AMD Radeon R5 M230 vs Intel HD Graphics P530 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the data shows a razor-thin victory for the AMD Radeon R5 M230. It scores 4577 points against the Intel HD Graphics P530's 4549 points, a delta of just 0.6%. This is effectively a statistical tie — both GPUs land within a fraction of a percent of each other, and the difference falls well within typical run-to-run variance for OpenCL workloads.

The margin becomes even less meaningful when placed in context. The AMD Radeon R5 M230's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 560, scores 4569 — only 0.2% lower. The Intel HD Graphics P530's own nearest rival list includes the same RX 560 at 4569, a 0.2% gap in the opposite direction. In other words, both of these GPUs sit in a cluster where a 1% swing either way reorders the rankings. The NVIDIA Quadro M3000M (4621) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (4628) sit slightly above both, at deltas of roughly 0.9% to 1.3% depending on which GPU is the reference point.

There is no Vulkan benchmark for the AMD Radeon R5 M230, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 posts a Geekbench Vulkan score of 4571. That Vulkan result is nearly identical to the Intel part's OpenCL score of 4549, suggesting the two APIs produce comparable throughput on the Intel hardware. The AMD part lacks a Vulkan entry, so no cross-API comparison is possible from the data.

The win tally is 1-0 in favor of the AMD Radeon R5 M230, but that single win carries little weight. The 0.6% delta is smaller than the delta between the AMD part and its closest rival (0.2% for the RX 560). Benchmark results indicate that in raw compute throughput, these two GPUs are essentially interchangeable.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M230 has an average benchmark score of 4577, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 averages 4560. The AMD part also holds a slightly higher percentile rank at 27 versus 26 for the Intel part.

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon R5 M230 in OpenCL?

A: The AMD part scores 4577 versus 4549 for the Intel part, a 0.6% advantage. This is the only head-to-head benchmark recorded.

Q: Does the Intel HD Graphics P530 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Intel HD Graphics P530 supports Vulkan 1.3 and has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 4571. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 supports Vulkan 1.2.170 but has no Vulkan benchmark listed.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size difference?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M230 uses 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The Intel HD Graphics P530 has no listed transistor count but uses a 123 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M230 has 320 shading units, compared to 192 for the Intel HD Graphics P530. The AMD part also has more ROPs (8 versus 3), while the Intel part has more TMUs per shading unit (16 TMUs for 192 shaders versus 20 TMUs for 320 shaders).

Q: What are the memory configurations?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M230 has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel HD Graphics P530 uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture using the Jet chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It belongs to the Gem System generation within the R5 M200 family. The Intel HD Graphics P530 uses Generation 9.0 architecture with the Skylake GT2 chip, fabricated on Intel's 14 nm+ process and belonging to the HD Graphics-W (Skylake) generation.

Process node differences are stark: 28 nm for AMD versus 14 nm+ for Intel. This explains the die size inversion — the AMD part packs 690 million transistors into 56 mm² (12.3M per mm²), while the Intel part's 123 mm² die has no listed transistor count. The Intel die is over twice the physical size, reflecting the older Skylake GT2 integration with CPU components.

Compute resources differ significantly. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 fields 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The Intel HD Graphics P530 counters with 192 shading units, 16 TMUs, but only 3 ROPs. Despite having fewer shaders and TMUs, the Intel part achieves nearly identical FP32 throughput: 384.0 GFLOPS versus 390.4 GFLOPS for AMD. The Intel part also supports FP16 at 768.0 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the AMD part has no listed FP16 capability.

Clock behavior diverges. The Intel part has explicit base (350 MHz) and boost (1000 MHz) clocks. The AMD part lists no base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective). Memory architecture is entirely different: the AMD part uses dedicated 2 GB DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, while the Intel part relies on system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

API support shows a generational gap. The Intel HD Graphics P530 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the AMD Radeon R5 M230 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD versus Ring Bus for Intel.

The Verdict

The data supports a simple conclusion: these two GPUs are performance equals in compute workloads. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 wins the sole benchmark by 0.6%, a margin that falls within the noise of the nearest rival cluster. The percentile ranking (27 versus 26) reinforces this — both sit in the bottom third of all GPUs.

The AMD Radeon R5 M230 has the edge in raw specifications: more shading units (320 versus 192), more ROPs (8 versus 3), dedicated memory (2 GB DDR3), and slightly higher FP32 throughput (390.4 GFLOPS versus 384.0 GFLOPS). The Intel HD Graphics P530 counters with newer API support (Vulkan 1.3 versus 1.2.170, DirectX 12_1 versus 11_1), FP16 support, and a more advanced 14 nm+ process.

For gaming and general compute, neither part offers a decisive advantage. The AMD part's dedicated memory avoids the bandwidth uncertainty of system-shared memory, but the Intel part's higher TMU count relative to shading units gives it a texture rate of 16.00 GTexel/s versus 12.20 GTexel/s for AMD. The AMD part has a higher pixel rate (4.880 GPixel/s versus 3.000 GPixel/s) thanks to its 8 ROPs.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 is the better choice if API compatibility matters — Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12_1 are more current standards. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 is the pick if dedicated memory and higher pixel throughput are priorities. Both are end-of-life products, with the AMD part released in early 2014 and the Intel part in late 2015.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R5 M230 | Intel HD Graphics P530 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Generation 9.0 |

| Chip | Jet | Skylake GT2 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm+ |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Transistors | 690 million | Not listed |

| Die Size | 56 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Shading Units | 320 | 192 |

| TMUs | 20 | 16 |

| ROPs | 8 | 3 |

| FP32 | 390.4 GFLOPS | 384.0 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 768.0 GFLOPS (2:1) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus | 64 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 16.00 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Pixel Rate | 4.880 GPixel/s | 3.000 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 12.20 GTexel/s | 16.00 GTexel/s |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 350 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1000 MHz |

| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | Ring Bus |

| Release Date | 2014-01-06 | 2015-08-31 |

Where Each One Wins

AMD Radeon R5 M230 wins on:

• Pixel throughput: 4.880 GPixel/s versus 3.000 GPixel/s, a 62.7% advantage driven by 8 ROPs versus 3.
• Dedicated memory: 2 GB DDR3 with fixed 16.00 GB/s bandwidth, avoiding reliance on system memory performance.
• Shader count: 320 shading units versus 192, a 66.7% advantage.
• FP32 compute: 390.4 GFLOPS versus 384.0 GFLOPS.
• Transistor efficiency: 690 million transistors on a much smaller 56 mm² die.
• OpenCL benchmark: 4577 versus 4549.

Intel HD Graphics P530 wins on:

• Texture throughput: 16.00 GTexel/s versus 12.20 GTexel/s, a 31.1% advantage despite fewer TMUs.
• API support: Vulkan 1.3 versus 1.2.170, and DirectX 12_1 versus 11_1.
• FP16 capability: 768.0 GFLOPS versus no listed FP16 support.
• Process technology: 14 nm+ versus 28 nm.
• Clock specification: explicit 350 MHz base and 1000 MHz boost clocks.
• Vulkan benchmark: 4571 (no AMD equivalent listed).

The use-case split is clear. Applications that stress pixel fill rate or benefit from dedicated VRAM favor the AMD Radeon R5 M230. Applications that rely on texture fetches, require modern API features, or use FP16 math favor the Intel HD Graphics P530. For general OpenCL compute, the two are indistinguishable in practice.