AMD Radeon 740M vs Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in raw compute performance according to the database?

A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics wins the only head-to-head benchmark recorded. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 14,315 against the AMD Radeon 740M's 10,172, a 40.7% advantage.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has an average benchmark score of 14,315. The AMD Radeon 740M has an average benchmark score of 12,870, which combines its OpenCL score of 10,172 and its Vulkan score of 15,568.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals in the database?

A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX sits within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Vega 11, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, and AMD Radeon RX Vega 11. The AMD Radeon 740M sits within 0.4% of the AMD FirePro W5100, AMD Radeon Pro 455, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590, and AMD Radeon RX 580.

Q: What are the percentile rankings of these GPUs against all GPUs?

A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics ranks in the 56th percentile, while the AMD Radeon 740M ranks in the 53rd percentile. Despite the large OpenCL gap, the Radeon 740M's Vulkan score pulls its overall standing close.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics is marked as end-of-life, having been released on October 30, 2020. The AMD Radeon 740M is marked as active, with a release date of January 30, 2024.

Q: What memory configurations do these GPUs use?

A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has 4 GB of dedicated LPDDR4X memory on a 128-bit bus with 68.26 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon 740M uses system shared memory, with its bandwidth marked as system dependent.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two integrated GPUs is substantial. Intel's Iris Xe MAX Graphics is built on the DG1 chip using Generation 12.1 architecture, which belongs to the Xe Graphics generation. It is fabricated on a 10 nm process at Intel's own foundry, with a die size of 95 mm². The AMD Radeon 740M, in contrast, uses the Phoenix2 chip based on RDNA 3.0 architecture, part of the Navi III IGP generation. It is manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 137 mm² and 20,900 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 152.6M per mm².

The compute unit layouts differ dramatically. Intel's design packs 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines. AMD's design uses 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. This means Intel has three times the shading units, TMUs, and ROPs compared to AMD. However, the Radeon 740M includes 4 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Intel part.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The Intel GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost up to 1650 MHz. The AMD part starts at 800 MHz base and boosts to 2800 MHz. The higher clocks on the AMD side help it achieve 2.867 TFLOPS FP32 performance, slightly above Intel's 2.534 TFLOPS. Interestingly, the FP16 capabilities diverge: Intel reaches 5.069 TFLOPS using a 2:1 ratio, while AMD delivers 2.867 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, indicating Intel's architecture can double its throughput on half-precision workloads.

Memory architecture is another key differentiator. Intel uses dedicated 4 GB LPDDR4X with a 128-bit bus and 68.26 GB/s bandwidth, running at 2133 MHz with 4.3 Gbps effective speed. The AMD Radeon 740M shares system memory, with capacity, bus width, and bandwidth all marked as system dependent. This fundamental difference affects how each GPU accesses data.

The process node gap is also notable. Intel's 10 nm process is older and less dense than AMD's 4 nm process from TSMC. The Intel die is smaller at 95 mm² but contains no listed transistor count, while AMD packs 20.9 billion transistors into 137 mm². The thermal design power differs as well: Intel is rated at 25 W, while AMD is rated at 45 W.

API support shows AMD's newer architecture. The Radeon 740M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while Intel only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD part also has motherboard-dependent display outputs, while Intel's DG1 chip has no outputs at all, requiring a separate GPU for display.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single direct comparison between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics scores 14,315, while the AMD Radeon 740M scores 10,172. This yields a 40.7% advantage for Intel in this specific workload. That is a massive margin, placing the Intel part firmly ahead in OpenCL compute.

However, the AMD Radeon 740M shows strength in Vulkan. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 15,568 is substantially higher than its OpenCL score. The database does not record a Vulkan score for the Intel part, so a direct Vulkan comparison is not possible from the available data. Still, the AMD GPU's Vulkan result exceeds Intel's best recorded score by 8.8%.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides context for these scores. The Intel Iris Xe MAX sits between the AMD Radeon Vega 11 at 14,352 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti at 14,277, with deltas of -0.3% and +0.3% respectively. The AMD Radeon 740M's average score of 12,870 places it near the AMD FirePro W5100 at 12,847 and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 at 12,831, with deltas of +0.2% and +0.3%. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12,928, which sits 0.4% higher.

The percentile rankings reflect the overall picture. Intel's 56th percentile versus AMD's 53rd percentile is a narrow gap, despite the large OpenCL discrepancy. This suggests the AMD part's Vulkan performance compensates significantly in the database's overall scoring methodology.

The wins tally shows Intel with 1 win and AMD with 0 wins in head-to-head comparisons. But this single benchmark does not capture the full range of workloads these GPUs may encounter. The Vulkan score on the AMD side hints at untested potential.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification category. The process node is 10 nm for Intel versus 4 nm for AMD. The foundry is Intel versus TSMC. Die size is 95 mm² versus 137 mm². Transistor count is not listed for Intel, while AMD shows 20,900 million. Transistor density is only listed for AMD at 152.6M per mm².

Clock speeds differ significantly. Intel runs at 300 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost. AMD runs at 800 MHz base and 2800 MHz boost. Memory clock is 2133 MHz with 4.3 Gbps effective for Intel, while AMD's memory clock is listed as system shared.

Memory configuration is a major split. Intel has 4 GB of dedicated LPDDR4X with a 128-bit bus and 68.26 GB/s bandwidth. AMD uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth fields all reflect this fundamental difference.

The compute units are vastly different in count. Intel has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. AMD has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. AMD adds 4 ray tracing cores while Intel has none. Neither has tensor cores listed.

Pixel and texture rates differ accordingly. Intel achieves 39.60 GPixel/s and 79.20 GTexel/s. AMD achieves 22.40 GPixel/s and 44.80 GTexel/s. Despite fewer units, AMD's higher clocks narrow the gap in these throughput metrics.

FP32 performance is close: 2.534 TFLOPS for Intel versus 2.867 TFLOPS for AMD. FP16 performance favors Intel at 5.069 TFLOPS versus AMD's 2.867 TFLOPS, due to Intel's 2:1 ratio versus AMD's 1:1 ratio.

Power and connectivity also differ. Intel is rated at 25 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 200 W. AMD is rated at 45 W TDP with no suggested PSU listed. Both use PCIe 4.0 x8. Intel has no display outputs, while AMD's are motherboard dependent. Intel requires no power connectors, and AMD lists none as well.

DirectX support favors AMD: 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. Production status differs: Intel is end-of-life, AMD is active. Release dates are October 30, 2020 for Intel and January 30, 2024 for AMD.

The Verdict

The recorded data paints a nuanced picture. In the only direct head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics dominates with a 40.7% lead over the AMD Radeon 740M. This is a decisive result for compute-heavy OpenCL workloads. Intel's dedicated memory with 68.26 GB/s bandwidth likely contributes to this advantage, as does its threefold larger pool of shading units.

However, the AMD Radeon 740M is the newer architecture, released over three years later. Its RDNA 3.0 design brings ray tracing support, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and a 4 nm process with dramatically higher clock speeds. The Vulkan score of 15,568 suggests strong performance in modern graphics APIs, though the database lacks a direct Vulkan comparison.

The average benchmark scores tell a different story than the head-to-head result. Intel averages 14,315, while AMD averages 12,870. This 11.2% gap favors Intel overall, but it narrows the massive OpenCL margin. The AMD part's Vulkan strength pulls its average up considerably.

For raw OpenCL compute, the data clearly favors Intel. For modern graphics features and API support, AMD is ahead. The ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support make the Radeon 740M more future-proof in the database's recorded specifications. Users who prioritize OpenCL workloads should look to the Intel part, while those needing ray tracing or the latest DirectX features have only one choice.

The Intel GPU is end-of-life, which may limit driver support and availability. The AMD GPU is active and represents the current generation. This status difference matters for long-term viability, even though the Intel part wins the recorded benchmark.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics wins in OpenCL compute performance. Its 14,315 score versus 10,172 is a 40.7% margin. It also wins in pixel rate at 39.60 GPixel/s versus 22.40 GPixel/s, and texture rate at 79.20 GTexel/s versus 44.80 GTexel/s. Its FP16 throughput of 5.069 TFLOPS doubles the AMD part's 2.867 TFLOPS, making it the choice for half-precision workloads. The dedicated 4 GB memory with fixed bandwidth may also benefit workloads that require consistent memory access.

The AMD Radeon 740M wins in Vulkan performance based on its recorded score of 15,568. It also wins in FP32 throughput at 2.867 TFLOPS versus 2.534 TFLOPS. The 4 ray tracing cores give it capabilities the Intel part lacks entirely. DirectX 12 Ultimate support makes it suitable for the latest DirectX titles. Its 2800 MHz boost clock is significantly higher than Intel's 1650 MHz, and the 4 nm process suggests better power efficiency per unit of performance, despite the higher 45 W TDP. System shared memory may be an advantage in unified memory architectures where the CPU and GPU can access the same data without copying.

The percentile rankings show both GPUs are mid-range parts, with Intel at 56 and AMD at 53. The nearest rivals for each GPU are older discrete cards, indicating both integrated solutions compete with dedicated GPUs from previous generations. Intel's closest competitors include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, a high-end discrete card from its era. AMD's closest competitors include the AMD Radeon RX 580, another established discrete GPU.

For users comparing these two, the decision comes down to workload. OpenCL compute favors Intel. Vulkan and modern graphics features favor AMD. The AMD part is actively produced and supported, while Intel's is end-of-life. The database records one win for Intel and zero for AMD in direct comparisons, but the full picture includes Vulkan performance and architectural features that favor the newer AMD design.