Arc A380 vs Radeon RX 480

Speed and memory

In our performance index the Arc A380 scores 9 and the Radeon RX 480 scores 8.5, which makes the Arc A380 about 6% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

The Arc A380 has 6 GB of video memory and the Radeon RX 480 has 8 GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Cyberpunk 2077 (27 against 25 fps), and the smallest is in Call of Duty (25 against 24 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Arc A380 is rated at 75 W and the Radeon RX 480 at 150 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 450 W for the first and 550 W for the second. A gap of 75 W shows up in heat and fan noise, and in your electricity use over a few years.

At launch the Arc A380 cost $139 and the Radeon RX 480 $239. Per dollar, the Arc A380 gave more performance (6.5 points per $100 against 3.6). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Arc A380 if you want the faster card, and you can accept 6 GB of memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon RX 480 if the price gap matters more than the 6% speed difference, and you value the extra video memory. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.