AMD Radeon RX 480 vs Intel Arc A730M Comparison

# Intel Arc A730M vs AMD Radeon RX 480

The benchmark database places these two graphics processors at different points in the performance spectrum, with the Intel Arc A730M holding an 84th percentile rank across all GPUs while the AMD Radeon RX 480 sits at the 78th percentile. Their average benchmark scores diverge sharply: 45,592 for the Intel part versus 33,997 for the AMD part, a gap of roughly 34%. The Intel Arc A730M wins all three recorded head-to-head benchmark comparisons, but the nature of those wins and the architectural context behind them tells a more nuanced story about which workload profiles favor each card.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A730M dominates every recorded benchmark in this comparison. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1,732 points against the RX 480's 966, a 79.3% advantage. This is a massive lead in a modern DirectX 12 workload, reflecting the Intel part's ability to handle current-generation rendering techniques. The OpenCL compute test shows an even larger gap: 70,352 versus 37,998, a difference of 85.1%. This indicates that for general-purpose GPU compute tasks, the Arc A730M is nearly twice as fast. The Vulkan test also favors Intel, with 64,693 against 45,968, a 40.7% margin, showing that even in API-level scenarios where AMD traditionally has strong driver support, the Intel mobile part maintains a clear edge.

The AMD Radeon RX 480, despite losing all three comparisons, does not lack redeeming qualities. Its 78th percentile rank places it above many contemporary and older GPUs, and its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 7700S and NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, with score deltas of only 0.4% and 0.5% respectively. This means the RX 480's average score of 33,997 is competitive with much newer hardware, suggesting that its architecture remains viable for a range of workloads even if it cannot match the raw throughput of the Arc A730M. The RX 480 also has a Metal benchmark score of 51,057, a test that the Intel part does not have recorded, indicating platform-specific strengths that the database does not directly compare.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies and manufacturing generations. The Intel Arc A730M uses the DG2-512 chip built on Xe-HPG architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 6 nm process. It packs 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 53.4 million per square millimeter. This is a modern, high-density design aimed at mobile performance with efficiency. The AMD Radeon RX 480 uses the Ellesmere chip based on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, with a density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The RX 480 is a desktop card from an older process generation, reflected in its larger power draw and physical footprint.

Clock speeds differ substantially. The Intel part runs at a base clock of 1100 MHz with a boost up to 2050 MHz, while the AMD card operates at 1120 MHz base and 1266 MHz boost. The higher boost clock on the Intel side contributes significantly to its performance advantage. Memory configurations also diverge: the Arc A730M uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel part has more memory and higher bandwidth despite a narrower bus, thanks to faster memory technology.

Compute resources differ in scale. The Arc A730M has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, 96 render output units, and 24 dedicated ray tracing cores. The RX 480 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing hardware. The pixel rate tells the story: 196.8 GPixel/s for Intel versus 40.51 GPixel/s for AMD. Texture rate is similarly lopsided at 393.6 GTexel/s versus 182.3 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance reaches 12.60 TFLOPS on the Intel card, while the RX 480 manages 5.834 TFLOPS. The Intel part also supports FP16 at 25.19 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, whereas AMD's FP16 rate equals its FP32 rate at 5.834 TFLOPS.

The Verdict

The recorded data consistently favors the Intel Arc A730M for users who prioritize modern graphics workloads. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compliance, combined with 24 ray tracing cores, make it the clear choice for current-generation gaming and ray-traced content. The 85.1% lead in OpenCL compute also positions it as the stronger option for GPU-accelerated productivity tasks. Its 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the upper tier of available hardware.

The AMD Radeon RX 480 remains relevant for users on older platforms or those requiring specific features. Its support for DirectX 12 (12_0), Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6 covers most software, and its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface is compatible with a wider range of legacy motherboards. The RX 480's 150 W TDP and dual-slot design with a 6-pin power connector make it suitable for desktop builds with conventional power supplies, while the Arc A730M is an integrated mobile part (IGP slot width) with an 80 W TDP, designed for laptops where power efficiency matters. The RX 480's 240 mm length and 95 mm height give it a substantial physical presence, but this also means it can fit in standard desktop cases.

Users choosing between these two should consider their platform first. The Arc A730M is a mobile-only part, while the RX 480 is a desktop card. If the system is a laptop, the Intel option is the only one available. For desktop builders with PCIe 3.0 motherboards and standard power supplies, the RX 480 offers a functional if less performant solution. The data shows the Intel part is superior in every directly comparable benchmark, but the RX 480's longevity and platform compatibility should not be dismissed.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher average benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has an average benchmark score of 45,592, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 has an average of 33,997. The Intel part ranks at the 84th percentile versus the 78th percentile for AMD.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A730M support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A730M includes 24 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon RX 480 has no ray tracing cores listed in its specifications.

Q: What memory configurations do these GPUs use?

A: The Intel Arc A730M uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU is more power efficient?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has a TDP of 80 W, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 has a TDP of 150 W. The Intel part also uses a more advanced 6 nm process from TSMC, compared to AMD's 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: Both are listed as end-of-life products in the database. The AMD Radeon RX 480 was released on June 28, 2016, while the Intel Arc A730M has no recorded release date.

Q: How do they compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The Intel Arc A730M scores 64,693 in the Geekbench Vulkan test, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 scores 45,968. This gives Intel a 40.7% advantage in this test.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test provides the most dramatic separation between these two GPUs. The Intel Arc A730M scores 1,732 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 manages 966 points, a 79.3% delta. This test represents modern DirectX 12 rendering workloads, and the margin suggests that the Intel architecture handles current API features far more effectively. The RX 480's score places it below many competitors, but it is notably this is a demanding test designed for contemporary hardware.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the largest gap in the comparison. Intel reaches 70,352 points versus AMD's 37,998, an 85.1% difference. This test measures raw compute throughput across a variety of workloads, and the Intel card's 12.60 TFLOPS FP32 performance against AMD's 5.834 TFLOPS explains the magnitude of this lead. The Intel part also benefits from its higher boost clock of 2050 MHz versus 1266 MHz on the AMD card.

The Geekbench Vulkan test narrows the gap somewhat but still favors Intel decisively. The Arc A730M scores 64,693 against the RX 480's 45,968, a 40.7% margin. While AMD's GCN architecture has historically been strong in Vulkan, the Intel part's superior compute resources and higher memory bandwidth overcome any API-level advantages. The RX 480 does hold a 51,057 score in the Metal API test, which Intel does not have a recorded score for, suggesting a potential edge in Apple ecosystem workloads that the direct comparison does not capture.

Specification Differences

The Intel Arc A730M uses the DG2-512 chip on Xe-HPG architecture, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 uses the Ellesmere chip on GCN 4.0 architecture. The process nodes differ significantly: Intel uses 6 nm from TSMC, AMD uses 14 nm from GlobalFoundries. Transistor counts are 21,700 million for Intel versus 5,700 million for AMD, and die sizes are 406 mm² versus 232 mm². Transistor density favors Intel at 53.4M per mm², more than double AMD's 24.6M per mm².

Clock speeds: Intel runs at 1100 MHz base and 2050 MHz boost, while AMD runs at 1120 MHz base and 1266 MHz boost. Memory: Intel has 12 GB GDDR6 at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) on a 192-bit bus; AMD has 8 GB GDDR5 at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) on a 256-bit bus. Bandwidth favors Intel at 336.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s. Shading units: 3,072 for Intel, 2,304 for AMD. TMUs: 192 versus 144. ROPs: 96 versus 32. The Intel part has 24 ray tracing cores, the AMD part has none. Pixel rates are 196.8 GPixel/s versus 40.51 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 393.6 GTexel/s versus 182.3 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 12.60 TFLOPS versus 5.834 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 25.19 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 5.834 TFLOPS (1:1). Power: Intel draws 80 W, AMD draws 150 W. Slot width: Intel is IGP, AMD is dual-slot. Bus interface: Intel uses PCIe 4.0 x16, AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x16. AMD has a 6-pin power connector and a suggested 450 W PSU, Intel lists no connectors. Display outputs: Intel is portable device dependent, AMD has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. API support: Intel lists DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4; AMD lists DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3.