AMD Radeon RX 560 vs Intel HD Graphics P530 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 560 and Intel HD Graphics P530 occupy the same 26th percentile of all GPUs, with average benchmark scores of 4569 and 4560 respectively. This places them in a statistical dead heat according to aggregate data, yet the single direct head-to-head benchmark available reveals a dramatic disparity in compute performance. The RX 560 dominates the OpenCL test with a score of 16472 against the P530’s 4549, a 262.1% advantage that underscores their fundamentally different roles.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison between these two processors is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is not close. The AMD Radeon RX 560 scores 16472, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 scores 4549, giving AMD a 262.1% lead. This result highlights the RX 560’s dedicated hardware advantage: it delivers 2.611 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, whereas the P530 manages just 384.0 GFLOPS. That is a 6.8x raw throughput gap, and it shows up decisively in any compute-oriented workload.

The aggregate benchmark picture is far tighter, however. The RX 560’s average score across all tests is 4569, while the P530’s is 4560, a margin of just 0.2%. This near-identical average is somewhat misleading, because the two products are tested on very different suites. The RX 560 has nine benchmark entries, including PassMark DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, plus G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute scores. The P530 has only two entries: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The P530’s Vulkan score of 4571 and OpenCL score of 4549 are remarkably consistent, but they do not exercise the same legacy DirectX paths.

Looking at the RX 560’s individual PassMark results, it scores 57 in DirectX 9, 16 in DirectX 10, 25 in DirectX 11, and 21 in DirectX 12. The G3D score of 3671 and GPU Compute score of 1437 indicate solid rasterization and compute capability for a 75 W part. The P530’s absence from these tests means the aggregate score comparison is apples-to-oranges; the RX 560’s 4569 average is dragged down by its relatively low legacy DirectX scores, while the P530’s 4560 average is derived solely from modern API workloads.

The nearest rival data confirms the closeness of the average scores. The RX 560’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R5 M230 at 4577 (0.2% higher), followed by the Intel HD Graphics P530 at 4560 (0.2% lower), then the NVIDIA Quadro M3000M at 4621 (1.1% higher) and GeForce GTX 970M at 4628 (1.3% higher). For the P530, the RX 560 is a 0.2% deficit, the R5 M230 is 0.4% ahead, the FirePro W4190M is 1.2% behind, and the Quadro M3000M is 1.3% ahead. These deltas are all within noise, indicating that in aggregate, these are all comparable mid-range performers.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split: if your workload is compute-heavy, the AMD Radeon RX 560 is the only rational choice. Its 262.1% OpenCL lead is not incremental; it is transformative. The RX 560 offers 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, versus the P530’s 192 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 3 ROPs. The RX 560 also has dedicated 4 GB GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 112.0 GB/s, while the P530 relies on System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth. For any application that uses OpenCL — whether it is video encoding, physics simulation, or GPU-accelerated rendering — the RX 560 will finish tasks in a fraction of the time.

However, for everyday desktop graphics and light gaming, the aggregate scores suggest they are functionally equivalent. The P530’s Vulkan score of 4571 is nearly identical to the RX 560’s average of 4569. If you are running modern games that use Vulkan or DirectX 12, the P530 may offer surprisingly competitive frame rates despite its lower theoretical specs, thanks to its 14 nm+ process and Generation 9.0 architecture. The P530 also consumes just 15 W, making it ideal for ultraportable laptops where battery life is paramount.

The verdict is straightforward: the RX 560 is for users who need dedicated compute performance and can tolerate a 75 W power draw with a dual-slot cooler. The P530 is for users who need a capable integrated solution that sips power and occupies no extra space. Neither product is a clear winner across all metrics; they serve different segments of the same 26th percentile performance tier.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 560 wins decisively in OpenCL compute. Its 16472 score versus the P530’s 4549 means any application leveraging OpenCL will see massive speedups. The RX 560’s dedicated 4 GB GDDR5 memory with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth is a major advantage for texture-heavy workloads, as the P530’s System Shared memory creates a bottleneck. The RX 560 also wins on raw rasterization throughput: its 20.40 GPixel/s pixel rate is 6.8x the P530’s 3.000 GPixel/s, and its 81.60 GTexel/s texture rate is 5.1x the P530’s 16.00 GTexel/s.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 wins on efficiency and integration. Its 15 W TDP is one-fifth of the RX 560’s 75 W, making it far better suited for thin-and-light laptops without active cooling. The P530’s IGP slot width means it requires no expansion slot, no power connectors, and no additional cooling. It also supports a higher DirectX feature level: 12_1 versus the RX 560’s 12_0, which could enable certain advanced rendering features in modern games. The P530’s 2:1 FP16 ratio (768.0 GFLOPS) versus the RX 560’s 1:1 ratio (2.611 TFLOPS) suggests Intel optimized for mixed-precision workloads, though the RX 560 still wins in absolute FP16 throughput.

For legacy DirectX performance, the RX 560 shows a clear edge in the PassMark results, scoring 57 in DirectX 9 versus the P530’s absence from that test. However, the P530’s Vulkan score of 4571 indicates it is well-optimized for modern APIs. The choice hinges on whether your software stack is compute-heavy (RX 560) or graphics-only with modern APIs (P530).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 560 scores 16472 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 262.1% higher than the Intel HD Graphics P530’s 4549.

Q: Are these two GPUs comparable in overall performance?

A: Yes, their average benchmark scores are nearly identical: the RX 560 averages 4569 and the P530 averages 4560, a difference of just 0.2%. Both sit in the 26th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RX 560 has 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth. The P530 uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports a higher DirectX feature level?

A: The Intel HD Graphics P530 supports DirectX 12_1, while the AMD Radeon RX 560 supports DirectX 12_0.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RX 560 has a 75 W TDP, while the P530 has a 15 W TDP. The RX 560 requires a 250 W suggested PSU and uses a dual-slot cooler with no power connectors.

Q: Does the P530 have a Vulkan benchmark score?

A: Yes, the Intel HD Graphics P530 scores 4571 in Geekbench Vulkan. The AMD Radeon RX 560 does not have a Vulkan benchmark entry in this data set.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 560 uses the Polaris 21 chip built on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process, with a die size of 123 mm² containing 3,000 million transistors. This works out to a transistor density of 24.4M per mm². The architecture is GCN 4.0, part of the Polaris (RX 500) generation. It has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1175 MHz with a boost clock of 1275 MHz, and its memory operates at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The RX 560 was released on April 17, 2017 with a launch MSRP of 99 USD, and it is now end-of-life. Its predecessor is Arctic Islands and its successor is Vega.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 uses the Skylake GT2 chip built on Intel’s 14 nm+ process, also with a die size of 123 mm². The architecture is Generation 9.0, part of the HD Graphics-W (Skylake) generation. It has 192 shading units, 16 TMUs, and only 3 ROPs. The base clock is 350 MHz with a boost clock of 1000 MHz, and memory is System Shared. The P530 was released on August 31, 2015, also end-of-life. It uses a Ring Bus interface and has no dedicated power connectors or suggested PSU.

Key architectural differences include the RX 560’s dedicated GDDR5 memory versus the P530’s shared system memory, the RX 560’s 6.8x higher pixel rate (20.40 vs 3.000 GPixel/s), and its 5.1x higher texture rate (81.60 vs 16.00 GTexel/s). The RX 560 offers 2.611 TFLOPS FP32 with a 1:1 FP16 ratio, while the P530 offers 384.0 GFLOPS FP32 with a 2:1 FP16 ratio. The RX 560 has a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the P530 uses Ring Bus. Display outputs differ too: the RX 560 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the P530’s outputs are Motherboard Dependent. Both support DirectX 12 (though at different feature levels), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 560 is a dual-slot card measuring 170 mm (6.7 inches) in length, while the P530 is an IGP with no physical dimensions listed.