Intel Arc B390 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between the Intel Arc B390 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 in the recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 scores 2502, while the Intel Arc B390 scores 1482. The RTX 5050 leads by 40.8% in this specific benchmark.

Q: How does each GPU rank among all graphics cards in the database?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks in the 66th percentile. This places the RTX 5050 well above the median, while the Arc B390 is near the lower end.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU based on average benchmark scores?

A: For the Arc B390, the closest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher), GeForce 800M (1.5% higher), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% higher), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% higher). For the RTX 5050, the closest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% higher), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (1.0% higher), AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% lower), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% higher).

Q: What memory configurations do these two GPUs use?

A: The Intel Arc B390 uses system shared memory, with bandwidth described as system dependent. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has a TDP of 80 W, is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, and requires no external PSU recommendation. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has a TDP of 130 W, uses a dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector, and the suggested power supply is 300 W.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 5050 also supports these APIs with its Blackwell 2.0 architecture.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc B390 is built on the Panther Lake chip using the Xe3-LPG architecture, part of the Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) generation. It is fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process node. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 uses the GB207 chip with Blackwell 2.0 architecture, belonging to the GeForce 50-series. It is manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process node, with 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 113.4M per mm². The Arc B390's transistor count and die size are listed as unknown.

The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster operations pipelines, and 12 ray tracing cores. It does not have dedicated tensor cores listed. The RTX 5050 has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 20 ray tracing cores, and 80 tensor cores. This indicates the RTX 5050 has substantially more parallel processing resources.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The Arc B390 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The RTX 5050 has a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. The RTX 5050's memory runs at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective speed, while the Arc B390 relies on system shared memory.

The Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor with a slot width of IGP, no power connectors, and a bus interface of IGP. The RTX 5050 is a dual-slot discrete card with a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface, a single 8-pin power connector, and display outputs including 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The Arc B390's display outputs are portable device dependent.

The Verdict

The recorded data shows a definitive performance gap. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers 40.8% higher scores in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, and its average benchmark score of 21035 vastly exceeds the Arc B390's 1482. The RTX 5050 also has a far stronger relative position, ranking in the 66th percentile versus the 9th percentile for the Arc B390.

For users needing a dedicated, high-performance graphics solution, the RTX 5050 is the clear choice. It offers 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory, 320.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 80 tensor cores, making it suitable for demanding workloads. The Arc B390, as an integrated solution with system shared memory and lower compute throughput, is positioned for portable devices where power efficiency and space are prioritized. Its 80 W TDP and lack of external power connectors indicate a design focused on mobile integration rather than peak performance.

The release dates also matter: the RTX 5050 launched on 2025-06-30, while the Arc B390 launched on 2026-01-26. The RTX 5050's predecessor is the GeForce 40 series, with a successor in the GeForce 60 series. The Arc B390 has no listed predecessor or successor.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification:

• Process Node: Intel Arc B390 uses 3 nm (Intel foundry); NVIDIA RTX 5050 uses 5 nm (TSMC).
• Transistors: Arc B390 unknown; RTX 5050 has 16,900 million.
• Die Size: Arc B390 unknown; RTX 5050 is 149 mm².
• Base Clock: 300 MHz (Arc B390) vs 2317 MHz (RTX 5050).
• Boost Clock: 2500 MHz (Arc B390) vs 2572 MHz (RTX 5050).
• Memory: System shared (Arc B390) vs 8 GB GDDR6 (RTX 5050).
• Memory Bus: System shared (Arc B390) vs 128 bit (RTX 5050).
• Memory Bandwidth: System dependent (Arc B390) vs 320.0 GB/s (RTX 5050).
• Shading Units: 1536 (Arc B390) vs 2560 (RTX 5050).
• TMUs: 48 (Arc B390) vs 80 (RTX 5050).
• ROPs: 24 (Arc B390) vs 32 (RTX 5050).
• RT Cores: 12 (Arc B390) vs 20 (RTX 5050).
• Tensor Cores: None listed (Arc B390) vs 80 (RTX 5050).
• Pixel Rate: 60.00 GPixel/s (Arc B390) vs 82.30 GPixel/s (RTX 5050).
• Texture Rate: 120.0 GTexel/s (Arc B390) vs 205.8 GTexel/s (RTX 5050).
• FP32: 7.680 TFLOPS (Arc B390) vs 13.17 TFLOPS (RTX 5050).
• FP16: 15.36 TFLOPS (Arc B390, 2:1) vs 13.17 TFLOPS (RTX 5050, 1:1).
• TDP: 80 W (Arc B390) vs 130 W (RTX 5050).
• Slot Width: IGP (Arc B390) vs Dual-slot (RTX 5050).
• Power Connectors: None (Arc B390) vs 1x 8-pin (RTX 5050).
• Suggested PSU: None (Arc B390) vs 300 W (RTX 5050).
• Bus Interface: IGP (Arc B390) vs PCIe 5.0 x8 (RTX 5050).
• Display Outputs: Portable device dependent (Arc B390) vs 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b (RTX 5050).
• Release Date: 2026-01-26 (Arc B390) vs 2025-06-30 (RTX 5050).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 scores 2502, while the Intel Arc B390 scores 1482. The delta is 40.8% in favor of the RTX 5050, which records one win in this comparison. The Arc B390 records zero wins.

Beyond this direct comparison, the average benchmark scores reinforce the gap. The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, derived from ten recorded tests including Geekbench OpenCL (90334), Geekbench Vulkan (89381), PassMark G3D (17326), PassMark GPU Compute (9184), and various PassMark DirectX tests. The Arc B390 has an average score of 1482, based solely on the Steel Nomad result.

The percentile data provides context: the Arc B390's nearest rivals are all low-end NVIDIA parts from past generations (GT 520MX, 800M, GT 625 OEM, GT 710), with score differences under 3%. The RTX 5050's nearest rivals are mid-range to high-end parts (RX Vega M GL, HD 8970M, RX 5600 XT, RTX A4000 Mobile), with differences under 2%. This places the two GPUs in entirely different performance tiers.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 wins in raw performance, as shown by the 40.8% lead in the Steel Nomad test. It also wins on memory capacity and bandwidth, offering 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 at 320.0 GB/s versus the Arc B390's system shared memory. The RTX 5050 has more shading units (2560 vs 1536), more TMUs (80 vs 48), more ROPs (32 vs 24), more ray tracing cores (20 vs 12), and adds 80 tensor cores that the Arc B390 lacks. Its pixel rate (82.30 GPixel/s) and texture rate (205.8 GTexel/s) are substantially higher than the Arc B390's 60.00 GPixel/s and 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput is 13.17 TFLOPS versus 7.680 TFLOPS.

The Intel Arc B390 wins on power efficiency and integration. Its 80 W TDP is 50 W lower than the RTX 5050's 130 W. It requires no power connectors and no external PSU, fitting into a portable device form factor as an IGP. The Arc B390 also has a higher FP16 throughput at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) compared to the RTX 5050's 13.17 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), though this advantage is limited to FP16 compute scenarios. The Arc B390's 3 nm process node is more advanced than the RTX 5050's 5 nm node, which may contribute to its lower power draw.

For use cases, the RTX 5050 is suited for desktop gaming and content creation where dedicated memory and high compute throughput matter. The Arc B390 is suited for thin-and-light portable devices where the GPU must share system resources and operate within strict power and thermal limits. The data does not support any scenario where the Arc B390 outperforms the RTX 5050 in the recorded 3D benchmark.