Intel Arc A550M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile Comparison

The Intel Arc A550M and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile occupy very different positions in the mobile graphics landscape. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the specifics of each chip’s architecture and target use case are worth breaking down. The RTX 5080 Mobile is the decisive winner in raw compute, but the Arc A550M’s efficiency and feature set present an interesting alternative for specific workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains two direct head-to-head comparisons between these parts, both of which are Geekbench compute tests. The results are overwhelmingly in favor of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Intel Arc A550M scores 49,894 points, while the RTX 5080 Mobile achieves 166,986 points. This represents a delta of -70.1% for the Intel part, meaning the NVIDIA GPU is approximately 3.3 times faster in this workload. The margin is substantial and reflects the massive difference in raw compute resources.

The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story. The Arc A550M records 49,580 points, while the RTX 5080 Mobile posts 169,754 points. The delta here is -70.8%, again favoring the NVIDIA part by a factor of roughly 3.4. This consistency across both API frameworks suggests the performance gap is fundamental to the hardware rather than a software or driver quirk.

Looking at the average benchmark scores in the database, the Intel Arc A550M has an average of 49,737, while the RTX 5080 Mobile has an average of 38,349. This is a notable inversion: the NVIDIA part wins the head-to-head compute tests but has a lower overall average. This is because the RTX 5080 Mobile’s average is dragged down by its PassMark scores, which appear to be anomalous relative to its other results. For instance, its PassMark DirectX 12 score is only 116, and its DirectX 10 score is 171, which are far below what its Geekbench scores would suggest. The Arc A550M, by contrast, only has the two Geekbench results in the database, so its average is not impacted by such outliers.

The percentile rankings also paint a nuanced picture. The Arc A550M sits at the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 5080 Mobile sits at the 81st percentile. This is counterintuitive given the head-to-head results, but it is a direct consequence of the average score calculation. The Arc A550M’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (average 49,957, delta -0.4%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (average 50,951, delta -2.4%), which places it in high-end desktop territory. The RTX 5080 Mobile’s nearest rivals, meanwhile, include the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 (average 38,299, delta 0.1%) and the GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (average 38,135, delta 0.6%), which is a far less impressive grouping.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The Intel Arc A550M uses the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-512 chip, which is part of the Alchemist generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on the GB203 chip, and is part of the GeForce 50 Mobile generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC.

The transistor counts differ substantially. The Intel chip contains 21,700 million transistors on a die size of 406 mm², giving it a transistor density of 53.4 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip contains 45,600 million transistors on a smaller die of 378 mm², resulting in a much higher density of 120.6 million per mm². This density advantage is a direct result of the more advanced 5 nm process node.

Core configurations are where the NVIDIA part pulls ahead significantly. The Arc A550M has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 raster output units (ROPs). It also has 16 ray tracing cores and no dedicated tensor cores. The RTX 5080 Mobile, by contrast, has 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It has 60 ray tracing cores and 240 tensor cores. The sheer scale of the NVIDIA part, nearly four times the shading units, explains its dominance in compute-heavy benchmarks.

Memory subsystems are also worlds apart. The Arc A550M uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The RTX 5080 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. That is exactly four times the bandwidth, which has major implications for high-resolution textures and data-intensive workloads.

Clock speeds tell an interesting story. The Arc A550M has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz. The RTX 5080 Mobile has a base clock of 975 MHz but a much lower boost clock of 1500 MHz. Despite the lower boost clock, the NVIDIA part’s massive core count allows it to produce far higher throughput. The memory clocks are both listed at 1750 MHz, but the effective data rates differ: 14 Gbps for the Intel part and 28 Gbps for the NVIDIA part.

The power envelopes are notably close given the performance gap. The Arc A550M has a TDP of 60 W, while the RTX 5080 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W. The NVIDIA part delivers its dominant performance with only a 20 W increase in power draw.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A550M wins in exactly zero head-to-head benchmarks recorded in the database. Its two Geekbench scores are far below the RTX 5080 Mobile’s. However, its efficiency profile is worth noting. At 60 W TDP, it delivers an average benchmark score of 49,737, which is higher than the RTX 5080 Mobile’s average of 38,349. This is due to the NVIDIA part’s poor PassMark results, but it does suggest that the Arc A550M has a more consistent performance profile across the tests that were recorded.

The Arc A550M also holds the higher percentile ranking at 86th versus the NVIDIA part’s 81st. This is a statistical anomaly driven by the average score calculation, but it means that in the database’s overall ranking, the Intel part is positioned alongside high-end desktop GPUs like the Radeon RX 6900 XT and the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. The RTX 5080 Mobile, despite its blistering Geekbench scores, is ranked near the GeForce MX570 and the RTX 4080 Mobile due to its inconsistent PassMark results.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile wins decisively in raw compute. Its OpenCL score of 166,986 and Vulkan score of 169,754 are more than triple the Intel part’s scores. For any workload that leverages general-purpose compute, OpenCL, or Vulkan, the RTX 5080 Mobile is the clear choice.

The RTX 5080 Mobile also has a significant advantage in memory capacity and bandwidth. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, it can handle much larger datasets and higher-resolution textures than the Arc A550M’s 8 GB GDDR6 configuration at 224.0 GB/s.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile scores 166,986 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Intel Arc A550M scores 49,894. The NVIDIA part is 70.1% faster in this test.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile has 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 16 GB GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. The Arc A550M has 224.0 GB/s from 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The NVIDIA part has exactly four times the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile has 45,600 million transistors, while the Intel Arc A550M has 21,700 million. The NVIDIA chip also has a higher transistor density at 120.6M per mm² versus 53.4M per mm².

Q: What are the TDPs of each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has a TDP of 60 W, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile has a TDP of 80 W.

Q: How many ray tracing cores does each GPU have?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile has 60 ray tracing cores and 240 tensor cores. The Arc A550M has 16 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has an average benchmark score of 49,737, while the RTX 5080 Mobile has an average of 38,349. This is because the NVIDIA part’s PassMark scores are very low, pulling its average down despite its high Geekbench scores.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification field. The process node differs: 6 nm for Intel, 5 nm for NVIDIA, both at TSMC. The transistor count is 21,700 million versus 45,600 million. Die size is 406 mm² versus 378 mm². Transistor density is 53.4M per mm² versus 120.6M per mm².

Core counts differ sharply. The Arc A550M has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 16 ray tracing cores. The RTX 5080 Mobile has 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 60 ray tracing cores, and 240 tensor cores.

Memory configurations are different. The Arc A550M uses 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5080 Mobile uses 16 GB GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Clock speeds differ. The Arc A550M has a 900 MHz base and 2050 MHz boost. The RTX 5080 Mobile has a 975 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. The memory effective data rate is 14 Gbps for Intel and 28 Gbps for NVIDIA.

Throughput figures differ. The Arc A550M produces 131.2 GPixel/s pixel rate, 262.4 GTexel/s texture rate, 8.397 TFLOPS FP32, and 16.79 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The RTX 5080 Mobile produces 144.0 GPixel/s pixel rate, 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate, 23.04 TFLOPS FP32, and 23.04 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio).

TDP is 60 W versus 80 W. Bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for Intel and PCIe 5.0 x16 for NVIDIA. Production status is End-of-life for Intel and Active for NVIDIA. The NVIDIA part has a release date of 2025-04-01, and its predecessor is the GeForce 40 Mobile.

Architecture names differ: Xe-HPG for Intel, Blackwell 2.0 for NVIDIA. The chip names are DG2-512 and GB203.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous about raw performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is the superior GPU in every head-to-head benchmark recorded. Its Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are both more than triple those of the Intel Arc A550M, and it offers four times the memory bandwidth, double the memory capacity, and a much larger core configuration. For any user prioritizing compute performance, the RTX 5080 Mobile is the only rational choice.

The Intel Arc A550M does have one statistical advantage: its average benchmark score of 49,737 is higher than the RTX 5080 Mobile’s 38,349, and it sits at the 86th percentile versus the NVIDIA part’s 81st. This is a quirk of the database’s scoring methodology, driven by the RTX 5080 Mobile’s anomalously low PassMark scores. It does not reflect real-world performance superiority.

The RTX 5080 Mobile’s higher TDP of 80 W versus 60 W is a modest cost for the massive performance increase. It also brings 240 tensor cores, which the Arc A550M lacks entirely, making it the better choice for AI workloads and features that rely on tensor acceleration.

The Arc A550M is an end-of-life product, while the RTX 5080 Mobile is an active, current-generation part with a 2025-04-01 release date. The NVIDIA GPU also uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Intel part uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Choose the RTX 5080 Mobile if you need the best compute performance, the highest bandwidth, or tensor core capability. Choose the Arc A550M only if power draw is the absolute priority and the workload is light enough to not benefit from the NVIDIA part’s massive core count. The data does not support any other conclusion.