Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile vs NVIDIA N1 16SM Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the two GPUs compared in this analysis?

A: The Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile (Meteor Lake, Xe-LPG architecture) and the NVIDIA N1 16SM (GB20B chip, Blackwell 2.0 architecture). Both are integrated graphics processors (IGPs).

Q: How do the shading unit counts differ between the two?

A: The Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile has 384 shading units, while the NVIDIA N1 16SM has 2048 shading units. That is a 5.33x difference in raw shader count.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The NVIDIA N1 16SM boosts to 2346 MHz, whereas the Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile boosts to 1800 MHz. The NVIDIA part runs 546 MHz higher at peak boost.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: No. The Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA N1 16SM lists all three APIs as N/A in the database.

Q: What memory configurations do these IGPs use?

A: The Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile uses System Shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. The NVIDIA N1 16SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has the larger die area?

A: The NVIDIA N1 16SM has a die size of 382 mm², fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The Intel part does not list a die size in the database and uses Intel's 10 nm process.

Architecture Differences

The two processors belong to completely different architectural families. Intel's Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile is built on the Xe-LPG architecture, part of the Meteor Lake chip. It is fabricated by Intel on a 10 nm process node and connects to the rest of the system via a Ring Bus interface. The NVIDIA N1 16SM uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, based on the GB20B chip, and is manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process with a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface.

The fundamental compute configuration diverges sharply. Intel's part has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. NVIDIA's part has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The NVIDIA GPU also includes dedicated hardware that Intel lacks entirely: 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores. Intel's Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile does not list any RT or tensor core counts in the database.

Clock behavior separates the two as well. Intel's base clock is 300 MHz with a boost of 1800 MHz. NVIDIA's base clock is 741 MHz with a boost of 2346 MHz. NVIDIA's boost clock is 30.3% higher, but more importantly, NVIDIA's base clock is 2.47x higher than Intel's base clock, indicating a very different operating envelope.

Memory architecture presents another fundamental split. Intel relies entirely on system shared memory, with no dedicated VRAM, no fixed bus width, and bandwidth that is system dependent. NVIDIA's N1 16SM comes with 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 256-bit memory bus, and a fixed bandwidth of 273.2 GB/s. The memory clock is listed as 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective data rate. This dedicated memory arrangement gives NVIDIA a substantial advantage in memory bandwidth consistency.

API support differs in a notable way. Intel lists DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support. NVIDIA's entry lists all three APIs as N/A in the database. The Intel part also has a generation tag of Arc Graphics-M (Meteor Lake), with a production status of Active and a release date in December 2023. NVIDIA's part is tagged as Blackwell IGP (N1x), also Active, with a later release date. Intel's predecessor is listed as HD Graphics-M; NVIDIA has no predecessor listed.

Power delivery details are only partially documented. Intel's TDP is listed at 28 W, while NVIDIA's TDP is unknown. NVIDIA's power connectors are listed as None, consistent with an IGP, and Intel's slot width is also IGP. The display outputs differ: Intel uses Portable Device Dependent outputs, while NVIDIA lists 1x HDMI.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct benchmark scores for either GPU, and no nearest rivals are recorded for either part. Both entries show an average benchmark score of 0 and a percentile of 50 against all GPUs. With no measured performance data available, the comparison must rely entirely on the recorded specifications.

The largest single-specification advantage for NVIDIA is in shading units. The N1 16SM's 2048 shading units are 5.33x the 384 units in Intel's Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile. This raw compute resource difference is reinforced by the FP32 throughput figures: NVIDIA delivers 9.609 TFLOPS, while Intel delivers 1,382.4 GFLOPS (1.3824 TFLOPS). NVIDIA's FP32 output is 6.95x higher.

Texture and pixel throughput follow the same pattern. NVIDIA's texture rate is 300.3 GTexel/s versus Intel's 43.20 GTexel/s, a 6.95x advantage. Pixel rate shows NVIDIA at 56.30 GPixel/s versus Intel's 14.40 GPixel/s, a 3.91x advantage. These ratios align closely with the shading unit and clock differences, indicating consistent scaling across the pipeline.

FP16 compute reveals an architectural split. Intel lists FP16 at 2.765 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32, meaning it uses packed execution for half-precision. NVIDIA lists FP16 at 9.609 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, indicating it does not double throughput for FP16. NVIDIA still has a 3.48x advantage in absolute FP16 throughput, but the ratio difference shows that Intel's architecture accelerates FP16 relative to its own FP32 rate, while NVIDIA treats both at the same rate.

Memory bandwidth is a decisive differentiator. NVIDIA's 273.2 GB/s on a 256-bit bus dwarfs Intel's system-dependent shared memory arrangement, which has no fixed bandwidth figure in the database. NVIDIA's 128 GB capacity is a fixed resource, whereas Intel's capacity is whatever the host system allocates.

Clock rates favor NVIDIA on both ends. NVIDIA's 2346 MHz boost is 30.3% higher than Intel's 1800 MHz boost. The base clock gap is wider: 741 MHz versus 300 MHz, a 2.47x difference. The NVIDIA GPU also has 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, capabilities that Intel's part does not list at all.

The only advantages for Intel are in API compatibility and power draw. Intel supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while NVIDIA lists N/A for all three. Intel's TDP of 28 W is documented, while NVIDIA's TDP is unknown, so the data does not establish which part consumes less power.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded data, the NVIDIA N1 16SM is the dominant part in raw compute capability. It holds a 6.95x lead in FP32 throughput, a 6.95x lead in texture rate, and a 3.91x lead in pixel rate. Its 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 24 ROPs outnumber Intel's 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs by wide margins. The 273.2 GB/s of dedicated LPDDR5X bandwidth on a 256-bit bus is a fixed, high-bandwidth resource, in contrast to Intel's system-dependent shared memory with no listed bandwidth.

The NVIDIA part also brings hardware features that Intel does not list: 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores. These would be relevant for any workload that uses ray tracing or tensor operations, though the database provides no benchmark scores to quantify the impact.

The Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile is not without recorded strengths. It supports a full set of modern graphics APIs: DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. NVIDIA's API fields are all listed as N/A, which means the data does not confirm any API support for the N1 16SM. Intel's FP16 ratio of 2:1 also shows that it can process half-precision at double its FP32 rate, a capability that NVIDIA's 1:1 ratio does not offer.

The release timeline places Intel's part earlier, with a December 2023 date, versus NVIDIA's May 2026 date. Both are marked Active in production status. Intel's predecessor is HD Graphics-M; NVIDIA has no predecessor. The process node also differs: Intel uses 10 nm, NVIDIA uses 5 nm TSMC.

For users who need confirmed API compatibility and documented power characteristics, the Intel part has the only available data. Its 28 W TDP is the sole power figure in the comparison. For users who need maximum compute throughput, memory bandwidth, and dedicated hardware for ray tracing and tensor workloads, the NVIDIA N1 16SM is the clear choice from the specification data.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc Graphics 48EU Mobile | NVIDIA N1 16SM |

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

| Architecture | Xe-LPG | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Chip | Meteor Lake | GB20B |

| Process Node | 10 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Die Size | Not listed | 382 mm² |

| Base Clock | 300 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1800 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 128 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 24 | 128 |

| ROPs | 8 | 24 |

| RT Cores | Not listed | 16 |

| Tensor Cores | Not listed | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 14.40 GPixel/s | 56.30 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 43.20 GTexel/s | 300.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,382.4 GFLOPS | 9.609 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 2.765 TFLOPS (2:1) | 9.609 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 28 W | Unknown |

| Bus Interface | Ring Bus | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

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

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Release Date | 2023-12-13 | 2026-05-31 |

| Predecessor | HD Graphics-M | None listed |