Intel Arc B390 vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single benchmark result for the Intel Arc B390, while the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has no benchmark entries in the database. This asymmetry makes a direct score-for-score comparison impossible. The Arc B390 scores 1482 points in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This places the part at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, indicating that the vast majority of recorded graphics processors outperform it. The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation, by contrast, sits at the 50th percentile, the median position in the database, though its average benchmark score is recorded as zero due to the absence of test data.

The nearest rivals for the Arc B390 provide useful context for its performance tier. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX averages 1463 points, a 1.3% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M averages 1460 points, a 1.5% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM averages 1446 points, a 2.5% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 averages 1443 points, a 2.7% delta. These figures show the Arc B390 leading its closest competitors by margins between 1.3% and 2.7%, a slender advantage. The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has no listed nearest rivals, so no comparable delta values exist for that part.

Given the absence of a head-to-head benchmark set, the data does not support a winner in either direction. The Arc B390 has one recorded result. The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has none. Any statement about relative performance must rely on architectural and specification differences rather than direct measurements.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and use fundamentally different designs. The Intel Arc B390 is built on the Panther Lake chip with the Xe3-LPG architecture, part of the Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) generation. It uses a 3 nm process node fabricated by Intel. The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation uses the AD103 chip with the Ada Lovelace architecture, part of the Ada-MW generation, and is fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The transistor counts differ sharply: the RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation contains 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 121.1M per mm². The Arc B390 has unknown transistor count and die size, so no density figure can be stated.

The shading resources show a large gap. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 raster operation units, and 12 ray tracing cores. The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, 112 raster operation units, 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores. The Arc B390 lists no tensor cores in the data. The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation clearly carries far more execution hardware, which aligns with its higher recorded TDP of 120 W versus 80 W for the Arc B390.

Clock behavior also differs. The Arc B390 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has a base clock of 930 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The Intel part boosts substantially higher, while the NVIDIA part starts from a higher base. Memory architecture is completely different: the Arc B390 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth, while the RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256 bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth and a 2250 MHz memory clock (18 Gbps effective). The bus interface also separates them, with the Arc B390 using an IGP interface and the RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation using PCIe 4.0 x16.

Where Each One Wins

The Arc B390 wins on clock speed. Its boost clock of 2500 MHz exceeds the RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation's 1680 MHz by a substantial margin. The base clock tells the opposite story: 300 MHz for the Intel part versus 930 MHz for the NVIDIA part. The Arc B390 also wins on power efficiency in terms of raw TDP, drawing 80 W versus 120 W, though no performance-per-watt metric is recorded.

The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation wins on every measured compute resource. Its FP32 throughput of 32.69 TFLOPS is more than four times the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS. Its FP16 throughput of 32.69 TFLOPS (1:1) also exceeds the Arc B390's 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1). Pixel rate favors the NVIDIA part at 188.2 GPixel/s versus 60.00 GPixel/s. Texture rate favors it at 510.7 GTexel/s versus 120.0 GTexel/s. The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation also has dedicated memory, 16 GB of GDDR6, while the Arc B390 relies on system shared memory with no fixed bandwidth figure.

The RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation wins on connectivity as well, using PCIe 4.0 x16 versus the Arc B390's IGP bus. The Arc B390 wins on release recency: its release date of 2026-01-26 versus the RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation's 2023-03-20. The Arc B390 also lists a newer architecture generation. Neither part has a launch MSRP recorded, so no price-based comparison is possible.

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two parts differ.

| Field | Intel Arc B390 | NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation |

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

| Series | null | GeForce 50-series |

| Chip | Panther Lake | AD103 |

| Architecture | Xe3-LPG | Ada Lovelace |

| Generation | Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) | Ada-MW |

| Process Node | 3 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Transistors | unknown | 45,900 million |

| Die Size | unknown | 379 mm² |

| Transistor Density | null | 121.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 300 MHz | 930 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2500 MHz | 1680 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 576.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | System Shared | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 9728 |

| TMUs | 48 | 304 |

| ROPs | 24 | 112 |

| RT Cores | 12 | 76 |

| Tensor Cores | null | 304 |

| Pixel Rate | 60.00 GPixel/s | 188.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 120.0 GTexel/s | 510.7 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 7.680 TFLOPS | 32.69 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1) | 32.69 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 80 W | 120 W |

| Bus Interface | IGP | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Release Date | 2026-01-26 | 2023-03-20 |

| Predecessor | null | Ampere-MW |

| Successor | null | Blackwell-MW |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 1482 | 0 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 9 | 50 |

Both parts share the same DirectX support (12 Ultimate, 12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Both use no power connectors and have portable device dependent display outputs. Both are listed as Active production status with an IGP slot width.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Arc B390 boosts to 2500 MHz, while the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation boosts to 1680 MHz.

Q: Does the RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation have more ray tracing cores?

A: Yes, it has 76 ray tracing cores compared to 12 for the Intel Arc B390.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc B390 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256 bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the FP32 performance figures compare?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation delivers 32.69 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, while the Intel Arc B390 delivers 7.680 TFLOPS.

Q: Which GPU was released more recently?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has a release date of 2026-01-26, which is later than the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation's 2023-03-20.

Q: What benchmark results exist for each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has one recorded result: 1482 points in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 9th percentile. The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Max-Q Ada Generation has no recorded benchmark results, though it sits at the 50th percentile in the database.