Intel Arc B390 vs NVIDIA N1 20SM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains only one benchmark result for the Intel Arc B390: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. The NVIDIA N1 20SM currently has no benchmark entries in the database, so a direct head-to-head comparison based on measured scores is not possible. The data instead relies on the Arc B390's placement among its nearest rivals to establish a performance baseline.

The Intel Arc B390's 1482 score places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs tracked by the database. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, averages 1463 points, which is 1.3% behind the Arc B390. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M follows at 1460 points, a 1.5% deficit. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, trailing by 2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 averages 1443 points, 2.7% lower.

The margin between the Arc B390 and its nearest rivals is narrow. A 1.3% advantage over the GT 520MX indicates that the Arc B390 delivers a modest but measurable lead in this specific DX12 workload. The gap widens only slightly across the other three rivals, with the largest delta being 2.7% against the GT 710. These figures suggest the Arc B390 operates in a performance tier where small score differences separate competitors.

The NVIDIA N1 20SM has no recorded benchmark scores, no nearest rivals, and an average benchmark score of zero. Its percentile ranking of 50 reflects its position in the database distribution, but without measured performance data, the database cannot confirm its actual speed in any workload. The absence of head-to-head benchmark entries between the two products means that any direct performance comparison must rely on architectural and specification differences rather than empirical results.

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Arc B390's score in the only benchmark recorded for it?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX?

A: The Arc B390's average score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX's average of 1463.

Q: Does the NVIDIA N1 20SM have any benchmark results in the database?

A: No, the NVIDIA N1 20SM has an empty benchmark list and an average benchmark score of 0.

Q: What percentile does the Intel Arc B390 hold among all GPUs?

A: The Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs tracked in the database.

Q: What is the NVIDIA N1 20SM's percentile ranking?

A: The N1 20SM is in the 50th percentile, although it has no measured benchmark scores.

Q: Which product has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Arc B390 boosts to 2500 MHz, while the NVIDIA N1 20SM boosts to 2346 MHz.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc B390 uses the Panther Lake chip with the Xe3-LPG architecture, belonging to the Arc Graphics-M generation. It is fabricated on a 3 nm process at Intel's foundry. The NVIDIA N1 20SM employs the GB20B chip with the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, part of the Blackwell IGP generation, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The N1 20SM has a known die size of 382 mm², while the Arc B390's die size is not recorded in the database.

The Arc B390 features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It includes 12 ray tracing cores but no tensor cores are listed. The N1 20SM has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. It includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. The N1 20SM's shading unit count is 66.7% higher than the Arc B390's, and its TMU count is more than triple.

The Arc B390's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The N1 20SM's pixel rate is slightly lower at 56.30 GPixel/s, but its texture rate reaches 375.4 GTexel/s, a substantial increase. In FP32 compute, the Arc B390 delivers 7.680 TFLOPS, while the N1 20SM reaches 12.01 TFLOPS. For FP16, the Arc B390 achieves 15.36 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, whereas the N1 20SM maintains 12.01 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

The Arc B390 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan in the database. The Arc B390's memory is system shared with no dedicated size, type, or bus width specified. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256 bit bus, delivering 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock is 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective speed.

Specification Differences

The two products differ across multiple specification fields. The Intel Arc B390 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The NVIDIA N1 20SM has a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz. The N1 20SM's base clock is 441 MHz higher, but the Arc B390's boost clock is 154 MHz higher.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Arc B390 uses system shared memory with no dedicated size, type, or bus width. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory with a 256 bit bus and 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The Arc B390's memory bandwidth is listed as system dependent, while the N1 20SM has a fixed figure.

The shading unit count is 1536 for the Arc B390 versus 2560 for the N1 20SM. TMUs are 48 versus 160. ROPs are equal at 24 for both. Ray tracing cores are 12 for the Arc B390 and 20 for the N1 20SM. Tensor cores are absent for the Arc B390, while the N1 20SM has 80.

Compute throughput differs: the Arc B390 produces 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16. The N1 20SM produces 12.01 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.01 TFLOPS FP16. Pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s for the Arc B390 and 56.30 GPixel/s for the N1 20SM. Texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s for the Arc B390 and 375.4 GTexel/s for the N1 20SM.

The Arc B390 has a TDP of 80 W, while the N1 20SM's TDP is unknown. Both are integrated graphics products with no power connectors. The Arc B390 uses an IGP bus interface, while the N1 20SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs differ: the Arc B390 is portable device dependent, while the N1 20SM has one HDMI output. The Arc B390 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists N/A for all three APIs. The Arc B390's release date is 2026-01-26, and the N1 20SM's is 2026-05-31.

The Verdict

The database presents two products with fundamentally different design priorities. The Intel Arc B390 has a measured benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, all NVIDIA parts from older generations, trail by 1.3% to 2.7%. This indicates that the Arc B390 occupies a low-tier performance segment, with its closest competition being legacy NVIDIA mobile and OEM graphics solutions.

The NVIDIA N1 20SM has no benchmark scores, making its performance unquantified in the database. Its 50th percentile ranking is derived from its position in the overall distribution, but without measured results, the database cannot confirm its actual speed. What is known is its architecture: Blackwell 2.0 on a 5 nm process, with a 382 mm² die, 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 tensor cores. Its FP32 throughput of 12.01 TFLOPS is 56.4% higher than the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS. Its texture rate of 375.4 GTexel/s is more than three times the Arc B390's 120.0 GTexel/s.

On paper, the N1 20SM has substantially higher compute resources. Its shading unit count exceeds the Arc B390's by 1024 units. Its TMU count is 112 units higher. It has 8 more ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores where the Arc B390 has none. Its memory system is dedicated: 128 GB of LPDDR5X with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the Arc B390's shared system memory with dependent bandwidth.

The Arc B390 counters with a higher pixel rate, 60.00 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s, and a higher boost clock, 2500 MHz versus 2346 MHz. It also has explicit API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the N1 20SM records N/A for all APIs. The Arc B390's FP16 throughput of 15.36 TFLOPS exceeds its own FP32 output, indicating a 2:1 ratio, whereas the N1 20SM maintains a 1:1 ratio at 12.01 TFLOPS.

The production status is active for both, and neither has a launch MSRP recorded. The Arc B390 released earlier, on 2026-01-26, while the N1 20SM follows on 2026-05-31.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc B390 wins in measured benchmark performance, being the only one with a recorded score. Its 1482 points in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 establish a concrete data point, whereas the N1 20SM has none. In pixel rate, the Arc B390's 60.00 GPixel/s exceeds the N1 20SM's 56.30 GPixel/s. Its boost clock of 2500 MHz is higher, and its FP16 output of 15.36 TFLOPS tops the N1 20SM's 12.01 TFLOPS. The Arc B390 also supports a full suite of graphics APIs, including DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which the N1 20SM does not list.

The NVIDIA N1 20SM wins in raw compute resources. Its 2560 shading units outnumber the Arc B390's 1536 by 66.7%. Its 160 TMUs quadruple the Arc B390's 48 in terms of ratio. The N1 20SM's 375.4 GTexel/s texture rate is 3.1 times the Arc B390's 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 throughput of 12.01 TFLOPS is 56.4% higher. It has 80 tensor cores and 20 ray tracing cores, both absent or lower on the Arc B390, which has 12 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The N1 20SM's memory system is dedicated: 128 GB at 273.2 GB/s, whereas the Arc B390 relies on system shared memory with dependent bandwidth.

The N1 20SM's base clock of 741 MHz is higher than the Arc B390's 300 MHz. Its die size of 382 mm² is recorded, while the Arc B390's is unknown. The N1 20SM uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, while the Arc B390 uses IGP. Display output is a single HDMI port for the N1 20SM, while the Arc B390 is portable device dependent.

For integrated graphics use cases, the data suggests the N1 20SM has the hardware foundation for higher sustained workloads, particularly in texture-heavy or compute-intensive scenarios, given its TMU and shading unit advantages. The Arc B390, with its measured DX12 score and higher pixel rate, may serve scenarios prioritizing raster output and API compatibility. The N1 20SM's lack of recorded benchmarks means its actual performance remains unverified; the Arc B390's score, though modest, is the only empirical result available.