Intel Arc A380E x2 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data places these two GPUs at opposite ends of the performance spectrum, with no direct head-to-head benchmark results available in the database. The Intel Arc A380E x2 occupies the entry-level segment, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE sits at the absolute top of the consumer stack. Their respective specifications make the use-case split immediately clear.

The Intel Arc A380E x2 is built around the DG2-128 chip with 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. It delivers 4.096 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 8.192 TFLOPS of FP16 compute with a 2:1 ratio. This positions it for basic 1080p rendering, multi-display professional setups, and workloads where power draw and physical footprint matter more than raw throughput. The card carries 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, which strongly suggests a multi-monitor or digital signage orientation rather than high-end gaming.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE uses the GB202 chip with 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, and 160 ROPs. Its FP32 throughput reaches 66.94 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance also measures 66.94 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. This is a compute monster designed for 4K and beyond gaming, AI inference, and professional rendering. The 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores give it dedicated hardware for ray tracing and neural network workloads that the Intel part cannot match at any level.

The Intel card has a TDP of 130 W and requires a 300 W suggested power supply. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 500 W and asks for a 900 W suggested PSU. The operating envelope difference alone dictates entirely different system requirements. The Intel A380E x2 can run in a single-slot, low-power chassis with a 6-pin connector. The RTX 5090 SE needs a dual-slot cooler, a 16-pin connector, and substantial power delivery.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architecture families. Intel uses Xe-HPG, specifically the Alchemist generation (Arc 3), fabricated on a 6 nm TSMC process. NVIDIA uses Blackwell 2.0, part of the GeForce 50-series, fabricated on a 5 nm TSMC process. The process node difference gives NVIDIA a density advantage: Intel packs 7,200 million transistors into 157 mm² (45.9M per mm²), while NVIDIA packs 92,200 million transistors into 750 mm² (122.9M per mm²).

Memory architecture differs completely. The Intel card uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus, delivering 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.34 TB/s. That is a 7.2x bandwidth advantage and a 4x capacity advantage for the RTX 5090 SE.

The compute resource allocation shows the scale gap. Intel provides 8 RT cores and no tensor cores. NVIDIA provides 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores. The Intel FP16 rate doubles its FP32 rate (2:1 ratio), indicating consumer-oriented packed math. The NVIDIA FP16 rate equals its FP32 rate (1:1 ratio), indicating full-rate compute throughput for mixed-precision workloads.

Bus interface and display outputs also diverge. Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x8 with 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0. NVIDIA uses PCIe 5.0 x16 with 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The Intel card is single-slot, 265 mm long, 127 mm tall, and 20 mm wide. The NVIDIA card is dual-slot, 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The Intel card is end-of-life with a release date of 2024-03-31, while the NVIDIA card is active with a release date of 2025-12-31.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between these two products, so the comparison rests on their recorded specification data. The FP32 compute gap is the most decisive number: the RTX 5090 SE delivers 66.94 TFLOPS versus 4.096 TFLOPS for the Arc A380E x2. That is a 16.3x difference in raw shader throughput.

Pixel and texture throughput follow the same pattern. The NVIDIA card renders at 380.3 GPixel/s and textures at 1,045.9 GTexel/s. The Intel card renders at 64.00 GPixel/s and textures at 128.0 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA card is 5.9x faster in pixel fill and 8.2x faster in texture fill.

Memory bandwidth tells the most lopsided story. The RTX 5090 SE moves data at 1.34 TB/s over a 384-bit GDDR7 interface, while the Intel card manages 186.0 GB/s over a 96-bit GDDR6 bus. The NVIDIA part also operates at a higher boost clock of 2377 MHz versus 2000 MHz for Intel, despite having a lower base clock of 1740 MHz versus 2000 MHz.

The RT core count difference of 110 versus 8 suggests ray tracing workloads will favor NVIDIA by an even larger margin than raster workloads, though no benchmark scores exist to quantify that gap. Similarly, the NVIDIA tensor core count of 440 versus zero for Intel means any AI or DLSS-related workload runs exclusively on the RTX 5090 SE.

The Verdict

The data indicates two products with no meaningful overlap in intended use. The Intel Arc A380E x2 serves applications requiring many simultaneous display outputs, low power draw at 130 W, and a compact single-slot footprint. Its 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 configuration and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory suit multi-monitor professional environments, basic 2D acceleration, and light 3D workloads.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE exists for maximum compute performance. Its 66.94 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, 1.34 TB/s memory bandwidth, 24 GB of GDDR7 memory, and dedicated RT and tensor cores make it the choice for high-resolution gaming, GPU-accelerated rendering, and AI inference. The 500 W TDP and 900 W suggested PSU requirement reflect its performance ceiling.

Users constrained by power budgets, chassis space, or multi-display requirements should select the Intel part. Users needing the highest available throughput in the database should select the NVIDIA part. The 16.3x FP32 compute gap and 7.2x bandwidth gap leave no ambiguity about which card dominates in performance, but the Intel card's 130 W operating envelope and single-slot design serve a different class of system.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE delivers 66.94 TFLOPS, while the Intel Arc A380E x2 delivers 4.096 TFLOPS, a 16.3x difference.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The Intel card uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus with 1.34 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Yes, both list DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) in their API support. Both also support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Intel card has a 130 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU and a single 6-pin connector. The NVIDIA card has a 500 W TDP with a 900 W suggested PSU and a single 16-pin connector.

Q: How many display outputs does each card have?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 has 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs.

Q: Which card has dedicated tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE has tensor cores, with 440 of them. The Intel Arc A380E x2 lists no tensor cores.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A380E x2 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE |

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

| Chip | DG2-128 | GB202 |

| 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 | 1740 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2000 MHz | 2377 MHz |

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

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR7 |

| Memory Bus | 96 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 186.0 GB/s | 1.34 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 14080 |

| TMUs | 64 | 440 |

| ROPs | 32 | 160 |

| RT Cores | 8 | 110 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 440 |

| Pixel Rate | 64.00 GPixel/s | 380.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 128.0 GTexel/s | 1,045.9 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.096 TFLOPS | 66.94 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1) | 66.94 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 130 W | 500 W |

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

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 900 W |

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

| Display Outputs | 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b |

| Length | 265 mm 10.4 inches | 267 mm 10.5 inches |

| Height | 127 mm 5 inches | 111 mm 4.4 inches |

| Width | 20 mm 0.8 inches | 40 mm 1.6 inches |

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

| Release Date | 2024-03-31 | 2025-12-31 |

| Predecessor | Xe Graphics | GeForce 40 |

| Successor | Battlemage | GeForce 60 |

| Launch MSRP | None | 1,499 USD |