GPU Comparison

Intel Arc A550M and NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation occupy vastly different tiers of the GPU landscape, and the benchmark data reflects a decisive performance gap. The sole head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation scoring 326,898 against the Intel Arc A550M’s 49,894, a difference of -84.7% from the perspective of the Intel part. This single data point establishes the NVIDIA card as the dominant compute performer, though the Intel Arc A550M holds its own in specific architectural aspects and maintains a comparable overall benchmark percentile.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is not close. The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation delivers 326,898 points, while the Intel Arc A550M manages 49,894 points. The delta of -84.7% indicates that the Intel GPU achieves only a fraction of the NVIDIA card’s raw compute throughput in this workload. This result aligns with the broader specifications: the RTX 5880 Ada Generation offers 69.27 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus 8.397 TFLOPS for the Arc A550M, an 8.25x advantage in theoretical peak compute.

However, raw compute does not tell the entire story. Looking at the average benchmark scores across all available tests, the Intel Arc A550M posts an average of 49,737, while the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation averages 45,972. This inverse relationship is noteworthy, the NVIDIA card’s average is dragged down by its additional benchmark results, which include several Passmark tests with low scores (e.g., Passmark DirectX 12 at 70 and Passmark DirectX 10 at 167). The Intel Arc A550M has only two benchmarks on record, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan (49,580), both of which are strong.

The percentile rankings further contextualize the gap. The Intel Arc A550M sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, while the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation sits at the 85th percentile. Despite the massive OpenCL delta, both cards are within one percentile point of each other in the overall distribution, suggesting that the Intel part is far more competitive in its niche than the raw head-to-head numbers imply.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation wins decisively in compute-heavy workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 326,898 is 6.55x higher than the Intel Arc A550M’s 49,894. This advantage is supported by the hardware: 14,080 shading units, 440 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines, compared to 2,048, 128, and 64 respectively on the Intel part. The NVIDIA card also has 110 ray tracing cores and 440 tensor cores, whereas the Intel Arc A550M has only 16 ray tracing cores and no listed tensor cores. For any task involving FP32 compute, ray tracing, or AI acceleration, the RTX 5880 Ada Generation is the clear winner.

Where the Intel Arc A550M wins is in efficiency and portability, though the data does not include direct power consumption comparisons, the specifications show 60 W TDP for the Intel part versus 285 W TDP for the NVIDIA card. The Intel Arc A550M is listed as IGP (integrated graphics processor) slot width, while the NVIDIA card is dual-slot with a 267 mm length. The Intel part also supports 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for its intended mobile segment. In contrast, the NVIDIA card provides 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, achieving 864.0 GB/s, a 3.86x bandwidth advantage.

Benchmark wins are split by workload type. The Intel Arc A550M’s Geekbench Vulkan score of 49,580 is its second strong result, indicating competitive graphics API performance for its class. The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation’s Passmark G3D score of 25,096 and Passmark GPU Compute score of 14,208 show strengths in DirectX 11 and compute workloads, respectively, but its Passmark DirectX 12 score of 70 is anomalously low, suggesting driver or workload-specific quirks rather than a hardware limitation.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The Intel Arc A550M uses the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, with the DG2-512 chip containing 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die. The transistor density is 53.4 million per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, with the AD102 chip containing 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, achieving a density of 125.3 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip has over 3.5x more transistors and nearly double the die area.

Memory configurations diverge significantly. The Intel Arc A550M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation has 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 864.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card’s memory bandwidth is 3.86x higher, which is critical for large dataset workloads common in professional visualization and AI training.

Compute resources differ by an order of magnitude. The Intel Arc A550M has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, producing a pixel rate of 131.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 262.4 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA card has 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, producing 433.0 GPixel/s and 1,082.4 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 8.397 TFLOPS on Intel versus 69.27 TFLOPS on NVIDIA, an 8.25x gap. FP16 performance is 16.79 TFLOPS on Intel (2:1 ratio) versus 69.27 TFLOPS on NVIDIA (1:1 ratio), meaning the NVIDIA card does not lose half its throughput when switching to FP16.

Clock speeds also differ. The Intel Arc A550M has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost of 2050 MHz, while the NVIDIA card has a base of 975 MHz and a boost of 2460 MHz. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for Intel versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both use PCIe 4.0 x16 interfaces.

Power and physical design are polar opposites. The Intel Arc A550M is a 60 W IGP with no power connectors listed, designed for portable devices. The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation is a 285 W dual-slot card requiring a 1x 16-pin power connector and a 600 W suggested PSU, measuring 267 mm by 112 mm. The NVIDIA card is actively produced, with a release date of January 4, 2024, while the Intel Arc A550M is end-of-life.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation is the superior performer in absolute terms. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 326,898 dwarfs the Intel Arc A550M’s 49,894, and its compute resources, 14,080 shading units, 440 tensor cores, and 110 RT cores, make it suitable for professional rendering, AI inference, and large-scale data processing. The 48 GB memory capacity and 864.0 GB/s bandwidth are class-leading for workstation tasks. Anyone needing maximum compute throughput should choose the NVIDIA card.

However, the Intel Arc A550M is not without merit. Its 86th percentile ranking versus the NVIDIA card’s 85th shows that in the broader GPU ecosystem, the Intel part performs admirably for its power envelope. The 60 W TDP and IGP form factor make it ideal for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermals are paramount. Its 8 GB memory is sufficient for 1080p gaming and moderate creative workloads. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 49,580 indicates solid graphics API compatibility for a mobile part.

The choice depends on the use case. For desktop workstations with high power budgets and demanding compute needs, the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation is the only sensible option. For mobile devices requiring balanced performance and efficiency, the Intel Arc A550M provides a capable solution, though it cannot match the NVIDIA card’s raw power. The NVIDIA card’s active production status and successor (Blackwell PRO W) suggest ongoing support, while the Intel part’s end-of-life status means no further driver optimizations are likely.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the Intel Arc A550M?

A: The NVIDIA card scores 326,898 versus 49,894 for Intel, which is a -84.7% delta from the Intel card’s perspective, meaning NVIDIA is over 6.5x faster.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation offers 864.0 GB/s from 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, while the Intel Arc A550M has 224.0 GB/s from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What are the FP32 performance figures for each card?

A: The Intel Arc A550M delivers 8.397 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation delivers 69.27 TFLOPS, an 8.25x difference.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A550M have tensor cores?

A: No, the Intel Arc A550M lists no tensor cores. The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation has 440 tensor cores.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has a 60 W TDP, while the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation has a 285 W TDP, with a 600 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU has a higher overall benchmark percentile?

A: The Intel Arc A550M ranks at the 86th percentile, while the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation ranks at the 85th percentile, despite the large OpenCL score difference.