Intel Arc A770 vs NVIDIA L4 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows the NVIDIA L4 winning both available head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the Intel Arc A770. In Geekbench OpenCL, the L4 scores 140,838 against the A770's 109,175, a 29% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the L4 scores 121,306 against 94,284, a 28.7% lead. These are substantial margins, not marginal wins, and they hold across both the compute-oriented OpenCL API and the modern graphics-oriented Vulkan API.

Context from the database places these results in a wider field. The L4's average benchmark score of 131,072 places it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs tracked. Its nearest rivals, based on average score, are the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti at 131,938 (0.7% ahead), the RTX 4000 Ada Generation at 135,218 (3.1% ahead), the A10M at 135,230 (3.1% ahead), and the Radeon PRO W6800 at 135,396 (3.2% ahead). The L4 sits essentially at parity with the RTX 3090 Ti in aggregate scoring, trailing by less than one percent, while remaining within roughly three percent of the other three.

The Intel Arc A770's average benchmark score is much lower at 68,809, placing it in the 90th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the CMP 90HX at 69,000 (0.3% ahead), the Radeon Instinct MI25 at 68,562 (0.4% behind the A770), the Radeon Pro WX 8200 at 69,870 (1.5% ahead), and the Quadro P6000 at 69,986 (1.7% ahead). The A770's aggregate score is roughly half that of the L4, which aligns with the large deltas seen in the individual head-to-head tests.

The wins are evenly meaningful across both APIs, which suggests the L4's advantage is not tied to a specific driver stack or API optimization. The OpenCL delta of 29% and the Vulkan delta of 28.7% are nearly identical, indicating a consistent performance gap across different workload types. The database shows two head-to-head wins for the L4 and zero for the A770.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural lineages. The NVIDIA L4 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD104 chip, produced by TSMC on a 5 nm process. It belongs to the Server Ada generation. The Intel Arc A770 uses the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-512 chip, also produced by TSMC but on a 6 nm process, and belongs to the Alchemist generation.

The transistor counts and die sizes tell a story of different design priorities. The L4 packs 35,800 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The A770 contains 21,700 million transistors on a larger 406 mm² die, resulting in a much lower density of 53.4 million per square millimeter. The L4's 5 nm process allows it to fit more transistors in less space, while the A770's larger, less dense die reflects the older 6 nm node.

The L4 is a compute-focused accelerator with 7,424 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, 80 raster operation units, 60 ray tracing cores, and 240 tensor cores. The A770 has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 32 ray tracing cores, but no tensor cores listed in the database. The L4's shading unit count is 81% higher, though the A770 counters with more TMUs and ROPs. The A770's pixel rate of 307.2 GPixel/s exceeds the L4's 163.2 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 614.4 GTexel/s beats the L4's 489.6 GTexel/s.

Compute throughput differs in interesting ways. The L4 delivers 30.29 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16, indicating a 1:1 ratio. The A770 delivers 19.66 TFLOPS in FP32 but 39.32 TFLOPS in FP16, a 2:1 ratio. So while the L4 has a clear FP32 lead, the A770 actually produces more FP16 throughput if a workload can use it. The L4's tensor cores add dedicated AI acceleration hardware that the A770 lacks entirely.

Memory configurations diverge as well. The L4 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 300.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The A770 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. The A770 has significantly more memory bandwidth, but the L4 has 50% more capacity. Clock behavior also differs: the L4 runs a 795 MHz base clock with a 2040 MHz boost, while the A770 runs a 2100 MHz base with a 2400 MHz boost. The A770's higher clocks help explain its higher pixel and texture rates.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in raw compute benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA L4 wins both recorded head-to-head tests. It leads the Intel Arc A770 by 29% in Geekbench OpenCL and by 28.7% in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A770 have more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The A770 has 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 256-bit bus, while the L4 has 300.1 GB/s from a 192-bit bus. However, the L4 has more total memory at 24 GB versus 16 GB.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The L4 has a 72 W TDP and requires no power connectors, with a suggested 250 W PSU. The A770 has a 225 W TDP, requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector, and needs a suggested 550 W PSU.

Q: Can either card be used for display output?

A: Only the Intel Arc A770 has display outputs, offering one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 2.0 connections. The NVIDIA L4 has no display outputs at all.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A770 support tensor operations?

A: The database does not list tensor cores for the A770. The L4 includes 240 tensor cores, making it the only one of the two with dedicated AI acceleration hardware.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The NVIDIA L4 is listed as Active, while the Intel Arc A770 is listed as End-of-life. The L4 was released on March 20, 2023, and the A770 on October 11, 2022.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA L4 | Intel Arc A770 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Xe-HPG |

| Chip | AD104 | DG2-512 |

| Generation | Server Ada (Lxx) | Alchemist (Arc 7) |

| Process node | 5 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 35,800 million | 21,700 million |

| Die size | 294 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor density | 121.8M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base clock | 795 MHz | 2100 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2040 MHz | 2400 MHz |

| Memory size | 24 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory bus | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 300.1 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 7424 | 4096 |

| TMUs | 240 | 256 |

| ROPs | 80 | 128 |

| Ray tracing cores | 60 | 32 |

| Tensor cores | 240 | None |

| Pixel rate | 163.2 GPixel/s | 307.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 489.6 GTexel/s | 614.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 30.29 TFLOPS | 19.66 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 30.29 TFLOPS (1:1) | 39.32 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 72 W | 225 W |

| Slot width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 550 W |

| Display outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 2.0 |

| Length | 169 mm | Not listed |

| Height | 56 mm | Not listed |

| Production status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release date | March 20, 2023 | October 11, 2022 |

| Predecessor | Server Ampere | Xe Graphics |

| Successor | Server Hopper | Battlemage |

| Launch MSRP | None listed | 329 USD |

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split in intended use. The NVIDIA L4 is a compute accelerator aimed at server workloads. It has no display outputs, no power connectors, a 72 W TDP, and a single-slot profile. Its strengths are tensor cores, high FP32 throughput, 24 GB of memory, and a 95th percentile aggregate benchmark standing. It outperforms the Intel Arc A770 by roughly 29% in both OpenCL and Vulkan, and its average score of 131,072 is nearly double the A770's 68,809.

The Intel Arc A770 is a conventional graphics card. It has display outputs, dual-slot cooling, external power connectors, a 225 W TDP, and a 329 USD launch MSRP. It offers higher memory bandwidth, higher pixel and texture rates, and more FP16 throughput than the L4. But its aggregate benchmark score sits in the 90th percentile, and its nearest rivals are older or specialized cards like the CMP 90HX, Radeon Instinct MI25, Radeon Pro WX 8200, and Quadro P6000, all within 2% of its score.

For compute workloads, the L4 is the stronger choice based on the recorded benchmarks. For tasks requiring display output or high memory bandwidth, the A770 is the only option of the two that provides those features. The L4's active production status and the A770's end-of-life status also factor into long-term availability.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA L4 wins in compute performance, as shown by the 29% OpenCL lead and the 28.7% Vulkan lead. It also wins on memory capacity with 24 GB versus 16 GB, on FP32 throughput with 30.29 TFLOPS versus 19.66 TFLOPS, and on AI acceleration thanks to 240 tensor cores. Its 72 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it far easier to integrate into dense server environments, and its single-slot design takes minimal space. The L4's 95th percentile standing and near-parity with the RTX 3090 Ti in average score reinforce its position as a high-tier compute accelerator.

The Intel Arc A770 wins on memory bandwidth with 512.0 GB/s versus 300.1 GB/s, and on pixel rate with 307.2 GPixel/s versus 163.2 GPixel/s. It also wins on texture rate with 614.4 GTexel/s versus 489.6 GTexel/s, and on FP16 throughput with 39.32 TFLOPS versus 30.29 TFLOPS. The A770 provides display outputs, making it usable for gaming or workstation display tasks, while the L4 cannot drive a monitor at all. The A770's higher base and boost clocks also give it an edge in clock-sensitive workloads, though the database has no head-to-head tests that isolate clock scaling.

The practical takeaway: if the workload is compute, AI, or server-side inferencing, the L4's benchmark wins and tensor core support make it the obvious pick. If the workload needs display output, high memory bandwidth, or high pixel throughput, the A770 is the only card of the two that can handle those tasks, even though its aggregate compute score is lower. The two cards are not direct substitutes; they serve different roles in the database's recorded data.