Lovelace architecture. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The GPU belongs to the Ada-MW generation and was released in March 2023. It uses 5120 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 40 RT cores, and 160 tensor cores. Its FP16 throughput is 23.04 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, meaning it can execute FP16 at the same rate as FP32 using its tensor cores.

The architecture differences translate into substantially different capabilities. The NVIDIA part has 5 times more shading units, 2.5 times more TMUs, 2 times more ROPs, 5 times more RT cores, and 160 tensor cores versus none on the Intel part. The Intel Arc A380E supports 8.192 TFLOPS FP16 via a 2:1 shader-based path, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation supports 23.04 TFLOPS FP16 at full rate. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the NVIDIA GPU has a significant hardware advantage in ray tracing and AI workloads due to its dedicated RT and tensor cores.

The process node difference (6 nm versus 5 nm) contributes to the NVIDIA part's higher transistor density, despite the larger die. The Intel part is single-slot with a 254 mm length, 127 mm height, and 20 mm width, while the NVIDIA part is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no listed dimensions, reflecting its embedded design without display outputs.

The Verdict

The recorded data shows a clear performance hierarchy between these two GPUs. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation dominates the Intel Arc A380E across every compute metric in the database. The NVIDIA part has 5.6 times higher FP32 throughput, 2.3 times higher pixel rate, 2.8 times higher texture rate, 2.3 times higher memory bandwidth, and double the memory capacity. It also has 5 times more shading units, 5 times more RT cores, and 160 tensor cores that the Intel part lacks entirely.

The Intel Arc A380E is the only one of the two with display outputs, offering 4x DisplayPort 2.0, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has no outputs, targeting compute or embedded applications where rendering to a display is not required. The Intel part has a lower TDP (75 W versus 100 W) and a lower suggested PSU (250 W versus 300 W), making it easier to integrate into power-constrained systems.

The production status indicates that the Intel Arc A380E is end-of-life, with Battlemage as its successor, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation is active, with Blackwell-MW on the horizon. The NVIDIA part was released earlier (March 2023 versus March 2024) but remains the more capable and current product.

The data confirms that users requiring maximum compute performance, ray tracing capabilities, or tensor core acceleration should select the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation. Users needing display outputs for graphics output, or those constrained by lower power budgets, would use the Intel Arc A380E, but they should expect significantly lower performance across all measured workloads.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field in the database.

Chip and Process: The Intel Arc A380E uses the DG2-128 chip on a 6 nm TSMC process. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process.

Transistors and Die: The Intel part has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, with a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². The NVIDIA part has 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a transistor density of 121.8M per mm².

Clocks: The Intel Arc A380E has a base and boost clock of 2000 MHz, with memory at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has a base clock of 1725 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz, with memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Memory: The Intel part has 6 GB GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, providing 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA part has 12 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute Units: The Intel Arc A380E has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 RT cores. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has 5120 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 40 RT cores. The NVIDIA part also has 160 tensor cores, while the Intel part has none.

Throughput Rates: The Intel part achieves 64.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, 128.0 GTexel/s texture rate, 4.096 TFLOPS FP32, and 8.192 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The NVIDIA part achieves 144.0 GPixel/s pixel rate, 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate, 23.04 TFLOPS FP32, and 23.04 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1).

Power and Form Factor: The Intel Arc A380E has a TDP of 75 W, is single-slot, has no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has a TDP of 100 W, is an IGP, has no power connectors, and suggests a 300 W PSU.

Bus and Outputs: The Intel part uses PCIe 4.0 x8 and provides 4x DisplayPort 2.0. The NVIDIA part uses PCIe 4.0 x16 and provides no display outputs.

Dimensions: The Intel part measures 254 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. The NVIDIA part has no listed dimensions due to its IGP form factor.

Production and Release: The Intel Arc A380E is end-of-life, released on March 31, 2024, with Xe Graphics as its predecessor and Battlemage as its successor. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation is active, released on March 20, 2023, with Ampere-MW as its predecessor and Blackwell-MW as its successor.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data in the database is currently empty, with zero recorded wins for either GPU. However, the specification-level comparisons provide a complete picture of expected performance differences.

The biggest advantage for the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation is in FP32 compute throughput. The NVIDIA part delivers 23.04 TFLOPS, which is 5.6 times the 4.096 TFLOPS of the Intel Arc A380E. This translates directly to faster execution of general-purpose compute workloads, shader-heavy rendering, and physics simulations.

Memory bandwidth shows a similar gap. The NVIDIA part provides 432.0 GB/s, which is 2.3 times the 186.0 GB/s of the Intel part. With double the memory capacity (12 GB versus 6 GB) and a 192-bit bus versus a 96-bit bus, the NVIDIA part has a substantial advantage in memory-bound workloads such as large texture sets, high-resolution framebuffers, and data-intensive compute tasks.

Texture and pixel rates follow the same pattern. The NVIDIA part achieves 360.0 GTexel/s, which is 2.8 times the 128.0 GTexel/s of the Intel part. The NVIDIA part achieves 144.0 GPixel/s, which is 2.25 times the 64.00 GPixel/s of the Intel part. These metrics indicate faster fill-rate performance for rasterization and fragment processing.

In ray tracing, the NVIDIA part has 40 RT cores compared to 8 on the Intel part, a 5:1 ratio. The NVIDIA part also has 160 tensor cores, which the Intel part lacks entirely. These hardware resources enable accelerated ray tracing traversal and AI-accelerated features such as deep learning super sampling, neither of which the Intel part can match with its 8 RT cores and no tensor hardware.

The NVIDIA part's higher boost clock (2250 MHz versus 2000 MHz) and faster memory clock (2250 MHz versus 1937 MHz) further contribute to its performance lead. The Intel part has a higher base clock (2000 MHz versus 1725 MHz), but this does not compensate for the NVIDIA part's 5:1 shading unit advantage and 2.5:1 TMU advantage.

The only areas where the Intel Arc A380E leads are in power efficiency and display connectivity. The Intel part has a TDP of 75 W versus 100 W for the NVIDIA part, and it provides 4x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs versus none on the NVIDIA part. For systems that require a GPU with display outputs and a lower power budget, the Intel part is the only viable choice between these two, but the performance trade-off is substantial.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation wins in every compute and rendering performance category. Its 23.04 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 throughput makes it suitable for high-performance compute workloads, including AI inference, scientific simulation, and heavy 3D rendering. Its 40 RT cores provide 5 times the ray tracing hardware of the Intel part, making it the clear choice for ray-traced graphics in embedded visualization or professional rendering applications. Its 160 tensor cores enable AI-accelerated features that the Intel Arc A380E cannot perform with dedicated hardware.

The NVIDIA part's 12 GB memory capacity and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth support larger datasets and higher-resolution textures than the 6 GB and 186.0 GB/s of the Intel part. Its 192-bit memory bus allows for greater memory parallelism, and its 360.0 GTexel/s and 144.0 GPixel/s rates indicate faster texture filtering and pixel output, respectively.

The Intel Arc A380E wins in the category of display output capability. It provides 4x DisplayPort 2.0 connections, enabling multi-monitor setups or direct display driving, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has no display outputs at all. This makes the Intel part appropriate for applications where the GPU must drive displays directly, such as thin-client workstations or embedded systems with integrated display requirements.

The Intel part also wins on power draw, with a TDP of 75 W versus 100 W for the NVIDIA part, and a suggested PSU of 250 W versus 300 W. For power-sensitive embedded designs, the Intel Arc A380E requires less thermal and electrical overhead. Its single-slot form factor with defined dimensions (254 mm length, 127 mm height, 20 mm width) may also be easier to integrate than the NVIDIA part's IGP form factor, which has no listed dimensions.

For compute-oriented workloads where display output is not required, the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation is the superior choice across all performance metrics. For display-oriented or power-constrained applications, the Intel Arc A380E provides the necessary outputs and lower power draw, but with a fraction of the compute performance. The production status also favors the NVIDIA part, as it remains active while the Intel part is end-of-life.