AMD Radeon R7 M340 vs Intel UHD Graphics 730 Comparison

The Verdict

The data points to a clear overall winner: the Intel UHD Graphics 730 outperforms the AMD Radeon R7 M340 across both recorded benchmark tests. The Intel part wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 5988 against 4932, a 21.4% advantage, and also wins the Vulkan test with 5870 against 5193, a 13% lead. The average benchmark score for the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is 5929, while the AMD Radeon R7 M340 averages 5063, a difference of roughly 17.1%. The Intel GPU sits at the 33rd percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD part sits at the 30th percentile, so both are near the lower end of the performance spectrum, but the Intel part is consistently ahead.

Who should pick which? Strictly from the data, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is the better choice for anyone running OpenCL or Vulkan workloads. The Radeon R7 M340 is only preferable if a discrete memory configuration matters, since it has its own 2 GB of DDR3 memory, while the Intel solution relies on system memory. However, in pure compute terms, the recorded data gives no reason to favor the AMD part. The Intel chip is also newer, with a release date of March 2021 versus May 2015 for the AMD part. Both are end-of-life products, so this is a comparison of legacy hardware, but the Intel solution is measurably faster in every benchmark the database records.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and different architectural generations. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 is built on the Generation 12.1 architecture, using the Rocket Lake chip, and it is fabricated on Intel's 14 nm+++ process node. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 uses the GCN 3.0 architecture, with the Meso chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process by TSMC. The Intel part is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a Ring Bus interface, while the AMD part is a discrete chip using a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.

The transistor counts differ substantially. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 has 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 does not have recorded transistor or die size data in the database. The AMD chip integrates 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The Intel part has 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the Intel GPU still produces higher pixel rate and comparable texture work. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 achieves a pixel rate of 10.40 GPixel/s versus 8.168 GPixel/s for the AMD part. The texture rate is 15.60 GTexel/s for Intel versus 20.42 GTexel/s for AMD, so the AMD part does have a higher texture throughput.

Clock behavior also differs. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1300 MHz. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 has a base clock of 943 MHz and a boost clock of 1021 MHz. The AMD part starts at a much higher base frequency, but the Intel part has a wider boost range. The memory architecture is fundamentally different: the Intel GPU uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth, while the AMD GPU has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s and an effective memory clock of 2 Gbps.

The API support differs slightly. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Intel part has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. The power consumption is recorded as 15 W for the Intel part, while the AMD part has no TDP data in the database. The Intel GPU is an IGP, meaning it is embedded in a processor package, while the AMD GPU is a separate chip.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows the Intel UHD Graphics 730 winning both recorded tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Intel GPU scores 5988 against 4932 for the AMD Radeon R7 M340. That is a 21.4% delta in favor of Intel. This is the larger of the two wins, and it suggests the Intel architecture handles OpenCL compute workloads more efficiently despite having fewer shading units and lower raw FP32 throughput on paper.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 scores 5870 against 5193 for the AMD part, a 13% delta. The Vulkan gap is narrower than the OpenCL gap, but it still favors Intel. The AMD part's Vulkan score of 5193 is actually higher than its OpenCL score of 4932, which indicates the GCN 3.0 architecture responds better to the Vulkan API than to OpenCL. The Intel part, by contrast, scores slightly lower in Vulkan (5870) than in OpenCL (5988), but it remains ahead in both.

The nearest rival data puts these scores in context. The Intel UHD Graphics 730's average score of 5929 places it just behind the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955, delta of -0.4%), the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5957, -0.5%), the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (5970, -0.7%), and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5982, -0.9%). All of these rivals are within 1% of the Intel part, meaning it sits in a tightly packed cluster of similar performing GPUs. The AMD Radeon R7 M340's average score of 5063 is exactly tied with the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5063, delta 0%), and it sits ahead of the AMD FirePro W4170M (5034, 0.6%), the AMD Radeon R5 M430 (5018, 0.9%), and the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics (4998, 1.3%). The AMD part is also in a tight cluster, but that cluster is roughly 15% lower than the Intel part's cluster.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every recorded specification. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 is manufactured by Intel and uses the Rocket Lake chip with Generation 12.1 architecture. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 is manufactured by AMD, uses the Meso chip, and is built on GCN 3.0 architecture. The process node is 14 nm+++ for Intel versus 28 nm for AMD. The foundry is Intel for the former and TSMC for the latter.

The AMD part has recorded transistor data: 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die with a density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The Intel part has no such data. The base clock is 300 MHz for Intel versus 943 MHz for AMD. The boost clock is 1300 MHz for Intel versus 1021 MHz for AMD. The memory configuration is system shared for Intel, while the AMD part has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock is listed as 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective for AMD, while Intel's memory clock is listed as system shared.

The shading unit count is 192 for Intel versus 320 for AMD. The TMU count is 12 for Intel versus 20 for AMD. Both have 8 ROPs. The pixel rate is 10.40 GPixel/s for Intel versus 8.168 GPixel/s for AMD. The texture rate is 15.60 GTexel/s for Intel versus 20.42 GTexel/s for AMD. The FP32 throughput is 499.2 GFLOPS for Intel versus 653.4 GFLOPS for AMD. The FP16 throughput is 998.4 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio) for Intel versus 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio) for AMD. The Intel part has a recorded TDP of 15 W, while the AMD part has no TDP recorded. The bus interface is Ring Bus for Intel and PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD. The API support differs: DirectX 12 (12_1) versus DirectX 12 (12_0), Vulkan 1.4 versus Vulkan 1.2.170, with OpenGL 4.6 shared by both.

The release dates are far apart: the Intel UHD Graphics 730 was released on March 29, 2021, while the AMD Radeon R7 M340 was released on May 4, 2015. The AMD part has a recorded predecessor (Solar System) and successor (Polaris Mobile), while the Intel part has neither recorded. The Intel GPU is an integrated part with motherboard dependent display outputs, while the AMD part has no display output data recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel UHD Graphics 730 has an average benchmark score of 5929, while the AMD Radeon R7 M340 has an average score of 5063.

Q: How much faster is the Intel UHD Graphics 730 in OpenCL?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 scores 5988 versus 4932 for the AMD Radeon R7 M340, a 21.4% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R7 M340 have more shading units?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon R7 M340 has 320 shading units, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 has 192. Despite this, the Intel part wins both recorded benchmarks.

Q: Which GPU has dedicated memory?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M340 has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: What are the release dates of these two GPUs?

A: The Intel UHD Graphics 730 was released on March 29, 2021. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 was released on May 4, 2015.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The Intel UHD Graphics 730 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon R7 M340 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: How do their DirectX feature levels compare?

A: The Intel UHD Graphics 730 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the AMD Radeon R7 M340 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). The Intel part has the higher feature level.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel UHD Graphics 730 wins in every recorded benchmark category. It wins Geekbench OpenCL with a 21.4% margin and Geekbench Vulkan with a 13% margin. It also has a higher pixel rate (10.40 GPixel/s versus 8.168 GPixel/s), higher average benchmark score (5929 versus 5063), higher 33rd percentile placement versus the 30th percentile, and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.170). It also has a higher DirectX feature level (12_1 versus 12_0) and a higher FP16 throughput (998.4 GFLOPS versus 653.4 GFLOPS). For users prioritizing compute workloads in OpenCL or Vulkan, the Intel part is the clear choice.

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 wins in a few specific specification areas, even though it loses the benchmarks. It has more shading units (320 versus 192), more TMUs (20 versus 12), and a higher base clock (943 MHz versus 300 MHz). It also has a higher texture rate (20.42 GTexel/s versus 15.60 GTexel/s) and a higher FP32 throughput (653.4 GFLOPS versus 499.2 GFLOPS). The AMD part has dedicated 2 GB of DDR3 memory with a fixed 16.00 GB/s bandwidth, which can be an advantage in systems where shared memory bandwidth is constrained. It also uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, which may be easier to install in a compatible slot, whereas the Intel part is an IGP with motherboard dependent display outputs.

The use-case split comes down to workload and system context. For compute tasks that leverage OpenCL or Vulkan, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is the stronger option, and its higher pixel rate suggests it may handle fill-rate bound scenarios better. The AMD Radeon R7 M340, with its higher texture rate and FP32 throughput, might be preferable in texture-heavy workloads or scenarios where the dedicated memory pool avoids contention with the CPU. However, the benchmark data does not show the AMD part winning any recorded test, so any advantage is theoretical rather than measured. The Intel part is also nearly six years newer, which likely explains its better API support and efficiency. For any user choosing between these two based on the database records, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is the safer pick.