Intel Arc A580 vs NVIDIA RTX A4500 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep for the NVIDIA RTX A4500 across every head-to-head benchmark. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX A4500 scores 3196 against the Intel Arc A580's 2229, a 43.4% advantage. This is not a marginal gap; it is a substantial performance chasm in a modern DirectX 12 workload. The Geekbench OpenCL test widens the divide further, with the RTX A4500 posting 141837 versus 91657 for the Arc A580, a 54.7% lead in raw compute throughput. The most lopsided result appears in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX A4500 reaches 129980 while the Arc A580 manages only 79381, a 63.7% delta. That Vulkan gap is particularly telling for cross-API compatibility, as the NVIDIA part maintains a strong lead regardless of the graphics API used.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this hierarchy. The RTX A4500 sits at an average score of 91671, while the Arc A580 averages 57756. That difference places the two cards in different competitive tiers entirely. The RTX A4500 ranks in the 93rd percentile among all GPUs, whereas the Arc A580 ranks in the 87th percentile. While both are above average, the RTX A4500's percentile position reflects a much higher ceiling. The nearest rivals for the RTX A4500 include the NVIDIA RTX A4500 Mobile at 91134 (0.6% below), the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 at 92466 (0.9% above), the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 at 87445 (4.8% below), and the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 at 87108 (5.2% below). This clustering shows the RTX A4500 sits within a tight band of high-end workstation and datacenter parts. For the Arc A580, the closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM at 58085 (0.6% above), the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE at 57367 (0.7% below), the Intel Arc A570M at 58239 (0.8% above), and the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT at 58392 (1.1% above). The Arc A580's rival cluster is much closer in score, indicating it competes in a denser, more contested performance segment.

Looking at individual workloads, the RTX A4500's 43.4% win in 3DMark Steel Nomad is notable because that test stresses modern rendering features. A lead of that size suggests the Ampere architecture's full feature set translates into real-world gains, not just theoretical peak numbers. The OpenCL result at 54.7% ahead points to compute-heavy applications favoring the NVIDIA card heavily. The Vulkan result at 63.7% is the largest margin, which may indicate driver maturity or architectural efficiency in that API. Every benchmark in the database records the same winner, with no test where the Arc A580 closes the gap to single digits. The smallest delta is still 43.4%, meaning even the best-case scenario for the Intel card leaves it far behind.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA RTX A4500 wins every recorded benchmark against the Intel Arc A580. For users selecting a GPU strictly on the basis of these measurements, the RTX A4500 is the stronger performer in all three tested workloads. Its 93rd percentile ranking versus the Arc A580's 87th percentile further confirms that the NVIDIA card belongs to a higher performance class. The average score differential of 33915 points between the two cards is substantial, and no benchmark in the database shows the Arc A580 ahead or even competitive.

The RTX A4500 is the choice for anyone prioritizing maximum compute throughput and graphics performance. Its 63.7% Vulkan lead and 54.7% OpenCL lead make it particularly suited for applications that leverage those APIs heavily. The Arc A580, by contrast, sits in a rival cluster with the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT and RX 9070 GRE, all within 1.1% of each other. That positioning suggests the Arc A580 is a mid-range option competing with consumer-oriented cards, not a workstation-class part. The RTX A4500's nearest rivals are all professional or datacenter GPUs, including the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 and the NVIDIA Quadro GP100. This placement in the database indicates the RTX A4500 is designed and benchmarked within a professional context, while the Arc A580 aligns with a broader consumer or entry-level workstation segment.

One caveat emerges from the production status fields. The RTX A4500 is listed as end-of-life, while the Arc A580 is active. For buyers who require long-term availability or warranty support, this could factor into a decision. However, the recorded performance data does not favor the Arc A580 in any test. The verdict from the numbers alone is straightforward: the RTX A4500 outperforms the Arc A580 across the board, and the Arc A580's only advantage lies in its active production status, not in any measured performance metric.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA RTX A4500 uses the GA102 chip built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the Intel Arc A580 uses the DG2-512 chip on TSMC's 6 nm node. The process node difference matters: TSMC's 6 nm process is denser, which helps explain the Intel chip's higher transistor density of 53.4 million transistors per square millimeter versus 45.1 million for the NVIDIA chip. However, the NVIDIA chip is physically larger at 628 mm² compared to 406 mm², and it packs more total transistors at 28,300 million versus 21,700 million. The larger die and higher transistor count give the RTX A4500 a raw resource advantage that the benchmarks reflect.

Core configuration differences are stark. The RTX A4500 has 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The Arc A580 has 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The RTX A4500 more than doubles the shading unit count, which directly contributes to its FP32 throughput of 23.65 TFLOPS versus 12.29 TFLOPS for the Arc A580. The RTX A4500 also has 56 ray tracing cores and 224 tensor cores, while the Arc A580 has 24 ray tracing cores and no dedicated tensor core count listed. The FP16 situation is interesting: the RTX A4500 delivers 23.65 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the Arc A580 delivers 24.58 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. This means the Intel card actually exceeds the NVIDIA card in raw FP16 throughput, but the NVIDIA card's 1:1 ratio suggests more consistent performance across precision levels.

Memory configurations also diverge significantly. The RTX A4500 has 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus, delivering 640.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A580 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. The RTX A4500's memory capacity is 2.5 times larger and its bandwidth is 25% higher. Both cards run memory at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed, so the bandwidth difference comes purely from the wider bus. Clock speeds favor the Intel card: the Arc A580 has a 1700 MHz base and 2000 MHz boost, while the RTX A4500 has a 1050 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost. Yet the NVIDIA card's higher core count and wider memory interface overcome the clock deficit in every benchmark.

Power and physical requirements differ as well. The RTX A4500 has a 200 W TDP with a single 8-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU. The Arc A580 has a 175 W TDP with two 8-pin connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU. Both are dual-slot cards. The RTX A4500 is 267 mm long and 112 mm tall, while the Arc A580's dimensions are not recorded. Display outputs differ: the RTX A4500 offers four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the Arc A580 offers one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both use PCIe 4.0 x16 interfaces.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4500 delivers 23.65 TFLOPS FP32, while the Intel Arc A580 delivers 12.29 TFLOPS. The RTX A4500 is roughly 92% higher in this metric.

Q: How do the memory capacities compare?

A: The RTX A4500 has 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus with 640.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Arc A580 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Is the Intel Arc A580 better at FP16 compute?

A: Yes, in raw throughput. The Arc A580 achieves 24.58 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), while the RTX A4500 achieves 23.65 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio). The Arc A580 edges ahead in this specific metric.

Q: What are the production statuses of these two cards?

A: The RTX A580 is listed as end-of-life, while the Arc A580 is listed as active.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX A4500 has 7168 shading units, more than double the Arc A580's 3072 shading units.

Q: How many display outputs does each card offer?

A: The RTX A4500 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a. The Arc A580 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX A4500 wins in every recorded benchmark category. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it leads by 43.4%, making it the clear choice for modern DirectX 12 gaming or rendering workloads that stress geometry and rasterization. The Geekbench OpenCL result at 54.7% ahead indicates the RTX A4500 is strongly preferred for OpenCL compute tasks, which are common in scientific computing, video encoding, and general GPGPU workloads. The Geekbench Vulkan result at 63.7% ahead makes the RTX A4500 the superior option for Vulkan-based applications, including many modern game engines and cross-platform graphics software. The RTX A4500's 93rd percentile ranking versus the Arc A580's 87th percentile also shows it wins the overall performance distribution comparison.

The Intel Arc A580 does not win any recorded benchmark, but it has structural advantages that the database reveals. Its FP16 throughput of 24.58 TFLOPS exceeds the RTX A4500's 23.65 TFLOPS, meaning workloads that rely heavily on FP16 math could theoretically favor the Intel card, even though no recorded benchmark captures this advantage. The Arc A580 also has a higher boost clock at 2000 MHz versus 1650 MHz, and it uses a more modern 6 nm process with higher transistor density at 53.4M per mm² versus 45.1M per mm². The Arc A580's display outputs include DisplayPort 2.0 and HDMI 2.1, which are newer standards than the RTX A4500's DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. For users with monitors that support DisplayPort 2.0, the Arc A580 offers a connectivity advantage. The Arc A580 also has a lower TDP at 175 W versus 200 W and a lower suggested PSU at 450 W versus 550 W, making it the more power-efficient choice on paper.

The Arc A580's nearest rival cluster includes the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT and RX 9070 GRE, both within 1.1% of its average score. This places the Arc A580 in a consumer-oriented performance tier. The RTX A4500's rivals are professional cards like the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 and NVIDIA Quadro GP100, placing it in a workstation and datacenter tier. The use-case split is therefore clear: the RTX A4500 is the pick for professional compute, rendering, and any workload where the recorded benchmarks show a 43% to 64% advantage. The Arc A580 is a reasonable option for users who need DisplayPort 2.0 connectivity, prefer a more modern process node, or value its active production status, but the performance data does not support choosing it over the RTX A4500 in any tested workload.