Intel Arc A530M vs NVIDIA H20 Comparison

Intel Arc A530M vs NVIDIA H20

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons between the Intel Arc A530M and the NVIDIA H20. The Intel part has two submitted benchmark scores in the database, while the NVIDIA H20 has no benchmark submissions at all, resulting in an average benchmark score of zero for the H20. This absence of direct comparative data means the analysis must rely on the architectural specifications and the Intel Arc A530M's position within the broader GPU landscape.

The Intel Arc A530M posts a Geekbench OpenCL score of 49,735 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 43,492. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 46,614. This places the Arc A530M in the 85th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The nearest rivals for the Arc A530M show a tightly clustered competitive field: the AMD Radeon RX 5600M averages 46,601 with a delta of 0 percent, the AMD Radeon RX 6550M averages 46,702 with a delta of -0.2 percent, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 averages 46,043 with a delta of 1.2 percent, and the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation averages 45,972 with a delta of 1.4 percent. The Arc A530M essentially trades blows with these rivals, sitting within 1.4 percent of all four nearest competitors.

The NVIDIA H20, by contrast, has no benchmark data recorded. Its percentile versus all GPUs is listed at 50, but this is derived from the absence of scores rather than measured performance. The H20's average benchmark score of zero confirms that no performance measurements exist in the database for this accelerator. Without head-to-head results, the comparison shifts to what the specifications indicate about compute capacity, memory architecture, and intended deployment scenarios.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The Intel Arc A530M uses the DG2-256 chip based on the Xe-HPG architecture, belonging to the Alchemist generation within the Arc 5 Mobile family. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with 11,500 million transistors packed into a 269 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 42.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA H20 uses the GH100 chip based on the Hopper architecture, belonging to the Server Hopper (Hxx) generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 80,000 million transistors across an 814 mm² die, producing a transistor density of 98.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The H20 packs nearly seven times the transistor count into a die roughly three times the size, with more than double the transistor density.

Compute resources diverge sharply. The Arc A530M carries 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 48 raster operation units, and 12 ray tracing cores. It has no tensor cores listed. The H20 carries 9,984 shading units, 312 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It has no ray tracing cores listed but includes 312 tensor cores. The shading unit count difference is substantial, with the H20 offering 6.5 times more shading units than the Arc A530M. The texture mapping unit count favors the H20 by a factor of 3.25, while the Arc A530M actually holds an advantage in raster operation units, 48 versus 24.

Clock speeds also differ markedly. The Arc A530M operates at a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 1300 MHz. The H20 runs at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 1980 MHz. The H20's boost clock is 680 MHz higher than the Arc A530M's boost clock. Pixel fill rates tell an interesting story: the Arc A530M achieves 62.40 GPixel/s, while the H20 achieves 47.52 GPixel/s, despite the H20's higher clocks and vastly larger compute footprint. The Arc A530M's higher pixel rate stems from its 48 ROPs versus the H20's 24 ROPs. Texture fill rates reverse this, with the H20 at 617.8 GTexel/s against the Arc A530M's 124.8 GTexel/s.

Floating point throughput shows the H20's dominance in raw compute. The Arc A530M delivers 3.994 TFLOPS in FP32 and 7.987 TFLOPS in FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The H20 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS in FP32 and 79.07 TFLOPS in FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The H20 offers roughly 9.9 times the FP32 throughput and 9.9 times the FP16 throughput of the Arc A530M.

Memory subsystems are in different leagues entirely. The Arc A530M uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128 bit bus, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The H20 uses 96 GB of HBM3 memory on a 6144 bit bus, with a memory clock of 1313 MHz (5.3 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 4.03 TB/s. The H20 offers 12 times the memory capacity and 18 times the memory bandwidth. The H20's memory bus width is 48 times wider than the Arc A530M's.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA H20 wins decisively in any compute-heavy workload that can use its shading units, tensor cores, and massive memory bandwidth. The 39.54 TFLOPS FP32 figure and 79.07 TFLOPS FP16 figure indicate a processor built for dense parallel computation. The 312 tensor cores point toward matrix operations and machine learning inference or training tasks. The 96 GB HBM3 memory pool with 4.03 TB/s bandwidth supports large model residency and rapid data movement, which matters for server workloads that process datasets far exceeding the 8 GB capacity of the Arc A530M.

The Intel Arc A530M wins in specific areas that the raw compute figures do not capture. Its 48 ROPs deliver a higher pixel fill rate of 62.40 GPixel/s compared to the H20's 47.52 GPixel/s, which suggests an advantage in rasterization-heavy graphics workloads where pixel output is the bottleneck. The Arc A530M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the H20 lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. The Arc A530M also has display outputs (listed as portable device dependent), while the H20 has no outputs. The H20 is not a graphics card in the traditional sense; it is a server accelerator with no display capability and no graphics API support.

The Arc A530M's 65 W TDP contrasts with the H20's 500 W TDP and 900 W suggested PSU. The Arc A530M's power envelope allows it to operate as an integrated graphics processor (listed as IGP slot width), while the H20 is an SXM Module. The Arc A530M connects via PCIe 4.0 x8, while the H20 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, giving the H20 a newer and wider host interface.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The Intel Arc A530M has an average benchmark score of 46,614, while the NVIDIA H20 has an average benchmark score of 0 due to having no recorded benchmark submissions.

Q: How does the Intel Arc A530M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc A530M sits within 1.4 percent of all four nearest rivals. It matches the AMD Radeon RX 5600M at a 0 percent delta, leads the AMD Radeon RX 6550M by -0.2 percent (meaning the RX 6550M is slightly ahead), leads the NVIDIA RTX A2000 by 1.2 percent, and leads the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation by 1.4 percent.

Q: What memory configurations do the two GPUs use?

A: The Intel Arc A530M uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128 bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA H20 uses 96 GB of HBM3 memory on a 6144 bit bus with 4.03 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the NVIDIA H20 support graphics APIs?

A: The NVIDIA H20 lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support, and has no display outputs. The Intel Arc A530M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What are the compute throughput numbers for each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A530M delivers 3.994 TFLOPS FP32 and 7.987 TFLOPS FP16. The NVIDIA H20 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS FP32 and 79.07 TFLOPS FP16.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The Intel Arc A530M uses a 6 nm process with 11,500 million transistors on a 269 mm² die, giving 42.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA H20 uses a 5 nm process with 80,000 million transistors on an 814 mm² die, giving 98.3 million transistors per square millimeter.

The Verdict

The data indicates two products designed for entirely different purposes. The NVIDIA H20 is a server accelerator with 9,984 shading units, 312 tensor cores, 96 GB of HBM3 memory, and 39.54 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. Its 500 W TDP, SXM Module form factor, absence of display outputs, and lack of graphics API support confirm it is not intended for client graphics workloads. The Intel Arc A530M is a mobile graphics processor with 1,536 shading units, 12 ray tracing cores, 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, and 3.994 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. Its 65 W TDP, IGP form factor, display outputs, and full graphics API support position it for portable devices that need rendering capability.

The database has no head-to-head benchmark results, so direct performance comparison is not possible from measured data. The specification comparison shows the H20 at roughly 10 times the FP32 throughput and 18 times the memory bandwidth of the Arc A530M. The Arc A530M counters with a higher pixel fill rate, support for graphics APIs, display outputs, and a power draw that is 435 W lower than the H20's 500 W TDP.

Users needing a graphics solution for a mobile device should consider the Arc A530M, as it provides DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, OpenGL 4.6, and display outputs in a 65 W package. Users needing a server-side compute accelerator should consider the H20, as it provides tensor cores, massive memory capacity, and FP32 and FP16 throughput that the Arc A530M cannot approach. The H20's release date of January 2024 places it six months after the Arc A530M's July 2023 release, and the H20 lists Server Ada as its predecessor and Server Blackwell as its successor, establishing its lineage in the server accelerator market.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A530M | NVIDIA H20 |

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

| Chip | DG2-256 | GH100 |

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Hopper |

| Generation | Alchemist (Arc 5 Mobile) | Server Hopper (Hxx) |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 11,500 million | 80,000 million |

| Die Size | 269 mm² | 814 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 42.8M / mm² | 98.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 900 MHz | 1830 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1300 MHz | 1980 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 96 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 6144 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 4.03 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 9984 |

| TMUs | 96 | 312 |

| ROPs | 48 | 24 |

| RT Cores | 12 | None |

| Tensor Cores | None | 312 |

| Pixel Rate | 62.40 GPixel/s | 47.52 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 124.8 GTexel/s | 617.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.994 TFLOPS | 39.54 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 7.987 TFLOPS (2:1) | 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 65 W | 500 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | SXM Module |

| Suggested PSU | None | 900 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-07-31 | 2024-01-31 |

| Predecessor | None | Server Ada |

| Successor | None | Server Blackwell |