Intel Arc A380E x2 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a stark contrast between two workstation-oriented graphics solutions. The Intel Arc A380E x2 holds a 50th percentile position among all GPUs in the database, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF sits at the 19th percentile. The Intel card is marked as end-of-life, whereas the NVIDIA card is active production. The NVIDIA card delivers a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2910, placing it within 0.1% of the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB and 0.1% behind the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB. The Intel card has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, meaning its percentile reflects positional data rather than measured performance.

The RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF is the clear choice for any workload requiring substantial compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 24.05 TFLOPS dwarfs the Intel card's 4.096 TFLOPS, a 5.9x advantage. The NVIDIA card also provides 24 GB of GDDR7 memory with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, compared to 6 GB of GDDR6 at 186.0 GB/s on the Intel card. For professionals running large datasets, complex renders, or AI inference, the NVIDIA card is the only viable option between these two.

The Intel Arc A380E x2 targets a different niche. With 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs and a single-slot 265 mm form factor, it is built for multi-display signage or compact workstation configurations. Its 130 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU are modest, but it lacks the memory capacity and compute density of the NVIDIA card. The database shows no benchmark wins for either card in head-to-head testing, but the specification gap is decisive. The Verdict: choose the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF for compute, rendering, or AI tasks; choose the Intel Arc A380E x2 only when maximum display output count matters more than raw performance.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF wins in every measurable compute category. Its pixel rate of 128.8 GPixel/s is roughly double the Intel card's 64.00 GPixel/s. Texture rate follows the same pattern: 375.8 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s. The shading unit count of 8960 versus 1024 gives the NVIDIA card an 8.75x advantage in raw shader throughput. Tensor cores are present on the NVIDIA card at 280, while the Intel card has none listed. RT cores number 70 on NVIDIA versus 8 on Intel, a substantial gap for ray-traced workloads.

The NVIDIA card's memory subsystem is the other major win. It offers 24 GB of GDDR7 across a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s. The Intel card uses 6 GB of GDDR6 across a 96-bit bus, delivering 186.0 GB/s. That is 4x the capacity and 2.3x the bandwidth. For models or scenes exceeding 6 GB, the Intel card simply cannot participate.

The Intel Arc A380E x2 wins on display output count. It provides 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 connectors, double the NVIDIA card's 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.1b. The Intel card also offers a longer card length at 265 mm versus 167 mm, which may suit chassis with more internal space. Its single-slot width contrasts with the NVIDIA card's dual-slot design, making the Intel card easier to fit in dense multi-GPU setups. Power delivery is simpler on the NVIDIA side: no power connectors required and a 70 W TDP, versus a 1x 6-pin connector and 130 W TDP on the Intel card. The NVIDIA card's 250 W suggested PSU is also lower than the Intel card's 300 W suggestion.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Arc A380E x2 uses the DG2-128 chip built on TSMC's 6 nm process. It packs 7,200 million transistors into a 157 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.9M per mm². The architecture is Xe-HPG, part of the Alchemist generation (Arc 3). The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF uses the GB203 chip on TSMC's 5 nm process. It contains 45,600 million transistors across a 378 mm² die, for a density of 120.6M per mm². The architecture is Blackwell 2.0, part of the Blackwell PRO W (x000) generation.

Clock behavior differs significantly. The Intel card runs at a constant 2000 MHz base and boost. The NVIDIA card has a 405 MHz base clock that boosts to 1342 MHz. Memory clocks also diverge: the Intel card runs at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA card runs at 1125 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card's GDDR7 memory achieves higher effective data rates despite a lower physical clock.

Compute feature sets vary. The Intel card lists 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 RT cores. The NVIDIA card lists 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 70 RT cores, and 280 tensor cores. FP16 performance tells a key story: Intel achieves 8.192 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio, meaning half the FP32 rate. NVIDIA achieves 24.05 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, meaning no FP16 penalty. This makes the NVIDIA card more efficient for mixed-precision workloads.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface differs: Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x8, NVIDIA uses PCIe 5.0 x8. The NVIDIA card's newer bus standard doubles the per-lane bandwidth potential. Physical dimensions also differ substantially: the Intel card measures 265 mm by 127 mm by 20 mm, while the NVIDIA card is 167 mm by 69 mm by 40 mm. The NVIDIA card is shorter and narrower but thicker.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF has 24 GB of GDDR7, while the Intel Arc A380E x2 has 6 GB of GDDR6.

Q: How do their compute performances compare?

A: The NVIDIA card delivers 24.05 TFLOPS FP32, compared to 4.096 TFLOPS on the Intel card. The NVIDIA card also has 8960 shading units versus 1024 on Intel.

Q: Which card supports more displays?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 supports 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, while the NVIDIA card supports 4x mini-DisplayPort 2.1b outputs.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The NVIDIA card has a 70 W TDP with no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU. The Intel card has a 130 W TDP with a 1x 6-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card has ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: The NVIDIA card has 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores. The Intel card has 8 RT cores and no listed tensor cores.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The Intel Arc A380E x2 is end-of-life, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell SFF is active production.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries between these two cards. However, the NVIDIA card has a recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2910. Its nearest rivals in the database are the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB at 2907 (0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA card), the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB at 2913 (0.1% behind), the Quadro P600 at 2923 (0.4% behind), and the GeForce RTX 4010 at 2893 (0.6% ahead). This places the NVIDIA card in a tightly clustered performance band around 2900 points.

The Intel Arc A380E x2 has no benchmark scores recorded in the database. Its percentile of 50 indicates it sits at the median of all GPUs tracked, but the absence of measured scores prevents direct numerical comparison. The specification sheet suggests a much lower ceiling: 4.096 TFLOPS FP32 versus 24.05 TFLOPS, 186.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 432.0 GB/s, and 6 GB memory versus 24 GB. In any workload that scales with memory capacity or shader throughput, the NVIDIA card would be expected to finish far ahead.

The biggest wins for the NVIDIA card come from its compute and memory architecture. The 5.9x FP32 advantage, 4x memory capacity, and 2.3x bandwidth are the determining factors. The Intel card's only clear advantages are display count and physical footprint. For a 8-display signage setup, the Intel card's 8x mini-DisplayPort 2.0 is a functional match. For any rendering, simulation, or AI workload, the NVIDIA card's 280 tensor cores and 70 RT cores provide capabilities the Intel card lacks entirely.

Given the NVIDIA card's near-identical score to the RTX 4060 Ti family, its performance class is well established. The Intel card's lack of recorded data means its actual performance cannot be validated against the NVIDIA card. The recorded data indicates the NVIDIA card is a mid-tier workstation GPU, while the Intel card occupies an uncertain position with no measured benchmarks. The database's percentile fields confirm this: NVIDIA at 19th percentile versus Intel at 50th percentile, though the latter is based on positional ranking rather than tested scores.