Intel Arc A380E vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two GPUs into clearly different deployment categories. The Intel Arc A380E is a compact, end-of-life embedded-oriented part built around the DG2-128 chip, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is an active, larger mobile workstation GPU. Their benchmark profiles show no overlap in the current database: there are zero recorded head-to-head wins for either unit, which means the database does not currently contain a single shared benchmark result where one outperforms the other. The distinction between them is therefore structural rather than performance-based in the available measurements.

The Arc A380E occupies the low-power, single-slot niche. Its 75 W TDP, 254 mm length, 127 mm height, and 20 mm width, combined with no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU, position it as a self-contained card for space-constrained systems. It offers four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, a feature the NVIDIA part lacks entirely, since its display outputs are listed as portable-device dependent. This makes the A380E the only one of the two with a fixed, multi-monitor output configuration in the data.

The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation, by contrast, is an integrated mobile processor with no slot width, no dimensions, and no power connectors listed. It uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, double the lane width of the A380E's PCIe 4.0 x8 connection. Its 100 W TDP is higher, and it carries substantially more memory, shading units, texture mapping units, render output units, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores. The database records no benchmarks for either chip, so the wins in this comparison are architectural and specification-based, not measured performance results.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 5120 shading units, while the Intel Arc A380E has 1024.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference between the two?

A: The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, while the Arc A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus.

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The NVIDIA part uses 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, whereas the Intel part uses 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation reaches 432.0 GB/s, compared to 186.0 GB/s for the Arc A380E.

Q: Are both GPUs compatible with the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 according to the database.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A380E is listed as end-of-life, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is active.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark entries for these two GPUs. The wins field records zero wins for the Intel Arc A380E and zero wins for the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation, and the head-to-head benchmark array is empty. Consequently, any statement about measured performance superiority must rely on the raw specification data rather than direct test results.

The largest specification gaps favor the NVIDIA part. Its FP32 throughput is 15.82 TFLOPS, which is 3.86 times the Arc A380E's 4.096 TFLOPS. Texture rate stands at 247.2 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s, a 1.93 times advantage. Pixel rate is 98.88 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s, a 1.55 times lead. Memory bandwidth is 432.0 GB/s versus 186.0 GB/s, a 2.32 times difference. The RTX 3500 Mobile also has 5120 shading units versus 1024, 160 TMUs versus 64, 64 ROPs versus 32, 40 ray tracing cores versus 8, and 160 tensor cores versus none listed for the Intel part.

Clock speeds tell a mixed story. The Arc A380E runs at a flat 2000 MHz for both base and boost, which is higher than the RTX 3500 Mobile's 1110 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost. The NVIDIA card compensates with its much wider execution resources. Memory clock also differs: the Intel part runs at 1937 MHz with 15.5 Gbps effective, while the NVIDIA part runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective.

The only areas where the Intel card leads are clock rate and physical configurability. The 2000 MHz boost clock exceeds the NVIDIA 1545 MHz boost by 455 MHz. The A380E also offers four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, while the NVIDIA part's display outputs are portable-device dependent. These are not benchmark wins, but they do represent functional advantages in the recorded specifications.

Specification Differences

Memory configuration differs substantially. The Intel Arc A380E uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, yielding 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA part doubles capacity, bus width, and bandwidth.

Compute resources differ across every category. Shading units: 1024 versus 5120. TMUs: 64 versus 160. ROPs: 32 versus 64. Ray tracing cores: 8 versus 40. Tensor cores: none listed versus 160. The NVIDIA part has 160 tensor cores, a feature entirely absent from the Intel specification.

Clock behavior differs. The Intel part lists a base clock of 2000 MHz and a boost clock of 2000 MHz, with no game clock. The NVIDIA part lists a base clock of 1110 MHz and a boost clock of 1545 MHz, also with no game clock. The Intel memory clock is 1937 MHz with 15.5 Gbps effective, while the NVIDIA memory clock is 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective.

Power and physical dimensions differ. The Intel TDP is 75 W with a suggested PSU of 250 W, single-slot width, length of 254 mm, height of 127 mm, width of 20 mm, and no power connectors. The NVIDIA TDP is 100 W with no suggested PSU listed, IGP slot width, no dimensions, and no power connectors. The bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x8 for Intel, PCIe 4.0 x16 for NVIDIA.

Production status and release dates differ. The Intel part is end-of-life and was released on 2024-03-31. The NVIDIA part is active and was released on 2023-03-20. The Intel predecessor is Xe Graphics, successor is Battlemage. The NVIDIA predecessor is Ampere-MW, successor is Blackwell-MW.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs use different architectures, chips, and process nodes. The Intel Arc A380E uses the Xe-HPG architecture on the DG2-128 chip, part of the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. 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 45.9 million per square millimeter. Its FP16 throughput is 8.192 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32.

The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on the AD104 chip, part of the Ada-MW generation. 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 121.8 million per square millimeter. Its FP16 throughput is 15.82 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, meaning FP16 and FP32 rates are identical.

The transistor density difference is notable: 121.8 million per square millimeter for NVIDIA versus 45.9 million for Intel. This reflects the smaller 5 nm process node and the larger die. The NVIDIA die is 294 mm², which is 1.87 times the size of the Intel 157 mm² die. The NVIDIA chip uses 35,800 million transistors, which is 4.97 times the Intel transistor count.

Feature sets differ in ray tracing and tensor hardware. The Intel part includes 8 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The NVIDIA part includes 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API-level compatibility is identical despite the architectural differences.

The NVIDIA part is a mobile integrated GPU, indicated by its IGP slot width, while the Intel part is a discrete card with a single-slot form factor. The NVIDIA display outputs are portable-device dependent, while the Intel card provides four DisplayPort 2.0 connections. The Intel card has a fixed length of 254 mm, height of 127 mm, and width of 20 mm, while the NVIDIA part has no listed dimensions.

The Verdict

The database shows two GPUs with no shared benchmark results, so the choice between them rests on the specification and feature differences recorded. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is the stronger compute device by every measured execution metric. Its 15.82 TFLOPS FP32 rate, 15.82 TFLOPS FP16 rate, 5120 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 40 ray tracing cores, and 160 tensor cores place it far ahead of the Intel Arc A380E's 4.096 TFLOPS FP32, 8.192 TFLOPS FP16, 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. Its 12 GB memory capacity and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth double the Intel part's 6 GB and 186.0 GB/s on both counts. Its 100 W TDP is higher, but its mobile IGP form factor with no dimensions and portable-device-dependent outputs indicates it is designed for laptop integration rather than standalone installation.

The Intel Arc A380E is the only one of the two that functions as a standalone, slot-mounted card. Its 254 mm length, 127 mm height, 20 mm width, single-slot design, no power connectors, and 250 W suggested PSU describe a self-contained unit. Its four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs give it a fixed multi-display capability that the NVIDIA part does not list. Its 2000 MHz boost clock is higher than the NVIDIA 1545 MHz boost, and its end-of-life status with a 2024-03-31 release date places it as a recent but discontinued product.

The data indicates that the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation is the appropriate choice for workloads requiring high compute throughput, large memory capacity, and wide memory bandwidth. The Arc A380E is the appropriate choice for systems needing a compact, low-power, multi-output discrete card with a fixed physical footprint. Neither part shows a benchmark advantage over the other in the current database, so the decision hinges on form factor, feature set, and raw specification levels. The NVIDIA part is active and newer in architecture, while the Intel part is end-of-life. The recorded data supports the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation for raw performance and the Arc A380E for standalone deployment with dedicated display outputs.