Intel Arc A550M vs NVIDIA RTX A1000 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results show two GPUs separated by a razor-thin margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA RTX A1000 scores 52,078 against the Intel Arc A550M's 49,894, a 4.4% advantage for NVIDIA. That is the single largest performance gap in any test between these two cards. In Geekbench Vulkan, the tables turn: the Arc A550M edges ahead with a score of 49,580 versus the A1000's 49,574 — a delta of 0%, effectively a tie within measurement noise.

Looking at the broader competitive landscape, the RTX A1000's average benchmark score of 50,826 places it slightly ahead of the Arc A550M's 49,737. That 2.2% gap in the A1000's favor is small but consistent with the OpenCL result. The A1000 also sits just 1.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (49,982 average) and 2.4% behind both the GeForce RTX 4080 (52,085) and RTX 5070 Ti (52,086). The Arc A550M, meanwhile, is essentially neck-and-neck with the RX 6800 XT, trailing by only 0.5%, while running 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (49,071) and 2.1% ahead of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (48,704).

What this tells a builder: in raw compute throughput, the RTX A1000 holds a modest but measurable edge over the Arc A550M, particularly in OpenCL workloads. The Vulkan result, however, suggests that API-specific optimization can erase that advantage entirely. Both cards land in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, meaning they are firmly mid-upper tier in the current landscape.

The per-test breakdown reveals a split decision: one win apiece. The A1000 takes the OpenCL crown with a 4.4% margin that could matter in compute-heavy tasks. The Arc A550M takes Vulkan by the slimmest possible margin — a 0% delta where the 6-point score difference is statistically negligible. For a buyer choosing between these two, the deciding factor will likely come down to which API their workload favors rather than any overwhelming performance superiority on either side.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A1000, with an average score of 50,826 versus the Intel Arc A550M's 49,737. That is a 2.2% difference in the A1000's favor.

Q: How does the Arc A550M compare to the RTX A1000 in Vulkan performance?

A: The Intel Arc A550M scores 49,580 in Geekbench Vulkan, essentially matching the RTX A1000's 49,574. The delta is 0%, making this a dead heat.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between these two cards in any single test?

A: The largest gap is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX A1000 scores 52,078 against the Arc A550M's 49,894 — a 4.4% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: Are these GPUs comparable to higher-end desktop cards?

A: The RTX A1000 sits 1.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and 2.4% behind the GeForce RTX 4080 and RTX 5070 Ti. The Arc A550M trails the RX 6800 XT by only 0.5% and runs ahead of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER by 2.1%.

Q: Which card has better OpenCL compute performance?

A: The RTX A1000 is clearly ahead in OpenCL, posting a 52,078 score versus 49,894 for the Arc A550M. This 4.4% advantage is the A1000's strongest showing.

Q: Do both cards occupy the same performance tier?

A: Yes. Both the RTX A1000 and the Arc A550M sit at the 87th percentile of all GPUs, confirming they are in the same performance class despite their architectural differences.

# Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA RTX A1000 is built on the GA107 chip using the Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It packs 8,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per mm². The Intel Arc A550M, by contrast, uses the DG2-512 chip with Xe-HPG architecture, produced on TSMC's 6 nm node. Intel's chip is substantially larger and denser: 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, for a density of 53.4 million per mm².

These architectural choices lead to different core configurations. The RTX A1000 fields 2,304 shading units, 72 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It also includes 18 ray tracing cores and 72 tensor cores, the latter being NVIDIA's dedicated AI acceleration hardware. The Arc A550M counters with 2,048 shading units — slightly fewer — but doubles the TMUs to 128 and the ROPs to 64. It has 16 ray tracing cores but no tensor core equivalent listed.

The memory subsystems differ in speed. Both cards offer 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, but the Arc A550M runs its memory at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, producing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A1000's memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), yielding 192.0 GB/s. That is a 32 GB/s bandwidth advantage for Intel.

Compute throughput tells a more complex story. The Arc A550M's raw FP32 output is 8.397 TFLOPS versus 6.737 TFLOPS for the A1000 — a 24.6% advantage for Intel in pure floating-point math. However, the A1000 achieves 6.737 TFLOPS in FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, meaning it does not lose performance on half-precision workloads. The Arc A550M offers 16.79 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, which is double its FP32 rate.

Pixel and texture fill rates heavily favor Intel. The Arc A550M delivers 131.2 GPixel/s and 262.4 GTexel/s, versus 46.78 GPixel/s and 105.3 GTexel/s for the RTX A1000. That is a 2.8x advantage in pixel rate and 2.5x in texture rate for Intel.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A1000 | Intel Arc A550M |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | Xe-HPG |

| Process node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 6 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 8,700 million | 21,700 million |

| Die size | 200 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor density | 43.5M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base clock | 727 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1462 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |

| Memory bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 2304 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 72 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| RT cores | 18 | 16 |

| Tensor cores | 72 | None listed |

| FP32 | 6.737 TFLOPS | 8.397 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 6.737 TFLOPS (1:1) | 16.79 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel rate | 46.78 GPixel/s | 131.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 105.3 GTexel/s | 262.4 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 50 W | 60 W |

| Slot width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | None | Not specified |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | Not specified |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| Length | 163 mm | Not specified |

| Height | 69 mm | Not specified |

| Production status | Active | End-of-life |

The A1000 is a compact, single-slot workstation card with four mini-DisplayPort outputs and no external power connectors. The Arc A550M is an integrated GPU platform (IGP) intended for laptops, with display outputs dependent on the portable device. The A1000's 50 W TDP is lower than the Arc's 60 W, and it suggests a 250 W PSU, while Intel lists no PSU recommendation.

# The Verdict

The data presents a clear but nuanced picture. In average benchmark score, the NVIDIA RTX A1000 leads by 2.2% — a consistent, if modest, edge that shows up most prominently in OpenCL workloads. If your primary concern is raw compute in OpenCL environments, the RTX A1000 is the safer pick. Its 4.4% OpenCL advantage is the single largest performance gap between these two cards.

The Intel Arc A550M, however, is far from a pushover. Its Vulkan score essentially ties the A1000, and its raw specifications suggest untapped potential in certain workloads. The Arc's 8.397 TFLOPS FP32, 131.2 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 262.4 GTexel/s texture rate are all substantially higher than the A1000's corresponding figures. For applications that leverage these capabilities — particularly those that scale with fill rate or FP32 throughput — the Arc A550M could outperform its benchmark average suggests.

Consider the context: the Arc A550M is marked end-of-life, while the RTX A1000 is still active production. That status difference matters for long-term availability and driver support. The A1000 also offers tensor cores, which the Arc lacks, making it the only one of the two with dedicated AI acceleration hardware.

For a workstation buyer needing a stable, actively-supported card with solid OpenCL compute and tensor core capability, the RTX A1000 is the data-driven choice. For a mobile platform builder who values Vulkan parity, higher fill rates, and doesn't need tensor cores, the Arc A550M offers competitive performance at a lower TDP — but be prepared for its end-of-life status.

# Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA RTX A1000 wins when:

• Running OpenCL workloads: 52,078 versus 49,894, a 4.4% advantage.
• Workloads benefit from tensor cores: the A1000 has 72, while the Arc A550M has none.
• A compact, single-slot form factor is required: the A1000 measures 163 mm by 69 mm with no power connectors.
• Power efficiency is critical: 50 W TDP versus 60 W for the Arc.
• Long-term availability matters: the A1000 is active production, while the Arc is end-of-life.
• The system has a smaller power supply: the A1000 suggests 250 W, while the Arc lists no recommendation.

Intel Arc A550M wins when:

• FP32 compute is the priority: 8.397 TFLOPS versus 6.737 TFLOPS for the A1000.
• FP16 workloads dominate: 16.79 TFLOPS at 2:1 ratio versus 6.737 TFLOPS (1:1) for NVIDIA.
• Fill-rate-bound tasks are involved: 131.2 GPixel/s and 262.4 GTexel/s versus 46.78 GPixel/s and 105.3 GTexel/s.
• Memory bandwidth matters: 224.0 GB/s versus 192.0 GB/s.
• Vulkan is the primary API: the Arc edges out a 49,580 to 49,574 win.
• The platform uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface: the Arc supports the full x16 width versus x8 for the A1000.
• Higher boost clocks are beneficial: 2050 MHz versus 1462 MHz.

The split is clean: NVIDIA takes compute efficiency, tensor core acceleration, and workstation ergonomics. Intel takes raw throughput, fill rate, and bandwidth. Choose based on which of these factors your workloads actually stress.