Intel Arc A750 vs NVIDIA RTX 3050: A Battle of Entry-Level GPUs

The graphics card market has experienced a significant shift in recent years, with new players entering the space and driving innovation. Intel, a company long known for its CPUs, has also joined the GPU race with its new Arc series. In this article, we'll compare the Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA RTX 3050, two entry-level GPUs that cater to the needs of budget-conscious gamers and content creators.

Overview

Intel Arc A750

The Intel Arc A750 is part of Intel's first lineup of discrete GPUs under the Arc brand, based on its Xe-HPG (High-Performance Gaming) architecture. The A750 targets the entry-level gaming segment, offering a competitive alternative to the established GPUs in this price range.

NVIDIA RTX 3050

The NVIDIA RTX 3050 is an entry-level GPU part of the GeForce RTX 30 series lineup, based on the company's Ampere architecture. The RTX 3050 aims to provide ray tracing capabilities and improved performance for budget-conscious gamers and creators.

Performance

Gaming Performance

The Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA RTX 3050 both offer commendable gaming performance for their respective price points. While the RTX 3050 has the advantage of established ray tracing capabilities and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) support, the Arc A750 counters with Intel's XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) technology, which also utilizes AI to upscale lower-resolution images.

In terms of gaming benchmarks, the two GPUs perform similarly across various game titles with a slight edge to the RTX 3050 in some instances. However, the A750 still delivers a satisfactory 1080p gaming experience with medium to high settings in most modern games.

Content Creation Performance

Both GPUs have been designed to cater to content creators, offering hardware acceleration for tasks like video encoding and 3D rendering. The RTX 3050 benefits from NVIDIA's NVENC encoder, which provides efficient video encoding performance. Intel's Arc A750 has Quick Sync Video, which also accelerates video encoding tasks.

In benchmarks related to content creation, the RTX 3050 and Arc A750 show comparable performance in applications like Adobe Premiere, Blender, and DaVinci Resolve. Users can expect a smooth content creation experience with either GPU.

Power Consumption and Thermals

The Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA RTX 3050 have similar TDP (Thermal Design Power) ratings, with the A750 rated at 120W and the RTX 3050 at 130W. Both GPUs offer energy-efficient performance, making them suitable for compact systems and users with power consumption concerns.

In terms of thermals, both GPUs maintain acceptable temperatures under load, although the exact thermal performance may vary based on the specific cooling solution used by the GPU manufacturer.

Pricing and Availability

The Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA RTX 3050 are both positioned as budget-friendly offerings in their respective lineups. While exact pricing may vary depending on market conditions and supply constraints, the two GPUs are generally competitively priced.

Intel's entry into the GPU market has increased competition, benefiting consumers as they have more options to choose from. The availability of both GPUs may vary depending on regional factors and demand.

Conclusion

The Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA RTX 3050 are both compelling options for budget-conscious gamers and content creators. While the RTX 3050 has a slight edge in gaming performance, the Arc A750 offers a competitive alternative, especially considering Intel's XeSS technology.

In content creation workloads, both GPUs provide comparable performance, making either a suitable choice for users in this segment. Ultimately, the decision between the Intel Arc A750 and NVIDIA RTX 3050 will depend on personal preferences, brand loyalty, and pricing and availability in a given region.