Intel Arc A380M vs NVIDIA N1 20SM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries for the Intel Arc A380M and the NVIDIA N1 20SM. Both products have an average benchmark score of zero, and neither has any listed nearest rivals with comparative scores or delta percentages. This absence of measured data means a direct performance comparison cannot be established from the current dataset. The Intel Arc A380M sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, as does the NVIDIA N1 20SM, indicating both occupy the median position in the database's overall ranking structure, but this percentile does not reflect any measured performance delta between the two.

Without benchmark scores, the only quantitative indicators available are the theoretical compute specifications. The NVIDIA N1 20SM delivers 12.01 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, while the Intel Arc A380M delivers 4.096 TFLOPS. That places the NVIDIA part at roughly three times the raw FP32 output of the Intel part based on the recorded figures. In FP16, the NVIDIA N1 20SM maintains 12.01 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, while the Intel Arc A380M reaches 8.192 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio. The texture rate tells a similar story: the NVIDIA N1 20SM achieves 375.4 GTexel/s against 128.0 GTexel/s for the Intel part. Pixel rate, however, slightly favors Intel at 64.00 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s for the NVIDIA part, a narrow margin that reflects the smaller ROP count on the NVIDIA design.

Memory bandwidth also favors the NVIDIA N1 20SM, which records 273.2 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, compared to 186.0 GB/s over a 96-bit bus for the Intel Arc A380M. The NVIDIA part carries 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory, a figure that dwarfs the 6 GB of GDDR6 on the Intel part.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The Intel Arc A380M uses the DG2-128 chip built on the Xe-HPG architecture, belonging to the Alchemist generation for Arc 3 Mobile. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA N1 20SM uses the GB20B chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, belonging to the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 382 mm². Transistor count for the NVIDIA part is listed as unknown, and no transistor density figure is recorded.

Shading unit counts differ substantially. The Intel part has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, 32 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA part has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 24 ROPs, 20 ray tracing cores, and 80 tensor cores. The Intel Arc A380M does not list tensor cores at all, while the NVIDIA N1 20SM includes a substantial tensor core array, reflecting the Blackwell architecture's focus on AI and compute workloads.

Clock behavior also diverges. The Intel Arc A380M runs a base clock of 1550 MHz and a boost clock of 2000 MHz, with memory clocked at 1937 MHz or 15.5 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA N1 20SM has a much lower base clock of 741 MHz but a higher boost clock of 2346 MHz, with memory at 1067 MHz or 8.5 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA part's wide 256-bit memory bus compensates for the lower memory clock, producing higher overall bandwidth.

Form factor and interface differ completely. The Intel Arc A380M comes as an MXM module with an MXM-A (3.1) bus interface and a slot width of MXM Module. The NVIDIA N1 20SM is an integrated graphics processor with an IGP slot width, a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface, and no power connectors. The Intel part lists no power connectors either, and its TDP is recorded at 35 W. The NVIDIA part has an unknown TDP.

API support diverges sharply. The Intel Arc A380M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA N1 20SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, indicating the database has no recorded API compatibility for this part. Display outputs also differ: the Intel part lists Portable Device Dependent outputs, while the NVIDIA part lists a single HDMI output.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA N1 20SM records 12.01 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, while the Intel Arc A380M records 4.096 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA part delivers approximately three times the FP32 output based on these recorded figures.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The NVIDIA N1 20SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Arc A380M uses 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus with 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Does the NVIDIA N1 20SM support DirectX?

A: The database lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support on the NVIDIA N1 20SM. The Intel Arc A380M, by contrast, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What are the process nodes for each GPU?

A: The Intel Arc A380M is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA N1 20SM is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC.

Q: Which part has more ray tracing cores?

A: The NVIDIA N1 20SM has 20 ray tracing cores. The Intel Arc A380M has 8 ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the release timeline for each product?

A: The Intel Arc A380M has a release date of January 23, 2023. The NVIDIA N1 20SM has a release date of May 31, 2026.

The Verdict

The data indicates two products aimed at entirely different deployment scenarios. The Intel Arc A380M is a mobile discrete GPU in an MXM form factor, designed for systems that require a replaceable graphics module. Its 35 W TDP, 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, and full DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support position it as a conventional mobile graphics solution for gaming and general 3D workloads.

The NVIDIA N1 20SM is an integrated graphics processor on the Blackwell IGP architecture, using a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface and carrying 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory. Its 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, combined with 2,560 shading units, make it a substantially more compute-capable part on paper. The absence of recorded DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support in the database, however, means its software ecosystem compatibility cannot be verified from the available data.

For users prioritizing raw FP32 throughput, texture rate, memory capacity, and memory bandwidth, the NVIDIA N1 20SM wins decisively. For users requiring a mobile discrete GPU with established graphics API support and a lower power envelope, the Intel Arc A380M holds the advantage. The Intel part also wins on pixel rate, albeit by a modest margin. Neither product has measured benchmark scores, so real-world performance remains unquantified in the database.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Arc A380M | NVIDIA N1 20SM |

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

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 5 nm |

| Die Size | 157 mm² | 382 mm² |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | unknown |

| Base Clock | 1550 MHz | 741 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2000 MHz | 2346 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 128 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus Width | 96 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 186.0 GB/s | 273.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 64 | 160 |

| ROPs | 32 | 24 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 8 | 20 |

| Tensor Cores | null | 80 |

| Pixel Rate | 64.00 GPixel/s | 56.30 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 128.0 GTexel/s | 375.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.096 TFLOPS | 12.01 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1) | 12.01 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 35 W | unknown |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | IGP |

| Power Connectors | null | None |

| Bus Interface | MXM-A (3.1) | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | N/A |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-01-23 | 2026-05-31 |

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA N1 20SM wins in compute throughput, memory capacity, memory bandwidth, texture rate, shading unit count, ray tracing core count, and tensor core availability. Its 12.01 TFLOPS FP32 output and 375.4 GTexel/s texture rate make it the stronger choice for compute-heavy workloads, provided software support exists. The 128 GB memory pool and 273.2 GB/s bandwidth suggest it is designed for data-intensive tasks or unified memory architectures, though the database does not record benchmark scores to confirm real-world behavior.

The Intel Arc A380M wins in pixel rate, with 64.00 GPixel/s against 56.30 GPixel/s for the NVIDIA part. It also holds the advantage in graphics API compatibility, with full DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support recorded, while the NVIDIA part lists none. Its 35 W TDP, lower transistor count, and smaller die size make it a more power-conscious mobile solution. The MXM form factor allows it to be installed or swapped in compatible notebook designs, whereas the NVIDIA part is soldered as an IGP.

The two products do not compete in the same market segment. The Intel Arc A380M is a discrete mobile GPU with a conventional feature set for gaming and 3D graphics. The NVIDIA N1 20SM is a Blackwell-generation integrated processor with massive memory capacity and compute resources, but no recorded graphics API support. Users needing a drop-in mobile graphics module with established API coverage should look to the Intel part. Users needing an integrated solution with large memory and high compute throughput should look to the NVIDIA part. The database contains no direct benchmark comparisons, so performance claims beyond the recorded specifications cannot be made.