Intel Arc A380E vs NVIDIA N1X 48SM Comparison

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A380E and NVIDIA N1X 48SM represent fundamentally different design philosophies despite sharing a common foundry partner in TSMC. The Arc A380E uses the DG2-128 chip built on Intel's Xe-HPG architecture, featuring a 6 nm process node. This is the Alchemist generation, specifically the Arc 3 tier. The die measures 157 mm² and contains 7,200 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA N1X 48SM uses the GB20B chip based on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process node. Its die is substantially larger at 382 mm², though the transistor count is not recorded in the database. The N1X 48SM belongs to the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation and is currently active in production, while the Arc A380E has reached end-of-life status.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The Arc A380E ships with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus, delivering 186.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The N1X 48SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, achieving 273.2 GB/s. Clock behavior also differs. The Arc A380E runs at a flat 2000 MHz for both base and boost, while the N1X 48SM has a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz. Memory clocks show a similar pattern: the Arc A380E operates at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective), whereas the N1X 48SM runs at 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective).

Compute resources reveal the scale gap. The Arc A380E provides 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. It includes 8 ray tracing cores but no tensor cores. The N1X 48SM offers 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, alongside 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. These translate to a pixel rate of 64.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 128.0 GTexel/s for the Arc A380E, versus 112.6 GPixel/s and 900.9 GTexel/s for the N1X 48SM. Floating-point throughput shows the N1X 48SM at 28.83 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (1:1 ratio), while the Arc A380E delivers 4.096 TFLOPS FP32 and 8.192 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio).

Power and physical characteristics differ. The Arc A380E has a TDP of 75 W, is single-slot, requires no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W PSU. It measures 254 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width. The N1X 48SM is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no recorded TDP, no power connectors, and no dimensions listed. Interface support also diverges: the Arc A380E uses PCIe 4.0 x8 and provides four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, while the N1X 48SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16 and offers a single HDMI output. API support is another differentiator. The Arc A380E supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1X 48SM records N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, which indicates its integrated nature may rely on system-level graphics APIs rather than discrete GPU interfaces.

The Verdict

The recorded data positions these two products for entirely different roles. The Intel Arc A380E is a discrete, low-power graphics card with a 75 W TDP, designed for compact systems requiring dedicated rendering capability. Its 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 96-bit bus suit lighter workloads, while its four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs enable multi-monitor setups. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM, as an IGP with 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 256-bit bus, targets unified memory architectures where the GPU shares system memory. Its 6144 shading units and 192 tensor cores indicate a much larger compute footprint, though its lack of discrete graphics APIs suggests it operates within a proprietary or integrated environment.

Benchmark scores are recorded as equal: both products hold a 50th percentile against all GPUs, and both have an average benchmark score of 0. With no head-to-head benchmarks and zero wins recorded for either side, the data cannot declare a performance victor. Instead, the choice depends on deployment context. Systems needing a standalone expansion card with standard display outputs and PCIe 4.0 connectivity would use the Arc A380E. Systems built around the N1X 48SM's Blackwell IGP architecture would rely on its large shared memory pool and high compute throughput, accepting the single HDMI output and lack of conventional GPU APIs. The Arc A380E is end-of-life with a successor named Battlemage, while the N1X 48SM remains active with no predecessor or successor listed.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 6144 shading units, while the Intel Arc A380E has 1024 shading units.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The Arc A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, whereas the N1X 48SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory. The N1X 48SM also has a wider 256-bit bus compared to the Arc A380E's 96-bit bus.

Q: Does the Arc A380E support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Arc A380E includes 8 ray tracing cores. The N1X 48SM also supports ray tracing with 48 ray tracing cores.

Q: Which product has tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA N1X 48SM has tensor cores, with 192 of them. The Arc A380E has no tensor cores listed.

Q: What display outputs does each offer?

A: The Arc A380E provides four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The N1X 48SM provides a single HDMI output.

Q: What are the process nodes for each GPU?

A: The Arc A380E uses a 6 nm process from TSMC, while the N1X 48SM uses a 5 nm process, also from TSMC.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no head-to-head benchmark results between the Intel Arc A380E and the NVIDIA N1X 48SM. Both entries list empty benchmark arrays, and the wins counter shows zero for each side. The percentile ranking against all GPUs is identical at 50 for both, and the average benchmark score is 0 for both. This absence of measured data means no direct numerical comparison can be drawn from the recorded information.

However, the raw specifications provide indirect comparisons. The N1X 48SM's FP32 throughput of 28.83 TFLOPS is 7.04 times higher than the Arc A380E's 4.096 TFLOPS, a figure derived from the recorded numbers. Its texture rate of 900.9 GTexel/s is 7.04 times the Arc A380E's 128.0 GTexel/s. The pixel rate gap is smaller: 112.6 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s, placing the N1X 48SM at 1.76 times the Arc A380E's rate. Memory bandwidth favors the N1X 48SM at 273.2 GB/s versus 186.0 GB/s, a 1.47 times advantage.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The Arc A380E's boost clock of 2000 MHz is lower than the N1X 48SM's 2346 MHz boost, but the Arc A380E's base clock of 2000 MHz is 2.70 times higher than the N1X 48SM's 741 MHz base. Memory clock also favors the Arc A380E: 1937 MHz versus 1067 MHz, a 1.82 times advantage. These clock differences reflect the N1X 48SM's larger, more power-hungry design that relies on boost behavior, while the Arc A380E maintains a constant frequency.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the recorded data, the NVIDIA N1X 48SM wins on raw compute throughput. Its FP32 and FP16 figures of 28.83 TFLOPS dwarf the Arc A380E's 4.096 and 8.192 TFLOPS. The N1X 48SM also leads in texture rate (900.9 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s), pixel rate (112.6 GPixel/s versus 64.00 GPixel/s), shading units (6144 versus 1024), TMUs (384 versus 64), ROPs (48 versus 32), ray tracing cores (48 versus 8), and tensor cores (192 versus none). Its memory capacity of 128 GB and bandwidth of 273.2 GB/s exceed the Arc A380E's 6 GB and 186.0 GB/s. The N1X 48SM also uses the faster PCIe 5.0 x16 interface compared to PCIe 4.0 x8.

The Intel Arc A380E wins on several specific attributes. Its base clock of 2000 MHz is far higher than the N1X 48SM's 741 MHz, meaning the Arc A380E sustains maximum frequency without relying on boost. Its memory clock of 1937 MHz exceeds the N1X 48SM's 1067 MHz. The Arc A380E provides four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs versus a single HDMI, making it suitable for multi-display configurations. Its 75 W TDP with no power connectors and single-slot design, along with a 250 W suggested PSU, indicates lower system power requirements. The Arc A380E also has conventional GPU API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the N1X 48SM records N/A for these APIs.

In terms of physical deployment, the Arc A380E is a discrete card with defined dimensions (254 mm length, 127 mm height, 20 mm width), while the N1X 48SM is an IGP with no recorded dimensions or slot width. The Arc A380E is end-of-life with a known successor (Battlemage) and predecessor (Xe Graphics), while the N1X 48SM is active but has no recorded lineage. Release timing also differs: the Arc A380E dates to 2024-03-31, while the N1X 48SM is scheduled for 2026-05-31. The N1X 48SM uses a smaller 5 nm process versus the Arc A380E's 6 nm, and while the N1X 48SM has a larger die (382 mm² versus 157 mm²), its transistor count is unknown, preventing density comparison.