Intel Arc A380E x2 vs NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data presents a fascinating split between these two GPUs, though the head-to-head benchmark results are empty and both units hold identical 50th percentile positions in the database. The Intel Arc A380E x2 and the NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU each claim advantages in entirely different domains, making them difficult to compare directly on raw performance alone.

The Intel Arc A380E x2 wins decisively in memory bandwidth. Its GDDR6 memory delivers 186.0 GB/s against the Switch 2 GPU's 102.4 GB/s from LPDDR5X. That is an 83.6 GB/s gap, roughly 82% higher bandwidth for the Intel part. For workloads that saturate memory, such as high-resolution texture streaming or compute tasks with large working sets, the Arc A380E x2 has a clear edge. The Intel GPU also operates on a 96-bit bus, which seems narrower than the Switch 2 GPU's 128-bit interface, yet the GDDR6 clock speed of 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) more than compensates for the narrower bus width.

The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU wins on shading throughput and compute. It packs 1536 shading units versus 1024, and its FP32 output reaches 4.301 TFLOPS against the Arc A380E x2's 4.096 TFLOPS. The FP16 figure similarly favors NVIDIA at 8.602 TFLOPS versus 8.192 TFLOPS. These are modest leads, roughly 5% and 5% respectively, but they matter in sustained compute workloads where the NVIDIA architecture can feed its wider array of shaders.

The Switch 2 GPU also carries 48 tensor cores and 12 RT cores, whereas the Arc A380E x2 lists 8 RT cores and no tensor core count at all. That suggests the NVIDIA part is positioned for accelerated AI inference and ray tracing workloads within its console environment. The Arc A380E x2 does have RT cores, but fewer of them, and its lack of tensor cores means any machine learning acceleration would rely on the shader array alone.

Pixel and texture throughput tell a different story. The Arc A380E x2 delivers 64.00 GPixel/s and 128.0 GTexel/s, while the Switch 2 GPU manages only 22.40 GPixel/s and 67.20 GTexel/s. The Intel part is roughly 2.9x faster in pixel fill and 1.9x faster in texture fill. This is a substantial rasterization advantage. Games or workloads that depend on fill rate, such as high-detail 2D rendering or certain post-processing effects, would favor the Arc A380E x2 heavily.

Power consumption flips the comparison entirely. The Arc A380E x2 draws 130 W, while the Switch 2 GPU operates at just 40 W. That is a 3.25x difference in thermal envelope. The NVIDIA part achieves its compute lead while consuming less than one-third of the power, indicating far superior efficiency per watt. For portable or thermally constrained scenarios, the Switch 2 GPU is the only realistic option between the two.

The Verdict

The data does not support a single winner. Instead, the choice depends entirely on the deployment context.

For a desktop workstation or embedded system with available power budget, the Intel Arc A380E x2 delivers superior memory bandwidth, dramatically higher fill rates, and a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface that allows direct host connectivity. It supports eight mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, making it suitable for multi-display setups. Its 6 GB of VRAM is half of the Switch 2 GPU's 12 GB, but the higher bandwidth and fill rates suggest it handles traditional graphics rendering more effectively.

For a handheld console or any battery-powered device, the NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU is the obvious selection. Its 40 W TDP is a fraction of the Arc A380E x2's 130 W requirement. It provides more shading units, more RT cores, and exclusive tensor cores. The 12 GB of LPDDR5X memory doubles the capacity of the Intel part, which matters for modern game assets and AI workloads. The Switch 2 GPU has no display outputs of its own, which aligns with its role as an integrated console processor rather than a discrete add-in card.

The Arc A380E x2 requires a 300 W suggested PSU and a 6-pin power connector, while the Switch 2 GPU lists no such requirements. The Intel card measures 265 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width, making it a full single-slot expansion card. The Switch 2 GPU's dimensions of 272 mm by 116 mm by 14 mm suggest a board-level component rather than a user-installable GPU. These physical differences reinforce that the two target completely different product categories.

The production statuses confirm this. The Arc A380E x2 is marked end-of-life with a release date of March 2024, while the Switch 2 GPU is active with a June 2025 release. The Intel part is a legacy desktop component; the NVIDIA part is a current-generation console processor.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark array in the database is empty, and both GPUs record an average benchmark score of zero. No direct comparison scores exist between these two products. The nearest rival data is also absent for both. This means the following analysis relies entirely on the architectural specifications recorded in the database.

The most dramatic gap is in pixel fill rate. The Arc A380E x2 achieves 64.00 GPixel/s, which is 2.86x the Switch 2 GPU's 22.40 GPixel/s. The Intel part's 32 ROPs double the Switch 2 GPU's 16 ROPs, and its base clock of 2000 MHz is substantially higher than the Switch 2 GPU's 561 MHz base. Even at the Switch 2 GPU's 1400 MHz boost clock, it cannot close the fill rate gap because the ROP count difference is structural.

Texture throughput shows a similar pattern. The Arc A380E x2's 128.0 GTexel/s comes from 64 TMUs operating at 2000 MHz. The Switch 2 GPU has 48 TMUs but a maximum boost of 1400 MHz, yielding 67.20 GTexel/s. The Intel part leads by 1.90x. Interestingly, the Switch 2 GPU has more shading units (1536 versus 1024) but fewer TMUs (48 versus 64) and fewer ROPs (16 versus 32). This indicates the NVIDIA architecture allocates more silicon to shader compute and less to fixed-function rasterization hardware.

Memory bandwidth is the other major Intel advantage. The Arc A380E x2's 186.0 GB/s versus 102.4 GB/s represents an 81.6% lead. The Switch 2 GPU's memory clock is only 800 MHz (6.4 Gbps effective), far below the Arc A380E x2's 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective). The Switch 2 GPU's wider 128-bit bus helps, but the LPDDR5X memory speed cannot match the GDDR6 implementation.

The NVIDIA part fights back in compute. Its 4.301 TFLOPS FP32 output edges out the Arc A380E x2's 4.096 TFLOPS by 5.0%. FP16 shows the same proportional lead: 8.602 TFLOPS versus 8.192 TFLOPS. The Switch 2 GPU achieves this with a 1400 MHz boost clock against the Arc A380E x2's 2000 MHz, which means the NVIDIA chip's higher shader count (1536 versus 1024) is doing the heavy lifting. At similar clock speeds, the NVIDIA architecture would likely widen this gap considerably.

The transistor counts are not directly comparable because the Switch 2 GPU's transistor figure is listed as unknown. The die sizes differ: 157 mm² for the Intel DG2-128 on TSMC 6 nm, versus 200 mm² for the NVIDIA GA10B on Samsung 8 nm. The Intel part achieves a transistor density of 45.9M per mm², while the NVIDIA part's density cannot be calculated from the provided data. The smaller process node gives Intel an advantage in density, but NVIDIA's larger die accommodates more specialized hardware.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU leads with 4.301 TFLOPS against the Intel Arc A380E x2's 4.096 TFLOPS, a difference of approximately 5%.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each GPU provide?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 delivers 186.0 GB/s from 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus. The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU provides 102.4 GB/s from 12 GB of LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What are the power consumption figures?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 has a TDP of 130 W, while the NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU has a TDP of 40 W.

Q: Does either GPU support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes. The Intel Arc A380E x2 has 8 RT cores, and the NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU has 12 RT cores. The Switch 2 GPU additionally includes 48 tensor cores.

Q: What display outputs are available?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 provides 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU lists no display outputs.

Q: What are the release dates and production statuses?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 was released in March 2024 and is end-of-life. The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU was released in June 2025 and is active in production.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. The Intel Arc A380E x2 uses the DG2-128 chip built on Xe-HPG architecture, part of the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC and contains 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die. The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU uses the GA10B chip on Ampere architecture, classified as a console GPU for Nintendo. It is fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung with a 200 mm² die size, though its transistor count is not recorded.

The Intel Xe-HPG design emphasizes traditional graphics throughput. Its 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs are configured for high fill rates and rasterization performance. The base and boost clocks are both 2000 MHz, indicating a fixed clock design with no dynamic boost range. The 8 RT cores provide ray tracing support without dedicated tensor hardware.

The NVIDIA Ampere design in the Switch 2 GPU takes a different approach. It allocates 1536 shading units but only 48 TMUs and 16 ROPs, prioritizing shader compute over fill rate. The clock range from 561 MHz base to 1400 MHz boost is wide, suggesting aggressive power management. The inclusion of 48 tensor cores is notable; this is the only GPU in this comparison with dedicated AI acceleration hardware.

Memory architecture differs fundamentally. The Intel part uses discrete GDDR6 with a 96-bit interface, achieving high bandwidth through high clock speeds. The NVIDIA part uses LPDDR5X on a 128-bit interface, which is typical for a unified memory architecture in a console. The Switch 2 GPU's 12 GB capacity doubles the Intel part's 6 GB, reflecting console requirements for larger memory pools.

The API support is identical on paper: both claim DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface differs, with the Intel part using PCIe 4.0 x8 while the Switch 2 GPU lists no bus interface, consistent with its embedded console role.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every recorded specification field. The table below isolates only the fields where the two diverge.

| Specification | Intel Arc A380E x2 | NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU |

|---|---|---|

| Manufacturer | Intel | NVIDIA |

| Chip | DG2-128 | GA10B |

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Ampere |

| Generation | Alchemist (Arc 3) | Console GPU (Nintendo) |

| Process node | 6 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | unknown |

| Die size | 157 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor density | 45.9M / mm² | null |

| Base clock | 2000 MHz | 561 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2000 MHz | 1400 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1937 MHz 15.5 Gbps effective | 800 MHz 6.4 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 6 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory type | GDDR6 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory bus width | 96 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 186.0 GB/s | 102.4 GB/s |

| Shading units | 1024 | 1536 |

| TMUs | 64 | 48 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| RT cores | 8 | 12 |

| Tensor cores | null | 48 |

| Pixel rate | 64.00 GPixel/s | 22.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 128.0 GTexel/s | 67.20 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.096 TFLOPS | 4.301 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1) | 8.602 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 130 W | 40 W |

| Slot width | Single-slot | null |

| Power connectors | 1x 6-pin | null |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | null |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | null |

| Display outputs | 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 | No outputs |

| Dimensions (LxHxW) | 265 mm x 127 mm x 20 mm | 272 mm x 116 mm x 14 mm |

| Production status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release date | March 2024 | June 2025 |

| Launch MSRP | null | 449 USD |

The Intel Arc A380E x2 is a discrete add-in card with a single-slot form factor, a 6-pin power connector, and a 300 W suggested PSU. The NVIDIA Switch 2 GPU has no slot width, power connectors, or PSU recommendation in the database, confirming its role as a soldered console processor. The Switch 2 GPU's launch MSRP of 449 USD applies to the console unit as a whole, not the GPU in isolation. The Intel part has no recorded launch MSRP.