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GeForce GTX 680 vs Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

2012Core: 1006 MHzBoost: 1058 MHz
Buy on Amazon
VS
Intel

Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)

2023Core: 300 MHzBoost: 1950 MHz
Buy on Amazon

GeForce GTX 680 vs Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 680
4 GB 195
5,609
+2.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 860M
brand logoGeForce MX450
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 1630
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 3GB
brand logoGeForce RTX 2060
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile
brand logoRTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
4 GB 15
5,500
0.0%
brand logoArc 8-Core iGPU
brand logoArc Graphics 130V
brand logoArc A730M
brand logoArc B570

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GTX 680 vs Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc): Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌1200% higher power demand at 195W vs 15W.

Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)

2023

Why buy it

  • ✅Better long-term bet: Xe LPG (2023) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • ✅Draws 15W instead of 195W, a 180W reduction.
  • ✅More future proof: Xe LPG (2023) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 11.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 680 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2% in PassMark G3D (5,609 vs 5,500), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 5nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 680 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 680 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 680 vs Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

Intel

Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)

The Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) is manufactured by Intel. It was released in December 14 2023. It features the Xe LPG architecture. The core clock ranges from 300 MHz to 1950 MHz. It has 4 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,500 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 and the Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) reaches 5,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) uses Xe LPG, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 4 (Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1950 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
G3D Mark Score
5,609+2%
5,500
Architecture
Kepler
Xe LPG
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1536+38300%
4
Boost Clock
1058 MHz
1950 MHz+84%
L1 Cache
128 KB
768 KB+500%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 680 and System on the Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
192.2 GB/s
System
Bus Width
256-bit
System
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12_2 (Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
DirectX
12 (FL 11_0)
12_2
Vulkan
1.1
1.3+18%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs QuickSync (Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs QuickSync. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs MPEG2,AVC,VP9,HEVC,AV1 (Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
QuickSync
Decoder
PureVideo VP5
QuickSync
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
MPEG2,AVC,VP9,HEVC,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)'s 15W — a 171.4% difference. The Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 350W (Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 256mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
TDP
195W
15W-92%
Recommended PSU
550W
350W-36%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
256mm
0mm
Height
111mm
—
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
98°C
—
Perf/Watt
28.8
366.7+1173%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 680 came in at $499, while the Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) launched at $0. On MSRP, Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) was 100+% cheaper ($499 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs Infinity (Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)) — the Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) (2023 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)
MSRP
$499
$0-100%
Performance per Dollar
11.2
Infinity
Codename
GK104
Meteor Lake iGPU
Release
March 22 2012
December 14 2023
Ranking
#410
#495
Search GeForce GTX 680 on AmazonSearch Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc) on Amazon

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