AMD Radeon 540 vs Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a fascinating split, with each GPU claiming a decisive victory in a different API. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 delivers a score of 9082, which is 31.9% higher than the AMD Radeon 540’s 6184. This is a substantial margin, placing the Intel solution firmly ahead in this particular compute workload. The data suggests that the Iris Pro’s architecture is highly efficient in OpenCL, likely leveraging its higher shading unit count to significant effect.

However, the tables turn dramatically in the Vulkan test. Here, the AMD Radeon 540 scores 9162, a full 74.2% higher than the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580’s 5258. This is a crushing victory for AMD, indicating that its GCN 4.0 architecture is far more adept at handling Vulkan's modern, low-overhead API. The difference is so large that it completely overshadows Intel's OpenCL win in terms of raw percentage, suggesting that for any Vulkan-based workload, the AMD Radeon 540 is in a different performance class entirely.

The head-to-head results are a perfect illustration of how API choice can dictate the performance hierarchy. The Intel part wins one test by 31.9%, and the AMD part wins the other by 74.2%. While each has a single win, the magnitude of AMD's victory in Vulkan is significantly larger. This suggests that the Radeon 540's architectural strengths are more aligned with modern graphics APIs, whereas the Iris Pro's advantage lies in a legacy compute interface. The average benchmark scores reflect this split, with the AMD Radeon 540 averaging 7673 and the Intel Iris Pro averaging 7170, a difference of about 7% in AMD's favor, driven entirely by its Vulkan dominance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 has a higher average benchmark score of 7673, compared to the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580's 7170. This places the Radeon 540 in the 41st percentile of all GPUs, while the Iris Pro sits in the 39th percentile.

Q: In which API does the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 outperform the AMD Radeon 540?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is the clear winner in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, scoring 9082 against the AMD Radeon 540's 6184. This represents a 31.9% lead for Intel in this specific test.

Q: How large is AMD's advantage in the Vulkan benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon 540's Vulkan score of 9162 is 74.2% higher than the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580's 5258. This is a very significant margin, showing a major performance gap in Vulkan workloads.

Q: What is the difference in their performance percentiles?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 is in the 41st percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is in the 39th percentile. This indicates that the Radeon 540 is ranked slightly higher overall.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 540's average score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Radeon 540's average score of 7673 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti's 7723, showing a negligible 0.6% difference. It is also slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (1.2%) and the Intel Arc A310 (1.6%).

Q: Which GPU's closest rival is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580's average score of 7170 is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970's 7157, making it a very close rival in performance.

Architecture Differences

The architectural philosophies of these two GPUs are fundamentally different. The AMD Radeon 540 is built on the company's GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Lexa chip, and is part of the Polaris (RX 500) generation. It is fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, containing 2,200 million transistors on a 103 mm² die. In contrast, the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is an integrated GPU based on the Generation 9.0 architecture, using the Skylake GT4e chip, and belongs to the HD Graphics-W (Skylake) family. It is built on a 14 nm+ process at Intel, though its transistor count and die size are not specified in the data.

A key difference lies in their computing resources. The Intel Iris Pro has a higher number of shading units (576) compared to the AMD Radeon 540's 384. It also has significantly more texture mapping units (TMUs), with 72 versus AMD's 24. However, the AMD Radeon 540 has a higher number of render output units (ROPs) at 16, compared to Intel's 9. This configuration suggests Intel's design is geared towards complex shader and texture work, while AMD's is more oriented towards pixel fill rate.

Memory architecture also separates them. The AMD Radeon 540 is a discrete GPU with its own 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 32-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 24.00 GB/s. The Intel Iris Pro, as an integrated processor, uses System Shared memory, with its bandwidth being System Dependent. This fundamental difference means the AMD part has dedicated, consistent memory performance, while the Intel part's performance is tied to the system's main memory and CPU.

The feature sets show differences in API support as well. Both support DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, but the Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1) while the AMD part supports DirectX 12 (12_0). This indicates the Intel GPU has a slightly more advanced feature level for DirectX 12. Furthermore, their FP16 capabilities differ: the AMD Radeon 540 offers FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the Intel Iris Pro offers FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, meaning its half-precision throughput is higher relative to its FP32.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every core specification field. The AMD Radeon 540 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, whereas the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has 576 shading units, 72 TMUs, and only 9 ROPs. This results in different calculated rates: the AMD part achieves a pixel rate of 18.93 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 28.39 GTexel/s, while the Intel part achieves a pixel rate of 9.000 GPixel/s and a much higher texture rate of 72.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is also different, with the Intel part rated at 1,152.0 GFLOPS versus the AMD part's 908.5 GFLOPS.

Memory specifications are starkly different. The AMD Radeon 540 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 32-bit bus with 24.00 GB/s of bandwidth and a memory clock of 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The Intel Iris Pro uses System Shared memory with a System Dependent bandwidth and a base clock of 350 MHz with a boost clock of 1000 MHz. The AMD Radeon 540 has a TDP of 50 W and is a single-slot card with no power connectors, requiring a 250 W PSU. The Intel Iris Pro has a TDP of only 15 W and is an IGP, requiring no power connectors or dedicated PSU recommendation.

Interface and output specifications also differ. The AMD Radeon 540 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface and features 2x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Intel Iris Pro uses a Ring Bus interface and its display outputs are Motherboard Dependent. Finally, their release dates are about 20 months apart, with the Intel part releasing in August 2015 and the AMD part in April 2017. Both are marked as end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results create a clear use-case split based on the API in use. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is the definitive winner for OpenCL-based workloads. Its 31.9% lead in this test is substantial and indicates that for tasks like general-purpose GPU compute that rely on OpenCL, the Intel solution is the stronger performer. This could include applications like video encoding or certain scientific simulations that are optimized for OpenCL.

On the other hand, the AMD Radeon 540 is the clear winner for Vulkan-based tasks. Its 74.2% advantage in the Vulkan benchmark is overwhelming. For modern gaming or other graphics-intensive applications that utilize the Vulkan API, the AMD Radeon 540 offers vastly superior performance. This makes it the more suitable choice for newer titles that are built on Vulkan or for users who prioritize this API.

The overall average score gives a slight edge to the AMD Radeon 540, but this is a result of its massive Vulkan win offsetting its OpenCL loss. If the user's software stack is heavily dependent on OpenCL, the Intel part is the obvious choice. If the workload is Vulkan-centric, the data suggests the AMD part is in a different league. The Intel part also has a significant advantage in texture and FP32 throughput, while the AMD part has a higher pixel rate. This suggests Intel's GPU might be better suited for compute-heavy tasks, while AMD's could be better for rasterization, though the benchmark data primarily highlights the API-specific wins.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear, albeit split, verdict. For users whose primary applications are built on the Vulkan API, the AMD Radeon 540 is the unequivocal choice. With a 74.2% higher score in that benchmark, it offers dramatically better performance for Vulkan-based games and applications. Its higher average score and better overall percentile ranking (41st vs 39th) also support this choice for a general, API-agnostic perspective.

Conversely, for users with workloads that are heavily reliant on OpenCL, the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 is the superior option. Its 31.9% lead in that specific benchmark makes it the better pick for OpenCL compute tasks. While its overall average score is lower, its performance in this specific area is unmatched by the AMD part.

Ultimately, the choice comes down to the software environment. If the question is, "Which GPU is better for Vulkan?" the answer is unambiguously the AMD Radeon 540. If the question is, "Which is better for OpenCL?" the answer is the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580. There is no overall winner; there are two specialized performers. The Radeon 540's victory is more decisive in its preferred API, but the Iris Pro's win is also significant. The data implies that neither is a general-purpose champion, but each is a specialist in its own right.