AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 vs Intel Arc A530M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive advantage for the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 across both shared benchmark tests. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD part scores 61,930 against the Intel Arc A530M's 49,735, a lead of 24.5%. This is not a marginal gap; it places the AMD card in a clearly higher performance tier for compute workloads that leverage OpenCL.

The Vulkan results widen the divide substantially. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 posts 66,004, while the Intel Arc A530M manages 43,492. The delta here is 51.8%, meaning the AMD card is more than half again as fast in this API. For applications built on Vulkan, the recorded measurements show the AMD part delivering a dominant performance margin.

The average benchmark score reinforces this hierarchy. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 averages 63,693 across its recorded tests, while the Intel Arc A530M averages 46,614. That is a 36.7% difference in overall recorded performance. The Intel card does find company among its nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon RX 5600M scores 46,601 (a 0% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6550M scores 46,702 (0.2% ahead), and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 trails by 1.2%. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, by comparison, sits within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600M and 0.2% of both the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP and NVIDIA CMP 30HX, none of which it beats by more than a rounding error.

In percentile terms, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 ranks in the 89th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Intel Arc A530M sits in the 85th. That four-point gap reflects the substantial score difference between them. The data shows a consistent winner: the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 takes both head-to-head tests, and the Intel Arc A530M records no wins in any shared benchmark.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 uses the Vega 10 chip with GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The Intel Arc A530M uses the DG2-256 chip with Xe-HPG architecture, built on a 6 nm process at TSMC. This process gap is significant: the Intel chip packs 11,500 million transistors into a 269 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 42.8M per mm². The AMD chip carries 12,500 million transistors across a 495 mm² die, a density of 25.3M per mm². Intel's newer process allows nearly double the density, but the AMD chip still holds a transistor count advantage of 1,000 million.

The compute resources differ sharply. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 has 3,584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Intel Arc A530M has 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The AMD card fields more than twice the shading units and TMUs, which explains its higher theoretical throughput. The AMD part also features 12 ray tracing cores, while the AMD card lists none in the database. The Intel GPU's pixel rate is 62.40 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 124.8 GTexel/s. The AMD card counters with 80.00 GPixel/s and 280.0 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations also diverge. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Arc A530M uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s. The AMD card's bandwidth advantage is 178.4 GB/s, or roughly 80% more. Clock speeds tell a different story: the AMD part runs at a 1138 MHz base and 1250 MHz boost, while the Intel part has a lower 900 MHz base but a higher 1300 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ, with the AMD card at 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective) and the Intel card at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), though the bus width difference overwhelms the clock advantage.

Power consumption is a major differentiator. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 draws 210 W, while the Intel Arc A530M draws 65 W. That is a 145 W gap, making the Intel part far more power-efficient in absolute terms. The AMD card's FP32 throughput is 8.960 TFLOPS, while the Intel card delivers 3.994 TFLOPS. FP16 figures follow the same pattern: 17.92 TFLOPS for AMD versus 7.987 TFLOPS for Intel, both at a 2:1 ratio.

API support differs as well. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Intel card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Intel part has the more modern DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. Bus interfaces also differ: the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Intel card uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

The production statuses are opposite. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is end-of-life, released in August 2017. The Intel Arc A530M is active, released in July 2023. The AMD card belongs to the Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series) generation, while the Intel card belongs to the Alchemist (Arc 5 Mobile) generation.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 wins every benchmark recorded in the database. In OpenCL, its 61,930 score beats the Intel Arc A530M's 49,735 by 24.5%. In Vulkan, the margin grows to 51.8%, with scores of 66,004 versus 43,492. The AMD card also has a higher average benchmark score at 63,693 versus 46,614.

The Intel Arc A530M does not win any recorded test. Its advantages are not in raw performance but in efficiency and feature set. The 65 W TDP versus 210 W means the Intel card can be deployed in thermally constrained systems. The newer 6 nm process, the presence of 12 ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and Vulkan 1.4 support give it a feature-level edge. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface also offers higher per-lane bandwidth than the AMD card's PCIe 3.0 x16.

For compute-heavy workloads, the data points squarely to the AMD card. For power-sensitive mobile deployments, ray tracing, or the latest DirectX feature levels, the Intel card has qualitative advantages. The AMD card's 89th percentile ranking versus the Intel card's 85th percentile confirms its overall standing, but the Intel part's active production status and modern architecture make it the more forward-looking option.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 averages 63,693 across its recorded tests, while the Intel Arc A530M averages 46,614.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 scores 66,004 in Geekbench Vulkan, beating the Intel Arc A530M's 43,492 by 51.8%.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A530M have ray tracing support?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A530M has 12 ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 lists no ray tracing cores in the database.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth figures for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 provides 402.4 GB/s over a 2048-bit HBM2 interface, while the Intel Arc A530M provides 224.0 GB/s over a 128-bit GDDR6 interface.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient?

A: The Intel Arc A530M has a 65 W TDP, compared to 210 W for the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, a difference of 145 W.

Q: What are the production statuses of these GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is end-of-life, while the Intel Arc A530M is active.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 | Intel Arc A530M |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 12,500 million | 11,500 million |

| Die Size | 495 mm² | 269 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.3M / mm² | 42.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1138 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1250 MHz | 1300 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective) | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 2048 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 402.4 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3584 | 1536 |

| TMUs | 224 | 96 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 12 |

| Pixel Rate | 80.00 GPixel/s | 62.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 280.0 GTexel/s | 124.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.960 TFLOPS | 3.994 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 17.92 TFLOPS (2:1) | 7.987 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 210 W | 65 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2017-08-13 | 2023-07-31 |

The Verdict

The data presents a clear performance hierarchy. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is faster in every recorded benchmark, with a 24.5% OpenCL lead and a 51.8% Vulkan lead. Its average score of 63,693 places it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel Arc A530M sits at 46,614 and the 85th percentile. For raw compute performance, the AMD card is the choice.

The Intel Arc A530M makes its case on different grounds. It draws 65 W versus 210 W, a 145 W saving that enables lighter thermal solutions. It has 12 ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and Vulkan 1.4. Its 6 nm process and active production status mean it remains available and current. The AMD card is end-of-life.

Choose the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 for maximum measured performance in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. Choose the Intel Arc A530M for a modern, power-efficient GPU with ray tracing support and the latest API feature levels. The benchmark data favors AMD, but the specification sheet favors Intel in efficiency and feature completeness.