AMD Radeon RX 7600 vs Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics represent two vastly different approaches to GPU design, separated by process node, architecture, and intended use case. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, but the underlying specifications and scores reveal a clear hierarchy in raw performance while also highlighting the Intel part's unique position as a low-power, integrated-style discrete GPU. The RX 7600 is a modern, active mainstream card, while the Iris Xe MAX is an end-of-life product from 2020, yet both occupy similar percentile rankings among all GPUs, which invites a closer look at what those numbers actually mean.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisively one-sided. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 88,051, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics manages 14,315. This translates to a delta of 515.1% in favor of the RX 7600. To put that in perspective, the RX 7600 is not merely faster; it delivers more than six times the OpenCL compute performance of the Iris Xe MAX. This is a massive gap that reflects the fundamental difference in their design targets—the RX 7600 is a 165 W desktop card built for sustained throughput, while the Iris Xe MAX is a 25 W part intended for thin-and-light laptops.

Looking at the wider benchmark context, the RX 7600's average benchmark score across all tests is 15,171, which places it at the 57th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (average score 15,199, delta -0.2%), the AMD Radeon 680M (15,270, delta -0.7%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (15,082, delta +0.6%). These are extremely tight margins, meaning the RX 7600 sits in a competitive cluster where a few points separate it from its peers. In contrast, the Iris Xe MAX's average benchmark score is 14,315, placing it at the 56th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14,352, delta -0.3%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (14,277, delta +0.3%), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373, delta -0.4%). Despite the enormous gap between the two cards in the head-to-head test, their percentile rankings are nearly identical, which suggests that the Intel part benefits from a different benchmark distribution where its single OpenCL score is not an outlier.

The wins tally is 1 for the RX 7600 and 0 for the Iris Xe MAX, but that does not tell the full story. The RX 7600 also boasts a Passmark G3D score of 16,634 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 34,401, while the Iris Xe MAX has no data for those tests. This absence of comparable data points underscores how limited the Iris Xe MAX's benchmark footprint is, making it difficult to assess its performance beyond compute-heavy workloads.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, specifically the Navi 33 chip, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. It packs 13,300 million transistors into a 204 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 65.2 million per square millimeter. The Intel Iris Xe MAX, by contrast, uses the DG1 chip based on Generation 12.1 (Xe Graphics), fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process. Its die size is 95 mm², but the data does not list a transistor count or density, which makes a direct comparison of integration efficiency impossible.

Clock speeds further illustrate the design philosophy difference. The RX 7600 has a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz. The Iris Xe MAX starts at a very low 300 MHz base and boosts to 1650 MHz. This lower clock ceiling is typical for a low-power part, but the RX 7600's 2655 MHz boost is nearly double the Intel chip's maximum, contributing significantly to its performance advantage.

The memory subsystems are also completely different. The RX 7600 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Iris Xe MAX has 4 GB of LPDDR4X on the same 128-bit bus, but only achieves 68.26 GB/s. That is a 4.2x bandwidth advantage for the AMD card, which is crucial for texture-heavy workloads. The RX 7600 also has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the Iris Xe MAX has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The RX 7600 even has 32 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature the Iris Xe MAX lacks entirely.

Compute throughput numbers are equally lopsided. The RX 7600 delivers 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and the same 21.75 TFLOPS for FP16 (at a 1:1 ratio). The Iris Xe MAX achieves 2.534 TFLOPS FP32 and 5.069 TFLOPS FP16 (at a 2:1 ratio). This means the RX 7600 offers roughly 8.6x the FP32 throughput and 4.3x the FP16 throughput of the Intel part. The Iris Xe MAX does have a higher FP16-to-FP32 ratio, which suggests it is optimized for certain compute tasks, but the absolute numbers are far too low to compete.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15,171, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has an average of 14,315. This gives the RX 7600 a 856-point lead, which is approximately 6% higher.

Q: Is the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics competitive with the RX 7600 in any way?

A: In the single head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 7600 wins by 515.1%. However, the Iris Xe MAX's percentile ranking of 56th is only one point lower than the RX 7600's 57th, suggesting that in the broader GPU landscape, the Intel part is not as far behind as its raw scores might imply.

Q: What are the memory capacities and bandwidths of these two cards?

A: The RX 7600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, while the Iris Xe MAX has 4 GB of LPDDR4X memory with a bandwidth of 68.26 GB/s. Both use a 128-bit memory bus.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different feature levels. The RX 7600 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Iris Xe MAX supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The RX 7600 also supports Vulkan 1.4, as does the Iris Xe MAX, and both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has a boost clock of 2655 MHz, compared to the Intel Iris Xe MAX's boost clock of 1650 MHz. The RX 7600's base clock of 1720 MHz is also higher than the Intel part's base clock of 300 MHz.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RX 7600 has a TDP of 165 W and requires a suggested PSU of 450 W, while the Iris Xe MAX has a TDP of 25 W and a suggested PSU of 200 W. The RX 7600 also requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, whereas the Iris Xe MAX has no power connectors listed.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The RX 7600 is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the Iris Xe MAX uses Intel's 10 nm process. The RX 7600 has 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, while the Iris Xe MAX has no listed transistor count but a smaller 95 mm² die. The RX 7600's base clock is 1720 MHz, boost clock 2655 MHz, and game clock 2250 MHz; the Iris Xe MAX has a 300 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost, with no game clock. Memory differs: 8 GB GDDR6 at 288.0 GB/s for the RX 7600 versus 4 GB LPDDR4X at 68.26 GB/s for the Iris Xe MAX. The RX 7600 has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 RT cores; the Iris Xe MAX has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and no RT cores. Pixel rate is 169.9 GPixel/s versus 39.60 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 339.8 GTexel/s versus 79.20 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 21.75 TFLOPS versus 2.534 TFLOPS. TDP is 165 W versus 25 W, and the RX 7600 is a dual-slot card while the Iris Xe MAX is an IGP. The RX 7600 has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1), while the Iris Xe MAX has no outputs. The RX 7600 is active with a 2023 release date, while the Iris Xe MAX is end-of-life from 2020. The RX 7600 has a launch MSRP of 269 USD, while the Iris Xe MAX has none listed.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the superior performer in every measured category. Its 515.1% lead in the only head-to-head test is not a close contest but a generational and architectural chasm. The RX 7600 offers 8.6x the FP32 throughput, 4.2x the memory bandwidth, and 2.7x the shading units of the Iris Xe MAX. For any workload that demands raw compute or graphics rendering, the RX 7600 is the only rational choice. However, the Intel part is not without merit in its specific context. With a 25 W TDP and no power connectors, it is designed for ultra-portable systems where energy efficiency trumps performance. The RX 7600's 165 W TDP and 450 W PSU requirement make it a desktop-only component. The Iris Xe MAX's 56th percentile ranking, despite its low absolute scores, indicates that it performs respectably relative to all GPUs in the database, though this is likely due to a limited benchmark sample size.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 wins in all performance-oriented scenarios. Its 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 compute makes it suitable for demanding 3D rendering, video editing, and high-fidelity gaming at 1080p or higher. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for modern game textures and compute buffers. The presence of 32 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support means it can handle ray-traced effects and next-generation APIs. Its active production status and 2023 release date also mean it is a current product with ongoing support.

The Intel Iris Xe MAX wins in efficiency and form factor. Its 25 W TDP is a fraction of the RX 7600's 165 W, and its IGP slot width means it can be integrated into systems where a discrete dual-slot card would be impossible. The lack of display outputs suggests it is meant to work alongside an integrated GPU or in a specific embedded role. Its 4 GB LPDDR4X memory is sufficient for basic compute tasks, and its FP16 performance of 5.069 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) indicates some optimization for AI or machine learning inference workloads. For users prioritizing battery life, silent operation, or a compact chassis, the Iris Xe MAX is the only viable option despite its massive performance deficit.