Intel Arc A550M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 vs Intel Arc A550M is a confrontation between a desktop flagship and a mobile part, and the benchmark data reflects that chasm. The RTX 4080, built on Ada Lovelace, decisively outperforms the Arc A550M in every head-to-head test, leveraging a massive advantage in raw compute and memory bandwidth. The Intel part, an Alchemist-generation mobile GPU, holds its own in its niche but cannot compete with the desktop card's brute force.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data available for direct comparison shows a one-sided contest. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 scores 214,739 points, while the Intel Arc A550M trails at 49,894 points. This translates to a delta of 330.4%, meaning the RTX 4080 is roughly four times faster in this compute workload. The gap is even wider in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 4080 hits 263,779 points against the Arc A550M's 49,580 points, a 432% delta. These are not marginal wins; they are generational and architectural blowouts.

The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54,247 across all recorded tests further underscores its dominance. This places it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER in the nearest rivals list, a statistical tie. Meanwhile, the Intel Arc A550M's average score of 49,737 puts it 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and 2.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. This indicates that while the Arc A550M is competitive with high-end desktop parts from the previous generation, it sits in a completely different performance tier than the RTX 4080. The head-to-head results confirm that in pure compute throughput, the desktop card is untouchable by the mobile Intel solution.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different architectures and process nodes. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 uses the AD103 chip based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.1M per mm². The Intel Arc A550M, in contrast, uses the DG2-512 chip based on the Xe-HPG architecture, fabricated on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. It contains 21,700 million transistors on a larger 406 mm² die, resulting in a much lower density of 53.4M per mm². This node and density difference explains much of the performance gap, as the RTX 4080 packs over twice the transistors into a smaller area.

The memory subsystems are equally divergent. The RTX 4080 features 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s. That is a 3.2x bandwidth advantage for the NVIDIA card, a critical factor in high-resolution gaming and compute tasks. Clock speeds also tell a story: the RTX 4080 has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, while the Arc A550M operates at a 900 MHz base and 2050 MHz boost.

Core configurations amplify the disparity. The RTX 4080 has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores. The Arc A550M has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 16 RT cores, with no tensor cores listed. This leads to a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s for the RTX 4080, versus 131.2 GPixel/s and 262.4 GTexel/s for the Arc. FP32 compute is 48.74 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card, compared to 8.397 TFLOPS for the Intel part. The RTX 4080 also maintains 1:1 FP16 performance at 48.74 TFLOPS, while the Arc A550M achieves 16.79 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, but the raw throughput differences are overwhelming.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 wins in every measurable category from the dataset. Its OpenCL and Vulkan scores are the clearest victories, but the architecture also provides substantial leads in pixel fill rate, texture rate, and memory bandwidth. For users running GPU compute workloads, the RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance is a decisive advantage. The 16 GB GDDR6X frame buffer with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth also makes it more suitable for high-resolution textures and large datasets. The card's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with an average score of 54,247, places it in the upper echelon of desktop hardware.

The Intel Arc A550M wins in efficiency and form factor, though not in raw performance. Its 60 W TDP is dramatically lower than the RTX 4080's 320 W, and it is classified as an IGP, making it suitable for portable devices. The Arc A550M's average score of 49,737 places it 2.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and just 0.4% behind the RTX 5070 Ti, showing it is a capable mobile part. Its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p gaming, and the 2:1 FP16 ratio (16.79 TFLOPS) offers some compute utility. In a laptop, the Arc A550M provides a solid balance of performance and power consumption, but it cannot match the desktop card's absolute output.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the superior performer. It leads the Intel Arc A550M by 330.4% in OpenCL and 432% in Vulkan, with an average score of 54,247 versus 49,737. The RTX 4080's 5 nm process, 45,900 million transistors, and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth make it a top-tier desktop GPU, ranking in the 86th percentile. Its 320 W TDP and triple-slot cooler are acceptable for a desktop build, and the 16 GB GDDR6X memory future-proofs it for demanding titles. Users seeking maximum frame rates and compute performance should choose the RTX 4080, which is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 4080 SUPER and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X.

The Intel Arc A550M is a different proposition. As an end-of-life mobile part with a 60 W TDP and IGP form factor, it is designed for laptops where power efficiency matters more than raw performance. Its 86th percentile ranking is respectable, and it sits competitively among desktop GPUs like the RX 6800 XT. However, it has no wins in the head-to-head benchmarks, and its 8 GB memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth limit its ceiling. For users who need a portable solution with decent 1080p gaming and low power draw, the Arc A550M is viable. For anyone building a desktop where performance is the priority, the RTX 4080 is the only logical choice.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 than the Intel Arc A550M in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 263,779 points versus 49,580 for the Arc A550M, a 432% delta in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 4080 has 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Arc A550M has 224.0 GB/s, giving the desktop card a 3.2x advantage.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A550M have tensor cores?

A: No, the FACT PACK lists tensor cores as null for the Arc A550M, while the RTX 4080 has 304 tensor cores.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has 45,900 million transistors, compared to 21,700 million for the Intel Arc A550M.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4080's average score of 54,247 is 0.1% above the RTX 4080 SUPER, while the Arc A550M's 49,737 is 0.4% below the RTX 5070 Ti and 2.6% above the RX 6800 XT.

Q: What is the TDP of each GPU?

A: The RTX 4080 has a 320 W TDP, whereas the Arc A550M is rated at 60 W.