Intel Arc A770 vs NVIDIA P102-100 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear, though not entirely one-sided, picture. In the two shared tests, the Intel Arc A770 decisively outperforms the NVIDIA P102-100. The most dramatic margin is in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the Arc A770 scores 109,175 against the P102-100’s 49,602. This translates to a staggering 120.1% delta—the Arc A770 delivers more than double the compute performance in this particular workload. The gap narrows considerably, but remains substantial, in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the Arc A770 scores 94,284, while the P102-100 trails at 67,454, a 39.8% advantage for the Intel card.

These results are corroborated by the average benchmark scores. The Arc A770’s average score of 68,809 places it in the 90th percentile of all GPUs, while the P102-100’s 58,528 average puts it in the 88th percentile. The delta between their averages is roughly 17.6% in favor of the Arc A770. Interestingly, the P102-100’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT, which it trails by just 0.2%, and the Intel Arc A570M, which it edges out by 0.5%. This suggests that while the P102-100 is an older architecture, its raw compute strength keeps it competitive with much newer mainstream parts. The Arc A770, by contrast, sits alongside the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 and AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 in its average score, trading blows within a 1.7% window. The data indicates that the Arc A770 is not just faster, but is operating in a higher performance tier altogether.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two cards is vast, reflecting their different origins and release timelines. The Intel Arc A770 is built on the Xe-HPG architecture, codenamed DG2-512, and belongs to the Alchemist generation. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, packing 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 53.4 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the NVIDIA P102-100 is a Pascal architecture chip, GP102, from the Mining GPUs generation. It uses a much older 16 nm process, also at TSMC, with 11,800 million transistors spread across a larger 471 mm² die. Its transistor density is a comparatively sparse 25.1 million per square millimeter. The process node difference alone explains a significant portion of the performance gap; the Arc A770 is able to fit nearly twice the transistors in a smaller physical space.

The compute resources also differ fundamentally. The Arc A770 fields 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. It also includes 32 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the P102-100. The P102-100, meanwhile, offers 3,200 shading units, 200 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. This gives the Intel card a 28% advantage in shading units, a 28% lead in TMUs, and a 60% lead in ROPs. The NVIDIA card does not have any tensor cores or RT cores listed in the data. Furthermore, the memory subsystems are entirely distinct. The Arc A770 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The P102-100 uses 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 320-bit bus, which yields 440.3 GB/s. The Intel card has more than three times the memory capacity and a 16% bandwidth advantage, despite the narrower bus.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the benchmark results, the Intel Arc A770 wins every single head-to-head comparison. It has 2 wins, and the P102-100 has 0. The Arc A770’s victory in OpenCL is particularly pronounced, indicating a strong advantage in compute-heavy, non-graphics workloads like general-purpose GPU computing. The Vulkan win, while smaller, points to superior performance in modern graphics APIs that allow for low-level hardware access. The P102-100, lacking display outputs, is clearly designed for a niche purpose—mining or dedicated compute—where rendering to a screen is not required. However, even in the compute-oriented OpenCL test, it is far behind.

The data implies that the Arc A770 is the more versatile and powerful card. Its 16 GB of memory makes it suitable for large datasets, and its ray tracing cores give it a feature that the P102-100 simply cannot match. The P102-100’s strengths, if any, lie in its legacy Pascal architecture, which may have specific driver optimizations for certain older compute workloads. However, the benchmark scores do not reflect any such advantage. The P102-100’s only potential win condition is in scenarios where its unique lack of display outputs is an asset, such as a headless compute server where power draw is less of a concern than in a typical desktop.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every measurable specification. The most obvious difference is the memory capacity: the Arc A770 has 16 GB of GDDR6, while the P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X. Clock speeds also differ, with the Arc A770 running at a base of 2100 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, whereas the P102-100 sits at a base of 1582 MHz and a boost of 1683 MHz. The memory clocks are equally divergent, with the Intel card at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) and the NVIDIA card at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective). The shading unit count, TMU count, and ROP count are all higher on the Arc A770.

The power and connectivity profiles are also distinct. The Arc A770 has a TDP of 225 W and requires a single 6-pin and a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The P102-100 has a higher TDP of 250 W and requires two 8-pin connectors, with a suggested PSU of 600 W. The bus interface is another key separator: the Arc A770 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the P102-100 uses the ancient PCIe 1.0 x4 interface. This will severely bottleneck the P102-100 in any system that relies on PCIe bandwidth for data transfer. The display outputs tell the story of their intended uses: the Arc A770 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0, while the P102-100 has no outputs whatsoever. The Arc A770 is also a much newer product, released on 2022-10-11, versus the P102-100’s 2018-02-11 release. The Intel card has a 6 nm process, while the NVIDIA card is on 16 nm. The Arc A770 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the P102-100 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The Arc A770 offers a launch MSRP of 329 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more raw compute power in OpenCL?

A: The Intel Arc A770 is significantly faster, scoring 109,175 compared to the NVIDIA P102-100’s 49,602, a 120.1% difference.

Q: Is the NVIDIA P102-100 a good option for gaming?

A: The data suggests it is not. It has no display outputs, which means it cannot be connected to a monitor. Additionally, its Vulkan score of 67,454 is 39.8% lower than the Arc A770’s 94,284.

Q: How much memory do these cards have?

A: The Intel Arc A770 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X memory.

Q: Does either card support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A770 has 32 dedicated ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA P102-100 does not have any RT cores listed in its specifications.

Q: What is the performance percentile for each card?

A: The Intel Arc A770 is in the 90th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 68,809. The NVIDIA P102-100 is in the 88th percentile, with an average score of 58,528.

Q: Which card requires a more powerful power supply?

A: The NVIDIA P102-100 has a higher TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W, compared to the Intel Arc A770’s 225 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Arc A770 is the superior product in almost every measurable way. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by substantial margins, has a higher average score, a higher percentile ranking, and offers a more modern feature set including ray tracing. Its 16 GB of memory is a massive advantage over the P102-100’s 5 GB. The P102-100’s only saving grace is its lower transistor count and older architecture, which might be relevant for legacy software compatibility, but the benchmark scores do not support any performance advantage. The P102-100 is a specialist mining-era card with no display outputs and a PCIe 1.0 x4 interface, making it a poor choice for any modern general-purpose computing or gaming task.

For anyone building a system that requires a display output, modern API support, or high compute performance, the Intel Arc A770 is the clear choice. Its 90th percentile standing and 39.8% Vulkan lead over the P102-100 make it a more future-proof investment. The P102-100, with its 88th percentile and lack of display outputs, is relegated to a niche role in headless compute environments where its lower relative performance is acceptable. The data strongly suggests that the Arc A770 is the only sensible pick for a typical user.