Intel Arc A530M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive performance gap between these two mobile graphics solutions. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 159,575, while the Intel Arc A530M scores 49,735. That translates to a 68.8% deficit for the Intel part, meaning the NVIDIA card delivers more than three times the raw compute throughput in this workload. The gap is even wider in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 4080 Mobile records 145,807 against the Arc A530M's 43,492, a 70.2% difference. The NVIDIA card is roughly 3.35 times faster in Vulkan-based rendering tasks.

The head-to-head results are one-sided: the RTX 4080 Mobile wins both recorded benchmarks, and the Intel part secures zero wins. However, the average benchmark scores tell a more nuanced story. The Arc A530M has an average benchmark score of 46,614, while the RTX 4080 Mobile averages 38,135. This discrepancy arises because the Intel part has only two benchmark entries, both from Geekbench, whereas the NVIDIA card has nine entries including several Passmark tests. The Passmark DirectX 9 score of 286 and DirectX 11 score of 244 for the RTX 4080 Mobile, along with a Passmark G3D score of 24,926, pull its average down relative to its Geekbench dominance.

Looking at percentile placement, the Arc A530M sits at the 85th percentile among all GPUs, while the RTX 4080 Mobile sits at the 81st percentile. This might seem counterintuitive given the NVIDIA card's massive lead in the head-to-head tests, but the percentile metric accounts for the full benchmark suite where the Intel part's limited testing yields a higher relative standing. The nearest rivals for the Arc A530M include the AMD Radeon RX 5600M with an average score of 46,601 (a 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6550M at 46,702 (a -0.2% delta). For the RTX 4080 Mobile, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 at 38,299 (-0.4%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile at 38,349 (-0.6%).

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A530M uses the DG2-256 chip built on the Xe-HPG architecture, a design that Intel calls Alchemist for the Arc 5 Mobile generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, containing 11,500 million transistors on a 269 mm² die, which yields a transistor density of 42.8 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, by contrast, uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, part of the GeForce 40 Mobile generation. It is built on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, but packs 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip is denser by a factor of nearly three, and it has roughly 3.1 times the transistor count.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The Arc A530M has 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 48 raster output units, and 12 ray tracing cores. The RTX 4080 Mobile has 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 58 ray tracing cores, and 232 tensor cores. The NVIDIA part has about 4.8 times the shading units, 2.4 times the TMUs, and 1.7 times the ROPs. The Intel part has no tensor cores listed, whereas the NVIDIA card's 232 tensor cores are dedicated to AI acceleration workloads.

Clock speeds also differ notably. The Intel GPU runs at a base clock of 900 MHz and boosts to 1300 MHz. The NVIDIA GPU starts at 1290 MHz base and boosts to 1665 MHz. Memory clocks are similarly lopsided: the Arc A530M uses 1750 MHz memory (14 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4080 Mobile uses 2250 MHz memory (18 Gbps effective). The compute throughput follows the same pattern, with the Intel card delivering 3.994 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and the NVIDIA card delivering 24.72 TFLOPS, a 6.2 times advantage. For FP16, the Intel part achieves 7.987 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the NVIDIA card hits 24.72 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 Mobile wins every head-to-head benchmark in the database, making it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks such as 3D rendering, video encoding, and high-resolution gaming. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 159,575 suggests strong raw compute capability for general-purpose GPU workloads, and its Vulkan score of 145,807 indicates robust graphics API performance. With 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 432 GB/s of bandwidth, it has 50% more memory capacity and nearly double the bandwidth of the Intel part. The NVIDIA card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, matching the Intel part's API feature set.

The Arc A530M, despite its losses in direct comparison, occupies a distinct position. Its average benchmark score of 46,614 is higher than the RTX 4080 Mobile's average of 38,135, and its 85th percentile placement exceeds the NVIDIA card's 81st percentile. This suggests that for users looking at the broader GPU landscape, the Intel part may represent a more balanced performer relative to its peers. The Arc A530M's nearest rivals are all within a 1.4% delta, meaning it competes closely with the AMD Radeon RX 5600M, RX 6550M, NVIDIA RTX A2000, and RTX 5880 Ada Generation. The RTX 4080 Mobile's nearest rivals are similarly tight, with deltas under 1.3%, but those rivals are lower-scoring parts like the MX570 and Tesla P4.

Power consumption is a differentiator. The Arc A530M has a TDP of 65 W, while the RTX 4080 Mobile has a TDP of 110 W. The Intel part draws about 59% of the NVIDIA card's power budget, which could make it more suitable for thinner laptops or longer battery life. The NVIDIA card has no power connectors listed, while the Intel part also lacks explicit connector information, but the bus interface differs: the Arc A530M uses PCIe 4.0 x8, and the RTX 4080 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench Vulkan score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 145,807 in Geekbench Vulkan, compared to the Intel Arc A530M's 43,492, a 70.2% difference in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Intel Arc A530M has an average benchmark score of 46,614, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile averages 38,135. This is because the Intel part has only two Geekbench entries, while the NVIDIA card has nine entries including several Passmark tests that lower its average.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A530M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more ray tracing cores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has 58 ray tracing cores, while the Intel Arc A530M has 12, giving the NVIDIA card nearly five times as many.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The Intel Arc A530M has a TDP of 65 W, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has a TDP of 110 W, so the NVIDIA card consumes about 69% more power.

Q: How do their transistor densities compare?

A: The Intel Arc A530M has a transistor density of 42.8 million per square millimeter, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has 121.8 million per square millimeter, making the NVIDIA chip roughly 2.8 times denser.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every recorded specification. The Intel Arc A530M uses the DG2-256 chip on a 6 nm TSMC process, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile uses AD104 on a 5 nm TSMC process. Transistor counts are 11,500 million versus 35,800 million, and die sizes are 269 mm² versus 294 mm². Base clocks are 900 MHz versus 1290 MHz, and boost clocks are 1300 MHz versus 1665 MHz. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Memory capacity is 8 GB versus 12 GB, bus widths are 128-bit versus 192-bit, and bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s. Shading units number 1,536 versus 7,424, TMUs are 96 versus 232, ROPs are 48 versus 80, and ray tracing cores are 12 versus 58. The NVIDIA card has 232 tensor cores; the Intel part has none listed. Pixel rates are 62.40 GPixel/s versus 133.2 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 124.8 GTexel/s versus 386.3 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 3.994 TFLOPS versus 24.72 TFLOPS, and FP16 performance is 7.987 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 24.72 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 65 W versus 110 W, and bus interfaces are PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. Both are IGP slot width with portable device dependent display outputs, and both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split by use case. For users prioritizing raw graphics performance, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is the stronger option, winning both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 68.8% and 70.2%. Its 24.72 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, 12 GB memory, and 432 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for demanding gaming, 3D rendering, and CUDA-accelerated workloads. The 58 ray tracing cores and 232 tensor cores add dedicated hardware for ray-traced effects and AI features, which the Intel part lacks.

The Intel Arc A530M appeals to a different profile. Its 65 W TDP is substantially lower, and its 85th percentile placement among all GPUs suggests it performs well relative to its class. The average benchmark score of 46,614, which exceeds the RTX 4080 Mobile's average, indicates that in the context of the full GPU market, the Intel part is not a weak performer. Users who need a capable mobile GPU with lower power consumption, such as for thin-and-light laptops where battery life matters, may find the Arc A530M sufficient. The data shows the RTX 4080 Mobile dominates in compute, but the Arc A530M holds its own in its peer group, with all nearest rivals within a 1.4% delta. The choice comes down to whether the workload demands the NVIDIA card's massive compute advantage or whether the Intel part's efficiency and competitive standing relative to its peers are more important.