Introduction to the Intel Arc A380 Graphics Card
The new Intel Arc A380 graphics card is now released. It delivers stunning performance while consuming less power than ever before. So, will it be a good choice for heavy gamers?
Built on the same technology as the high-end GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card, this new graphics card promises to deliver breathtaking 4K visuals at 60 fps.
The Intel Arc A380 features Intel’s latest generation of graphics core. It includes support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenCL 3.0, and OpenGL 4.6, which is a leap forward compared to previous generation products and makes this product an attractive choice for professional and casual gamers alike.
If you’re a creative professional, you probably use a lot of applications. Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and others are used to create and edit photos, videos, web content, etc.
Intel Arc A380
Many of these apps are designed to be used with high-end desktop and laptop computers. However, a new breed of graphics cards has hit the market that puts power where it counts—in the mobile world.
You may be thinking “What is a graphics card anyway?”. Basically, a graphics card is a processor that takes the information that you’re using to design your images or videos and processes it into a format that can be displayed on an LCD or television.
Graphics cards are a vital component in today’s mobile and desktop operating systems. They’re often the reason why you can’t run your favorite games or watch HD movies.
Intel’s graphics cards are a favorite of gamers and computer enthusiasts. But did you know that they also support VR technology?
While the Arc A380 isn’t the only graphics card on the market, its performance does exceed some of the most popular cards currently on the market.
In fact, its performance exceeds that of Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 by 50% while using less than half the power. And as for price, the A380 comes at less than $150 which makes it a budget-friendly choice compared to the GTX 1080 which costs about $600.
The Intel Arc A380 is a high-performance single-slot card based on the new Graphics Core Next architecture and built with premium materials. It is optimized for high-resolution gaming and professional graphics applications such as digital content creation, video editing, and other professional applications.
Intel Arc A380— Design Overview
The A380 uses a unique design of a single-stage compressor, a two-stage expander, and a single-stage intercooler. This new arrangement allows it to achieve the target performance range while maintaining reasonable efficiency and compactness. The Intel Alchemist architecture also provides a platform for future development.
To begin with, the Intel Arc A380 is a fanless micro-ATX tower case. This case is designed with a dual front fan and it is compatible with the Intel Xeon processor. This case is ideal for systems that are very quiet and require maximum cooling capabilities.
Specification
The A380 processor is designed to deliver unprecedented levels of single-threaded and multi-threaded performance while delivering improved power efficiency for the best balance of price, performance, and density of servers.
Detail specifications of Intel Arc A380
Intel Arc A380— Basic Information
| Brand | Intel |
| Product Collection | Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics |
| Model Number | A380 |
| Processor | Arc ACM-G11 |
| Microarchitecture | Xe HPG |
| Lithography Type | TSMC N6 |
| Vertical Segment | Desktop |
| Product Status | Launched |
| Country of Origin | USA |
GPU Specifications
| Xe-cores | 8 |
| Render Slices | 2 |
| Ray Tracing Units | 8 |
| Intel® Xe Matrix Extensions (Intel® XMX) Engines | 128 |
| Xe Vector Engines | 128 |
| GPU Base Clock | 2000 MHz |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 75W |
| Device ID | 0x5693 |
Memory Specifications
| Memory Size | 6 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| Graphics Memory Interface | 96 bit |
| Graphics Memory Bandwidth | 186 GB/s |
| Graphics Memory Speed | 15.5 Gbps |
Supported Technologies
| Ray Tracing | Yes |
| Variable Rate Shading (VRS) | Yes |
| DirectX Support | DirectX 12 Ultimate |
| Vulkan Support | 1.3 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 3.0 |
| Multi-Format Codec Engines | 2 |
| Adaptive Sync | Yes |
Display & Ports
| Maximum Display | 4 |
| Display Port | v1.4, DP 2.0 up to UHBR 10 |
| HDMI Ports | HDMI 2.1 & HDMI 2.0b |
| VR Ready | Yes |
| Max Display Resolution (DP) | 7680 x 4320@60Hz |
| Max Display Resolution (HDMI) | 4096 x 2160@60Hz |
Intel Arc A380— Features
| H.264 Hardware Encode/Decode | Yes |
| H.265 (HEVC) Hardware Encode/Decode | Yes |
| AV1 Encode/Decode | Yes |
| VP9 Bitstream & Decoding | Yes |
| Resizable BAR Support | Yes |
Intel Deep Link Technologies
| Intel Deep Link Hyper Compute | Yes |
| Intel Deep Link Hyper Encode | Yes |
| Intel Deep Link Stream Assist | Yes |
Features and Benefits
Intel Arc A380 has a lot of features compared to its price. Check its latest price from the Chinese JD Store which is currently selling the GPU at the best price.
The GPU can provide 4K output resolution and features DirectX 12 Ultimate support for gaming. It can support two DisplayPort connections (1.4, and 2.0), and two HDMI connectors (2.1, and 2.0b). It also supports up to 4 displays with a maximum resolution of 7680 x 4320@60Hz. There are also updated features like Ray Tracing, VR, Adaptive Sync, OpenGL, OpenCL, VRS, Vulkan, DirectX, and a lot more.
Intel Arc A380 has one of the most powerful graphics processors available. But what does this mean? Well, first of all, it means that the processor can handle a lot of tasks simultaneously, and it’s powerful enough to perform a wide range of calculations at the same time.
But the best part is that it’s also very energy efficient. The Arc A380 consumes less power than any other chip on the market, according to Intel, which means that it can be used in laptops, desktops, servers, tablets, and more.
Conclusion
The Intel Arc A380 is a mid-budget GPU for every kind of user. But this is an ideal GPU for medium users who spend most of their time browsing the web, watching YouTube videos, and occasionally playing heavy games. It’s not suitable for power users who need the ability to run heavy games regularly.
If you are a heavy gamer or streamer, then this is not the GPU you need. But this is more than enough compared to its price range. It has many features like high-budget GPU.
Lastly, my opinion about this GPU is that the GPU is very much effective for regular users who use heavy software e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premier Pro, etc. You can also play heavy games with this GPU. But it is not recommended for regular users like serious heavy gamers or streamers. So, if you are looking for a high-end performing Graphics Card for gaming, check my review of MSI Geforce RTX 3070 Ti Ventus GPU here.