Intel Arc B390 vs NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single recorded head-to-head benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, shows a clear win for the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation. The NVIDIA card scores 1767 points against 1482 points for the Intel Arc B390, a delta of 16.1% in favor of the RTX 2000 Ada. This is a substantial gap in a modern DirectX 12 workload, indicating that the NVIDIA part delivers noticeably higher graphics throughput in this specific test.

Looking at the broader database averages, the RTX 2000 Ada Generation sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc B390 lands in the 9th percentile. The average benchmark score for the RTX 2000 Ada is 18954, which includes multiple tests beyond the Steel Nomad run. The Arc B390 has only one recorded benchmark score, 1482, which also serves as its average. This difference in available data points means the RTX 2000 Ada's average reflects performance across DirectX 10, 11, 12, 9, OpenCL, Vulkan, and compute workloads, whereas the Arc B390's single score provides a narrower view.

The nearest rivals for each card further contextualize their positions. The Arc B390's closest competitors, based on average scores, are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% behind), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% behind), the GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% behind), and the GT 710 (1443, 2.7% behind). These are all low-end legacy parts, which reinforces that the Arc B390's performance class is entry-level. The RTX 2000 Ada, by contrast, competes with the Quadro K6000 (19030, 0.4% ahead), the Radeon RX 6600 (19036, 0.4% ahead), the Tesla K80 (18866, 0.5% behind), and the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, 0.5% ahead). The RTX 2000 Ada is essentially tied with these mid-range desktop and mobile parts, placing it in a completely different performance tier.

In the direct comparison, the RTX 2000 Ada wins the only shared test. The database records one win for NVIDIA and zero for Intel in head-to-head results. The 16.1% deficit for the Arc B390 in Steel Nomad is consistent with the percentile gap, which shows the RTX 2000 Ada outperforming 63% of all GPUs while the Arc B390 outperforms only 9%. No other overlapping benchmarks exist in the recorded data, so the comparison rests on this single workload plus the broader average scores.

The Verdict

The data indicates the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation is the stronger GPU for any application where raw 3D rendering performance matters. Its Steel Nomad score of 1767 is 285 points higher than the Arc B390's 1482, a 16.1% advantage. The RTX 2000 Ada also has a far superior average benchmark score of 18954 compared to 1482, though this average includes many more tests, which inflates the numerical difference. Even accounting for that, the percentile ranking, 63rd versus 9th, shows the NVIDIA card is in a higher performance class.

The Arc B390, with its integrated graphics design, is not positioned to compete with a dedicated workstation GPU. Its nearest rivals are all ancient, low-end NVIDIA parts, which places it firmly in legacy entry-level territory. The RTX 2000 Ada's rivals, including the Radeon RX 6600 and RTX 4050 Mobile, are modern mid-range parts, and the NVIDIA card trades blows with them within a 0.5% margin. For anyone choosing between these two for a desktop workstation, the RTX 2000 Ada is the clear choice based on benchmark results.

The RTX 2000 Ada also holds advantages in compute and API-specific tests, with recorded scores in OpenCL (78074), Vulkan (83360), and Passmark compute (7834). The Arc B390 has no such scores in the database, meaning its compute performance is unverified. The RTX 2000 Ada's 12.00 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 (1:1) rates are higher than the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), but those are theoretical figures. The actual benchmark data confirms the NVIDIA card's superiority in the tested workload.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2000 Ada Generation wins the only direct comparison, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, by 16.1%. This is a modern DirectX 12 workload that stresses geometry, ray tracing, and asynchronous compute. The NVIDIA card's win here suggests it handles contemporary game engines and DXR workloads more effectively. Its 22 RT cores and 88 tensor cores give it dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI-based features, which the Arc B390 lacks entirely, as it has no tensor cores and only 12 RT cores.

The RTX 2000 Ada also wins in the broader benchmark suite by virtue of having multiple recorded scores. Its Passmark DirectX 9 score of 216, DirectX 10 score of 82, DirectX 11 score of 138, and DirectX 12 score of 71 show consistent performance across legacy and current APIs. The Arc B390 has no Passmark data, so no comparison is possible for those older APIs. The NVIDIA card's Geekbench OpenCL score of 78074 and Vulkan score of 83360 demonstrate strong compute and cross-platform graphics performance, while the Arc B390 has no comparable entries.

The Arc B390's only potential wins are in power consumption and form factor. Its TDP of 80 W is higher than the RTX 2000 Ada's 70 W, so it does not win on power. However, the Arc B390 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with no slot width, no power connectors, and no dedicated memory. It uses system shared memory, which means it requires no additional hardware beyond the processor. The RTX 2000 Ada is a dual-slot, 168 mm long card that requires a PCIe 4.0 x8 slot and a 250 W suggested power supply, though it also has no power connectors. For a system with no PCIe slot or where physical space is at an absolute premium, the Arc B390 is the only viable option. The benchmark data does not favor it in any performance test.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher 3DMark Steel Nomad score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation scores 1767 points, while the Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 points. The NVIDIA card wins by 16.1%.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390's average score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443).

Q: What is the performance gap between the RTX 2000 Ada and its closest competitor?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada's average score of 18954 is 0.4% lower than the Quadro K6000 (19030) and Radeon RX 6600 (19036), 0.5% higher than the Tesla K80 (18866), and 0.5% lower than the RTX 4050 Mobile (19049).

Q: Does the Arc B390 have any recorded compute benchmarks?

A: No. The database lists only one benchmark for the Arc B390, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The RTX 2000 Ada has scores for Geekbench OpenCL, Geekbench Vulkan, and multiple Passmark tests.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each card?

A: The Arc B390 uses system shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, type, bus width, or bandwidth. The RTX 2000 Ada has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has more shading units and texture mapping units?

A: The RTX 2000 Ada has 2816 shading units and 88 TMUs. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units and 48 TMUs. The NVIDIA card has nearly double the shading units and TMUs.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural lineages. The Intel Arc B390 uses the Xe3-LPG architecture on a 3 nm process node, fabricated by Intel. Its chip is codenamed Panther Lake. The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm process node, fabricated by TSMC, with the AD107 chip. The process node difference, 3 nm versus 5 nm, is significant, but the actual transistor counts tell a different story. The RTX 2000 Ada has 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die, giving a density of 118.9M per mm². The Arc B390's transistor count and die size are listed as unknown.

The RTX 2000 Ada includes dedicated tensor cores, 88 of them, which the Arc B390 does not have at all. The NVIDIA card also has 22 RT cores versus 12 on the Intel part. The RTX 2000 Ada's FP32 throughput is 12.00 TFLOPS, and its FP16 throughput is also 12.00 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning it does not gain an advantage in FP16. The Arc B390 has 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16 with a 2:1 ratio, meaning it can double FP16 throughput by sacrificing FP32. This makes the Intel card relatively stronger in FP16 workloads, but the NVIDIA card is still ahead in absolute FP32.

The API support is identical: both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 2000 Ada has a dual-slot design, measures 168 mm by 69 mm, and uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. The Arc B390 is an IGP with no slot width, no bus interface beyond IGP, and no physical dimensions recorded. The NVIDIA card has four mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the Intel card's display outputs are portable device dependent. The RTX 2000 Ada's memory operates at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed, while the Arc B390's memory clock is listed as system shared.

Specification Differences

The most obvious difference is the memory subsystem. The RTX 2000 Ada has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Arc B390 has no dedicated memory; it uses system shared memory with a bus width and type also listed as system shared, and bandwidth is system dependent. This makes the NVIDIA card far more predictable in performance, as its memory bandwidth is fixed at 256.0 GB/s, whereas the Intel card's bandwidth varies with the host system's memory configuration.

Clock speeds also differ substantially. The Arc B390 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The RTX 2000 Ada has a base clock of 1620 MHz and a boost clock of 2130 MHz. Despite the lower boost clock, the NVIDIA card delivers higher performance due to its larger execution resources. The Arc B390's base clock is extremely low, which likely reflects its integrated nature and power-saving priorities.

Compute resources differ as follows: the Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and 12 RT cores. The RTX 2000 Ada has 2816 shading units, 88 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and 22 RT cores. The pixel rate of the NVIDIA card is 102.2 GPixel/s versus 60.00 GPixel/s on the Intel card. The texture rate is 187.4 GTexel/s versus 120.0 GTexel/s. The RTX 2000 Ada leads in every throughput metric.

Power and physical requirements differ as well. The Arc B390 has a TDP of 80 W, no power connectors, and is an IGP, so it consumes no additional slot space. The RTX 2000 Ada has a TDP of 70 W, also has no power connectors, but is a dual-slot card with a suggested power supply of 250 W. The NVIDIA card is 168 mm long and 69 mm high. The Intel card has no dimensions, as it is integrated into the processor package. The release dates are far apart: the RTX 2000 Ada launched on 2024-02-11, while the Arc B390 is dated 2026-01-26. The RTX 2000 Ada has a launch MSRP of 649 USD, which is stated once here for reference. The Arc B390 has no launch MSRP recorded. The RTX 2000 Ada's predecessor is Workstation Ampere and its successor is Blackwell PRO W, while the Arc B390 lists no predecessor or successor.