Intel Arc A380E x2 vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results for the Intel Arc A380E x2 versus the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation. Both entries show an empty benchmark array, zero recorded wins for either side, and identical percentile rankings against all GPUs at the 50th percentile. This makes a numerical performance comparison impossible from the recorded data.

The absence of measured scores is notable given the substantial architectural differences between the two products. The Intel Arc A380E x2 pairs two DG2-128 dies in a single card, each rated at 4.096 TFLOPS FP32, while the RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 15.82 TFLOPS FP32 from a single AD104 die. The raw compute figures suggest a large gap, but without benchmark scores, the database cannot confirm how these theoretical numbers translate into real-world application performance.

Texture and pixel throughput similarly point toward NVIDIA's advantage. The RTX 3500 Mobile reaches 247.2 GTexel/s and 98.88 GPixel/s, while the Arc A380E x2 delivers 128.0 GTexel/s and 64.00 GPixel/s per die. The Intel card's dual-die configuration does not appear to combine these rates in the recorded data, so the comparison remains at the per-die level.

Memory bandwidth favors the NVIDIA part decisively: 432.0 GB/s across a 192-bit bus versus 186.0 GB/s across a 96-bit bus for the Intel card. The RTX 3500 Mobile also carries 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, double the 6 GB on the Arc A380E x2. These capacity and bandwidth differences would likely influence GPU-bound workloads, but again, the lack of direct measurements leaves this as inference rather than confirmed result.

With no wins recorded for either product and no nearest rivals listed, the database provides no ranking context beyond the shared 50th percentile. That percentile places both cards in the middle of the overall GPU distribution, but it says nothing about their relative standing against each other.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation shows 15.82 TFLOPS FP32, while the Intel Arc A380E x2 shows 4.096 TFLOPS FP32 per die. The NVIDIA figure is approximately 3.86 times larger.

Q: How does memory capacity compare?

A: The RTX 3500 Mobile has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory. The Arc A380E x2 has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory. The NVIDIA part offers twice the capacity.

Q: What memory bus widths do the two GPUs use?

A: The RTX 3500 Mobile uses a 192-bit bus. The Arc A380E x2 uses a 96-bit bus. The wider bus on the NVIDIA card contributes to its higher bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s versus 186.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Arc A380E x2 boosts to 2000 MHz. The RTX 3500 Mobile boosts to 1545 MHz. The Intel card runs at a higher clock speed, though it has fewer shading units.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics 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 process node for each chip?

A: The Arc A380E x2 uses a 6 nm TSMC process. The RTX 3500 Mobile uses a 5 nm TSMC process. Both are fabricated by TSMC.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies. Intel's Arc A380E x2 pairs two DG2-128 dies based on the Xe-HPG architecture, part of the Alchemist generation for Arc 3 products. NVIDIA's RTX 3500 Mobile uses a single AD104 die built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, belonging to the Ada-MW generation.

Transistor counts reveal the scale difference. The RTX 3500 Mobile integrates 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The Arc A380E x2 packs 7,200 million transistors into a 157 mm² die per chip. With two dies, the Intel card totals 14,400 million transistors across 314 mm², still less than half of NVIDIA's transistor count on a comparable combined area. Transistor density tells a similar story: 121.8 million transistors per square millimeter for NVIDIA versus 45.9 million per square millimeter for Intel.

The shading unit count differs dramatically. The RTX 3500 Mobile carries 5120 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The Arc A380E x2 has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs per die. Even accounting for the dual-die configuration, NVIDIA's single chip offers more than twice the shading units of two Intel dies combined.

Ray tracing and tensor hardware also diverge. The RTX 3500 Mobile includes 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores. The Arc A380E x2 has 8 RT cores per die and no tensor cores listed in the database. This makes the NVIDIA part the clear choice for ray-traced workloads and any tensor-based processing such as AI inference, while the Intel card lacks dedicated tensor hardware entirely.

FP16 throughput reveals a notable architectural choice. The RTX 3500 Mobile delivers 15.82 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, meaning no throughput advantage for half-precision work. The Arc A380E x2 delivers 8.192 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, doubling its FP32 rate. Intel's design favors FP16 compute, while NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture treats FP16 and FP32 equally.

The memory subsystem differences extend beyond capacity and bandwidth. Intel uses GDDR6 at 1937 MHz with 15.5 Gbps effective data rate. NVIDIA uses GDDR6 at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective data rate. Both rely on GDDR6, but NVIDIA runs it faster and across a wider bus.

Power and form factor present a sharp contrast. The Arc A380E x2 draws 130 W, requires a 1x 6-pin power connector, and recommends a 300 W power supply. It occupies a single slot with dimensions of 265 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. The RTX 3500 Mobile is an integrated graphics processor with no power connectors, no standalone slot, and a 100 W TDP. Its dimensions are listed as portable device dependent, reflecting its mobile design target.

Specification Differences

The database records several fields where the two GPUs differ directly. Process node: 6 nm for Intel, 5 nm for NVIDIA. Transistor count: 7,200 million versus 35,800 million. Die size: 157 mm² versus 294 mm². Transistor density: 45.9M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm².

Base clocks differ substantially: 2000 MHz for Intel versus 1110 MHz for NVIDIA. Boost clocks follow the same pattern: 2000 MHz versus 1545 MHz. Memory clocks show 1937 MHz with 15.5 Gbps effective for Intel, 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective for NVIDIA.

Memory configuration differs on every field: 6 GB versus 12 GB capacity, 96-bit versus 192-bit bus width, 186.0 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units: 1024 versus 5120. TMUs: 64 versus 160. ROPs: 32 versus 64. RT cores: 8 versus 40. Tensor cores: none listed versus 160.

Pixel rate: 64.00 GPixel/s versus 98.88 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 128.0 GTexel/s versus 247.2 GTexel/s. FP32: 4.096 TFLOPS versus 15.82 TFLOPS. FP16: 8.192 TFLOPS with 2:1 ratio versus 15.82 TFLOPS with 1:1 ratio.

TDP: 130 W versus 100 W. Slot width: single-slot versus IGP. Power connectors: 1x 6-pin versus none. Suggested PSU: 300 W versus not listed. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 versus portable device dependent.

Release dates differ: 2024-03-31 for Intel, 2023-03-20 for NVIDIA. Production status: end-of-life for Intel, active for NVIDIA. Predecessors and successors also diverge: Intel lists Xe Graphics as predecessor and Battlemage as successor; NVIDIA lists Ampere-MW and Blackwell-MW.

The Verdict

The recorded data paints a clear picture for raw performance specifications. The RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation leads in nearly every compute and memory metric. Its FP32 throughput of 15.82 TFLOPS dwarfs the 4.096 TFLOPS per Intel die. Memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s more than doubles the Intel card's 186.0 GB/s. Shading units, texture units, render output units, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores all favor NVIDIA by wide margins.

The Arc A380E x2 holds advantages in clock speed, with a 2000 MHz boost versus 1545 MHz, and in FP16 ratio, doubling its FP32 rate. It also offers a fixed desktop form factor with eight mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, which suits multi-display configurations. However, its end-of-life production status and smaller memory capacity limit its long-term appeal.

For desktop workstation use with multiple display outputs, the Arc A380E x2 provides a concrete hardware package with known dimensions and power requirements. For mobile or embedded applications, the RTX 3500 Mobile fits an integrated design with lower power draw at 100 W and no external power connectors.

The absence of benchmark scores means the verdict rests on specification comparison. That comparison consistently favors the NVIDIA part for compute-heavy tasks, ray tracing, tensor workloads, and memory-intensive applications. The Intel card's dual-die approach does not close the gap in any recorded metric except clock speed.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A380E x2 wins in scenarios where its specific hardware traits matter most. Its 2000 MHz boost clock across both dies could benefit workloads sensitive to clock rate rather than raw core count. The FP16 2:1 ratio doubles its half-precision throughput to 8.192 TFLOPS, making it potentially competitive for FP16-focused computations despite the lower FP32 baseline. The eight mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs support multi-monitor setups that the portable-device-dependent outputs of the NVIDIA part cannot match. Its single-slot, 265 mm length, and 130 W TDP make it a straightforward drop-in card for desktop systems with a 300 W power supply recommendation.

The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Mobile Ada Generation wins in nearly every other category. Its 15.82 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 performance at 1:1 ratio handles both precision levels with equal throughput. The 5120 shading units and 160 TMUs provide substantial geometry and texture processing capacity. The 40 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, while 160 tensor cores support AI inference and deep learning workloads that the Intel card cannot accelerate with dedicated hardware. The 12 GB memory capacity and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth support large datasets and high-resolution textures. The 192-bit bus and 18 Gbps effective memory speed reduce bandwidth bottlenecks in memory-bound applications.

The RTX 3500 Mobile's 100 W TDP and integrated form factor suit power-constrained mobile designs. Its active production status indicates ongoing availability, while the Arc A380E x2 is marked end-of-life. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface doubles the bandwidth available to the NVIDIA part compared to the Intel card's PCIe 4.0 x8 connection.

The shared 50th percentile ranking against all GPUs obscures the specification gap, but the recorded data consistently favors NVIDIA for compute, memory, ray tracing, and tensor performance. Intel's card retains specific advantages in clock speed, FP16 ratio, display outputs, and desktop form factor. Users requiring multi-display desktop output or FP16-heavy workloads might consider the Arc A380E x2. Users needing maximum compute throughput, large memory capacity, or tensor acceleration should favor the RTX 3500 Mobile based on the specification data alone.