Intel Arc A750 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB Comparison

The Intel Arc A750 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB represent two very different generations of graphics hardware. The data in the FACT PACK paints a clear picture of generational progress, but also highlights specific areas where the older card’s design holds up. The benchmark results, architecture details, and feature sets reveal a decisive, albeit one-sided, comparison.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison data is stark. In the two shared benchmark tests, the Intel Arc A750 wins both, and it wins by a massive margin. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Arc A750 scores 98,554 points against the GTX 1060 3 GB's 27,001 points. This represents a 265% advantage for the Intel card, indicating a raw compute performance gap that is simply insurmountable for the older NVIDIA part.

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows an even more dramatic separation. The Arc A750 posts a score of 85,631, while the GTX 1060 3 GB manages only 17,475. This yields a 390% delta in favor of the Intel card. This suggests that the Arc A750’s architecture is not only faster in absolute terms but is also far more efficient at handling modern graphics APIs, which is a critical factor for contemporary game engines.

Beyond the head-to-head tests, the overall average benchmark scores reinforce this hierarchy. The Arc A750 has an average benchmark score of 20,582, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. The GTX 1060 3 GB, with an average score of 19,334, sits in the 64th percentile. While the percentile difference is small (just 2 points), the average score difference shows the Arc A750 is about 6.5% faster on average across its entire benchmark suite. It is worth remembering the GTX 1060 3 GB's nearest rivals in the data include the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, which are far more powerful cards in the general market, but their average scores are close to the GTX 1060 3 GB's in this particular dataset.

The Arc A750’s individual benchmark results are also telling. Its PassMark G3D score is 12,534, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2,612. These figures, combined with its Geekbench scores, show consistent strength across DirectX 12, OpenCL, and Vulkan workloads. The GTX 1060 3 GB has no comparable DirectX 12 or PassMark data in the FACT PACK, making the Arc A750's lead in modern API performance even more pronounced.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental gap between these two cards is rooted in their architectural design. The Intel Arc A750 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture using a 6 nm process at TSMC, whereas the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB uses the older Pascal architecture on a 16 nm process. This process advantage is enormous; the Arc A750 packs 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die, while the GTX 1060 3 GB has only 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. This leads to a transistor density of 53.4M / mm² for the Intel part versus 22.0M / mm² for the NVIDIA part.

The core configurations are similarly divergent. The Arc A750 features 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 112 render output units (ROPs). It also includes 28 dedicated ray tracing cores. The GTX 1060 3 GB, by contrast, has 1,152 shading units, 72 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores present. This difference in core counts directly explains the massive performance gap in compute-heavy tasks.

Memory architecture further separates the two. The Arc A750 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The GTX 1060 3 GB is limited to 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing only 192.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A750’s memory is not only faster in type but also has a wider bus, giving it over 2.6 times the bandwidth. This is crucial for high-resolution textures and modern game assets, which can easily exceed the GTX 1060 3 GB's capacity.

Feature support also shows a generational divide. The Arc A750 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 1060 3 GB is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). This means the Intel card is ready for features like hardware ray tracing and variable rate shading, which are absent on the older NVIDIA card. The Arc A750 also offers a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, versus the GTX 1060 3 GB's PCIe 3.0 x16 and DisplayPort 1.4a. The Intel card’s interface provides more bandwidth for data transfer, and its display outputs are ready for the latest high-refresh-rate monitors.

The Verdict

The data unequivocally points to the Intel Arc A750 as the superior performer. In the only two directly comparable benchmarks, it leads by 265% and 390%. Its architecture is more modern, with a smaller process node, more transistors, and dedicated ray tracing hardware. Its memory subsystem is broader and faster, and its API support is more forward-looking.

The GTX 1060 3 GB is a relic from a previous generation. Its strengths, such as a lower power draw of 120 W versus the Arc A750's 225 W, do not translate into competitive performance. The data suggests that for any modern workload, the Arc A750 is the clear choice. The only scenario where the GTX 1060 3 GB could be considered is if there is a strict constraint on power consumption or physical size, as it is a dual-slot card with a length of 250 mm and only requires a single 6-pin power connector, but even then, the performance sacrifice is substantial. For any user prioritizing frame rates, graphical fidelity, or compute performance, the Arc A750 is the definitive winner.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards, based solely on the FACT PACK data:

• Chip: Intel DG2-512 vs. NVIDIA GP106
• Architecture: Xe-HPG vs. Pascal
• Generation: Alchemist (Arc 7) vs. GeForce 10
• Process Node: 6 nm vs. 16 nm
• Transistors: 21,700 million vs. 4,400 million
• Die Size: 406 mm² vs. 200 mm²
• Transistor Density: 53.4M / mm² vs. 22.0M / mm²
• Base Clock: 2050 MHz vs. 1506 MHz
• Boost Clock: 2400 MHz vs. 1708 MHz
• Memory Clock: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) vs. 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: 8 GB vs. 3 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6 vs. GDDR5
• Memory Bus Width: 256 bit vs. 192 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 512.0 GB/s vs. 192.2 GB/s
• Shading Units: 3584 vs. 1152
• TMUs: 224 vs. 72
• ROPs: 112 vs. 48
• RT Cores: 28 vs. None
• Pixel Rate: 268.8 GPixel/s vs. 81.98 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 537.6 GTexel/s vs. 123.0 GTexel/s
• FP32 Performance: 17.20 TFLOPS vs. 3.935 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: 34.41 TFLOPS (2:1) vs. 61.49 GFLOPS (1:64)
• TDP: 225 W vs. 120 W
• Power Connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin vs. 1x 6-pin
• Suggested PSU: 550 W vs. 300 W
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 vs. PCIe 3.0 x16
• Display Outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 vs. 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
• DirectX Support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) vs. 12 (12_1)
• Release Date: 2022-10-11 vs. 2016-08-17
• Predecessor: Xe Graphics vs. GeForce 900
• Successor: Battlemage vs. GeForce 20
• Launch MSRP: 289 USD vs. 199 USD

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in compute workloads?

A: The Intel Arc A750 is significantly faster. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scores 98,554 versus the GTX 1060 3 GB's 27,001, a 265% lead. Its FP32 performance is also much higher at 17.20 TFLOPS compared to 3.935 TFLOPS.

Q: Does the GTX 1060 3 GB support ray tracing?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists no RT cores for the GTX 1060 3 GB. The Intel Arc A750, in contrast, has 28 dedicated RT cores.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card have?

A: The Intel Arc A750 has 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB has 192.2 GB/s. This is due to the Arc A750's larger 256-bit bus and faster GDDR6 memory.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A750 has an average benchmark score of 20,582, placing it in the 66th percentile. The GTX 1060 3 GB has an average score of 19,334, placing it in the 64th percentile.

Q: Which card has a higher TDP?

A: The Intel Arc A750 has a higher TDP of 225 W, compared to the GTX 1060 3 GB's 120 W. The Arc A750 also requires a larger suggested PSU of 550 W versus 300 W.

Q: In the Vulkan API test, how much faster is the Arc A750?

A: The Arc A750 scores 85,631 in the Geekbench Vulkan test, which is 390% higher than the GTX 1060 3 GB's score of 17,475.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A750 wins in nearly every measurable category. It dominates in raw compute, as shown by its 265% lead in OpenCL and 390% lead in Vulkan. It has superior memory resources with 8 GB of GDDR6 and a 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, making it suitable for high-resolution textures and modern game engines. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and ray tracing gives it a clear edge in contemporary gaming and future-proofing. The card's higher pixel rate (268.8 GPixel/s) and texture rate (537.6 GTexel/s) also make it the winner for high-fidelity rendering.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB’s wins are more limited and are not based on performance. Its only advantages are its lower power consumption (120 W TDP) and its smaller physical footprint, being a dual-slot card with a length of 250 mm. It also has a lower launch MSRP of 199 USD compared to the Arc A750's 289 USD. For a user with a very old power supply (300 W suggested) or a compact case, it might fit, but the data shows it will deliver a fraction of the performance. For any use case involving gaming, content creation, or compute, the Arc A750 is the definitive winner; the GTX 1060 3 GB only makes sense in a legacy system with strict power or size constraints.