Intel Arc A730M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded benchmark data separates these two mobile GPUs into distinct tiers. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile wins both head-to-head tests, and the margin is substantial. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA part scores 159575 against 70352 for the Intel Arc A730M, a 55.9% deficit for the Intel part. The Vulkan result shows the same pattern: 145807 versus 64693, a 55.6% gap. If the task is raw compute throughput, the RTX 4080 Mobile is the clear choice.

However, the average benchmark score tells a different story about overall standings. The Intel Arc A730M has an average benchmark score of 45592, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 4080 Mobile averages 38135, which sits at the 81st percentile. The database shows the Intel part outperforms its own nearest rivals by a small margin, while the NVIDIA part slightly trails its closest competitors. For users who prioritize a specific compute workload, the NVIDIA part dominates. For general database standing, the Intel part ranks higher despite losing both direct comparisons.

The verdict from the data: the RTX 4080 Mobile is for users who need maximum compute performance in OpenCL and Vulkan tasks. The Arc A730M is for those who want a higher overall benchmark percentile, but they must accept a large performance gap in the two tests where both parts were measured. There is no scenario in the recorded data where the Intel part wins a head-to-head comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head table lists exactly two tests, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile wins both. There are zero wins recorded for the Intel Arc A730M. In Geekbench OpenCL, a test that exercises general-purpose compute across the GPU, the NVIDIA part delivers more than double the score. In Geekbench Vulkan, which measures graphics and compute through the Vulkan API, the same pattern holds. The Intel part does not have any recorded victory in any test where both were run.

The Intel part does have its own benchmark entries that are not shared with the NVIDIA part. The Arc A730M records a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1732. That test is absent from the RTX 4080 Mobile results. So while the NVIDIA part wins the common ground, the Intel part has a data point in DX12 that the database does not provide for the NVIDIA part. Users who care about that specific test will find only the Arc A730M score available.

The RTX 4080 Mobile also has a broader benchmark footprint: Passmark tests for DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and compute, plus both Geekbench tests. The Intel part has only three recorded benchmarks. For users who want to compare across many API generations, the NVIDIA part offers more recorded data points.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and different design philosophies. The Intel Arc A730M uses the DG2-512 chip with the Xe-HPG architecture, belonging to the Alchemist generation (Arc 7 Mobile). It is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die. The transistor density is 53.4 million per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, from the GeForce 40 Mobile generation. It is built on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The density is 121.8 million per mm².

The NVIDIA chip packs 58.8% more transistors into a smaller die, which explains its higher density. The Intel chip has 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The NVIDIA part has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The NVIDIA part has more than twice the shading units and more TMUs, but fewer ROPs. The Intel part has 24 ray tracing cores; the NVIDIA part has 58. The NVIDIA part also has 232 tensor cores, while the Intel part lists none.

Clock speeds differ meaningfully. The Intel part has a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost of 2050 MHz. The NVIDIA part starts higher at 1290 MHz base but boosts to only 1665 MHz. Despite the lower boost clock, the NVIDIA part achieves higher throughput because of its larger shader count. Memory clocks also differ: the Intel part runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, while the NVIDIA part runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective. Both use 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, but the NVIDIA part achieves 432.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 336.0 GB/s for the Intel part.

Power envelopes are distinct. The Intel Arc A730M has a TDP of 80 W. The NVIDIA RTX 4080 Mobile has a TDP of 110 W. The production status also differs: the Intel part is end-of-life, while the NVIDIA part is active. The NVIDIA part has a release date of 2023-01-02, a predecessor in GeForce 30 Mobile, and a successor in GeForce 50 Mobile. The Intel part lists no release date, predecessor, or successor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has an average benchmark score of 45592, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has an average of 38135. The Intel part ranks in the 84th percentile of all GPUs; the NVIDIA part ranks in the 81st.

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile wins with a score of 159575. The Intel Arc A730M scores 70352, which is 55.9% lower.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA part provides 432.0 GB/s, while the Intel part provides 336.0 GB/s. Both have 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, but the NVIDIA memory clock is 2250 MHz versus 1750 MHz for the Intel part.

Q: Which chip has more transistors?

A: The NVIDIA AD104 has 35,800 million transistors. The Intel DG2-512 has 21,700 million. The NVIDIA die is smaller at 294 mm² versus 406 mm², giving it a much higher transistor density of 121.8M per mm² versus 53.4M per mm².

Q: Are there any tests where the Intel Arc A730M wins?

A: In the head-to-head benchmark table, the Intel part has zero wins. The NVIDIA part wins both recorded tests. The Intel part does have a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1732, but the NVIDIA part has no score for that test, so no direct comparison exists.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has a TDP of 110 W. The Intel Arc A730M has a TDP of 80 W. The NVIDIA part consumes 30 W more but delivers substantially higher compute scores.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct comparisons between these GPUs. The first is Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA RTX 4080 Mobile scores 159575. The Intel Arc A730M scores 70352. The delta is 55.9% in favor of NVIDIA. That is not a narrow margin; the NVIDIA part is roughly 2.27 times faster in this test. OpenCL is a cross-platform compute API, so this result speaks to raw shader and compute throughput. The NVIDIA part has 7424 shading units versus 3072, so the score difference aligns with the hardware count.

The second test is Geekbench Vulkan. The NVIDIA part scores 145807, and the Intel part scores 64693. The delta is 55.6%, nearly identical to the OpenCL gap. Vulkan exercises both graphics and compute, and the result suggests the NVIDIA part maintains its advantage across API boundaries. The Intel part's Vulkan score is actually slightly lower than its OpenCL score (64693 versus 70352), while the NVIDIA part's Vulkan score is slightly lower than its OpenCL score as well (145807 versus 159575). Both parts lose a small amount of performance moving from OpenCL to Vulkan, but the relative gap between them remains stable.

The biggest win for the NVIDIA part is in OpenCL, where the absolute score difference is 89223 points. In Vulkan, the absolute difference is 81114 points. The percentage deltas are close: 55.9% and 55.6%. This consistency suggests a systematic performance advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk. The Intel part has no recorded win in either test, and the database shows zero wins for the Intel part overall.

The NVIDIA part also has additional benchmark data that the Intel part lacks. Passmark G3D score is 24926, Passmark GPU compute is 11191, and DirectX tests range from 96 in DX12 to 286 in DX9. The Intel part has no such entries. For users who rely on Passmark, only the NVIDIA part can be evaluated. The Intel part's only unique benchmark is 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 1732, which has no counterpart in the NVIDIA record.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every major specification category. Process node: Intel uses 6 nm, NVIDIA uses 5 nm. Transistor count: 21,700 million versus 35,800 million. Die size: 406 mm² versus 294 mm². Transistor density: 53.4M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm². The NVIDIA chip is smaller and denser.

Shading units: 3072 versus 7424. TMUs: 192 versus 232. ROPs: 96 versus 80. The Intel part has more ROPs, but the NVIDIA part has far more shading units and TMUs. Ray tracing cores: 24 versus 58. Tensor cores: none listed for Intel, 232 for NVIDIA. The NVIDIA part has dedicated tensor hardware that the Intel part does not list.

Clock speeds: base 1100 MHz versus 1290 MHz; boost 2050 MHz versus 1665 MHz. The Intel part boosts higher, but the NVIDIA part starts higher. Memory clock: 1750 MHz versus 2250 MHz. Effective data rate: 14 Gbps versus 18 Gbps. Memory bandwidth: 336.0 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s. Both have 12 GB GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus.

Pixel rate: 196.8 GPixel/s for Intel versus 133.2 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rate: 393.6 GTexel/s versus 386.3 GTexel/s. The Intel part wins both rates despite having fewer shading units. FP32 compute: 12.60 TFLOPS versus 24.72 TFLOPS. FP16: 25.19 TFLOPS (2:1) for Intel versus 24.72 TFLOPS (1:1) for NVIDIA. The Intel part has a higher FP16 rate due to the 2:1 ratio, but the NVIDIA part matches FP16 to FP32.

TDP: 80 W versus 110 W. Slot width: both are IGP. Power connectors: none listed for Intel, none for NVIDIA. Bus interface: both use PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: both are portable device dependent. APIs: both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Production status: Intel is end-of-life, NVIDIA is active. Release date: NVIDIA is 2023-01-02; Intel lists none. The NVIDIA part has a predecessor (GeForce 30 Mobile) and successor (GeForce 50 Mobile); the Intel part lists neither.