Intel Arc A750 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and Intel Arc A750 represent two distinct approaches to GPU design, separated by four years of architectural evolution. The RTX 2080 launched in September 2018 as a Turing-based flagship, while the Arc A750 arrived in October 2022 with Intel's Xe-HPG architecture. The database shows the RTX 2080 winning 8 of 10 head-to-head benchmarks, yet the Arc A750 takes a decisive victory in the newest DirectX 12 test. This split reveals a fascinating generational trade-off: the older card dominates legacy and compute workloads, while the newer Intel card shows its strength in modern rendering pipelines.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2080 records an average benchmark score of 22,895 across all tests, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. The Arc A750 averages 20,582, sitting in the 66th percentile.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The Arc A750 scores 2,612 versus the RTX 2080's 1,752, a 32.9% advantage for Intel. This is the largest margin of victory for the Arc A750 in any benchmark.

Q: Which card performs better in Vulkan workloads?

A: The RTX 2080 leads significantly, scoring 107,797 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the Arc A750's 85,631, a 25.9% difference. This is one of the RTX 2080's strongest showings.

Q: What are the transistor counts and die sizes of each GPU?

A: The Arc A750 packs 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, resulting in a density of 53.4M transistors per mm². The RTX 2080 has 13,600 million transistors on a larger 545 mm² die, giving a density of 25.0M per mm².

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The Arc A750 offers 512.0 GB/s bandwidth across a 256-bit bus with 16 Gbps effective GDDR6 memory. The RTX 2080 provides 448.0 GB/s on the same 256-bit bus but with 14 Gbps effective memory.

Q: How close are the two cards in PassMark DirectX 12 performance?

A: This is the tightest benchmark in the comparison. The RTX 2080 scores 72 while the Arc A750 scores 70, a mere 2.9% difference in favor of NVIDIA.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 dominates across the majority of tested workloads, claiming victory in 8 of 10 benchmarks. Its largest wins come in DirectX 11 (119.4% ahead), DirectX 10 (109.2% ahead), and PassMark G3D (49.4% ahead). The card also shows substantial advantages in compute tasks, leading PassMark GPU Compute by 46.6% and Geekbench Vulkan by 25.9%. For users running older DirectX titles or OpenCL-based applications, the RTX 2080 is clearly the stronger choice.

The Arc A750 wins only two benchmarks, but they are strategically important. Its 32.9% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 signals strong performance in the latest DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads, which is the direction modern gaming is heading. The Arc A750 also edges out the RTX 2080 in Geekbench OpenCL by 7.3%, suggesting competitive compute performance in certain APIs. The data indicates the Intel card is built for the future, while the NVIDIA card excels at the past and present.

For legacy API compatibility, the RTX 2080's PassMark DirectX 9 score of 223 versus 181 (23.2% ahead) and its DirectX 10/11 results make it the safer pick for older game libraries. The Arc A750's 2D performance also lags, scoring 732 in PassMark G2D versus 907 for the RTX 2080, a 23.9% deficit. The Intel card's wins are concentrated in modern, GPU-bound scenarios where its higher shading unit count and newer architecture can flex.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs use fundamentally different architectures. The RTX 2080 employs NVIDIA's Turing architecture on a 12 nm TSMC process, featuring the TU104 chip. It includes 2,944 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, 46 RT cores, and 368 tensor cores. The Turing design introduced dedicated ray tracing and AI acceleration hardware, which was revolutionary for its time.

The Arc A750 uses Intel's Xe-HPG architecture on a much more advanced 6 nm TSMC process, built around the DG2-512 chip. It offers 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, 112 ROPs, and 28 RT cores. Notably, the Arc A750 has no tensor cores, which is a significant architectural difference from the RTX 2080. The Intel card compensates with a much higher transistor density, packing 53.4M transistors per mm² versus 25.0M for the RTX 2080.

The process node advantage is substantial: 6 nm versus 12 nm allows the Arc A750 to fit 21,700 million transistors on a smaller 406 mm² die, while the RTX 2080 uses 13,600 million transistors across a larger 545 mm² package. This density difference explains why the Arc A750 can achieve higher clock speeds (2,050 MHz base and 2,400 MHz boost versus 1,515 MHz and 1,710 MHz) despite similar power envelopes. The architectural philosophies also differ in API support, with both cards supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the Intel card's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides twice the bus bandwidth of the RTX 2080's PCIe 3.0 x16.

Specification Differences

The most striking specification difference is in the process node and transistor count. The Arc A750 uses a 6 nm process with 21,700 million transistors, while the RTX 2080 uses 12 nm with 13,600 million. This leads to a transistor density of 53.4M per mm² for Intel versus 25.0M for NVIDIA. The die size also differs significantly, with the RTX 2080 measuring 545 mm² versus 406 mm² for the Arc A750.

Clock speeds favor the Arc A750, which boosts to 2,400 MHz versus 1,710 MHz for the RTX 2080. The base clocks are 2,050 MHz and 1,515 MHz respectively. Memory configurations are similar in capacity (8 GB GDDR6 on both) and bus width (256-bit on both), but the Arc A750 runs at 16 Gbps effective versus 14 Gbps, yielding 512.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute resources differ substantially. The Arc A750 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, while the RTX 2080 has 2,944 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. This gives the Intel card higher theoretical rates: 268.8 GPixel/s and 537.6 GTexel/s versus 109.4 GPixel/s and 314.6 GTexel/s. FP32 performance also favors Intel at 17.20 TFLOPS versus 10.07 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 34.41 TFLOPS versus 20.14 TFLOPS. However, the RTX 2080 includes 368 tensor cores, a feature the Arc A750 lacks entirely.

Power and connectivity specifications are nearly identical. Both cards are dual-slot designs with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors, a 550 W suggested PSU, and a 225 W TDP for the Arc A750 versus 215 W for the RTX 2080. Display outputs differ: the RTX 2080 offers 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, while the Arc A750 provides 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0. The RTX 2080 measures 267 mm in length, while the Arc A750's dimensions are not recorded in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test delivers the most dramatic result. The Arc A750 scores 2,612 against 1,752 for the RTX 2080, a 32.9% margin that demonstrates Intel's modern architecture excels in current DirectX 12 workloads. This is the Arc A750's statement victory, showing it can outperform a card from a higher tier in the latest rendering paths.

The RTX 2080 responds with overwhelming dominance in legacy DirectX tests. In PassMark DirectX 11, the RTX 2080 scores 158 versus 72, a 119.4% advantage. PassMark DirectX 10 shows a similar pattern: 136 versus 65, or 109.2% ahead. These are massive margins that suggest the RTX 2080's driver maturity and architectural efficiency in older APIs are unmatched by the Arc A750.

Compute and general 3D workloads also favor the RTX 2080. PassMark G3D shows 18,720 versus 12,534, a 49.4% lead. PassMark GPU Compute delivers 7,872 versus 5,368, a 46.6% advantage. Geekbench Vulkan reveals a 25.9% gap (107,797 versus 85,631). The Arc A750's only other win besides Steel Nomad is Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 98,554 against 91,313, a 7.3% improvement.

The closest benchmark is PassMark DirectX 12, where the RTX 2080 edges ahead by just 2.9% (72 versus 70). This near-parity in DX12, combined with the Arc A750's huge Steel Nomad win, suggests that the Intel card's performance scales better with increasingly complex modern workloads. The RTX 2080 also wins PassMark DirectX 9 by 23.2% (223 versus 181) and PassMark G2D by 23.9% (907 versus 732), rounding out a comprehensive victory in 2D and legacy scenarios.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split based on workload type. The RTX 2080 is the superior choice for users running DirectX 9, 10, or 11 applications, where it leads by margins ranging from 23.2% to 119.4%. It also dominates in general 3D performance (49.4% ahead in PassMark G3D) and compute tasks (46.6% ahead in PassMark GPU Compute). The card's Vulkan performance is also strong, sitting 25.9% ahead of the Arc A750.

The Arc A750 makes a compelling case for modern gaming. Its 32.9% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 indicates that in the most current DirectX 12 Ultimate titles, the Intel card is the faster option. The 7.3% advantage in OpenCL also points to competitive compute capability in certain contexts. For a user building a system focused on the latest games and future titles, the Arc A750's architecture appears better positioned.

The RTX 2080's overall average score of 22,895 versus 20,582 for the Arc A750 means the NVIDIA card is the safer all-around pick. Its 68th percentile ranking versus 66th for Intel confirms this. The RTX 2080 also offers tensor cores, which the Arc A750 lacks, potentially mattering for AI-accelerated workloads. However, the Arc A750's higher bandwidth (512.0 GB/s vs 448.0 GB/s), more shading units (3,584 vs 2,944), and superior pixel/texture rates suggest untapped potential in optimized scenarios.

Choose the RTX 2080 for broad compatibility, legacy DirectX performance, and compute-heavy tasks. Choose the Arc A750 if your priority is the latest DirectX 12 games, where its 32.9% Steel Nomad advantage demonstrates clear superiority. The 2.9% gap in PassMark DX12 shows the cards are nearly equal in that API, but the Intel card's modern architecture points forward.