AMD Radeon R7 M260X vs Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear sweep for the AMD Radeon R7 M260X across both benchmark tests. In the Geekbench OpenCL workload, the AMD part scores 5690 against the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200’s 5042, a 12.9% advantage. The gap widens considerably in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the Radeon R7 M260X reaches 4631 while the Intel solution manages 3677, a 25.9% lead. These two wins give the AMD card a 2-0 record in direct comparisons.

The Vulkan result is particularly telling. A 25.9% delta in that workload suggests the AMD architecture handles the lower-level API with significantly more efficiency. The OpenCL margin, while narrower, still places the Radeon firmly ahead. When placed against the broader database, the Radeon R7 M260X holds a 30th percentile ranking across all GPUs, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 sits at the 26th percentile. The average benchmark score for the AMD part is 5161, compared to 4360 for the Intel part, a difference of 801 points.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The AMD Radeon R7 M260X sits within 1.9% of the AMD Radeon R7 240, which scores 5063, and within 0.1% of the NVIDIA Quadro K3100M at 5154. It is 1% behind the NVIDIA Quadro 4000M (5211) and 1.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M (5236). The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, by contrast, shows a different competitive landscape. Its average score of 4360 is 0.6% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 (4335), 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce 930M (4388), 1.2% below the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M (4411), and 1.5% above the AMD FirePro W2100 (4295). These rival clusters illustrate that the AMD card competes in a higher performance tier than the Intel integrated solution.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M260X wins with a score of 5690, beating the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200’s 5042 by 12.9%.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M260X scores 4631 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 scores 3677. The AMD card leads by 25.9%.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M260X has an average benchmark score of 5161. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 averages 4360.

Q: Where does each GPU rank among all GPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M260X falls in the 30th percentile, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 falls in the 26th percentile.

Q: How does the AMD card compare to its closest rival, the AMD Radeon R7 240?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M260X is 1.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 240, which has an average score of 5063.

Q: How does the Intel card compare to the NVIDIA GeForce 930M?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 is 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce 930M, which scores 4388.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R7 M260X uses the GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process from TSMC, built around the Opal chip. It packs 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, by contrast, uses Intel’s Generation 7.5 architecture on a 22 nm process, built in-house at Intel. Its chip is the Haswell GT3e, and the database records no transistor count, die size, or density figures for it.

The compute resources differ in structure. The AMD card has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. The Intel part has 320 shading units but a different distribution: 40 texture mapping units and only 4 raster output units. This explains part of the performance profile. The Intel GPU’s texture rate of 46.00 GTexel/s is substantially higher than the AMD card’s 17.16 GTexel/s, despite the AMD part having more shading units. However, the AMD card’s pixel rate of 5.720 GPixel/s beats the Intel part’s 4.600 GPixel/s.

Clock behavior also diverges. The AMD Radeon R7 M260X runs at a 620 MHz base clock with a 715 MHz boost. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 starts at a much lower 200 MHz base but boosts to 1150 MHz. The AMD card’s FP32 throughput is 549.1 GFLOPS, while the Intel part reaches 736.0 GFLOPS. Memory configuration is another major split. The AMD card uses 1024 MB of dedicated GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel part relies on shared system memory, with its bandwidth listed as system dependent. The AMD memory clock is 1000 MHz, or 4 Gbps effective.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward conclusion for most workloads. The AMD Radeon R7 M260X wins both recorded benchmarks and holds a higher average score, a higher percentile ranking, and a better competitive position against its nearest rivals. Its 25.9% Vulkan lead is the single largest margin in the comparison. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 does have advantages in raw specifications: higher FP32 throughput, a higher texture rate, and a higher boost clock. Those numbers, however, do not translate into wins in the recorded tests. The Intel part’s shared memory architecture and lower shading unit count likely offset its clock speed and texture capabilities.

For users prioritizing the workloads represented by Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, the AMD Radeon R7 M260X is the stronger choice. Its dedicated GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus provide a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s, which is a structural advantage over system-shared memory. The Intel part is an integrated GPU, listed as an IGP with a 45 W TDP, while the AMD card is a discrete mobile solution with no power connectors and a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. The Intel part’s release date is earlier, and its production status is end-of-life, as is the AMD card’s.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 M260X | Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Generation 7.5 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 22 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Transistors | 950 million | Not recorded |

| Die Size | 77 mm² | Not recorded |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | Not recorded |

| Base Clock | 620 MHz | 200 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 715 MHz | 1150 MHz |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 384 | 320 |

| Texture Mapping Units | 24 | 40 |

| Raster Output Units | 8 | 4 |

| Pixel Rate | 5.720 GPixel/s | 4.600 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 17.16 GTexel/s | 46.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 549.1 GFLOPS | 736.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not recorded | 45 W |

| Slot Width | Not recorded | IGP |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | Ring Bus |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Motherboard Dependent |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.3 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.0 |

| Release Date | 2015-12-05 | 2013-06-02 |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M260X wins in the two benchmark categories recorded in the database. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5690 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 4631 both exceed the Intel part’s corresponding results. The AMD card also holds advantages in shading units, raster output units, pixel rate, and dedicated memory bandwidth. For applications that rely on pixel throughput, the AMD card’s 5.720 GPixel/s versus 4.600 GPixel/s gives it a measurable edge. Its 64.00 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth is a clear structural benefit over the Intel part’s system-shared memory.

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 wins in several specification categories. Its FP32 throughput of 736.0 GFLOPS exceeds the AMD card’s 549.1 GFLOPS. Its texture rate of 46.00 GTexel/s is more than double the AMD card’s 17.16 GTexel/s. The Intel part also has a higher boost clock at 1150 MHz versus 715 MHz, and its 40 texture mapping units outnumber the AMD card’s 24. These advantages suggest the Intel GPU could handle texture-heavy workloads better, but the recorded benchmark data does not include a test that isolates texture performance. The Intel part also supports Vulkan 1.0, while the AMD card supports Vulkan 1.2.170, a newer version of the API.

The use-case split follows the data. The AMD Radeon R7 M260X is the pick for workloads represented by Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, where it leads by 12.9% and 25.9% respectively. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, as an integrated GPU with a 45 W TDP and no dedicated memory, may be the only option in systems where discrete graphics are not available. The database records its slot width as IGP, confirming its integrated nature. The AMD card’s display outputs are portable device dependent, while the Intel part’s are motherboard dependent, reflecting their different deployment contexts. For users choosing between these two in a notebook or compact system, the benchmark results favor the AMD Radeon R7 M260X in the tested workloads.