AMD Radeon HD 8730M vs Intel UHD Graphics P630 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8730M and Intel UHD Graphics P630 occupy different corners of the mobile graphics landscape, and the recorded benchmark data shows a clear split in their strengths. The AMD part, built on GCN 1.0 architecture, delivers a decisive win in the only shared OpenCL test, while the Intel solution counters with a different feature set and a more modern API baseline. The data indicates that the choice between them depends heavily on the specific workload and the software environment.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 8730M wins the only directly comparable benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a score of 5955 against the Intel UHD Graphics P630's 5111. That is a 16.5% advantage for the AMD part, a substantial margin that reflects its dedicated memory interface and higher raw compute throughput in this particular workload. For users running OpenCL-accelerated applications, the data shows the Radeon is the stronger option.

The Intel UHD Graphics P630, however, counters with a different set of advantages. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the AMD part only reaches DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. This means the Intel GPU is better positioned for modern titles and applications that leverage the latest graphics APIs. Additionally, the Intel part has a recorded Vulkan score of 5628, a benchmark that the AMD Radeon HD 8730M has no result for in the database. The Intel GPU also operates as an integrated processor graphics solution, sharing system memory, which eliminates the need for a separate video memory pool and can simplify system design.

In terms of the wider competitive field, the AMD Radeon HD 8730M sits at the 34th percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel UHD Graphics P630 is at the 31st percentile. The average benchmark score for the AMD part is 5955, whereas the Intel part averages 5370 across its two recorded tests. The AMD part is closer to rivals like the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5957, a 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (5970, a -0.3% delta), while the Intel part sits near the AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5358, a 0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (5322, a 0.9% delta).

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from completely different architectural lineages. The AMD Radeon HD 8730M uses the GCN 1.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with the chip codenamed Mars. It belongs to the Solar System generation of AMD's HD 8700M series. The Intel UHD Graphics P630, by contrast, uses Intel's Generation 9.5 architecture, built on a 14 nm+++ process at Intel, with the chip codenamed Comet Lake GT2, part of the HD Graphics-W generation.

The transistor and die size data further separates them. The AMD chip contains 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. Intel does not report transistor counts or die size for the P630 in the database, so a direct comparison is not possible, but the process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 14 nm+++.

The shading unit count also differs sharply. The AMD Radeon HD 8730M has 384 shading units, while the Intel UHD Graphics P630 has just 192. However, the texture mapping unit (TMU) count is identical at 24 for both parts. The ROP count favors AMD: 8 ROPs versus just 3 on the Intel part. This partially explains the pixel rate difference, 5.600 GPixel/s for AMD versus 3.600 GPixel/s for Intel.

Memory architecture is another fundamental split. The AMD Radeon HD 8730M uses 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s. The Intel UHD Graphics P630 uses system shared memory, with the bus width and memory type both listed as "System Shared" and bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This means the Intel GPU's performance is tied to the host system's memory speed and configuration, while the AMD part has its own fixed memory pool.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The AMD Radeon HD 8730M scores 5955, while the Intel UHD Graphics P630 scores 5111. The AMD part wins by 16.5%, a dominant margin in this compute-oriented test. The score places the AMD part ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5929, a 0.4% delta in AMD's favor) and close to the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5982, a -0.5% delta).

The Intel part, however, has a recorded Vulkan score of 5628, which is not matched by any Vulkan result for the AMD Radeon HD 8730M in the database. This suggests that in Vulkan-based workloads, the Intel GPU may be competitive or even superior, but without a direct comparison, the data cannot confirm this. The Intel part's OpenCL score of 5111 is its weaker showing, and it trails the AMD part by that 16.5% margin.

The average benchmark score for the AMD Radeon HD 8730M is 5955, which is higher than the Intel UHD Graphics P630's average of 5370. That average for Intel includes both its OpenCL and Vulkan results, so the Intel part's Vulkan score of 5628 helps buoy its overall average. Still, the AMD part's single OpenCL score remains higher than Intel's average, indicating a clear compute advantage for the Radeon in the tested workload.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measurable specification. The AMD Radeon HD 8730M uses a 28 nm process, while the Intel UHD Graphics P630 uses 14 nm+++. The AMD part has 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, while Intel does not report these figures. The AMD GPU has 384 shading units, the Intel GPU has 192. Both have 24 TMUs, but the AMD part has 8 ROPs versus 3 on the Intel part.

Clock speeds show a significant divergence. The AMD Radeon HD 8730M has a base clock of 650 MHz and a boost clock of 700 MHz, with memory running at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). The Intel UHD Graphics P630 has a base clock of 350 MHz and a boost clock of 1200 MHz. The Intel part's boost clock is substantially higher, but its base clock is much lower, reflecting the different power and thermal characteristics of an integrated GPU.

Memory configurations are wholly different. AMD uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. Intel uses system shared memory, with no fixed size or bus width, and bandwidth is system dependent. The AMD part has a pixel rate of 5.600 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 16.80 GTexel/s, while the Intel part has a pixel rate of 3.600 GPixel/s but a higher texture rate of 28.80 GTexel/s. FP32 performance favors AMD at 537.6 GFLOPS versus 460.8 GFLOPS, though the Intel part also offers FP16 performance at 921.6 GFLOPS (2:1), which the AMD part does not report.

Power and interface also differ. The Intel UHD Graphics P630 is rated at 15 W TDP and uses a Ring Bus interface, while the AMD part has no TDP listed and uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The Intel part is an IGP with motherboard-dependent display outputs, while the AMD part's display outputs are not listed. 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 1.3. The AMD part was released in 2013, while the Intel part came later in 2020.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher score in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8730M scores 5955, which is 16.5% higher than the Intel UHD Graphics P630's score of 5111.

Q: Does the Intel UHD Graphics P630 support any benchmark that the AMD Radeon HD 8730M does not have a result for?

A: Yes, the database records a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5628 for the Intel UHD Graphics P630, while the AMD Radeon HD 8730M has no Vulkan benchmark result listed.

Q: What is the difference in shading unit count between the two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8730M has 384 shading units, while the Intel UHD Graphics P630 has 192 shading units.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8730M uses 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel UHD Graphics P630 uses system shared memory with a system dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel UHD Graphics P630 has a boost clock of 1200 MHz, while the AMD Radeon HD 8730M has a boost clock of 700 MHz.

Q: What are the DirectX and Vulkan version differences?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8730M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Intel UHD Graphics P630 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.