You’ve likely heard the buzz about Intel’s entrance into the discrete GPU market with their new Arc line of graphics cards.

It’s been a long road for Intel to release their first discrete Arc GPU, but the wait is finally over. Their Arc A380 and A350 graphics cards are now available, and initial reviews paint a promising picture. While Intel still has room for improvement, they are demonstrating clear strengths in certain areas. 

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty benchmark results to see exactly where Intel Arc shines brightest. 

1. Topping the Charts in 3DMark Fire Strike Physics

First up is the 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark’s Physics test, which evaluates raw GPU compute performance. Here, the Intel Arc A380 is shown to outperform both the RTX 3050 and RX 6500 XT by a wide margin, achieving a score over 20,000. If you do a lot of physics simulations or CPU-heavy workloads with some GPU acceleration, an Arc GPU could offer a nice boost.

2. Excelling in Content Creation Tasks

Content creators will love the Arc’s performance in benchmarks like Blender and DaVinci Resolve. It beats both Nvidia and AMD’s entry-level GPUs in popular Blender tests like Classroom and BMW, showing its prowess for 3D rendering. DaVinci Resolve video editing is also smoother with Arc, making quick work of export times. Tasks like these are a great fit if you work with 3D or video on a budget.

3. Crushing the Competition in Esports Titles

Esports titles like CS:GO, Valorant, Overwatch, League of Legends and Dota 2 are where the Arc GPU really shines. In these fast-paced multiplayer games focused more on raw frame rates than eye-candy graphics, the Arc A380 delivers buttery smooth gameplay that will have you dominating the competition.

  • In CS:GO, one of the most popular esports around, the A380 maintains a solid 200+ fps at 1080p on high settings. With refresh rates on even budget esports monitors now topping 240Hz, having headroom to spare is crucial. Frametimes remain consistent too, ensuring micro-stutters don’t cost you that all-important frame. You’ll be able to react in the blink of an eye with an Arc GPU powering your setup.
  • Overwatch is another title that runs exceptionally well, with the A380 delivering a locked 200 fps whether you’re in the thick of a chaotic team fight or sniping enemies across the map. Even at 1440p, frame rates hold strong in the 140–160 fps range. The fluid responsiveness this provides will make your aim and movement feel ultra-crisp.
  • In MOBAs like Dota 2 and League of Legends, two of the most played PC games worldwide, the A380 easily sustains 100+ fps on max settings at both 1080p and 1440p. This level of smoothness is important for landing those tricky skillshots and chain stuns under pressure. Whether you’re a pro player or weekend warrior, Arc will have your reflexes and reaction times firing on all cylinders.

4. Outperforming in OpenCL Workloads

Open Computing Language (OpenCL) provides an open standard for parallel programming across CPUs, GPUs, and other processors. An increasing number of applications are taking advantage of hardware acceleration through OpenCL, from scientific modeling and engineering programs to image and video editing suites. Here, Intel Arc GPUs truly excel over competing hardware.

  • In the CLBenchmark test, which evaluates raw OpenCL compute performance, the Arc A380 achieves a score over 800—significantly higher than the RTX 3050 and RX 6500 XT. This points to Intel’s strong focus on optimizing for OpenCL workloads through their driver stack. Applications leveraging OpenCL are likely to see a real speedup with Arc.
  • Basemark, another cross-platform benchmark, shows similarly impressive gains over Nvidia and AMD cards. The A380 achieves a score of over 1100 in the OpenCL portion, outperforming the next-best competitor by over 10%. Workloads heavy on parallel number crunching, like machine learning or financial modeling, would thrive.
  • Content creators leveraging Adobe applications will also benefit, as Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop have integrated OpenCL acceleration. Export and processing times for videos and images can be drastically reduced. Designers and video editors relying on OpenCL would be smart to give Arc GPUs serious consideration.

Scientific and engineering software optimized for OpenCL may see even larger speed increases. Disciplines like computational fluid dynamics, molecular modeling, and data science spend countless hours churning through calculations.

5. Surpassing Expectations in Synthetic Tests

Synthetic benchmarks don’t always translate directly to real games, but they do provide a glimpse at a GPU’s potential. In tests like 3DMark, Unigine Superposition and Geekbench, the Arc A380 beats or matches competitors like the RTX 3050 despite being aimed at a lower price point. This points to Intel optimizing drivers well for raw graphics performance evaluations.

6. Handling Hardware-Accelerated Workflows with Ease

Hardware acceleration is becoming increasingly important in applications like web browsers. Here, the Intel Arc GPU proves capable, outperforming competitors on benchmarks like JetStream 2, WebXPRT 3 and Speedometer 2.0. If your work depends on hardware-accelerated workflows in programs like Chrome or Firefox, an Arc could help speed things up.

7. Providing Smooth Frame Rates in Popular AAA Titles

Big-budget games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, F1 22 and Hitman 3 are shown running smoothly at 1080p on the Arc A380, mostly staying above 60fps on medium-to-high settings. While ray tracing is limited, classic rasterization holds its own. AAA gamers looking for decent casual frame rates needn’t look further than Arc.

8. Surprising in Compute-Focused Workloads

Benchmarks stressing GPU compute over graphics see Arc performing admirably as well. Tests in Geekbench Compute and Octane JavaScript put the A380 near or above competitors. Creative coding, cryptocurrency mining and other compute tasks may enjoy Arc’s power here. There’s potential for this aspect to grow further as drivers mature.

Conclusion: An Impressive Debut Worth Considering

In summary, Intel’s first Arc GPUs demonstrate clear strengths across content creation, esports, compute workloads and more. While ray tracing and higher resolutions remain works in progress, Arc provides smooth 1080p gaming on a budget. With driver updates also sure to improve performance over time, Arc looks poised to carve out a nice niche. For your purposes above, an Arc graphics card deserves consideration as Intel’s formidable new contender.