Intel Arc G3 vs NVIDIA N1X 40SM Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data places both the Intel Arc G3 and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, yet their design targets diverge sharply. The Arc G3 is an integrated part of Intel's Panther Lake platform, built for the mobile segment with a 25 W TDP and a 3 nm process. Its strengths lie in efficiency and integration: it uses system memory, requires no power connectors, and carries a full DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set. The N1X 40SM, by contrast, is a Blackwell IGP with a 5 nm process, a 382 mm² die, and a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. It brings 128 GB of dedicated LPDDR5X memory and a much larger compute footprint.

The use-case split is clear from the specifications. The Arc G3 wins where power limits and portability dominate. Its 25 W TDP and integrated design make it suitable for thin-and-light systems where the GPU shares thermal and power budgets with the CPU. The N1X 40SM wins where raw throughput matters. Its 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 40 RT cores dwarf the Arc G3's 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 10 RT cores. The N1X also carries 160 tensor cores, which the Arc G3 lacks entirely.

Benchmark results are sparse in this dataset, with no head-to-head scores recorded and zero wins for either side. The analysis therefore rests on architectural and specification differences. The Arc G3 is positioned for general graphics, media, and light compute in portable devices. The N1X 40SM appears aimed at heavy compute, AI acceleration, and high-bandwidth memory workloads. The 273.2 GB/s bandwidth of the N1X versus the system-dependent bandwidth of the Arc G3 reinforces this split.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from different foundries and process nodes. The Intel Arc G3 uses a 3 nm process at Intel, while the NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses a 5 nm process at TSMC. The Arc G3 is based on the Xe3-LPG architecture within the Panther Lake chip, part of the Arc Graphics-M generation. The N1X 40SM uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture on the GB20B chip, part of the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation.

Core counts differ by a factor of four in shading units: 1280 versus 5120. Texture mapping units stand at 40 versus 320, and ROPs at 20 versus 40. Ray tracing cores number 10 on the Arc G3 and 40 on the N1X. Tensor cores exist only on the N1X, with 160 units. The N1X also carries a much larger die at 382 mm², while the Arc G3's die size is unknown in the database.

Memory architecture is fundamentally different. The Arc G3 uses system shared memory with a system-dependent bus and bandwidth. The N1X has 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 273.2 GB/s. The N1X memory clock is listed at 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective. The Arc G3 memory clock is simply listed as system shared.

Feature support also differs. The Arc G3 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1X lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, which suggests its API support is either not exposed or not applicable in the current data. The N1X uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface, while the Arc G3 is an IGP with no separate bus interface. Display outputs on the N1X are listed as 1x HDMI, while the Arc G3 depends on the portable device.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

No head-to-head benchmark results are recorded in the database for these two parts. The wins counter shows zero for both sides, and the nearest rival fields are empty. The comparison must therefore be built from the measured specification data, which offers several clear deltas.

The largest single gap is in shading units. The N1X delivers 5120, exactly four times the Arc G3's 1280. FP32 compute follows the same pattern: the N1X produces 24.02 TFLOPS versus 6.144 TFLOPS for the Arc G3, a 3.9x difference. FP16 performance shows an even more interesting divergence. The N1X sustains 24.02 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, meaning it does not double FP16 throughput. The Arc G3 reaches 12.29 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, so it doubles its FP32 rate when operating in FP16. Despite the Arc's ratio advantage, the N1X still leads in absolute FP16 compute.

Texture and pixel rates tell a similar story. The N1X achieves 750.7 GTexel/s against the Arc G3's 96.00 GTexel/s, a 7.8x advantage. Pixel rate stands at 93.84 GPixel/s for the N1X versus 48.00 GPixel/s for the Arc G3, a 1.95x gap. The N1X has 320 TMUs and 40 ROPs, while the Arc G3 has 40 TMUs and 20 ROPs.

Clock behavior is notable. The Arc G3 has a lower base clock at 300 MHz but a higher boost clock at 2400 MHz. The N1X starts at 741 MHz base and boosts to 2346 MHz. The Arc G3 therefore gains more from boost behavior, but the N1X's massive core count overwhelms any clock disadvantage. The N1X also has a 1.95x pixel rate advantage despite having only twice the ROPs, which is consistent with its higher base clock.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 40SM has 5120 shading units, four times the 1280 found on the Intel Arc G3.

Q: Does the Intel Arc G3 support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Arc G3 includes 10 ray tracing cores, while the N1X 40SM includes 40 ray tracing cores.

Q: What memory does each GPU use?

A: The Arc G3 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The N1X 40SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA N1X 40SM has tensor cores, with 160 units. The Intel Arc G3 lists no tensor cores in the database.

Q: What is the FP32 compute difference?

A: The N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS FP32, while the Arc G3 delivers 6.144 TFLOPS, a 3.9x difference.

Q: What process nodes are used?

A: The Intel Arc G3 uses a 3 nm process at Intel. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses a 5 nm process at TSMC.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ in nearly every measured field except slot width, production status, release date, and the absence of power connectors.

| Field | Intel Arc G3 | NVIDIA N1X 40SM |

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

| Chip | Panther Lake | GB20B |

| Architecture | Xe3-LPG | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Generation | Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) | Blackwell IGP (N1x) |

| Process node | 3 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Die size | unknown | 382 mm² |

| Base clock | 300 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2400 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory size | System Shared | 128 GB |

| Memory type | System Shared | LPDDR5X |

| Bus width | System Shared | 256 bit |

| Bandwidth | System Dependent | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading units | 1280 | 5120 |

| TMUs | 40 | 320 |

| ROPs | 20 | 40 |

| RT cores | 10 | 40 |

| Tensor cores | null | 160 |

| Pixel rate | 48.00 GPixel/s | 93.84 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 96.00 GTexel/s | 750.7 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 6.144 TFLOPS | 24.02 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1) | 24.02 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 25 W | unknown |

| Bus interface | IGP | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Memory clock | System Shared | 1067 MHz 8.5 Gbps effective |

The Verdict

The database points to two different buyers. The Intel Arc G3 suits systems where power consumption is the hard limit. Its 25 W TDP, integrated design, and system shared memory make it a fit for portable devices that cannot accommodate a discrete card or a high-wattage IGP. It also offers the only full graphics API support in this pairing, with DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Any workload that depends on those APIs and runs within the Arc's 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 envelope will find the G3 workable.

The NVIDIA N1X 40SM targets workloads that scale with compute throughput. Its 24.02 TFLOPS FP32, 24.02 TFLOPS FP16, and 160 tensor cores indicate a part designed for parallel compute and AI inference. The 128 GB LPDDR5X pool at 273.2 GB/s removes the memory bottleneck that system shared designs face. The 40 RT cores also give it a 4x advantage in ray tracing hardware over the Arc G3. The N1X does not list graphics API support in the database, which restricts its role to compute or vendor-specific rendering paths.

Neither part shows a benchmark win in the recorded data, and both sit at the 50th percentile. The choice is not about which is faster overall. It is about which constraint matters more: the Arc G3's 25 W integrated efficiency or the N1X's 4x shading units, 7.8x texture rate, and dedicated memory. The data confirms that the N1X is the stronger compute part by every measured throughput metric. The Arc G3 is the only one of the two that presents standard graphics API compatibility and a known power ceiling. For a portable, API-complete IGP, the Arc G3 is the data-supported pick. For raw compute and memory capacity, the N1X 40SM is the clear choice.