Intel Arc A750 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Comparison

The Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 are both end-of-life graphics cards, but they represent two very different design philosophies and performance profiles. The benchmark data shows a clear split: the Arc A750 dominates in modern DirectX 12 and compute workloads, while the RTX 2070 holds firm in legacy DirectX and traditional rasterization tests. With 4 wins for the Arc A750 and 6 wins for the RTX 2070 across the head-to-head suite, the overall average benchmark score favors Intel at 20582 versus NVIDIA's 18789, a difference that tells the story of generational shifts in GPU architecture.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory for the Intel Arc A750 comes in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where it scores 2612 against the RTX 2070's 1569. That is a 66.5% advantage, the largest delta in the entire comparison. This result is not marginal; it indicates that in a modern DirectX 12 workload designed for current-generation hardware, the Arc A750 is in a completely different performance class. The gap is so large that it dwarfs the other benchmark differences, suggesting the Arc A750's architectural strengths are heavily amplified in this specific scenario.

The Arc A750 also wins the Geekbench OpenCL test by 23.2%, posting 98554 versus 79966. This is a significant margin for a general-purpose compute benchmark. The Geekbench Vulkan result is much closer, with the Arc A750 winning by only 3.8% (85631 vs 82521). In PassMark DirectX 12, the Arc A750 wins again, but by a narrower 16.7% (70 vs 60). These three wins, combined with the Steel Nomad result, show that Intel's card is strongest when the workload is modern, API-agnostic, or compute-heavy.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, however, wins the remaining six benchmarks, and several by large margins. In PassMark DirectX 11, the RTX 2070 scores 129 versus 72, a 44.2% lead. The DirectX 10 test shows a similar story, with NVIDIA winning by 41.4% (111 vs 65). These legacy API results suggest that the RTX 2070's driver maturity and Turing architecture are better optimized for older DirectX pipelines. The PassMark DirectX 9 test also goes to NVIDIA, with a 14.2% advantage (211 vs 181).

The PassMark G3D score is a major win for the RTX 2070, 16094 versus 12534, a 22.1% lead. This is a synthetic aggregate rasterization score, and it heavily favors the NVIDIA card. The PassMark GPU Compute test also goes to NVIDIA, 6411 versus 5368, a 16.3% win. Even the 2D graphics test (PassMark G2D) is won by NVIDIA, 819 versus 732, a 10.6% margin. Across the board, NVIDIA's card is faster in the PassMark suite, while Intel's card wins in the more modern 3DMark and Geekbench tests.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A750 is the clear winner in modern DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads. Its 66.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad is the headline statistic, and its 16.7% win in PassMark DirectX 12 reinforces that pattern. For users running the latest games that use DirectX 12, the data shows the Arc A750 will provide a substantially better experience. The 23.2% win in Geekbench OpenCL also makes the Arc A750 the better choice for general-purpose GPU compute tasks that leverage OpenCL, such as certain rendering or data-processing applications.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 wins in legacy DirectX scenarios. Its 44.2% lead in DirectX 11 and 41.4% lead in DirectX 10 are massive, meaning that for older games and applications built on those APIs, the RTX 2070 is significantly faster. The 22.1% win in PassMark G3D indicates that in traditional, non-DX12 rasterization workloads, NVIDIA holds a clear edge. The RTX 2070 also wins the PassMark GPU Compute test by 16.3%, a different compute benchmark than OpenCL, suggesting its compute performance is more consistent across different test methodologies.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is the closest contest, with the Arc A750 winning by just 3.8%. This indicates a near-tie in Vulkan performance, with Intel holding a slight edge. Similarly, the PassMark DirectX 12 win for Intel (16.7%) is a solid but not overwhelming margin. The picture is clear: Intel wins where the workload is new, while NVIDIA wins where the workload is old or uses a specific rasterization path.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is generational. The Intel Arc A750 uses the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm process node from TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 uses the Turing architecture on a 12 nm node, also from TSMC. This process advantage is reflected in transistor density: Intel packs 53.4 million transistors per square millimeter, while NVIDIA has 24.3 million. The Arc A750 has 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, while the RTX 2070 has 10,800 million transistors on a larger 445 mm² die.

The compute core counts diverge sharply. The Arc A750 has 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, alongside 28 ray tracing cores. The RTX 2070 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores. Intel's card has a 55% advantage in shading units, but NVIDIA's card has more RT cores and the tensor core hardware that Intel lacks entirely. Clock speeds also differ, with the Arc A750 boosting to 2400 MHz versus 1620 MHz for the RTX 2070.

Memory configurations are similar in capacity but not in speed. Both cards have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. However, the Arc A750 runs its memory at 16 Gbps effective, yielding 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 2070 runs at 14 Gbps effective for 448.0 GB/s. The Intel card also has a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, while the RTX 2070 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs differ as well: Intel offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0, while NVIDIA offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C.

The power profiles are notably different. The Arc A750 is rated at 225 W TDP with a suggested 550 W PSU, using a 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connector setup. The RTX 2070 is rated at 175 W TDP with a suggested 450 W PSU, using a single 8-pin connector. Intel's card is physically more power-hungry, which is a consequence of its higher clock speeds and larger shader count.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A750 has an average benchmark score of 20582, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 scores 18789.

Q: By how much does the Arc A750 win the 3DMark Steel Nomad test?

A: The Arc A750 scores 2612 versus 1569 for the RTX 2070, a 66.5% lead.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 2070 have its largest win?

A: The RTX 2070 wins PassMark DirectX 11 by 44.2%, scoring 129 versus 72.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Intel Arc A750 has 3584 shading units, compared to 2304 for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Yes, both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), as well as OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The Arc A750 has 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 2070 has 448.0 GB/s, a difference of 64 GB/s.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the Intel Arc A750 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070:

• Process Node: 6 nm (Intel) vs 12 nm (NVIDIA)
• Transistors: 21,700 million vs 10,800 million
• Die Size: 406 mm² vs 445 mm²
• Transistor Density: 53.4M / mm² vs 24.3M / mm²
• Base Clock: 2050 MHz vs 1410 MHz
• Boost Clock: 2400 MHz vs 1620 MHz
• Memory Clock: 16 Gbps effective vs 14 Gbps effective
• Memory Bandwidth: 512.0 GB/s vs 448.0 GB/s
• Shading Units: 3584 vs 2304
• TMUs: 224 vs 144
• ROPs: 112 vs 64
• RT Cores: 28 vs 36
• Tensor Cores: None vs 288
• Pixel Rate: 268.8 GPixel/s vs 103.7 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 537.6 GTexel/s vs 233.3 GTexel/s
• FP32 Performance: 17.20 TFLOPS vs 7.465 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: 34.41 TFLOPS (2:1) vs 14.93 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 225 W vs 175 W
• Power Connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin vs 1x 8-pin
• Suggested PSU: 550 W vs 450 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, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C
• Dimensions: Not specified vs 229 mm x 113 mm x 35 mm
• Release Date: 2022-10-11 vs 2018-10-16
• Predecessor: Xe Graphics vs GeForce 10
• Successor: Battlemage vs GeForce 30
• Launch MSRP: 289 USD vs 499 USD

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split decision based on workload. The Intel Arc A750 is the superior choice for anyone running modern DirectX 12 games or applications, given its 66.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and its wins in DirectX 12 and OpenCL. Its 17.20 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth are the raw horsepower behind these wins. The RTX 2070, by contrast, is the better card for legacy DirectX 9/10/11 titles, where it leads by 14.2% to 44.2%, and for traditional PassMark G3D rasterization, where it wins by 22.1%.

Users with a library of older games should prefer the RTX 2070, as its driver maturity in those APIs is evident. However, for forward-looking users targeting current and future DirectX 12 releases, the Arc A750 offers a massive performance advantage. The Arc A750 also has a higher average benchmark score overall (20582 vs 18789) and a higher percentile ranking (66th vs 63rd). The RTX 2070 is the more power-efficient card at 175 W versus 225 W, and it is physically smaller, but the Arc A750's performance in modern workloads is too substantial to ignore. The choice is not about which card is better overall, but which era of software you care about most.