Intel Arc Graphics 32EU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive performance gap between the Intel Arc Graphics 32EU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile. The NVIDIA part delivers an average benchmark score of 8746, while the Intel integrated graphics unit scores an average of 733. This places the RTX 3050 A Mobile at the 44th percentile among all GPUs, whereas the Arc Graphics 32EU sits at the 3rd percentile. The NVIDIA solution is roughly 12 times faster in aggregate benchmark scoring, a disparity that reflects fundamental differences in hardware resources.

Looking at the specific workloads available in the database, the RTX 3050 A Mobile shows its strongest result in Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 52998. Its Passmark suite results include 11664 in G3D, 4419 in GPU compute, 526 in G2D, and legacy DirectX tests scoring 152 in DirectX 9, 94 in DirectX 11, 61 in DirectX 10, and 55 in DirectX 12. The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU has only one recorded benchmark result: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 733.

The nearest rival data for the Intel part shows it performs on par with the Intel Arc Graphics 24EU and Intel Arc Graphics 64EU, both matching its 733 average score with a 0 percent delta. It also edges out the AMD Radeon HD 6470M by 1.4 percent, while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M by 2.4 percent. These comparisons confirm that the Arc Graphics 32EU operates in the entry-level integrated graphics tier.

For the RTX 3050 A Mobile, nearest rival comparisons show it essentially matches the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 with a 0 percent delta, sits 0.7 percent ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro P2200, and trails the AMD Radeon R9 M265X by 1.2 percent and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 by 1.3 percent. The NVIDIA mobile discrete GPU occupies a midrange performance class, far above the Intel integrated solution.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU uses the Xe-LPG architecture on a 3 nm TSMC process, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile uses NVIDIA's Ampere architecture on an 8 nm Samsung process. The Intel chip, designated Arrow Lake-S, contains 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 73.3 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GA106 chip contains 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, with a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter.

Clock speeds differ substantially. The Intel part runs at a 300 MHz base clock with a 1950 MHz boost, while the NVIDIA GPU operates at 1065 MHz base and 1343 MHz boost. The NVIDIA memory clock is listed as 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective speed. The Intel GPU uses system shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent, whereas the RTX 3050 A Mobile has dedicated 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

The compute resource allocation is heavily skewed toward NVIDIA. The RTX 3050 A Mobile packs 1792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU provides 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA GPU also includes 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores; the Intel part lists no ray tracing or tensor core counts. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Rasterization and texture throughput confirm the NVIDIA advantage. The RTX 3050 A Mobile achieves 42.98 GPixel/s pixel rate and 75.21 GTexel/s texture rate, compared to 15.60 GPixel/s and 31.20 GTexel/s for the Intel chip. Floating point performance shows 4.813 TFLOPS FP32 for NVIDIA versus 998.4 GFLOPS for Intel. The NVIDIA GPU delivers 4.813 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, while the Intel part reaches 1.997 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio.

Power and interface details also differ. The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU has a 65 W TDP and uses a Ring Bus interface, with display outputs described as motherboard dependent. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 45 W TDP, uses PCIe 4.0 x8, requires no power connectors, and its display outputs are portable device dependent. The Intel chip is an integrated graphics processor, while the NVIDIA part is also marked as IGP slot width despite being a discrete mobile GPU.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3050 A Mobile wins decisively in every recorded compute and graphics workload. Its Passmark G3D score of 11664 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 52998 demonstrate strong general 3D rendering and compute capability. The GPU compute score of 4419 indicates solid parallel processing performance for tasks that leverage OpenCL. Its DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 scores of 152 and 94 respectively show reasonable legacy API support, while DirectX 12 at 55 and DirectX 10 at 61 are comparatively lower but still functional.

The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU has no recorded wins in the head-to-head benchmark data, as the winsA field shows 0. Its single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 733 places it at the very bottom of the GPU performance distribution. However, the Intel part does have one structural advantage: it uses system shared memory, which means it does not require dedicated VRAM allocation. This could be relevant in systems where memory flexibility matters, though the database does not provide benchmark evidence of any performance benefit.

For legacy DirectX workloads, the RTX 3050 A Mobile shows an interesting pattern: its DirectX 9 score of 152 is the highest among its Passmark DirectX results, while DirectX 12 scores the lowest at 55. This suggests the Ampere architecture handles older APIs relatively well, though the database does not provide comparable Intel DirectX scores for these specific tests.

FAQ

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare between the two GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU has an average benchmark score of 733, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile averages 8746. This puts the Intel part at the 3rd percentile of all GPUs and the NVIDIA part at the 44th percentile.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU according to the database?

A: The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU is matched by the Intel Arc Graphics 24EU and Intel Arc Graphics 64EU, both at 0 percent delta. The RTX 3050 A Mobile is matched by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 at 0 percent delta, with the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 0.7 percent behind and the AMD Radeon R9 M265X 1.2 percent ahead.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1792 shading units, while the Intel Arc Graphics 32EU has 256 shading units. NVIDIA also has 56 TMUs and 32 ROPs versus Intel's 16 TMUs and 8 ROPs.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. However, the NVIDIA GPU adds 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores, which the Intel part does not list.

Q: What memory configurations do the two GPUs use?

A: The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the production statuses of these GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU is listed as active production, released on 2024-10-23. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is end-of-life, released on 2023-12-31.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the substantially faster GPU. Its average benchmark score of 8746 versus 733 for the Intel Arc Graphics 32EU represents a performance gap that no architectural advantage can bridge. The NVIDIA part offers 1792 shading units, dedicated GDDR6 memory with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores, all of which contribute to its 44th percentile ranking.

The Intel Arc Graphics 32EU, despite its newer 3 nm process and higher transistor density, delivers only integrated-level performance. Its 3rd percentile ranking and nearest rivals in the entry-level segment (AMD Radeon HD 6470M, NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M) confirm its position. The Intel part uses less power at 65 W TDP versus 45 W for NVIDIA, though the NVIDIA GPU is more efficient in performance per watt given its massive score advantage.

For systems requiring any meaningful 3D rendering, compute, or gaming capability, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only viable option between the two. The Intel part could serve basic display output and light workloads, but the benchmark evidence shows it cannot compete. The NVIDIA GPU's nearest rivals include the GTX 460 v2 and Quadro P2200, both older but comparable performers, reinforcing that the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers midrange-class results.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc Graphics 32EU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile |

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

| Architecture | Xe-LPG | Ampere |

| Process Node | 3 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 17,800 million | 12,000 million |

| Die Size | 243 mm² | 276 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 73.3M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 300 MHz | 1065 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1950 MHz | 1343 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 192.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 256 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 16 | 56 |

| ROPs | 8 | 32 |

| RT Cores | Not listed | 14 |

| Tensor Cores | Not listed | 56 |

| Pixel Rate | 15.60 GPixel/s | 42.98 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 31.20 GTexel/s | 75.21 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 998.4 GFLOPS | 4.813 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 1.997 TFLOPS (2:1) | 4.813 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 65 W | 45 W |

| Bus Interface | Ring Bus | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Display Outputs | Motherboard Dependent | Portable Device Dependent |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2024-10-23 | 2023-12-31 |