Intel Arc A770 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 wins all three recorded benchmark comparisons against the Intel Arc A770. The largest margin appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 4080 scores 263,779 against 94,284 for the Arc A770, a delta of -64.3% from the Intel card's perspective. That is a commanding lead in a low-level graphics API workload, suggesting the NVIDIA architecture extracts substantially more performance from the same API version (both cards support Vulkan 1.4).

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4080 records 214,739 versus 109,175 for the Arc A770, a -49.2% delta. This is a compute-oriented workload, and the gap here is slightly smaller than in Vulkan but still decisive. The RTX 4080's raw FP32 throughput of 48.74 TFLOPS compared to the Arc A770's 19.66 TFLOPS explains much of this difference, as OpenCL tends to scale with shader compute resources. The RTX 4080 carries 9,728 shading units versus 4,096 on the Arc A770, and that 2.37x unit advantage translates into a roughly 2.0x measured OpenCL score advantage, a reasonably efficient scaling.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the RTX 4080 scoring 6,567 against 2,969 for the Arc A770, a -54.8% delta. This is a modern DirectX 12 Ultimate workload, and both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), so the comparison is apples-to-apples at the API feature level. The RTX 4080's advantage here is slightly larger than its OpenCL lead but smaller than its Vulkan lead. This pattern, where the gap varies by API, indicates the NVIDIA card scales better across different driver stacks and workload types.

Looking at the average benchmark scores in the database, the picture is more nuanced. The Arc A770 has an average benchmark score of 68,809, which places it at the 90th percentile among all GPUs. The RTX 4080 has an average score of 54,247, at the 86th percentile. This apparent contradiction, where the RTX 4080 wins every head-to-head test yet has a lower average score, stems from the different benchmark suites included in each card's average. The RTX 4080's average includes several PassMark tests (DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute) with relatively low scores, such as 132 in PassMark DirectX 12 and 204 in PassMark DirectX 10, which drag down its overall average. The Arc A770's average is computed from only three tests, all of which are relatively strong for its class.

The nearest rivals in the database further contextualize each card. The Arc A770 sits within 2% of the NVIDIA CMP 90HX (delta -0.3%), the AMD Radeon Instinct MI25 (delta 0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (delta -1.5%), and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (delta -1.7%). These are all professional or mining-oriented cards, not gaming GPUs, which suggests the Arc A770's average benchmark score is competitive in that specific segment. The RTX 4080's nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER (delta 0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (delta -1.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (delta -2.6%), and the AMD Radeon 8060S (delta -2.7%). The RTX 4080 essentially matches the 4080 SUPER in average score, which is notable given the SUPER variant typically commands a premium position in the lineup.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear stratification. For any workload represented in the head-to-head benchmarks, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the superior performer. The smallest recorded gap is 49.2% in OpenCL, and the largest is 64.3% in Vulkan. There is no recorded test in which the Intel Arc A770 wins. A user prioritizing raw performance in DirectX 12, Vulkan, or OpenCL workloads should select the RTX 4080 based on these measurements alone.

The Arc A770 does have a higher percentile ranking (90th versus 86th) and a higher average benchmark score (68,809 versus 54,247), but this reflects the composition of the test suites rather than superior performance. The RTX 4080's average includes legacy DirectX tests where it scores low (for example, 132 in PassMark DirectX 12), while the Arc A770's average is drawn from a smaller set of modern API tests. Users who weight legacy DirectX performance heavily might interpret the average scores differently, but for the three directly comparable tests, the RTX 4080 dominates.

The RTX 4080 also carries architectural advantages that align with its benchmark wins: more shading units (9,728 versus 4,096), more RT cores (76 versus 32), more tensor cores (304 versus none listed for the Arc A770), higher boost clock (2505 MHz versus 2400 MHz), and higher memory bandwidth (716.8 GB/s versus 512.0 GB/s). The Arc A770 does have a higher pixel rate (307.2 GPixel/s versus 280.6 GPixel/s) and more ROPs (128 versus 112), but these advantages do not translate into wins in any recorded benchmark.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural lineages. The Intel Arc A770 uses the DG2-512 chip built on the Xe-HPG architecture, belonging to the Alchemist generation (Arc 7). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 uses the AD103 chip built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, belonging to the GeForce 40 generation. Both are manufactured by TSMC, but on different nodes: the Arc A770 uses a 6 nm process, while the RTX 4080 uses a 5 nm process. The transistor counts differ substantially: the Arc A770 packs 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 53.4 million per mm². The RTX 4080 packs 45,900 million transistors on a smaller 379 mm² die, yielding a much higher density of 121.1 million per mm². The RTX 4080's die is physically smaller yet contains more than twice the transistors, a direct consequence of the denser 5 nm process.

The memory subsystems differ in type and bandwidth. The Arc A770 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4080 also uses 16 GB, but of GDDR6X on the same 256-bit bus, achieving 716.8 GB/s. The effective memory clock is 16 Gbps for the Arc A770 and 22.4 Gbps for the RTX 4080, explaining the bandwidth gap.

Compute resources diverge sharply. The Arc A770 has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, with 32 RT cores. The RTX 4080 has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores. The Arc A770 lists no tensor cores in the database. FP32 throughput is 19.66 TFLOPS for the Arc A770 versus 48.74 TFLOPS for the RTX 4080. FP16 performance differs in ratio: the Arc A770 achieves 39.32 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX 4080 achieves 48.74 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, meaning the RTX 4080's FP16 throughput equals its FP32 throughput.

The display outputs differ: the Arc A770 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0, while the RTX 4080 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The power connectors differ as well: the Arc A770 uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin, while the RTX 4080 uses a single 16-pin connector. The suggested PSU is 550 W for the Arc A770 and 700 W for the RTX 4080. Slot width also differs: the Arc A770 is dual-slot, the RTX 4080 is triple-slot. The RTX 4080 has recorded dimensions of 310 mm length, 140 mm height, and 61 mm width; the Arc A770 has no recorded dimensions.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Arc A770 has an average benchmark score of 68,809, compared to 54,247 for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. The Arc A770 also ranks at the 90th percentile versus the RTX 4080's 86th percentile.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 4080 have its largest lead over the Arc A770?

A: The largest lead is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 4080 scores 263,779 against 94,284 for the Arc A770, a delta of -64.3% from the Arc A770's perspective.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). They also both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX 4080 has a transistor density of 121.1 million per mm² on its 379 mm² die, while the Arc A770 has 53.4 million per mm² on a larger 406 mm² die.

Q: How much memory does each card have and what type?

A: Both cards have 16 GB of memory. The Arc A770 uses GDDR6, while the RTX 4080 uses GDDR6X. The RTX 4080's bandwidth is 716.8 GB/s versus 512.0 GB/s for the Arc A770.

Q: Which card has more RT cores?

A: The RTX 4080 has 76 RT cores, while the Arc A770 has 32. The RTX 4080 also has 304 tensor cores, while the Arc A770 lists none.

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data shows no benchmark wins for the Intel Arc A770 in the head-to-head comparisons. However, the Arc A770 does hold advantages in specific specification categories that could matter in certain usage contexts. It has a higher pixel rate (307.2 GPixel/s versus 280.6 GPixel/s) and more ROPs (128 versus 112), which theoretically benefits fill-rate-bound scenarios such as high-resolution rasterization without heavy shading. It also uses a dual-slot cooler design versus the RTX 4080's triple-slot, and its lower TDP of 225 W versus 320 W means it draws less power under load. The Arc A770's DisplayPort 2.0 outputs exceed the RTX 4080's DisplayPort 1.4a, supporting newer display connectivity standards.

The RTX 4080 wins every recorded benchmark and dominates the compute and rendering specifications. It is the clear choice for DirectX 12, Vulkan, and OpenCL workloads based on the data. Its tensor cores, absent from the Arc A770's specification list, indicate support for AI-accelerated workloads. Its higher texture rate (761.5 GTexel/s versus 614.4 GTexel/s) and higher FP32 throughput (48.74 TFLOPS versus 19.66 TFLOPS) make it the stronger option for general-purpose GPU compute.

Users choosing between these cards should base their decision on the workload mix. For modern API gaming or compute, the RTX 4080 is decisively ahead. For scenarios where fill rate, lower power draw, dual-slot footprint, or DisplayPort 2.0 output matters, the Arc A770 offers specific advantages, though none of these translate into a benchmark win in the recorded data.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The chip and architecture differ: DG2-512 on Xe-HPG for the Arc A770, AD103 on Ada Lovelace for the RTX 4080. The process node differs (6 nm versus 5 nm), as does the transistor count (21,700 million versus 45,900 million) and die size (406 mm² versus 379 mm²). Transistor density is 53.4 million per mm² for the Arc A770 and 121.1 million per mm² for the RTX 4080.

Clock speeds differ: the Arc A770 has a base of 2100 MHz and boost of 2400 MHz; the RTX 4080 has a base of 2205 MHz and boost of 2505 MHz. Memory clocks are 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for the Arc A770 and 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective) for the RTX 4080. Memory type differs (GDDR6 versus GDDR6X), though both use a 256-bit bus. Bandwidth is 512.0 GB/s for the Arc A770 and 716.8 GB/s for the RTX 4080.

Compute resources: shading units 4,096 versus 9,728; TMUs 256 versus 304; ROPs 128 versus 112; RT cores 32 versus 76; tensor cores not listed for the Arc A770 versus 304 for the RTX 4080. Pixel rate is 307.2 GPixel/s for the Arc A770 and 280.6 GPixel/s for the RTX 4080. Texture rate is 614.4 GTexel/s versus 761.5 GTexel/s. FP32 is 19.66 TFLOPS versus 48.74 TFLOPS. FP16 is 39.32 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 48.74 TFLOPS (1:1).

Power and physical specifications: TDP is 225 W versus 320 W; slot width is dual-slot versus triple-slot; power connectors are 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin versus 1x 16-pin; suggested PSU is 550 W versus 700 W. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: the Arc A770 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 2.0; the RTX 4080 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Arc A770 has no recorded dimensions; the RTX 4080 measures 310 mm by 140 mm by 61 mm. Release dates are 2022-10-11 for the Arc A770 and 2022-09-19 for the RTX 4080. Both are end-of-life. The Arc A770's launch MSRP is 329 USD; the RTX 4080's launch MSRP is 1,199 USD.