Intel Arc A730M vs NVIDIA Tesla T4 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains two directly comparable benchmark results between the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and the Intel Arc A730M. These are the Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests, and they split the head-to-head competition at one win apiece.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Intel Arc A730M posts a score of 70352, while the NVIDIA Tesla T4 records 61276. This gives the Intel part a 12.9% advantage over the Tesla T4. The OpenCL workload appears to favor the Arc A730M’s higher shading unit count and higher boost clock, allowing it to pull ahead by a substantial margin. This is a decisive win for Intel in raw compute throughput as measured by this specific benchmark.

The Vulkan test tells the opposite story. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 scores 72190, versus 64693 for the Intel Arc A730M. Here, the Tesla T4 leads by 11.6%. Vulkan is a lower-level API that can expose architectural efficiencies, and the Turing-based Tesla T4 clearly handles this workload better despite having fewer shading units and a lower boost clock. The result indicates that the Tesla T4’s architecture is more efficient in certain rendering paths, even when outgunned on paper by the Intel part.

Looking at the overall average benchmark score, the Tesla T4 has a clear edge. Its average is 66733, while the Arc A730M averages 45592. This is a difference of roughly 46% in favor of the Tesla T4. However, this average includes tests that are not directly comparable between the two, such as the Arc A730M’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1732, which has no counterpart in the Tesla T4’s data set. The average should be interpreted as a broader indicator, not a strict head-to-head comparison.

The Tesla T4 also sits higher in the percentile ranking. It falls in the 90th percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc A730M is in the 84th percentile. This places the Tesla T4 in a stronger position relative to the entire database of recorded graphics hardware.

The nearest rival data for each card further contextualizes their standings. The Tesla T4’s closest competitors include the AMD Radeon VII, which scores 66004 (1.1% lower), and the NVIDIA Tesla P40, which scores 65095 (2.5% lower). On the other side, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 scores 68562, which is 2.7% higher than the Tesla T4, and the Intel Arc A770 scores 68809, 3% higher. This shows the Tesla T4 is tightly grouped with several high-end accelerators, with only small percentage differences separating them.

The Arc A730M’s nearest rivals are a different set of parts. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT scores 45384, just 0.5% lower. The NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation scores 45972, which is 0.8% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile scores 45152, 1% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 scores 46043, 1% higher. The Arc A730M is thus bracketed by a narrow band of professional and mobile GPUs, all within 1% of its average score. This indicates that the Arc A730M’s average performance is consistent with a specific performance tier, whereas the Tesla T4 sits in a higher tier overall.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The Intel Arc A730M wins with a score of 70352, compared to the NVIDIA Tesla T4’s 61276, a 12.9% advantage for Intel.

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla T4 wins with a score of 72190, versus 64693 for the Intel Arc A730M, an 11.6% lead for NVIDIA.

Q: How does the average benchmark score compare between the two?

A: The Tesla T4 has an average score of 66733, while the Arc A730M averages 45592. The Tesla T4 is higher by roughly 46%.

Q: What percentile ranking does each GPU hold in the database?

A: The Tesla T4 is in the 90th percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc A730M is in the 84th percentile.

Q: Which rival is closest to the Tesla T4 in average score?

A: The AMD Radeon VII is closest, with an average score of 66004, which is 1.1% lower than the Tesla T4.

Q: Which rival is closest to the Arc A730M in average score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT is closest, with an average score of 45384, which is 0.5% lower than the Arc A730M.

The Verdict

The data points to two different roles for these GPUs. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 is the stronger overall performer based on the average benchmark score of 66733 and its 90th percentile standing. It also wins the Vulkan benchmark decisively, leading by 11.6%. For workloads that rely on Vulkan, or for users seeking a GPU with a higher overall performance profile among the database’s recorded results, the Tesla T4 is the clear choice.

The Intel Arc A730M, however, wins the OpenCL benchmark by 12.9%. For compute tasks that are optimized for OpenCL, the Arc A730M offers a measurable advantage. Its lower average score of 45592 and 84th percentile ranking indicate that it is not as consistently strong across all workloads, but its specific OpenCL performance is a legitimate reason to select it.

The two cards also occupy different hardware categories. The Tesla T4 is a single-slot, 70 W accelerator with no display outputs, designed for server or data center use. The Arc A730M is an integrated graphics processor for mobile devices, with a 80 W power envelope and display outputs that are dependent on the portable device. Users should choose based on the workload and the platform. If the task is Vulkan-heavy and requires a high overall benchmark standing, the Tesla T4 is the better option. If the task is OpenCL-heavy and the platform is a mobile device, the Arc A730M is the better fit.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The Tesla T4 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256 bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A730M uses 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192 bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite having less memory and a narrower bus, the Arc A730M has slightly higher memory bandwidth.

Clock speeds also differ. The Tesla T4 has a base clock of 585 MHz and a boost clock of 1590 MHz. The Arc A730M has a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz. The Intel part runs at significantly higher clocks. Memory clocks differ as well: the Tesla T4 operates at 1250 MHz with 10 Gbps effective speed, while the Arc A730M operates at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed.

Compute resources are not evenly matched. The Tesla T4 has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The Arc A730M has 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. The Intel part has more of each. The Tesla T4 has 40 ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores, while the Arc A730M has 24 ray tracing cores and no recorded tensor core count.

Rates and throughput figures follow the hardware counts. The Tesla T4 has a pixel rate of 101.8 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 254.4 GTexel/s. The Arc A730M has a pixel rate of 196.8 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 393.6 GTexel/s. In floating point, the Tesla T4 delivers 8.141 TFLOPS FP32 and 16.28 TFLOPS FP16. The Arc A730M delivers 12.60 TFLOPS FP32 and 25.19 TFLOPS FP16.

Power and physical configuration differ sharply. The Tesla T4 has a 70 W TDP, is single-slot, and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The Arc A730M has an 80 W TDP, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor), has no recorded power connector or PSU suggestion, and its dimensions are not recorded. The Tesla T4 has a length of 168 mm (6.6 inches), while the Arc A730M has no recorded length. The Tesla T4 has no display outputs, while the Arc A730M’s outputs are portable device dependent. The Tesla T4 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, while the Arc A730M uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Architecture Differences

The underlying architectures are entirely separate designs. The NVIDIA Tesla T4 is built on the Turing architecture, using the TU104 chip, and belongs to the Tesla Turing (Txx) generation. The Intel Arc A730M uses the Xe-HPG architecture, built on the DG2-512 chip, and belongs to the Alchemist (Arc 7 Mobile) generation.

Manufacturing processes differ. The Tesla T4 is fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². The Arc A730M is fabricated on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC, with 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 53.4M per mm². The Intel part uses a more advanced process node, packs more transistors, and achieves more than double the transistor density.

The Tesla T4’s architecture includes 320 tensor cores, which are absent from the Arc A730M’s recorded specifications. Ray tracing cores are present in both, but the Tesla T4 has 40 versus 24 in the Arc A730M. The API support is identical: both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The production status of both is end-of-life. The Tesla T4 has a recorded release date of 2018-09-12, while the Arc A730M has no recorded release date. The Tesla T4’s predecessor is listed as Tesla Volta, and its successor is Server Ampere. The Arc A730M has no recorded predecessor or successor. Neither part has a recorded launch MSRP.