Intel Arc A380

The Intel Arc A380 is an entry-level discrete GPU built on the Xe-HPG architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 6 nm process with 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die. Launched on June 13, 2022, it has been marked end-of-life, with Battlemage as its successor. The card carries 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, 8 ray tracing cores, and a 75 W TDP, positioning it as a low-power option for budget builds. Its launch MSRP was $149.

Memory Subsystem

The Arc A380 pairs 6 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 96-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 186.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 15.5 Gbps effective. For a card in this class, 6 GB is sufficient for 1080p gaming with moderate texture settings, but high-resolution textures or 1440p assets will quickly exceed the frame buffer. The narrow 96-bit interface limits peak bandwidth compared to wider-bus cards, though the 186 GB/s figure is respectable for the power envelope. The 6 GB capacity also affects compute workloads; large datasets will spill into system memory via PCIe 4.0 x8. The memory subsystem is a clear bottleneck for higher resolutions, but the card's target market—entry-level 1080p—fits within its limits.

The 96-bit bus is a deliberate cost-cutting measure, but it means that memory-intensive operations such as high-detail shadows or post-processing effects can cause stuttering when the buffer is exhausted. The 186.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the card's 4.198 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, but it does not allow for headroom in future titles. At 1440p, the 6 GB capacity becomes a hard constraint; many modern games exceed 6 GB at that resolution, forcing texture quality reductions. The memory subsystem's performance is consistent with the card's overall positioning as a 1080p-oriented part.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

Intel's first discrete GPU generation brings hardware ray tracing to the Arc A380 with 8 dedicated RT cores. The architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (feature level 12_2), which includes ray tracing, variable rate shading, and mesh shaders. Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 are also supported, providing broad API coverage. The card lacks dedicated tensor cores, so AI-accelerated features like DLSS are not available; however, the Xe-HPG architecture includes XeSS, which uses a different approach. The 8 RT cores are modest in number, but they enable basic ray-traced effects at low resolutions. The feature set is forward-looking, but the hardware's compute power (4.198 TFLOPS FP32) limits the practicality of ray tracing in demanding titles.

The API support is comprehensive for a 2022 product: DirectX 12 Ultimate ensures compatibility with the latest game engines, while Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 cover most legacy and cross-platform applications. The 8 RT cores are a significant step for Intel, but they are outclassed by NVIDIA and AMD implementations at similar power levels. Still, the presence of hardware ray tracing means that the A380 can run ray-traced effects at reduced resolutions or with lower quality settings, which is more than older cards without dedicated RT hardware can do. The lack of tensor cores is notable, as it precludes proprietary upscaling technologies that rely on tensor operations, though XeSS can be implemented via shader cores.

Power and Cooling

With a TDP of 75 W, the Arc A380 is one of the most power-efficient discrete GPUs available. Intel recommends a 250 W power supply, and the card requires a single 8-pin power connector. The dual-slot cooler is 222 mm long, 114 mm tall, and 42 mm wide, fitting most compact cases. The low power draw means the cooler can be relatively modest; no large heatsink or triple-fan design is needed. The 75 W TDP also allows for small-form-factor builds, though the dual-slot width still occupies two expansion slots. The power connector is standard, and the 250 W PSU recommendation leaves ample headroom for a typical CPU and other components.

The 75 W TDP is a key selling point, as it allows for quiet operation and low heat output. The 8-pin connector is more than sufficient for this power level; many 75 W cards use only a 6-pin or even no connector, but Intel's choice of an 8-pin ensures compatibility with a wide range of power supplies. The dimensions—222 mm in length and 42 mm in width—are typical for a dual-slot card, but the low power envelope means that even a single-fan design could cool it effectively. The suggested 250 W PSU is conservative; a quality 300 W unit would also work, but the 250 W figure is what Intel specifies.

How It Compares

The Arc A380's average benchmark score is 8,558, placing it at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older or lower-tier parts, and the deltas are small.

AMD FirePro W5170M: The FirePro W5170M scores 8,602, which is 0.5% higher than the Arc A380. This is a negligible difference, putting the two cards on par. The W5170M is a mobile workstation GPU, so the comparison highlights the Arc's competitiveness against professional mobile parts. The A380's desktop orientation and modern feature set give it an edge in API support, but raw performance is nearly identical.

AMD Radeon R9 M375X: The R9 M375X averages 8,480, which the Arc A380 beats by 0.9%. This is also a marginal lead. The R9 M375X is an older mobile GPU, and the Arc's advantage, while small, shows that the A380 can outperform a mid-range part from a previous generation. The A380's 6 GB VRAM and 96-bit bus are more modern, but the performance delta is within the margin of error.

AMD Radeon HD 8870M: The HD 8870M scores 8,462, giving the Arc A380 a 1.1% advantage. Again, the difference is within noise. The HD 8870M is from 2013, so the Arc's lead is not surprising, but the narrow margin indicates that the A380's raw performance is not a dramatic step up. The A380's 4.198 TFLOPS FP32 is roughly on par with the HD 8870M's capabilities, despite the architectural differences.

NVIDIA Quadro P2200: The Quadro P2200, a workstation card, leads with 8,671, which is 1.3% ahead of the Arc A380. This is the only rival that clearly beats the A380, but the gap is still minimal. The P2200 is a more expensive card, so the A380 offers comparable performance at a lower price point. The P2200's advantage in average score is small, and the A380's newer feature set (ray tracing, DX12 Ultimate) makes it a more future-proof option.

Benchmark Performance

The Arc A380's benchmark results vary widely by test. In 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), it scores 808, a modest result for a modern graphics card. Geekbench OpenCL yields 38,224, while Vulkan scores 36,736—these compute-heavy tests show the card's strengths in parallel workloads. Passmark's G3D score is 6,252, and the GPU compute score is 2,762. The older DirectX tests reveal a weakness: Passmark DX9 scores 73, DX10 37, DX11 38, and DX12 35. These low numbers suggest that the Arc A380's driver optimization for legacy APIs is poor, while its performance in modern compute APIs is more competitive.

The average benchmark score across all tests is 8,558, which places the card at the 42nd percentile. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Arc A380 is within 1.3% of all four—trailing the Quadro P2200 by 1.3%, trailing the FirePro W5170M by 0.5%, and leading the R9 M375X and HD 8870M by 0.9% and 1.1%, respectively. These deltas are tiny, meaning the Arc A380 delivers performance essentially equivalent to these older parts. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 808, however, is a modern DX12 test, and its position relative to rivals is not directly given, but the average score suggests parity.

The Passmark G2D score of 610 indicates decent 2D performance, while the G3D score of 6,252 is the primary gaming metric. The compute scores (OpenCL 38,224, Vulkan 36,736) are relatively strong, suggesting the card handles compute tasks better than rasterization. The 4.198 TFLOPS FP32 and 8.397 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1) rates are modest, but the FP16 performance is double that of FP32, which can benefit certain workloads. The pixel rate of 65.60 GPixel/s and texture rate of 131.2 GTexel/s are consistent with its 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

The low Passmark DX9/DX10/DX11 scores (73, 37, 38, 35) are particularly telling. They indicate that the A380's drivers are not well-optimized for older DirectX versions, which could be a problem for users with legacy game libraries. In contrast, the Vulkan and OpenCL scores are respectable, showing that the hardware is capable when the software stack is modern. The 3DMark Steel Nomad result of 808 is a stress test for DX12, and while it is low in absolute terms, it is in line with the card's entry-level positioning. The average score of 8,558 and the 42nd percentile ranking confirm that the A380 sits at the bottom of the discrete GPU hierarchy, but its feature set and power efficiency make it a unique option for budget builders who prioritize low power consumption and modern API support over raw performance.