AMD Radeon R7 350 vs Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 Comparison

AMD Radeon R7 350 and Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 are two end-of-life graphics solutions from different eras and design philosophies, yet benchmark data shows they trade blows decisively depending on the workload. The AMD part, built on the 28 nm Cape Verde chip, and the Intel integrated GPU, based on the 14 nm+ Skylake GT4e die, occupy similar overall performance percentiles but achieve their scores through wildly different strengths. The data shows a split decision: Intel dominates in OpenCL compute, while AMD delivers a crushing victory in Vulkan graphics workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the benchmark data is the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the AMD Radeon R7 350 posts a score of 7057 against the Intel Iris Pro P580’s 5258. That represents a 34.2% advantage for AMD, a massive margin in real-world gaming or graphics-heavy tasks. The R7 350’s dedicated GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus give it a clear edge in raw throughput for graphics pipelines, while the Intel part’s system-shared memory becomes a bottleneck under Vulkan’s low-level API demands. This is not a close contest; it is a rout.

Conversely, the Geekbench OpenCL test flips the script entirely. Here, the Intel Iris Pro P580 scores 9082, while the AMD Radeon R7 350 manages 7792. Intel’s advantage is 14.2%, a significant but less dramatic lead than AMD’s Vulkan win. OpenCL workloads often scale with shader count and texture units, and the P580’s 576 shading units and 72 texture mapping units outnumber the R7 350’s 512 and 32, respectively. The result is that Intel’s integrated part becomes the compute specialist, despite being a 15 W IGP.

Averaging these two tests produces an overall benchmark score of 7425 for AMD and 7170 for Intel, a 3.4% gap in AMD’s favor. However, the percentile rankings tell a more nuanced story: AMD sits at the 40th percentile of all GPUs, while Intel is at the 39th. Both parts are near-clones in overall standing, but the variance between them is extreme. The nearest rivals for AMD include the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441, a -0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472, -0.6% delta), showing that the R7 350 is competitive with much newer hardware in aggregate. Intel’s neighbors include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE (7171, 0.0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203, -0.5% delta), placing it in the company of older discrete parts.

The deltaPct values in the head-to-head are stark: -14.2% for AMD in OpenCL and +34.2% for AMD in Vulkan. No middle ground exists. These are opposite ends of the performance spectrum, suggesting that the two architectures are optimized for entirely different execution models.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 350 is the clear winner for graphics-bound applications, particularly those leveraging Vulkan. Its 34.2% lead in that benchmark makes it the superior choice for gaming, especially titles that use modern low-overhead APIs. The dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth and a 128-bit bus provides consistent, high-speed access that the Intel part cannot match with system-shared memory. For users running Vulkan-based games, emulators, or compute tasks that rely on graphics pipelines, the R7 350 is the definitive pick. Its pixel rate of 12.80 GPixel/s and texture rate of 25.60 GTexel/s are respectable for its class, and the 16 ROPs handle fill-rate-limited scenes adequately.

The Intel Iris Pro P580 wins decisively in OpenCL compute workloads, as evidenced by its 14.2% lead in that specific test. The 72 texture units and 576 shading units give it a theoretical texture rate of 72.00 GTexel/s, which is 2.8 times higher than AMD’s 25.60 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput of 1,152.0 GFLOPS is also 40.6% higher than AMD’s 819.2 GFLOPS. For OpenCL-based tasks like video encoding, physics simulations, or general-purpose GPU compute, the P580 is the stronger part. The 15 W TDP also makes it far more power-efficient, though it is an IGP and cannot be compared on the same thermal basis as a discrete card. The boost clock of 1000 MHz helps sustain this compute performance, and the base clock of 350 MHz ensures it can idle efficiently.

For most users with a choice, the decision hinges on the API and workload. Gaming or graphics rendering favors AMD. Compute or media tasks favor Intel. The data does not support a single universal winner.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is fundamental. AMD’s R7 350 uses the Cape Verde chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process by TSMC. The die size is 123 mm² with 1,500 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. This is a mature, proven design from the Pirate Islands generation (R7 300 series), released in 2016. In contrast, Intel’s Iris Pro P580 uses the Skylake GT4e chip with Generation 9.0 architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm+ process. No die size or transistor count is provided in the data, but the process node is significantly more advanced, allowing Intel to pack 576 shading units into an integrated design.

The memory subsystems could not be more different. AMD uses 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus and 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. Intel uses system-shared memory with no fixed size, bus width, or bandwidth rating; the data simply lists it as "System Dependent." This is the single largest performance differentiator. Dedicated memory gives AMD latency and bandwidth consistency, while Intel’s shared memory flexibility comes at a cost under graphics-heavy loads. Clock behavior also differs: AMD’s memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective), while Intel’s base clock is 350 MHz with a boost to 1000 MHz, and the memory clock is not applicable.

Shader and fixed-function unit counts diverge sharply. AMD has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Intel has 576 shading units, 72 TMUs, and only 9 ROPs. The TMU disparity (72 vs 32) explains Intel’s massive texture rate advantage, while the ROP count (9 vs 16) gives AMD a 42% higher pixel rate (12.80 vs 9.000 GPixel/s). FP32 compute also favors Intel at 1,152.0 GFLOPS versus 819.2 GFLOPS, and Intel even lists FP16 throughput of 2.304 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), which AMD does not provide. API support is close but not identical: both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but AMD offers Vulkan 1.2.170 while Intel offers Vulkan 1.3, a newer revision.

Power and physical design are polar opposites. AMD’s TDP is 55 W with a single-slot form factor and no power connectors, requiring a 250 W suggested PSU. Intel’s TDP is 15 W, and it is an IGP with no slot width, power connectors, or PSU requirement. AMD uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface, while Intel uses a Ring Bus. Display outputs also differ: AMD provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, whereas Intel’s outputs are motherboard dependent. AMD’s physical length is 168 mm (6.6 inches), while Intel has no listed dimensions.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher overall benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 350 has an average benchmark score of 7425, while the Intel Iris Pro P580 scores 7170, giving AMD a 3.4% aggregate lead.

Q: Why does the Intel Iris Pro P580 win in OpenCL but lose badly in Vulkan?

A: The P580’s 576 shading units and 72 TMUs provide 1,152.0 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput, which drives its 9082 OpenCL score. However, its system-shared memory and 9 ROPs limit graphics performance, resulting in a 5258 Vulkan score that is 34.2% lower than AMD’s.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: AMD uses 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus and 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. Intel uses system-shared memory with no fixed size, bus width, or bandwidth; the data lists it as "System Dependent."

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The AMD R7 350 has a 55 W TDP and requires a 250 W suggested PSU, using a single-slot design with no power connectors. The Intel P580 has a 15 W TDP and is an IGP with no PSU requirement or slot width.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: Both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6. AMD offers Vulkan 1.2.170, while Intel offers the newer Vulkan 1.3. Intel also supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while AMD supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU based on average score?

A: AMD’s nearest rival is the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441, -0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472, -0.6% delta). Intel’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE (7171, 0.0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203, -0.5% delta).

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 350 | Intel Iris Pro P580 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Generation 9.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm (TSMC) | 14 nm+ (Intel) |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | Not listed |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | Not listed |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | Not listed |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 350 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1000 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) | System Shared |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 512 | 576 |

| TMUs | 32 | 72 |

| ROPs | 16 | 9 |

| Pixel Rate | 12.80 GPixel/s | 9.000 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.60 GTexel/s | 72.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 819.2 GFLOPS | 1,152.0 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not listed | 2.304 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 55 W | 15 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | None | Not listed |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | Not listed |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | Ring Bus |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 | Motherboard Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Dimensions | 168 mm (6.6 inches) | Not listed |