Intel Arc A310E vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Comparison

The Intel Arc A310E and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 occupy opposite ends of the GPU spectrum, and the recorded benchmark data reflects a decisive performance gap. The RTX 5090 achieves an average benchmark score of 79,842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Arc A310E has no recorded benchmark scores and sits at the 50th percentile. The RTX 5090 outperforms its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, by 0.3 percent, the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB by 0.6 percent, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT by 1.1 percent, while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4 percent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 5090 dominates across every measurable compute and graphics workload, while the Arc A310E has no benchmark entries in the database to counter. The RTX 5090 delivers a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,728 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 334,370, indicating massive raw compute throughput. In DirectX 12, the 3DMark Steel Nomad test records a score of 18,355 for the RTX 5090, a figure the Arc A310E cannot approach given its lack of recorded data.

The PassMark suite shows a consistent pattern for the RTX 5090. The PassMark G3D score reaches 39,650, while the GPU Compute score is 26,756. Legacy DirectX tests reveal the RTX 5090's capability profile: DirectX 9 scores 395, DirectX 11 scores 341, DirectX 10 scores 226, and DirectX 12 scores 185. The PassMark G2D score of 1,413 reflects 2D desktop performance. These numbers establish the RTX 5090 as a high-throughput part, particularly in Vulkan and OpenCL workloads where it excels.

The Arc A310E's absence from benchmark results means the database records zero wins for it and one win for the RTX 5090 in the head-to-head comparison. The data indicates the RTX 5090's compute performance is orders of magnitude ahead in raw scores, but the Arc A310E's role appears to be in low-power, compact configurations where benchmark scores are not the primary metric.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs use fundamentally different architectures from separate generations. The Intel Arc A310E is built on the Xe-HPG architecture with the DG2-128 chip, belonging to the Alchemist (Arc 3) generation. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, part of the GeForce 50 series. The process nodes differ: the Arc A310E uses a 6 nm TSMC process, while the RTX 5090 uses a 5 nm TSMC process, giving the latter a transistor density of 122.9M per mm² versus 45.9M per mm² for the former.

Transistor counts highlight the scale difference. The Arc A310E contains 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, while the RTX 5090 packs 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. This translates to a raw compute disparity: the RTX 5090 delivers 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Arc A310E manages 3.072 TFLOPS. The FP16 figures also diverge sharply, with the RTX 5090 achieving 104.8 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio and the Arc A310E reaching 6.144 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio.

Feature sets differ in ray tracing and tensor capabilities. The RTX 5090 has 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, while the Arc A310E has 6 RT cores and no tensor cores listed. Shader resources follow the same pattern: the RTX 5090 has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units, versus 768 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs on the Arc A310E. Pixel and texture rates confirm the gap, with the RTX 5090 hitting 423.6 GPixel/s and 1,636.8 GTexel/s compared to 32.00 GPixel/s and 64.00 GTexel/s on the Arc A310E.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 has 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth from its 32 GB GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. The Intel Arc A310E has 124.0 GB/s from 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RTX 5090 has a TDP of 575 W with a 1x 16-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 950 W. The Arc A310E has a TDP of 75 W, no power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: How do the clock speeds compare?

A: The Arc A310E runs at a base and boost clock of 2000 MHz with memory at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective). The RTX 5090 has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz with memory at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

Q: What display outputs does each card provide?

A: The Arc A310E offers 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The RTX 5090 provides 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs.

Q: Which card supports more advanced APIs?

A: Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API support is identical.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Arc A310E is end-of-life, released on 2024-03-31. The RTX 5090 is active, released on 2025-01-29.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification field. The RTX 5090 uses a 5 nm process with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, while the Arc A310E uses a 6 nm process with 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die. Memory configurations are 32 GB GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus for the RTX 5090 versus 4 GB GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus for the Arc A310E. Bandwidth is 1.79 TB/s versus 124.0 GB/s. Shading units number 21,760 versus 768, TMUs 680 versus 32, and ROPs 176 versus 16. RT cores are 170 versus 6, with tensor cores present only on the RTX 5090 at 680.

Power and physical dimensions diverge. The RTX 5090 has a 575 W TDP, dual-slot width, a 1x 16-pin power connector, and a 950 W suggested PSU. The Arc A310E has a 75 W TDP, single-slot width, no power connectors, and a 250 W suggested PSU. The RTX 5090 measures 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, while the Arc A310E measures 168 mm, 69 mm, and 20 mm respectively. Bus interfaces differ as PCIe 5.0 x16 for the RTX 5090 versus PCIe 4.0 x8 for the Arc A310E. The launch MSRP for the RTX 5090 is 1,999 USD; the Arc A310E has no launch MSRP recorded.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split: the RTX 5090 is for high-end compute and gaming workloads where maximum performance is required, while the Arc A310E serves low-power, space-constrained systems. The RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 32 GB memory capacity, and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth position it as a top-tier part, confirmed by its 92nd percentile ranking and average score of 79,842. Its nearest rivals are all within 1.4 percent, indicating it competes in a dense performance band, but its raw scores dwarf the Arc A310E's unrecorded benchmarks.

The Arc A310E's 75 W TDP, single-slot design, and lack of power connectors suit it for embedded or office systems where the RTX 5090's 575 W TDP and dual-slot footprint would be impractical. The RTX 5090's 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores give it dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI workloads, while the Arc A310E has only 6 RT cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 5090's 32 GB GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus are for large datasets and high-resolution textures, whereas the Arc A310E's 4 GB GDDR6 and 64-bit bus target basic display tasks.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5090 wins in every benchmark category recorded: Vulkan compute with a Geekbench score of 376,728, OpenCL with 334,370, and DirectX 12 with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 18,355. PassMark results favor it across G3D at 39,650, GPU compute at 26,756, and G2D at 1,413. The RTX 5090 also exceeds in pixel rate (423.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (1,636.8 GTexel/s), making it suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming, 3D rendering, and GPU-accelerated computing.

The Arc A310E wins in power efficiency and physical footprint. Its 75 W TDP requires no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 5090 needs a 16-pin connector and a 950 W PSU. The Arc A310E's 168 mm length fits in compact cases where the RTX 5090's 304 mm length cannot. For systems prioritizing low heat output, silent operation, or minimal space, the Arc A310E's profile is superior. The RTX 5090's 40 mm width and dual-slot requirement also limit compatibility, while the Arc A310E's 20 mm single-slot design installs in tighter configurations. The Arc A310E is end-of-life, so new deployments face availability constraints, whereas the RTX 5090 remains active in the database.