Intel Arc A310

The Intel Arc A310 is an entry-point desktop graphics card built on the Xe-HPG architecture and the DG2-128 chip, produced on TSMC's 6 nm process with 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die. Released in October 2022, it holds a 39th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 7,550, placing it in a narrow competitive band where it trades positions with several older AMD and NVIDIA parts.

Benchmark Performance

The Arc A310's raw compute fundamentals are modest: 768 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output pipelines drive a peak FP32 throughput of 2.688 TFLOPS, with FP16 reaching 5.376 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio. The pixel rate is 28.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 56.00 GTexel/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the card shows an uneven profile. Its Passmark G3D score is 5,433, while the DirectX 11 test yields 33, DirectX 12 yields 29, and DirectX 10 yields 31. The DirectX 9 score is notably higher at 69, suggesting that legacy DirectX workloads are handled more efficiently relative to newer API paths. Compute performance is represented by a Passmark GPU Compute score of 2,157 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 30,607; the Vulkan score is slightly lower at 28,964.

Against its nearest rivals, the Arc A310's average score of 7,550 is effectively tied with the AMD Radeon R7 250, which averages 7,557 — a delta of -0.1%. The AMD Radeon 540 sits marginally ahead at 7,579, a +0.4% gap, while the NVIDIA Quadro K4100M is 1% faster with an average of 7,627. The only rival it clearly beats is the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, which scores 7,447 — the Arc A310 leads by 1.4%. These deltas are within run-to-run variance for most workloads, meaning the card neither dominates nor is dominated in its immediate tier. The 39th percentile ranking reinforces that this is a baseline product; it outperforms roughly 39% of all GPUs tracked, leaving the majority of the field ahead. The data suggests the Arc A310 is best suited for API-specific strengths rather than overall throughput, as its DirectX 9 showing (69) is more than double its DirectX 12 score (29), a pattern that hints at driver maturity or architectural prioritization for older pipelines.

Power and Cooling

The Arc A310 carries a 30 W TDP, making it one of the lowest-power discrete GPUs in the database. This figure aligns with its single-slot form factor and absence of any power connectors; the card draws all its power from the PCIe slot. The recommended power supply is 200 W, which is a conservative guideline given the 30 W TDP — even entry-level systems with modest PSUs can accommodate this card without concern. The thermal solution is a single-slot cooler, which is sufficient for the power envelope. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8, which provides adequate bandwidth for the 4 GB memory configuration. Display outputs consist of four mini-DisplayPort 2.0 connectors, supporting multi-monitor setups. The production status is end-of-life, with the predecessor listed as Xe Graphics and the successor as Battlemage, indicating this is a transitional product in Intel's arc lineup. The combination of 30 W TDP, no external power connectors, and a 200 W PSU recommendation means installation is straightforward: any system with a spare PCIe x8 or x16 slot and a 200 W power supply can run it without additional cabling.

Who Should Consider It

Benchmark results indicate the Arc A310 is positioned for low-resolution and legacy gaming, not high-fidelity modern titles. The Passmark DirectX 9 score of 69 is the standout, suggesting that older games from the DirectX 9 era will run with relative smoothness at standard settings. The DirectX 11 score of 33 and DirectX 12 score of 29 are far lower, meaning contemporary games that rely on these APIs will see significant frame rate drops, especially at higher resolutions. The 4 GB GDDR6 memory and 124.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p gaming with reduced texture quality, but they become a bottleneck at 1440p and above, where memory capacity and bandwidth are critical. The 39th percentile ranking and the tight deltas to rivals (ranging from -1% to +1.4%) confirm that this card competes with GPUs from several generations ago. Users who primarily play esports titles with DirectX 9 or light 2D workloads will find it adequate. The Passmark G2D score of 625 indicates decent 2D performance, making it viable for office productivity, media playback, and multi-monitor desktop use. For modern 3D gaming at 1080p with medium-to-high settings, the data does not support a recommendation — the DirectX 12 score of 29 is too low for consistent frame rates in current releases. At 720p or with reduced settings, some playability may be achieved, but the card is better suited as a display adapter or for retro gaming than as a primary gaming GPU.

How It Compares

AMD Radeon R7 250: The Arc A310 trails by 0.1%, with scores of 7,550 versus 7,557. This is a statistical dead heat. Both cards are effectively interchangeable in average performance, and the Arc A310's higher DirectX 9 score may give it an edge in older titles, but the R7 250's maturity could favor it in DirectX 11 scenarios.

AMD Radeon 540: The Radeon 540 leads by 0.4%, averaging 7,579. This is again within noise, but the margin, however small, is consistent across the benchmark suite. The Arc A310's 4 GB memory versus the 540's typical 2 GB may offer an advantage in texture-heavy workloads, though the raw score gap does not reflect that.

NVIDIA Quadro K4100M: The Quadro K4100M is 1% faster, with an average of 7,627. This mobile workstation part outperforms the Arc A310 in aggregate, but the delta is minimal. The Arc A310's modern architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the K4100M is older; in API-specific tests, the Arc A310 may close or reverse the gap, but the average score places it behind.

AMD Radeon HD 8850M: The Arc A310 leads this rival by 1.4%, with 7,550 versus 7,447. This is the only clear victory in the immediate competitive set. The HD 8850M is an older mobile GPU, and the Arc A310's advantage, while modest, is consistent. The DirectX 9 score of 69 on the Arc A310 is notably higher than what the HD 8850M would typically achieve, reinforcing its strength in legacy titles.

Memory Subsystem

The Arc A310 is equipped with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 124.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1937 MHz, translating to 15.5 Gbps effective. This configuration is a critical limiting factor for high-resolution gaming. At 1080p, 4 GB is workable but tight for modern titles with high-resolution textures; at 1440p and 4K, the capacity and bandwidth will cause significant stuttering and texture pop-in. The 64-bit bus width is narrow, which caps the theoretical bandwidth at 124.0 GB/s — a figure that is adequate for the card's compute throughput but insufficient for memory-intensive workloads. The 2.688 TFLOPS FP32 rate is not the bottleneck; rather, the memory subsystem will saturate first in most gaming scenarios. The DirectX 12 score of 29 and DirectX 11 score of 33 reflect this: modern APIs demand more memory bandwidth than the card can deliver. For compute tasks, the 124.0 GB/s bandwidth also limits the 2,157 Passmark GPU Compute score, as data movement becomes a constraint. The 4 GB capacity is also a concern for future titles that assume 6 GB or more as a baseline. In summary, the memory subsystem is adequate for the card's intended entry-level role, but it is the primary reason the Arc A310 cannot scale to higher resolutions or modern API workloads.