GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA CMP 30HX and Intel Arc A580 represent two divergent approaches to GPU design, with the former engineered for a specific, now-defunct workload and the latter built as a general-purpose consumer graphics card. Benchmark data reveals a decisive performance gap between them, with the Intel Arc A580 winning both head-to-head tests, yet the comparison is nuanced by their entirely different intended use cases and hardware architectures. The CMP 30HX, an end-of-life mining part, holds a higher percentile ranking despite lower raw scores, while the Arc A580, an active product, delivers substantially higher compute throughput.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench results paint a clear picture of performance disparity. In the OpenCL test, the Intel Arc A580 scores 91,657 points against the NVIDIA CMP 30HX’s 65,199 points, a difference of 28.9% in Intel’s favor. This is not a marginal victory; it represents a substantial lead in raw compute workloads. The Vulkan test shows a similar trend, with Intel scoring 79,381 compared to NVIDIA’s 62,484, a 21.3% advantage for the Arc A580. These are the only two tests where both cards appear in the dataset, and Intel wins both, resulting in a 2-0 head-to-head sweep.

The magnitude of these wins is significant when placed in context. The 28.9% OpenCL lead is roughly equivalent to the performance gap between the CMP 30HX and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100, which sits just 0.6% ahead. In other words, the Arc A580 is not merely faster; it is operating in a higher performance tier altogether. The Vulkan delta of 21.3% is similarly decisive, indicating that Intel’s architecture is more efficient at translating API calls into actual work, likely due to its newer design and higher raw specifications.

Despite these losses, the CMP 30HX retains a higher average benchmark score percentile. It sits in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc A580 is in the 87th. This apparent contradiction stems from the fact that the CMP 30HX has only two benchmark results (both Geekbench tests), whereas the Arc A580 has three, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,229 points. The 3DMark result, which is a demanding modern gaming test, drags down Intel’s average to 57,756, while NVIDIA’s average remains high at 63,842. This highlights a critical distinction: the CMP 30HX performs well in compute-oriented tests but would likely struggle in gaming workloads, while the Arc A580 is a more balanced performer.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The NVIDIA CMP 30HX uses the Turing architecture on a 12 nm TSMC process, with a die size of 284 mm² and 6,600 million transistors. The Intel Arc A580 employs the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm TSMC node, packing 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die. This generational leap in manufacturing technology gives Intel a massive transistor density advantage: 53.4 million transistors per mm² versus NVIDIA’s 23.2 million per mm². The denser, more modern process allows Intel to double the shading units (3,072 versus 1,408), TMUs (192 versus 88), and ROPs (96 versus 48).

The memory subsystems also diverge sharply. NVIDIA pairs its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Intel steps up to 8 GB on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. This 52% bandwidth advantage is critical for high-resolution texturing and compute workloads that saturate memory. Clock speeds further favor Intel: the Arc A580 boosts to 2000 MHz versus the CMP 30HX’s 1785 MHz, with base clocks of 1700 MHz and 1530 MHz respectively.

Feature support is where the cards are most clearly separated by purpose. The CMP 30HX has no RT cores, no tensor cores, and no display outputs whatsoever. It is a compute-only board designed for mining, with a PCIe 1.0 x4 interface that severely limits host communication. The Arc A580, by contrast, includes 24 RT cores, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), and offers modern display outputs including 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0. It also uses a full PCIe 4.0 x16 connection. The NVIDIA card tops out at DirectX 12 (12_1), lacking the hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shaders that the Intel card supports.

Power and physical design reflect these differences. The CMP 30HX has a TDP of 125 W with a single 8-pin connector and a suggested 300 W PSU. The Arc A580 draws 175 W, requires two 8-pin connectors, and suggests a 450 W PSU. The NVIDIA card is a dual-slot design measuring 229 mm in length, while Intel’s dimensions are not specified in the data, though it is also dual-slot. The CMP 30HX launched on February 24, 2021, and is now end-of-life, while the Arc A580 launched over two years later on October 9, 2023, and remains an active product.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A580 is the clear winner for any application involving graphics output, gaming, or modern API features. Its 24 RT cores enable hardware ray tracing, a capability entirely absent from the CMP 30HX. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,229 points, while not directly comparable to the Geekbench numbers, demonstrates that the Arc A580 can handle contemporary gaming workloads. Its 8 GB frame buffer and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth are well-suited for high-resolution textures, and the PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures fast data transfer from the host system. The display outputs make it a functional everyday GPU, whereas the CMP 30HX cannot drive a monitor at all.

The NVIDIA CMP 30HX wins in the narrow context of its design purpose: raw compute with minimal overhead. Its 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 performance is respectable, and its 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for many compute tasks. The 89th percentile ranking, driven by its two strong Geekbench scores, suggests it remains competitive in AI inference or scientific workloads that do not require graphics output. However, the lack of RT cores, tensor cores, and display outputs makes it a poor choice for any general-purpose role. The PCIe 1.0 x4 interface is a severe bottleneck for data transfer, limiting its usefulness in systems that rely on host-GPU communication.

For a user building a gaming PC or a workstation needing display output, the Arc A580 is the only viable option. For a dedicated compute node where the GPU is accessed remotely and graphics output is unnecessary, the CMP 30HX’s lower power draw (125 W versus 175 W) and simpler power requirements (single 8-pin versus dual) might be marginally preferable. But even then, the Arc A580’s 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 performance is more than double the CMP 30HX’s 5.027 TFLOPS, making it 144% faster in raw compute throughput. The data simply does not support choosing the NVIDIA part for any modern workload.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The Intel Arc A580 has 12.29 TFLOPS FP32 performance, while the NVIDIA CMP 30HX has 5.027 TFLOPS. This gives Intel a 144% advantage in raw compute throughput.

Q: Does the NVIDIA CMP 30HX support ray tracing?

A: No. The CMP 30HX has no RT cores and supports DirectX 12 (12_1), which lacks the DirectX 12 Ultimate features like hardware ray tracing. The Intel Arc A580 has 24 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Q: Can the NVIDIA CMP 30HX be used to output video to a monitor?

A: No. The CMP 30HX has no display outputs of any kind. The Intel Arc A580 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0 connections.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare between the two cards?

A: The Intel Arc A580 has 512.0 GB/s bandwidth via a 256-bit bus with 8 GB GDDR6, while the NVIDIA CMP 30HX has 336.0 GB/s over a 192-bit bus with 6 GB GDDR6. Intel’s bandwidth is 52% higher.

Q: Which card has a better average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA CMP 30HX has an average benchmark score of 63,842, placing it in the 89th percentile. The Intel Arc A580 averages 57,756, in the 87th percentile. However, this is skewed by Intel’s additional 3DMark test, which the CMP 30HX lacks.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The NVIDIA CMP 30HX has a TDP of 125 W with one 8-pin connector and a suggested 300 W PSU. The Intel Arc A580 has a TDP of 175 W with two 8-pin connectors and a suggested 450 W PSU.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA CMP 30HX | Intel Arc A580 |

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

| Architecture | Turing | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 6,600 million | 21,700 million |

| Die Size | 284 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.2M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1530 MHz | 1700 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1785 MHz | 2000 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1408 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 88 | 192 |

| ROPs | 48 | 96 |

| RT Cores | None | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 85.68 GPixel/s | 192.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 157.1 GTexel/s | 384.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 5.027 TFLOPS | 12.29 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 10.05 TFLOPS (2:1) | 24.58 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 125 W | 175 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 1.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2021-02-24 | 2023-10-09 |

| Launch MSRP | 799 USD | Not specified |