Intel Arc A550M vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

The NVIDIA Tesla T4 and Intel Arc A550M occupy very different positions in the GPU landscape, yet they end up competing in the same benchmark neighborhood. The recorded data shows a clear overall winner, but the specifics of each workload tell a more nuanced story. This analysis draws exclusively from database measurements to compare these two accelerators across compute, graphics, and architectural fundamentals.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are unambiguous in favor of the NVIDIA Tesla T4, though the margin varies significantly between the two tested workloads. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Tesla T4 scores 61,276 against the Arc A550M’s 49,894. That is a 22.8% advantage for the NVIDIA part. The gap widens considerably in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the Tesla T4 posts 72,190 versus 49,580 for the Intel part, a 45.6% lead. Across both tests, the Tesla T4 wins 2, the Intel Arc A550M wins 0.

The OpenCL result is the closer of the two, but it still represents a substantial margin. A 22.8% delta means the Tesla T4 completes roughly 18% more work per unit time in that workload, assuming linear scaling. The Vulkan result is more lopsided. A 45.6% gap is not a marginal edge; it is a dominant performance tier difference. The data suggests the Tesla T4’s architecture handles Vulkan’s command processing and pipeline model far more efficiently than the Intel part.

Looking at the average benchmark score across all recorded tests, the Tesla T4 sits at 66,733, while the Arc A550M averages 49,737. That translates to a 34.2% overall advantage for the NVIDIA part, which is consistent with the individual test deltas. The Tesla T4 also ranks in the 90th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Arc A550M sits at the 86th percentile. Both are above average, but the Tesla T4 is positioned noticeably higher.

The nearest rival data adds context. For the Tesla T4, the closest competitors are the AMD Radeon VII at 66,004 (1.1% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla P40 at 65,095 (2.5% behind), the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 at 68,562 (2.7% ahead), and the Intel Arc A770 at 68,809 (3% ahead). The Tesla T4 is essentially in a dead heat with Radeon VII, slightly behind the Instinct MI25 and Arc A770, and modestly ahead of the P40. This positions it as a mid-pack compute card in the broader database, not a top-tier outlier.

For the Arc A550M, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 49,957 (0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 at 50,001 (0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT at 50,951 (2.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT at 48,477 (2.6% behind). The Arc A550M is essentially tied with the RTX 5070 Ti and Vega 64 in average score, slightly behind the 6900 XT, and slightly ahead of the 6800 XT. This is a tightly packed cluster, with the Intel part landing right in the middle.

The key takeaway from the head-to-head data is that the Tesla T4’s Vulkan advantage is its biggest differentiator. The 45.6% delta in that test is more than double the OpenCL delta. This suggests that the Tesla T4’s driver stack and hardware scheduling handle Vulkan’s explicit multi-threading model significantly better, while the Arc A550M’s OpenCL performance is comparatively closer to parity.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the faster GPU in both benchmark categories. If the selection criteria are purely compute performance as measured by Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, the Tesla T4 is the correct choice. The 22.8% OpenCL lead and the 45.6% Vulkan lead are both substantial, and the average score advantage of 34.2% reinforces this conclusion.

The Tesla T4 also carries a higher percentile ranking, 90th versus 86th, which indicates it outperforms a larger fraction of the database. For applications that rely on Vulkan, such as certain game engines or compute frameworks that use Vulkan compute, the Tesla T4 is decisively superior. The data shows no workload in this comparison where the Arc A550M comes out ahead.

That said, the Arc A550M is not without its merits, but they are not visible in the benchmark scores. The Intel part draws less power, with a 60 W TDP versus 70 W for the Tesla T4, and it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) form factor, meaning it is designed for mobile systems. The Tesla T4 is a single-slot discrete card with no display outputs, intended for server or accelerator use. If the use case is a laptop or a compact mobile platform where the GPU is integrated into the motherboard, the Arc A550M is the only physically viable option, regardless of its lower scores.

For a desktop or server workload where the Tesla T4 can be installed, the benchmark data favors it without qualification. The Vulkan result alone is enough to justify the Tesla T4 in any Vulkan-based workload. The OpenCL result, while closer, still gives the NVIDIA part a clear edge. Users who need maximum compute throughput per the database’s measurements should pick the Tesla T4. Users who need an integrated mobile GPU with lower power consumption and are willing to accept 22.8% to 45.6% lower scores should consider the Arc A550M.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different eras and design philosophies. The Tesla T4 uses NVIDIA’s Turing architecture, which is a mature design focused on compute acceleration, ray tracing, and tensor operations. The chip is the TU104, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The die size is 545 mm², with 13,600 million transistors. That yields a transistor density of 25.0 million per mm².

The Arc A550M uses Intel’s Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-512 chip, which is part of the Alchemist generation for mobile Arc 5 products. This chip is built on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. The die size is 406 mm², which is smaller than the TU104, but it packs 21,700 million transistors. That gives a transistor density of 53.4 million per mm², more than double the Tesla T4’s density. The Intel part achieves higher density because of the more advanced 6 nm node, despite having a smaller die.

The transistor count difference is significant. The Arc A550M has 21,700 million transistors versus 13,600 million for the Tesla T4, a 59.6% higher count. This does not translate into higher performance in the benchmarks, which highlights architectural efficiency differences. The Tesla T4’s Turing design is able to extract more performance per transistor in these workloads, despite being on an older and less dense process.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so their API feature sets are aligned at the highest level. The Tesla T4 includes 40 ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores, while the Arc A550M has 16 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed. The tensor core count is a notable differentiator for the Tesla T4, as those are dedicated hardware units for AI and machine learning workloads, though the benchmark data here does not directly measure tensor performance.

The memory architecture also differs. The Tesla T4 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, while the Arc A550M uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus. The Tesla T4’s memory bandwidth is 320.0 GB/s, versus 224.0 GB/s for the Intel part. That is a 42.9% bandwidth advantage for the Tesla T4, which likely contributes to its benchmark lead. The Arc A550M’s smaller memory capacity and narrower bus are consistent with its mobile IGP positioning.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two parts are extensive. The process node differs: the Tesla T4 is 12 nm, the Arc A550M is 6 nm. The transistor count and die size differ as described above. The Tesla T4’s base clock is 585 MHz with a boost of 1590 MHz. The Arc A550M has a higher base clock of 900 MHz and a higher boost of 2050 MHz. The Intel part’s clock advantage is significant, with a 53.8% higher base and a 28.9% higher boost, yet it still loses in benchmarks, indicating that clock speed alone does not determine performance.

Memory specifications differ in size, bus width, and bandwidth. The Tesla T4 has 16 GB, the Arc A550M has 8 GB. The Tesla T4 uses a 256 bit bus, the Arc A550M uses a 128 bit bus. Memory bandwidth is 320.0 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s. The memory clock is also different: the Tesla T4 runs at 1250 MHz with 10 Gbps effective, while the Arc A550M runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective. Despite the higher memory clock on the Intel part, the narrower bus results in lower overall bandwidth.

The shading unit count differs, with the Tesla T4 having 2560 shading units versus 2048 for the Arc A550M. Texture mapping units are 160 versus 128, while ROPs are equal at 64. Ray tracing cores differ at 40 versus 16, and tensor cores are present only on the Tesla T4 at 320. The pixel rate is 101.8 GPixel/s for the Tesla T4 versus 131.2 GPixel/s for the Arc A550M, so the Intel part is faster in pixel throughput. The texture rate is 254.4 GTexel/s versus 262.4 GTexel/s, a slight edge for the Arc A550M. FP32 compute is 8.141 TFLOPS for the Tesla T4 versus 8.397 TFLOPS for the Intel part, a 3.1% advantage for the Arc A550M. FP16 is 16.28 TFLOPS versus 16.79 TFLOPS, again a slight edge for the Intel part.

Power consumption differs, with the Tesla T4 at 70 W TDP and the Arc A550M at 60 W TDP. The slot width is single-slot for the Tesla T4 versus IGP for the Arc A550M. The Tesla T4 has no power connectors, while the Arc A550M has none listed. The suggested PSU is 250 W for the Tesla T4, with none listed for the Intel part. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Tesla T4 versus PCIe 4.0 x16 for the Arc A550M. Display outputs are none for the Tesla T4 versus portable device dependent for the Arc A550M. Physical dimensions are listed only for the Tesla T4 at 168 mm length, with no dimensions for the Intel part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla T4 has an average benchmark score of 66,733, while the Intel Arc A550M averages 49,737. The Tesla T4 leads by 34.2%.

Q: How much faster is the Tesla T4 in Vulkan performance?

A: In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the Tesla T4 scores 72,190 versus 49,580 for the Arc A550M, a 45.6% advantage.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Tesla T4 has 320.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, while the Arc A550M has 224.0 GB/s. The Tesla T4 provides 42.9% more bandwidth.

Q: Does the Arc A550M have tensor cores?

A: No tensor cores are listed for the Intel Arc A550M. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 includes 320 tensor cores.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Arc A550M has a boost clock of 2050 MHz, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 boosts to 1590 MHz. The Intel part clocks 28.9% higher.

Q: Are both GPUs end-of-life products?

A: Yes, the production status for both the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and the Intel Arc A550M is listed as end-of-life.