GPU Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 5600M and Intel Arc A730M represent two distinct approaches to mobile graphics, with the data showing a clear performance hierarchy between them. Across the shared benchmark suite, the Intel Arc A730M secures a decisive victory in every test, with the average benchmark score for the RX 5600M at 46,601 compared to the Arc A730M’s 45,592, placing both within the 84th and 85th percentiles of all GPUs respectively. The following analysis breaks down the architectural foundations, benchmark performance, and specific strengths of each mobile GPU based exclusively on the provided data.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The Intel Arc A730M wins decisively, scoring 1,732 points versus the AMD Radeon RX 5600M’s 1,320 points, a margin of 23.8% in Intel’s favor.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Geekbench OpenCL compute performance?

A: The Intel Arc A730M scores 70,352 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M scores 59,589, giving Intel a 15.3% advantage in this compute workload.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has a boost clock of 2050 MHz, significantly higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600M’s boost clock of 1265 MHz.

Q: What are the thermal design power (TDP) ratings for each?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5600M has a TDP of 150 W, while the Intel Arc A730M has a substantially lower TDP of 80 W.

Q: Which GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Only the Intel Arc A730M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2); the AMD Radeon RX 5600M supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different generations. The AMD Radeon RX 5600M uses the Navi 10 chip based on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, belonging to the Navi Mobile (RX 5000M) generation. In contrast, the Intel Arc A730M uses the DG2-512 chip based on the Xe-HPG architecture, belonging to the Alchemist (Arc 7 Mobile) generation. This architectural divergence is reflected in their manufacturing processes: the RX 5600M is built on TSMC’s 7 nm node, while the Arc A730M uses TSMC’s more advanced 6 nm node.

The transistor counts highlight a major scale difference. The Intel chip packs 21,700 million transistors on a 406 mm² die, compared to the AMD chip’s 10,300 million transistors on a 251 mm² die. This results in transistor densities of 53.4M per mm² for Intel versus 41.0M per mm² for AMD. The Intel Arc A730M also features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores, a capability entirely absent from the RX 5600M, which lists no RT cores. Both GPUs share the same PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface and are classified as IGP (integrated graphics processor) form factors with portable-device-dependent display outputs.

The shading resources differ substantially, with the Arc A730M employing 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 96 render output units (ROPs). The RX 5600M, by comparison, has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. These architectural differences manifest in raw throughput figures: the Intel part achieves 12.60 TFLOPS FP32 and 25.19 TFLOPS FP16, while the AMD part delivers 5.829 TFLOPS FP32 and 11.66 TFLOPS FP16. The memory subsystem also diverges, with the Arc A730M offering 12 GB versus 6 GB, and higher bandwidth at 336.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark data, the Intel Arc A730M wins in every head-to-head comparison available. The most significant victory comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the Arc A730M outperforms the RX 5600M by 24.5% (64,693 versus 48,843). This suggests a substantial advantage in Vulkan-based workloads, likely reflecting the newer architecture’s more efficient driver implementation and higher raw compute throughput. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows a 23.8% lead for Intel (1,732 versus 1,320), indicating strong performance in modern DirectX 12 gaming scenarios.

The AMD Radeon RX 5600M, while losing all direct comparisons, still holds its own in the broader market context. Its average benchmark score of 46,601 places it just 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6550M and 1.2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A2000, according to nearest rival data. The Intel Arc A730M’s average score of 45,592 puts it 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, but 0.8% behind the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation. The RX 5600M achieves a higher percentile rank at 85 versus the Arc A730M’s 84, indicating that despite losing this specific matchup, it edges out the Intel part in the overall GPU landscape.

For use-case analysis, the Arc A730M’s combination of higher memory capacity (12 GB) and superior compute scores makes it the stronger choice for memory-intensive workloads and modern API-based applications. The RX 5600M’s lower power draw is not evident from the performance data, but its 150 W TDP versus 80 W suggests it may be positioned differently in system designs. The AMD part’s strength lies in its competitive standing against other mid-range mobile GPUs, as shown by its near-parity with the Intel Arc A530M (0% delta) and the RX 6550M.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal several key differences between the two mobile GPUs. The most obvious is memory capacity: the Intel Arc A730M offers 12 GB of GDDR6, double the 6 GB found on the AMD Radeon RX 5600M. Both use a 192-bit memory bus, but the Arc A730M achieves higher bandwidth at 336.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s due to its faster 14 Gbps effective memory speed compared to 12 Gbps on the AMD part. Clock speeds also differ markedly, with the Arc A730M’s base clock at 1100 MHz and boost at 2050 MHz, versus the RX 5600M’s 1035 MHz base and 1265 MHz boost.

The compute configurations scale accordingly: the Intel GPU has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, while the AMD GPU has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Pixel and texture rates reflect this, with the Arc A730M hitting 196.8 GPixel/s and 393.6 GTexel/s, compared to 80.96 GPixel/s and 182.2 GTexel/s for the RX 5600M. The FP32 and FP16 throughput figures show the Intel part is more than twice as powerful, at 12.60 TFLOPS and 25.19 TFLOPS respectively, versus 5.829 TFLOPS and 11.66 TFLOPS for AMD.

Power consumption is a major differentiator: the RX 5600M is rated at 150 W TDP, while the Arc A730M is rated at just 80 W TDP. This is notable given the Intel part’s superior performance, suggesting a more power-efficient design. The manufacturing process differs as well, with the Arc A730M on a 6 nm node versus 7 nm for the RX 5600M, though both are fabricated by TSMC. The Arc A730M also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and includes 24 ray tracing cores, features absent from the RX 5600M which tops out at DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data provides a clear, unambiguous picture: the Intel Arc A730M wins all three shared tests, with the AMD Radeon RX 5600M failing to secure a single victory. The largest margin comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where the Arc A730M scores 64,693 against the RX 5600M’s 48,843, a 24.5% difference. This is the most dramatic gap in the dataset and suggests that the Intel architecture has a particular strength in Vulkan API workloads, likely benefiting from its higher shader count and newer design.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the Arc A730M again dominates, scoring 1,732 points versus 1,320 points for the RX 5600M, a 23.8% advantage. This benchmark is particularly relevant for gaming performance, and the substantial lead indicates that the Intel GPU delivers significantly better frame rates in modern DirectX 12 titles. The gap here is nearly as large as the Vulkan margin, showing consistent superiority across different graphics APIs.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a closer but still decisive result: 70,352 for the Arc A730M versus 59,589 for the RX 5600M, a 15.3% difference. This compute-oriented benchmark demonstrates that while the Intel part leads, the margin narrows in pure compute workloads compared to graphics-focused tests. The RX 5600M’s performance in this test is still respectable, placing it within 1.2% of the NVIDIA RTX A2000 and 1.4% of the RTX 5880 Ada Generation according to nearest rival data.

The average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story when placed in context. The RX 5600M’s average of 46,601 is actually higher than the Arc A730M’s 45,592, even though the Intel part wins every direct comparison. This is because the RX 5600M has an additional Geekbench Metal score of 76,653, which is not available for the Arc A730M. This Metal score, likely reflecting Apple ecosystem performance, inflates the AMD GPU’s average and explains its higher percentile ranking at 85 versus 84. In the head-to-head tests where both GPUs have data, however, the Arc A730M is consistently and significantly faster, with a win count of 3 out of 3.