GPU Comparison

The Intel Arc A550M and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile represent two extremes in the mobile GPU landscape: one is an end-of-life, power-efficient Alchemist part designed for thin-and-light systems, while the other is an active, top-tier Ada Lovelace flagship for high-performance laptops. Benchmark data shows a decisive performance gulf, but the A550M still occupies a distinct niche based on its efficiency and architectural approach. The following analysis compares these two directly using only the provided specification and benchmark data.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has a higher average benchmark score of 49737, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile's 43667. This is despite the RTX 4090 Mobile winning both individual head-to-head tests by a wide margin, because the averages are calculated from different benchmark suites.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4090 Mobile in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile scores 180831 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 72.4% ahead of the Arc A550M's 49894. The Arc A550M's score is actually close to its rival's average, while the RTX 4090 Mobile's score is nearly four times higher.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s. The RTX 4090 Mobile has twice the capacity and 2.57 times the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile has a significantly higher transistor density of 121.1M per mm², compared to the Intel Arc A550M's 53.4M per mm². This reflects the RTX 4090 Mobile's newer 5 nm process node versus the Arc A550M's 6 nm node.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same modern APIs?

A: Yes, both the Intel Arc A550M and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. They are equally current in terms of API feature support.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has a TDP of 60 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile has a TDP of 120 W. The RTX 4090 Mobile draws twice the power, which is consistent with its much larger shader array and higher clock speeds.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. Intel uses the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-512 chip, part of the Alchemist generation for Arc 5 Mobile. This is manufactured on a 6 nm TSMC process. NVIDIA uses its Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD103 chip, part of the GeForce 40 Mobile series, manufactured on a 5 nm TSMC process. The process node difference is reflected in transistor density: the RTX 4090 Mobile packs 45,900 million transistors into a 379 mm² die, yielding 121.1M per mm², while the Arc A550M has 21,700 million transistors on a larger 406 mm² die, yielding just 53.4M per mm².

The execution resources are vastly different. The RTX 4090 Mobile has 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units (TMUs), 112 render output units (ROPs), 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores. The Arc A550M has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 16 ray tracing cores, with no tensor cores listed. This is a 4.75x difference in shading units and a 4.75x difference in ray tracing cores. The RTX 4090 Mobile also has dedicated tensor cores for AI workloads, which the Arc A550M lacks entirely.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The Arc A550M has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz, while the RTX 4090 Mobile has a base clock of 1335 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz. The Arc A550M boosts 355 MHz higher, but its lower base clock and far fewer cores mean it cannot compete on raw throughput. Memory clocks also differ: the Arc A550M runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus the RTX 4090 Mobile's 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows only two shared benchmark tests, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile wins both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 180831 against the Arc A550M's 49894, a delta of -72.4% for Intel. This means the RTX 4090 Mobile delivers roughly 3.6 times the OpenCL performance. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 170774 against 49580, a delta of -71% for Intel. The RTX 4090 Mobile maintains a similar margin in Vulkan, indicating consistent superiority across both compute APIs.

The Arc A550M's individual scores are close to its average benchmark score of 49737, with its Geekbench OpenCL score of 49894 and Vulkan score of 49580 being nearly identical. This consistency suggests the card is well-balanced across different workloads. The RTX 4090 Mobile, however, shows a larger spread: its OpenCL score of 180831 is higher than its Vulkan score of 170774, and both are far above its average of 43667. The lower average is pulled down by other benchmark tests in its suite, but the Geekbench results demonstrate its peak compute capability.

The RTX 4090 Mobile's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 with an average score of 44075, against which the RTX 4090 Mobile is 0.9% behind. The Arc A550M's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT at 50951, where the Arc is 2.4% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT at 48477, where the Arc is 2.6% ahead. These deltas show that the Arc A550M is competitive with desktop-class GPUs from the previous generation, while the RTX 4090 Mobile sits near professional workstation cards.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: for raw performance, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the superior choice. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks decisively, with margins of 72.4% and 71% in OpenCL and Vulkan respectively. The RTX 4090 Mobile also offers twice the memory capacity (16 GB vs 8 GB) and 2.57 times the memory bandwidth (576.0 GB/s vs 224.0 GB/s). Its compute resources are overwhelmingly larger, with 9728 shading units versus 2048, and it adds 304 tensor cores that the Arc A550M does not have.

However, the Arc A550M has its own advantages. It has a higher average benchmark score of 49737 versus 43667, which is driven by its consistent performance across its benchmark suite. It also has a higher boost clock of 2050 MHz versus 1695 MHz, and it draws half the power at 60 W versus 120 W. For systems where power consumption is critical, the Arc A550M is the more efficient option per watt, though the data does not provide a performance-per-watt metric directly.

The RTX 4090 Mobile is an active product with a release date of 2023-01-02, while the Arc A550M is end-of-life. The RTX 4090 Mobile has a predecessor (GeForce 30 Mobile) and a successor (GeForce 50 Mobile), indicating a mature product lifecycle. The Arc A550M has no listed predecessor or successor, suggesting it is a standalone entry in Intel's mobile lineup.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field. The processor nodes are different: Intel uses 6 nm, NVIDIA uses 5 nm, both from TSMC. Transistor counts are 21,700 million for Intel versus 45,900 million for NVIDIA. Die sizes are 406 mm² for Intel versus 379 mm² for NVIDIA, meaning NVIDIA fits more than twice the transistors into a smaller die. Transistor density is 53.4M/mm² for Intel versus 121.1M/mm² for NVIDIA.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The Arc A550M has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz, while the RTX 4090 Mobile has a base clock of 1335 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for Intel versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA. Memory capacity is 8 GB versus 16 GB, bus width is 128-bit versus 256-bit, and bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s versus 576.0 GB/s.

Compute resources diverge sharply. Shading units are 2048 versus 9728, TMUs are 128 versus 304, ROPs are 64 versus 112, and ray tracing cores are 16 versus 76. The RTX 4090 Mobile has 304 tensor cores; the Arc A550M has none listed. Pixel rates are 131.2 GPixel/s versus 189.8 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 262.4 GTexel/s versus 515.3 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 8.397 TFLOPS versus 32.98 TFLOPS, and FP16 performance is 16.79 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 32.98 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 60 W versus 120 W. The Arc A550M has no power connectors listed, while the RTX 4090 Mobile has "None" listed, and both are IGP slot width with PCIe 4.0 x16 interfaces.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile wins in every direct head-to-head benchmark and dominates in raw compute specifications. It is the clear choice for workloads that demand maximum performance, such as high-resolution gaming, 3D rendering, and GPU compute tasks. Its 16 GB memory capacity and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are suited for large datasets and high-texture workloads. The 304 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for AI and machine learning tasks, which the Arc A550M cannot offer. Its higher FP32 throughput of 32.98 TFLOPS is 3.93 times that of the Arc A550M, making it dramatically faster for general-purpose compute.

The Intel Arc A550M wins on efficiency and average benchmark consistency. Its 60 W TDP is exactly half of the RTX 4090 Mobile's 120 W, making it suitable for thinner, lighter laptops with smaller cooling solutions. Its higher boost clock of 2050 MHz suggests it can sustain high frequencies when power allows. The Arc A550M also holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs at 86, versus the RTX 4090 Mobile's 84, and its average benchmark score of 49737 exceeds the RTX 4090 Mobile's 43667. This indicates that within its own benchmark suite, the Arc A550M performs better relative to the overall GPU population. For users who prioritize battery life, portability, and adequate performance over absolute frame rates, the Arc A550M is the more practical pick. For users who need the fastest mobile GPU available, the RTX 4090 Mobile is the only choice based on this data.