Intel Arc A380E x2 vs NVIDIA H20 NVL16 Comparison

The Verdict

The database comparison between the Intel Arc A380E x2 and the NVIDIA H20 NVL16 shows two fundamentally different products with no direct overlap in intended use. The Arc A380E x2 is a compact, single-slot graphics card from Intel's Alchemist generation, built on the DG2-128 chip with the Xe-HPG architecture. The H20 NVL16 is a server-grade accelerator from NVIDIA's Hopper generation, built on the GH100 chip, and it targets a completely different segment of the market.

The recorded data indicates the H20 NVL16 holds substantial advantages in raw compute throughput, memory capacity, and bandwidth. Its FP32 performance is recorded at 39.54 TFLOPS, which is roughly 9.7 times the 4.096 TFLOPS of the Arc A380E x2. The H20 NVL16 also delivers 79.07 TFLOPS FP16, compared to 8.192 TFLOPS for the Intel part. These figures alone place the NVIDIA accelerator in a different performance class.

For memory, the H20 NVL16 offers 96 GB of HBM3 across a 6144-bit bus, yielding 4.03 TB/s of bandwidth. The Arc A380E x2 provides 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s. The bandwidth ratio is over 21 to 1 in favor of the NVIDIA part.

The Arc A380E x2 does have specific advantages. It is a single-slot card with a 130 W TDP, whereas the H20 NVL16 is an SXM module with a 400 W TDP. The Intel card includes display outputs, specifically 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0, while the H20 NVL16 has no display outputs at all. The Arc A380E x2 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the H20 NVL16 lists N/A for all three APIs.

The verdict from the data is clear: the H20 NVL16 is designed for high-throughput compute workloads in server environments, and the Arc A380E x2 is designed for embedded or edge graphics tasks that require display output and lower power consumption. Anyone selecting between these two must base the choice on workload type, not on direct performance comparison.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 records 39.54 TFLOPS FP32, which is approximately 9.7 times higher than the Intel Arc A380E x2 at 4.096 TFLOPS.

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

A: The H20 NVL16 has 96 GB of HBM3 memory, while the Arc A380E x2 has 6 GB of GDDR6. The NVIDIA part also provides 4.03 TB/s bandwidth versus 186.0 GB/s for the Intel card.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A380E x2 support display outputs?

A: Yes, the Arc A380E x2 has 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The H20 NVL16 has no display outputs, as it is an SXM module for server deployment.

Q: What is the power consumption of each product?

A: The Arc A380E x2 has a TDP of 130 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The H20 NVL16 has a TDP of 400 W with a suggested PSU of 800 W.

Q: Which API support differs between the two?

A: The Arc A380E x2 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The H20 NVL16 lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, indicating it is not intended for graphics API workloads.

Q: What are the production statuses of these products?

A: The Arc A380E x2 is marked as End-of-life, while the H20 NVL16 is marked as Active.

Architecture Differences

The two products derive from entirely different architectural lineages. The Intel Arc A380E x2 uses the Xe-HPG architecture on the DG2-128 chip, belonging to the Alchemist generation under the Arc 3 series. The chip is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with a transistor count of 7,200 million and a die size of 157 mm². The transistor density is recorded at 45.9M per mm².

The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 uses the Hopper architecture on the GH100 chip, part of the Server Hopper generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, with 80,000 million transistors on a die size of 814 mm². The transistor density is 98.3M per mm², which is more than double that of the Intel part.

The Arc A380E x2 includes 8 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The H20 NVL16 has no ray tracing cores listed but includes 312 tensor cores. This difference is significant for workload targeting: the Intel card is equipped for real-time graphics effects, while the NVIDIA accelerator is built for matrix math and AI inference.

The Arc A380E x2 has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The H20 NVL16 has 9984 shading units, 312 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The higher ROP count on the Intel part correlates with its graphics-oriented role, while the NVIDIA part has more shading units and TMUs for compute throughput.

The pixel rate for the Arc A380E x2 is 64.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 128.0 GTexel/s. The H20 NVL16 has a pixel rate of 47.52 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 617.8 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part delivers much higher texture rate due to its larger shader array, but its pixel rate is lower, reflecting its lack of display rasterization duties.

Specification Differences

The two products differ across nearly every specification field in the database. The Arc A380E x2 has a base clock of 2000 MHz and a boost clock of 2000 MHz. The H20 NVL16 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 1980 MHz. The Intel card runs its memory at 1937 MHz, which translates to 15.5 Gbps effective, while the NVIDIA card runs its memory at 1313 MHz, or 5.3 Gbps effective. The effective data rates differ due to memory type, with GDDR6 on the Intel side and HBM3 on the NVIDIA side.

The bus interface also differs: the Arc A380E x2 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, whereas the H20 NVL16 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The physical form factor is another major divergence. The Intel card is single-slot with dimensions of 265 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. It requires a single 6-pin power connector. The H20 NVL16 is an SXM module with no listed power connectors and no dimensions recorded. The suggested PSU is 300 W for the Intel card and 800 W for the NVIDIA module.

The release dates also differ. The Arc A380E x2 was released on 2024-03-31, while the H20 NVL16 was released on 2025-09-01. The predecessor and successor designations confirm the product lines: the Arc A380E x2 follows Xe Graphics and precedes Battlemage, while the H20 NVL16 follows Server Ada and precedes Server Blackwell.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no recorded head-to-head benchmark entries for these two products. The winsA and winsB counters are both at zero, and the headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty. This absence of direct comparison data is expected given the product categories: one is a graphics card for display output, the other is a server accelerator without display capability.

The percentileVsAllGpus field for both products is 50, which places each at the median of all GPUs in the database. This percentile is a relative ranking across all recorded GPUs, not a head-to-head measure. Without benchmark scores, the avgBenchmarkScore for both is zero.

The most informative quantitative comparison comes from the specification differences. The FP32 throughput ratio is 39.54 TFLOPS versus 4.096 TFLOPS, a 9.7x advantage for the H20 NVL16. The FP16 ratio is 79.07 TFLOPS versus 8.192 TFLOPS, a 9.6x advantage. The texture rate ratio is 617.8 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s, a 4.8x advantage. The memory bandwidth ratio is 4.03 TB/s versus 186.0 GB/s, a 21.7x advantage.

The only specification where the Intel part leads is pixel rate, at 64.00 GPixel/s versus 47.52 GPixel/s, a 1.35x advantage. This aligns with the Arc A380E x2 having 32 ROPs versus 24 ROPs on the H20 NVL16.

Where Each One Wins

The Arc A380E x2 wins in scenarios that require display output. Its 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs make it suitable for multi-monitor setups or digital signage environments. The single-slot form factor and 130 W TDP allow for denser installations in chassis where power and space are constrained. The support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 means it can handle graphics API workloads, which the H20 NVL16 cannot, as its API entries are all N/A. The higher pixel rate of 64.00 GPixel/s also suggests better fill-rate performance for rasterization tasks.

The H20 NVL16 wins in compute-heavy environments. Its FP32 throughput of 39.54 TFLOPS and FP16 throughput of 79.07 TFLOPS, combined with 312 tensor cores, position it for AI training and inference. The 96 GB of HBM3 memory with 4.03 TB/s bandwidth supports large models and datasets that would never fit within 6 GB of GDDR6. The 6144-bit memory bus is a clear indicator of high-bandwidth data movement requirements. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface doubles the lane bandwidth of the Intel card's PCIe 4.0 x8 connection.

The production status also matters. The Arc A380E x2 is End-of-life, meaning its availability may decline. The H20 NVL16 is Active, suggesting ongoing production support. The successor designations reinforce this: Battlemage follows the Intel part, while Server Blackwell follows the NVIDIA part. Organizations planning long-term deployments would find the H20 NVL16 in a more sustainable product lifecycle.

The TDP difference also dictates where each wins. The 130 W Intel card can run in systems with a 300 W suggested PSU, while the 400 W NVIDIA module requires an 800 W suggested PSU. For edge computing or embedded systems with power budgets, the Arc A380E x2 is the only viable option. For data center racks with adequate cooling and power infrastructure, the H20 NVL16 provides the necessary throughput. The data does not support a single "better" product; it supports two distinct tools for two distinct jobs.