AMD Radeon R7 M460 vs Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but narrow split. The AMD Radeon R7 M460 is the outright winner in the only directly comparable benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 6612 against the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200’s 4556 — a decisive 45.1% advantage. This makes the Radeon the stronger choice for any workload that relies on OpenCL compute acceleration. However, the Intel part is not without merit; its average benchmark score across multiple APIs (6117) is only 8% lower than the AMD’s single-score average (6612), and it offers superior texture throughput and a more modern process node. The verdict hinges on the application: pick the AMD Radeon R7 M460 for raw OpenCL performance and dedicated memory bandwidth; pick the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 for its higher boost clock, better texture fill, and lower power envelope in an integrated package. The Intel part also shows broader API support in testing, with scores in Metal (7764) and Vulkan (6032) that exceed its OpenCL result, suggesting it handles diverse compute interfaces more gracefully.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R7 M460 is a discrete mobile graphics processor built on the GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm TSMC process. It packs 1,550 million transistors onto a 125 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The chip, codenamed Meso, belongs to the Gem System generation (R7 M400 family). Its memory subsystem is dedicated: 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 36.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 730 MHz and a boost of 1024 MHz, with memory running at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). It has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units, producing a pixel rate of 8.192 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 24.58 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is rated at 786.4 GFLOPS, with FP16 at the same 1:1 ratio. The interface is PCIe 3.0 x8, and it supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Its production status is end-of-life, with a release date of May 2016.

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Broadwell GT3e chip, using Intel’s Generation 8.0 architecture on a 14 nm process. It has no standalone transistor or die size figures listed, reflecting its integration into a larger processor. The memory is system-shared, with the bus width and bandwidth listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively. Clocks are notably different: a low base of 300 MHz but a high boost of 1100 MHz. The shading unit count matches the AMD at 384, but the Intel part doubles the TMUs to 48 and drops the ROPs to 6. This yields a lower pixel rate of 6.600 GPixel/s but a much higher texture rate of 52.80 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is slightly higher at 844.8 GFLOPS, and FP16 is not listed. The TDP is 15 W, and the bus interface is "Ring Bus," with display outputs being motherboard-dependent. API support includes DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.4, and Vulkan 1.0. It was released in September 2014 and is also end-of-life.

The architectural split is stark: the AMD part uses a dedicated memory pool with a narrow 64-bit bus, while the Intel part relies on shared system memory with variable bandwidth. The AMD has more ROPs (8 vs. 6) but fewer TMUs (24 vs. 48). The Intel part has a higher boost clock (1100 MHz vs. 1024 MHz) and a higher FP32 peak (844.8 vs. 786.4 GFLOPS), yet it loses decisively in the OpenCL benchmark.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M460 wins in the only head-to-head benchmark available: Geekbench OpenCL. Its score of 6612 is 45.1% higher than the Intel’s 4556. This suggests that for OpenCL-accelerated tasks — which include many scientific, rendering, and compute workloads — the AMD part has a substantial edge. The data also shows that the AMD’s average benchmark score of 6612 places it at the 38th percentile of all GPUs, while its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 (6698, deltaPct -1.3) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513, deltaPct 1.5). This puts the AMD in a competitive position against low-end discrete GPUs from NVIDIA.

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200, despite losing the OpenCL head-to-head, shows strengths in other metrics. Its Geekbench Metal score is 7764, which is 70% higher than its own OpenCL score, indicating strong performance in Apple’s Metal API. Its Vulkan score of 6032 is also 32% higher than its OpenCL score. These results suggest that the Intel GPU is better optimized for modern, low-level graphics APIs. Its average benchmark score of 6117 places it at the 35th percentile, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon HD 8690M (6137, deltaPct -0.3) and the NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (6049, deltaPct 1.1). The Intel part also has a texture rate of 52.80 GTexel/s, which is 2.15 times higher than the AMD’s 24.58 GTexel/s, meaning it excels in texture-heavy workloads like certain game scenes or image processing.

In terms of use cases: for OpenCL compute, the AMD Radeon R7 M460 is the clear pick. For Metal or Vulkan development, or for scenarios where texture fill rate matters more than pixel output, the Intel Iris Pro 6200 holds an advantage. The Intel part’s 15 W TDP also makes it far more power-efficient for integrated use, while the AMD’s TDP is not listed, suggesting it may draw significantly more power.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 45.1% higher than the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200’s score of 4556.

Q: Does the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 perform better in any benchmark?

A: Yes. The Intel part scores 7764 in Geekbench Metal and 6032 in Geekbench Vulkan, both of which are higher than its OpenCL score of 4556. However, the AMD has no Metal or Vulkan benchmark scores listed for comparison.

Q: What are the memory configurations of these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing 36.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 uses system-shared memory, with its bandwidth listed as "System Dependent."

Q: Which GPU has more texture mapping units?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 has 48 TMUs, double the AMD Radeon R7 M460’s 24 TMUs. This gives the Intel part a texture rate of 52.80 GTexel/s versus 24.58 GTexel/s for the AMD.

Q: How do their compute capabilities compare in raw FP32?

A: The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 has a higher FP32 rating at 844.8 GFLOPS, compared to 786.4 GFLOPS for the AMD Radeon R7 M460. Despite this, the AMD wins the OpenCL benchmark by a wide margin.

Q: What are the process nodes and release dates?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 is on a 28 nm process and was released in May 2016. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 is on a 14 nm process and was released in September 2014.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a decisive victory for the AMD Radeon R7 M460. The AMD scores 6612, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 manages 4556. The deltaPct of 45.1% means the AMD is nearly half again as fast as the Intel in this test. This is a substantial margin that dwarfs the differences seen in the nearest rival comparisons.

To put this in context, the AMD’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7730M, scores 6581 with a deltaPct of just 0.5% — essentially a tie. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698, which is only 1.3% higher than the AMD. The Intel’s nearest rivals, meanwhile, are all clustered within 1.1% of its average score of 6117. The NVIDIA RTX A400 scores 6078 (deltaPct 0.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX230 scores 6077 (deltaPct 0.7%). This means the Intel part is right in the middle of a tight pack of low-end GPUs, while the AMD is at the top of its pack.

The 45.1% OpenCL delta is far larger than any delta between the AMD and its rivals, or between the Intel and its rivals. The AMD’s victory is not a marginal one; it represents a real performance tier difference in OpenCL compute. However, the Intel part’s Metal score of 7764 is higher than the AMD’s OpenCL score of 6612, showing that the Intel GPU can outperform the AMD in certain API-specific workloads. The AMD has no corresponding Metal or Vulkan scores, so a direct cross-API comparison is impossible. Still, within the only test both GPUs share, the AMD Radeon R7 M460 is the clear winner by a wide margin.