Intel Arc A310E vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D Comparison

The Intel Arc A310E and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D occupy opposite ends of the graphics hardware spectrum. The A310E is a compact, low-power Alchemist-generation part aimed at embedded and entry-level workloads, while the RTX 5090 D is a flagship Blackwell 2.0 product designed for maximum throughput. The recorded data shows no shared benchmark scores between the two, as the Arc A310E has no entries in the database, while the RTX 5090 D carries a full suite of results. This analysis relies strictly on the specification sheets and the RTX 5090 D’s measured performance relative to its nearest rivals.

FAQ

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity between the two cards?

A: The Intel Arc A310E has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. The bandwidth figures reflect the gap: 124.0 GB/s for the A310E versus 1.79 TB/s for the RTX 5090 D.

Q: How do their thermal design power (TDP) ratings compare?

A: The Arc A310E is rated at 75 W and requires no power connectors, with a suggested power supply of 250 W. The RTX 5090 D is rated at 575 W, uses a single 16-pin connector, and recommends a 950 W power supply.

Q: Which architecture does each GPU use?

A: The Intel Arc A310E uses the Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-128 chip, belonging to the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, part of the GeForce 50 series.

Q: What is the pixel rate difference?

A: The RTX 5090 D outputs 423.6 GPixel/s, while the Arc A310E outputs 32.00 GPixel/s. The RTX 5090 D also leads in texture rate with 1,636.8 GTexel/s versus 64.00 GTexel/s for the A310E.

Q: Do both cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The API compatibility is identical, despite the massive performance difference.

Q: What is the production status of each product?

A: The Arc A310E is marked as End-of-life, with its successor being Battlemage. The RTX 5090 D is Active in production, with a predecessor of GeForce 40 and a successor of GeForce 60.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different process nodes and foundries. The Intel Arc A310E uses a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D uses a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The transistor counts diverge dramatically: the A310E has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, producing a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². The RTX 5090 D integrates 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with a density of 122.9M per mm². The density advantage of the Blackwell chip indicates a significantly more packed design per unit area.

The compute resources scale accordingly. The Arc A310E has 768 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The RTX 5090 D has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. The ray tracing core counts are 6 for the A310E and 170 for the RTX 5090 D. The RTX 5090 D also includes 680 tensor cores, while the A310E has no listed tensor core count. Clock speeds are close at the base level: the A310E runs at 2000 MHz base and boost, while the RTX 5090 D runs at 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost. The memory clock differs as well, with the A310E at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) and the RTX 5090 D at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

The physical designs reflect their intended roles. The Arc A310E is a single-slot card measuring 168 mm in length, 69 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. It uses PCIe 4.0 x8 and outputs 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0. The RTX 5090 D is a dual-slot card measuring 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 48 mm in width. It uses PCIe 5.0 x16 and provides 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The power delivery requires a single 16-pin connector on the NVIDIA card, whereas the Intel card draws entirely from the slot. The suggested power supply values are 250 W and 950 W respectively. The release dates are nearly a year apart: the A310E launched on 2024-03-31 and the RTX 5090 D on 2025-01-29.

The Verdict

The data indicates that these products are not direct competitors. The RTX 5090 D delivers 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Arc A310E delivers 3.072 TFLOPS. In raw arithmetic throughput, the NVIDIA card is roughly 34 times higher. Memory bandwidth shows a similar ratio: 1.79 TB/s versus 124.0 GB/s. The RTX 5090 D also has 8 times the memory capacity and a 512-bit bus versus 64-bit. The shading unit count is 28 times higher on the RTX 5090 D.

The benchmark percentile supports the hierarchy. The RTX 5090 D sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT at 76,904 (1.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940 (1.6% behind), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants at 79,396 and 79,605 (2.1% and 2.4% behind respectively). The Arc A310E has no benchmark scores recorded and sits at the 50th percentile, indicating it is positioned in the middle of the database distribution, but with no measured data to compare directly.

Users requiring high-end rendering, large memory pools, or ray tracing workloads would select the RTX 5090 D based on its 170 RT cores, 680 tensor cores, and 32 GB frame buffer. Users needing a compact, low-power card for basic display output or lightweight compute would consider the Arc A310E, given its 75 W TDP, single-slot profile, and lack of external power connectors. The RTX 5090 D carries a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD. The Arc A310E has no launch MSRP recorded.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A310E | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D |

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

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Generation | Alchemist (Arc 3) | GeForce 50 |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 92,200 million |

| Die Size | 157 mm² | 750 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 45.9M / mm² | 122.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2000 MHz | 2017 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2000 MHz | 2407 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1937 MHz 15.5 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz 28 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 32 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR7 |

| Memory Bus | 64 bit | 512 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 124.0 GB/s | 1.79 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 21760 |

| TMUs | 32 | 680 |

| ROPs | 16 | 176 |

| RT Cores | 6 | 170 |

| Tensor Cores | null | 680 |

| Pixel Rate | 32.00 GPixel/s | 423.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 64.00 GTexel/s | 1,636.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.072 TFLOPS | 104.8 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 6.144 TFLOPS (2:1) | 104.8 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 75 W | 575 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 950 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b |

| Length | 168 mm 6.6 inches | 304 mm 12 inches |

| Height | 69 mm 2.7 inches | 137 mm 5.4 inches |

| Width | 20 mm 0.8 inches | 48 mm 1.9 inches |

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

| Release Date | 2024-03-31 | 2025-01-29 |

| Predecessor | Xe Graphics | GeForce 40 |

| Successor | Battlemage | GeForce 60 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark entries for these two cards, and the Arc A310E has no standalone benchmark scores. The RTX 5090 D has ten recorded results. The highest single score is the Geekbench Vulkan result at 376,915, followed by the Geekbench OpenCL score at 310,674. Passmark G3D produces 44,065, and Passmark GPU Compute produces 28,396. The DirectX results are lower in absolute terms: Passmark DirectX 9 shows 434, DirectX 11 shows 371, DirectX 10 shows 231, and DirectX 12 shows 219. The Passmark G2D result is 1,487. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 14,326.

The average benchmark score for the RTX 5090 D is 77,712, placing it in the 92nd percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, averages 76,904, which is 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT averages 78,940, which is 1.6% higher than the RTX 5090 D. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB averages 79,396, 2.1% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB averages 79,605, 2.4% higher. These deltas show the RTX 5090 D in a tight cluster with those rivals, within a few percentage points in either direction.

For the Arc A310E, the absence of benchmark data means no direct performance comparisons can be drawn. The specification sheet provides the only indicators: 3.072 TFLOPS FP32, 32.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 64.00 GTexel/s texture rate. Those figures are orders of magnitude below the RTX 5090 D’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32, 423.6 GPixel/s, and 1,636.8 GTexel/s. The FP16 capability also differs: the A310E reaches 6.144 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX 5090 D reaches 104.8 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning it does not sacrifice FP16 throughput relative to FP32.

The wins in this comparison are one-sided. The RTX 5090 D wins on every measurable compute, memory, and output specification. The Arc A310E wins only on physical size, power draw, and connector requirements. Its 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it suitable for systems with minimal power budgets, and its 168 mm length fits in smaller chassis. The RTX 5090 D demands a 950 W power supply and a larger slot footprint. The production statuses also differ: the A310E is end-of-life, while the RTX 5090 D is active. The successor for the A310E is Battlemage, and the successor for the RTX 5090 D is GeForce 60.