AMD Radeon HD 7730M vs Intel UHD Graphics 730 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear, if narrow, victory for the AMD Radeon HD 7730M in the single shared benchmark test. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD part scores 6581, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 scores 5988. That is a 9.9% advantage for the AMD chip. This is the only head-to-head benchmark available in the database, so the comparison rests on this one measurement.

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M's score of 6581 places it at the 38th percentile of all GPUs in the database. By comparison, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 sits at the 33rd percentile. This percentile gap reinforces the raw score delta: the AMD part is not just faster in absolute terms, it also ranks higher relative to the broader field of recorded GPUs.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the AMD Radeon HD 7730M, its position is tightly clustered. The Intel UHD Graphics P750 scores 6554, which is only 0.4% behind the AMD part. The AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612, which is 0.5% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M scores 6513, 1% behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M scores 6493, 1.4% behind. This tells a story of a GPU that is competitive with a broad swath of mid-range mobile parts, all within a 1.4% band.

For the Intel UHD Graphics 730, the nearest rivals tell a similar story of tight clustering, but at a slightly lower performance level. The AMD Radeon HD 8730M scores 5955, which is 0.4% ahead of the Intel part. The NVIDIA Quadro K620M scores 5957, 0.5% ahead. The AMD Radeon HD 8750M scores 5970, 0.7% ahead, and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 scores 5982, 0.9% ahead. Notably, all four of these rivals sit above the Intel part, whereas the AMD HD 7730M has a mix of rivals above and below it. This suggests that the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is at the lower edge of its performance cluster.

The win count confirms the direction: the AMD Radeon HD 7730M records 1 win in head-to-head benchmarks, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 records 0 wins. The delta of 9.9% is meaningful but not overwhelming. It indicates that in OpenCL compute workloads, the older AMD discrete GPU retains a solid edge over the newer Intel integrated solution.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M wins in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score of 6581 is 9.9% higher than the Intel UHD Graphics 730's 5988. This advantage comes from its architecture and specifications: 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units, compared to the Intel part's 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The AMD part also has dedicated memory, 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. This dedicated memory arrangement avoids the contention of shared system memory.

The AMD part also wins on pixel rate and texture rate. It delivers 10.80 GPixel/s and 21.60 GTexel/s, versus the Intel part's 10.40 GPixel/s and 15.60 GTexel/s. The pixel rate advantage is small, only 0.40 GPixel/s, but the texture rate advantage is substantial, 6.00 GTexel/s, which is roughly 38% higher. This suggests the AMD part is better suited for texture-heavy workloads.

The Intel UHD Graphics 730 wins in areas that are not directly benchmarked here. Its clock speeds are higher: a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 1300 MHz, compared to the AMD part's base of 575 MHz and boost of 675 MHz. However, the AMD part's higher core count (512 vs 192 shading units) compensates for its lower clocks. The Intel part also supports a newer DirectX version, 12 (12_1) versus 12 (11_1), and a newer Vulkan version, 1.4 versus 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The Intel part has a significant advantage in FP16 throughput. It lists 998.4 GFLOPS (2:1) for FP16, while the AMD part lists null for FP16. This means the Intel part can handle half-precision compute tasks at a much higher rate, which is relevant for certain machine learning and graphics workloads. The Intel part also has lower TDP at 15 W versus 25 W, making it more power-efficient in absolute terms.

In terms of system integration, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses the Ring Bus interface and is an IGP with motherboard-dependent display outputs. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M uses PCIe 2.0 x16 and has portable-device-dependent outputs. This means the Intel part is designed for desktop or laptop motherboards with integrated graphics, while the AMD part is a discrete mobile GPU.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational and fundamental. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M uses the GCN 1.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The chip is named Chelsea, and it belongs to the London generation (HD 7700M). It packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. This is a discrete GPU design with its own memory subsystem.

The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses the Generation 12.1 architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm+++ process. The chip is named Rocket Lake, and it belongs to the HD Graphics (Rocket Lake) generation. The database lists no transistor count, die size, or transistor density for this part. It is an integrated GPU that shares system memory, with the memory type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent."

The AMD part's GCN 1.0 architecture is a mature design from 2012. It was built for discrete mobile graphics, with a full complement of dedicated resources. The Intel part's Generation 12.1 architecture is much newer, from 2021, and is designed for integration into desktop processors. The Intel part relies on the system's main memory for all graphics operations, which introduces latency and bandwidth constraints that a dedicated memory bus avoids.

The AMD part supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Intel part has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version, indicating more modern API support. The AMD part has no listed FP16 capability, while the Intel part lists 998.4 GFLOPS FP16 (2:1). This is a significant architectural difference, as FP16 support enables certain compute workloads that the AMD part cannot handle efficiently.

The AMD part's transistor count of 1,500 million is substantial for a 28 nm part, and its 123 mm² die size reflects a full discrete GPU implementation. The Intel part's transistor count is not recorded, but given its integrated nature and 14 nm+++ process, it is likely a much smaller die shared with the CPU. The AMD part's 25 W TDP is for the GPU alone, while the Intel part's 15 W TDP likely covers the entire integrated graphics block within the processor's power envelope.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between these two GPUs are extensive. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 has 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The AMD part has more than double the shading units and TMUs, and double the ROPs.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The AMD part runs at a base of 575 MHz and a boost of 675 MHz. The Intel part runs at a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 1300 MHz. The Intel part boosts to nearly double the AMD part's boost clock, but the AMD part's higher core count still gives it the advantage in throughput.

Memory is a major differentiator. The AMD part has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s. The memory clock is 900 MHz, translating to 1800 Mbps effective. The Intel part has no dedicated memory; it uses "System Shared" memory, with "System Dependent" bandwidth. This is a fundamental architectural difference that affects all memory-bound workloads.

Pixel and texture rates differ. The AMD part delivers 10.80 GPixel/s and 21.60 GTexel/s. The Intel part delivers 10.40 GPixel/s and 15.60 GTexel/s. The AMD part's FP32 compute is 691.2 GFLOPS, while the Intel part's is 499.2 GFLOPS. The Intel part has FP16 capability at 998.4 GFLOPS (2:1), while the AMD part has none listed.

Power and interface differ. The AMD part has a TDP of 25 W and uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The Intel part has a TDP of 15 W and uses the Ring Bus interface. The AMD part is a discrete mobile GPU with portable-device-dependent outputs, while the Intel part is an IGP with motherboard-dependent outputs. The AMD part was released on 2012-04-23, while the Intel part was released on 2021-03-29. Both are now end-of-life.

API support differs. The AMD part supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Intel part has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. The production status is end-of-life for both, and neither has a launch MSRP recorded in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher raw compute score in OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6581 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 9.9% higher than the Intel UHD Graphics 730's score of 5988.

Q: How do these GPUs rank against the broader database?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M sits at the 38th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 sits at the 33rd percentile.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M has 512 shading units, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 has 192 shading units.

Q: Which GPU supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The Intel UHD Graphics 730 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon HD 7730M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What are the TDP differences?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M has a TDP of 25 W, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 has a TDP of 15 W.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon HD 7730M as the faster GPU in raw compute. Its OpenCL score of 6581 beats the Intel UHD Graphics 730's 5988 by 9.9%, and it ranks higher in the database at the 38th percentile versus the 33rd. The AMD part also has substantial advantages in shading units (512 vs 192), texture units (32 vs 12), ROPs (16 vs 8), and dedicated memory bandwidth (28.80 GB/s vs system dependent). For any workload that relies on raw fill rates, texture throughput, or compute shaders, the AMD part is the clear choice.

The Intel UHD Graphics 730 wins in modern API support. It offers DirectX 12 (12_1) versus the AMD part's 12 (11_1), and Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.2.170. It also has FP16 capability at 998.4 GFLOPS, which the AMD part lacks entirely. For users running applications that leverage these newer APIs or half-precision compute, the Intel part has a functional advantage that raw OpenCL scores do not capture.

The Intel part is also more power-efficient in absolute terms, with a 15 W TDP versus the AMD part's 25 W. Its higher boost clock of 1300 MHz versus 675 MHz suggests better burst performance in lightly threaded scenarios, though the AMD part's core count advantage dominates in sustained loads.

The choice depends on the workload. For general graphics and compute tasks measured by OpenCL, the AMD Radeon HD 7730M is the stronger performer. For users prioritizing modern API compatibility, FP16 compute, or lower power draw, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is the reasonable pick. The database shows exactly one head-to-head test, and the AMD part won it. That is the recorded verdict.