Intel Arc A570M vs NVIDIA CMP 30HX Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is a decisive win for the NVIDIA CMP 30HX. The NVIDIA card scores 65,199, while the Intel Arc A570M trails at 58,239. That is a 12% delta in favor of the NVIDIA part. In absolute terms, the gap is 6,960 points — a meaningful margin that places the two GPUs in different performance tiers for compute workloads.

The NVIDIA CMP 30HX also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 62,484, though the Intel part has no corresponding Vulkan result in the data. Without a direct comparison, it is impossible to say how the Intel card would fare in Vulkan-based workloads. However, the OpenCL result alone establishes the NVIDIA card as the stronger compute performer of the pair.

The Intel Arc A570M's average benchmark score is 58,239, which equals its single OpenCL result. The NVIDIA card's average is 63,842, pulled up by its Vulkan score but still below its OpenCL result. The NVIDIA card's average is 9.6% higher than the Intel card's average, reinforcing the OpenCL gap.

Looking at the nearest-rival context, the NVIDIA CMP 30HX's average score of 63,842 sits within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 (64,212) and within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (63,693). It is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP (63,830, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 7600M (63,775, 0.1% delta). The Intel Arc A570M's average of 58,239 places it within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM (58,085) and within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (58,392, -0.3% delta). This tells a clear story: the NVIDIA card competes with higher-tier desktop and mobile GPUs, while the Intel card sits in a lower performance bracket despite its more modern architecture.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to one unambiguous conclusion: the NVIDIA CMP 30HX is the faster GPU in raw compute performance. It wins the only head-to-head test by 12%, and its average benchmark score is nearly 10% higher than the Intel Arc A570M's. For any workload that relies on OpenCL — be it rendering, simulation, or general-purpose compute — the NVIDIA card delivers more throughput.

Who should pick the NVIDIA CMP 30HX? Anyone whose priority is maximum compute performance from the data available. The card's Geekbench Vulkan score of 62,484 also suggests strong graphics-API performance, though the lack of display outputs means it cannot drive a monitor directly. This is a compute-oriented part, and the numbers reflect that focus.

Who should pick the Intel Arc A570M? The data is less flattering. It loses the only direct comparison, and its average score places it near the Radeon RX 5600 OEM and Radeon RX 6950 XT — a mixed bag that suggests inconsistent performance across workloads. However, the Intel card has advantages outside raw compute: it is a 75 W part versus 125 W, it has 8 GB of memory versus 6 GB, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. These features matter for specific use cases, which the Architecture and Specification sections will explore.

The data does not support a "both are good for different reasons" narrative in compute terms. The NVIDIA card is simply faster. The Intel card's appeal must come from its feature set, power efficiency, and mobility orientation — not from benchmark victories.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies separated by two GPU generations and a node shrink. The NVIDIA CMP 30HX uses the TU116 chip built on Turing architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 12 nm process. The Intel Arc A570M uses the DG2-256 chip built on Xe-HPG architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 6 nm process. The node difference is stark: 12 nm versus 6 nm. This allows Intel to pack 11,500 million transistors into a 269 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 42.8 million per square millimeter. NVIDIA's 6,600 million transistors occupy a larger 284 mm² die, yielding just 23.2 million per square millimeter. Intel's density advantage is nearly 2x.

The architectures themselves reflect different priorities. Turing is NVIDIA's compute-oriented design from the mining era, with no dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores listed. Xe-HPG is Intel's gaming and compute hybrid, and the Arc A570M includes 16 ray tracing cores. The Intel card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA card only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). This means the Intel card can handle hardware ray tracing and mesh shaders, while the NVIDIA card cannot in the same way.

Shader resources also differ. The Intel card has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. The NVIDIA card has 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Despite having 45% more shading units, the Intel card's FP32 throughput is only 5.325 TFLOPS versus 5.027 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card — a mere 6% advantage. This suggests the NVIDIA card's higher clock speeds compensate for its lower shader count. The NVIDIA card boosts to 1,785 MHz, while the Intel card boosts to just 1,300 MHz. Base clocks are even further apart: 1,530 MHz versus 900 MHz.

The transistor count difference is notable: 11,500 million versus 6,600 million. Intel achieves this on a smaller die thanks to the denser 6 nm process. Pixel and texture rates are close, however. The NVIDIA card hits 85.68 GPixel/s and 157.1 GTexel/s, while the Intel card manages 83.20 GPixel/s and 166.4 GTexel/s. The Intel card leads in texture rate but trails slightly in pixel rate, despite its higher ROP count.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge sharply on memory and power specifications. The NVIDIA CMP 30HX has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Arc A570M has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a narrower 128-bit bus, resulting in 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card's bandwidth advantage is 50% — a critical factor for compute workloads that stream large datasets. The Intel card's larger capacity is useful for holding bigger working sets, but it cannot move data as quickly.

Memory clock is identical at 1,750 MHz, with 14 Gbps effective for both. The difference is purely in bus width and capacity.

Power consumption tells a different story. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 125 W and requires a dual-slot cooler with a single 8-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested power supply. The Intel card has a TDP of just 75 W, uses an integrated form factor (IGP), requires no external power connectors, and has no suggested PSU rating. This makes the Intel card dramatically more power-efficient on paper: 75 W versus 125 W, a 40% reduction. For mobile or compact systems, this is a decisive advantage.

Physical dimensions also differ. The NVIDIA card is 229 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 35 mm wide — a standard dual-slot add-in board. The Intel card has no listed dimensions and is classified as IGP, meaning it is designed to be integrated into a portable device. Display outputs reflect this: the NVIDIA card has none, while the Intel card's outputs are "Portable Device Dependent."

The bus interface differs as well. The NVIDIA card uses PCIe 1.0 x4, which is an extremely old and narrow interface. The Intel card uses PCIe 4.0 x8, a modern and much faster connection. This could affect real-world performance in systems where the GPU must exchange data with the CPU, though the benchmark data does not isolate this variable.

Production status and release dates are also different. The NVIDIA card is end-of-life and was released on 2021-02-24. The Intel card is active and was released on 2023-07-31. The NVIDIA card has a launch MSRP of 799 USD, which is a historical figure with no bearing on current pricing. The Intel card has no launch MSRP listed.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA CMP 30HX scores 65,199 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 12% higher than the Intel Arc A570M's 58,239. The NVIDIA card wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A570M support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The Intel card includes 16 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The NVIDIA CMP 30HX has no ray tracing cores listed and only supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The NVIDIA card has 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus. The Intel card has 224.0 GB/s from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. The NVIDIA card's bandwidth is 50% higher, but the Intel card has 2 GB more capacity.

Q: Which GPU consumes less power?

A: The Intel Arc A570M has a 75 W TDP and requires no external power connectors. The NVIDIA CMP 30HX has a 125 W TDP and requires a single 8-pin connector with a 300 W suggested PSU. The Intel card uses 40% less power.

Q: Can either GPU output to a display?

A: The NVIDIA CMP 30HX has no display outputs. The Intel Arc A570M's display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they depend on the host device. Neither is a standard desktop graphics card for direct monitor connection.

Q: How does the Intel card's average score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel card's average benchmark score is 58,239, which is within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM (58,085) and within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (58,392). It trails the NVIDIA P102-100 (58,528) by 0.5% and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657) by 0.7%.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA CMP 30HX wins on raw compute performance. The 12% OpenCL lead and the 6,960-point score gap are the most definitive numbers in this comparison. The card's 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is 50% higher than the Intel part, which gives it a clear advantage in memory-bound workloads. Its higher clock speeds — 1,785 MHz boost versus 1,300 MHz — allow it to extract more performance from fewer shader units. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s is also slightly higher. For anyone running OpenCL-based compute tasks, the NVIDIA card is the data-backed choice.

NVIDIA CMP 30HX also wins on benchmark consistency. Its average score of 63,842 places it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel card's 58,239 places it in the 88th percentile. The NVIDIA card's nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its score, suggesting stable, predictable performance. The Intel card's nearest rivals swing from -0.7% to +0.3%, indicating more variability.

Intel Arc A570M wins on power efficiency. At 75 W versus 125 W, the Intel card consumes 40% less power. This is not a small difference; it is the difference between a card that can be integrated into a laptop or compact device and one that requires a full desktop slot with external power. For battery-powered or thermally constrained systems, the Intel card is the only viable option.

Intel Arc A570M wins on memory capacity and features. The 8 GB framebuffer is 33% larger than the NVIDIA card's 6 GB. For workloads that need to hold larger datasets in VRAM, this matters. The card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, includes 16 ray tracing cores, and uses a modern PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. The NVIDIA card's PCIe 1.0 x4 interface is a severe bottleneck for CPU-GPU data transfer, which could negate its compute advantage in certain system configurations.

Intel Arc A570M wins on transistor density and process technology. The 6 nm process with 42.8M transistors per mm² is nearly 2x denser than NVIDIA's 12 nm process at 23.2M per mm². This is an architectural advantage that suggests better future scalability, even if it does not translate into a benchmark win today.

The use-case split is clear: For stationary compute tasks where power and size are not constraints, the NVIDIA CMP 30HX is the faster card. For mobile or integrated systems where power efficiency, modern API support, and larger memory capacity are priorities, the Intel Arc A570M has the edge — even though it loses the compute benchmark. The data does not crown a single overall winner; it defines two different tools for two different jobs.