AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 vs Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics Comparison

AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics are both end-of-life integrated-class GPUs that land in the same performance tier, but they achieve parity through completely different design philosophies. The AMD part is a 12 nm IGP built on GCN 5.0, sharing system memory and relying on the host CPU, while the Intel part is a 10 nm discrete-style chip with dedicated 4 GB LPDDR4X memory. Benchmark data shows the two are separated by less than one percent in average score, making this a genuine toss-up for any system builder choosing between them.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 averages 14385 across its benchmark results, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics averages 14315. The AMD part leads by 70 points, a margin of roughly 0.5%.

Q: How do these GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics scores 14315 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 12.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11's score of 12525 in the same test. This is the only head-to-head benchmark available, and Intel wins it.

Q: What is the difference in memory configuration?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 uses System Shared memory with bandwidth described as System Dependent, meaning performance scales with the host system's RAM. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has 4 GB of dedicated LPDDR4X memory on a 128-bit bus with 68.26 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Do these GPUs support the same API feature levels?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, but they differ on Vulkan. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version of the API.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 has a TDP of 15 W and requires no power connectors, as it is an IGP. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has a TDP of 25 W and lists a suggested PSU of 200 W, though it also uses an IGP slot width.

Q: How do these GPUs rank against all other GPUs?

A: Both sit at the 56th percentile among all GPUs. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M with a delta of -0.1%, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics sits closest to the AMD Radeon Vega 11 with a delta of -0.3%.

Architecture Differences

The underlying silicon could hardly be more different. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 uses the Picasso chip on a 12 nm process from GlobalFoundries, packing 4,940 million transistors into a 210 mm² die with a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics uses the DG1 chip on Intel's 10 nm process, with a much smaller 95 mm² die and no transistor count listed in the data.

The compute layout differs in scale. AMD's Vega 11 has 704 shading units, 44 texture mapping units, and only 8 raster operations pipelines. Intel's Xe MAX counters with 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and a dramatically higher 24 ROPs. That ROP advantage explains why Intel's pixel rate is 39.60 GPixel/s versus AMD's 11.20 GPixel/s — more than triple the fill rate.

Clock behavior also diverges. Both start at a 300 MHz base clock, but the Intel part boosts to 1650 MHz, while the AMD part tops out at 1400 MHz. The memory subsystem is the biggest architectural split: AMD shares the system's RAM entirely, with no dedicated VRAM, while Intel ships with 4 GB of LPDDR4X on a 128-bit bus providing 68.26 GB/s of fixed bandwidth. AMD's memory bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning it varies with the host platform.

Feature support shows minor differences. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6, but Intel supports Vulkan 1.4 while AMD is limited to Vulkan 1.3. The AMD part has no display outputs of its own, being motherboard-dependent, and the Intel part explicitly has "No outputs," which is unusual for a graphics product.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it clearly favors Intel. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics scores 14315, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 scores 12525. That is a 12.5% deficit for AMD, the largest single-test margin in this matchup. The Intel part's dedicated memory and higher boost clock likely contribute to this lead, though the data does not break down performance by component.

However, the aggregate picture is much closer. Across all benchmark results, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 averages 14385, which is 0.5% above the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics' average of 14315. The AMD part has three benchmark scores in its record — Geekbench Metal at 17086, Geekbench OpenCL at 12525, and Geekbench Vulkan at 13543 — while Intel only has a single Geekbench OpenCL score. The AMD part's strongest result, the Metal score, is not matched by any Intel data point.

Looking at rival positioning, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 sits between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14373, delta 0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M (14404, delta -0.1%). The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics sits between the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352, delta -0.3%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (14277, delta 0.3%). Both GPUs trade blows with hardware from much higher price tiers, though the data does not include pricing for any of these parts.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets diverge on nearly every measurable hardware field, despite the similar benchmark outcomes. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 is built on a 12 nm process by GlobalFoundries, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics uses a 10 nm process from Intel. Die size differs substantially: 210 mm² for AMD versus 95 mm² for Intel. Transistor counts are 4,940 million for AMD, with no figure listed for Intel.

Clock speeds favor Intel. Both have a 300 MHz base, but Intel's boost reaches 1650 MHz against AMD's 1400 MHz. Memory is the starkest contrast: AMD uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth, while Intel has 4 GB of LPDDR4X, a 128-bit bus, and 68.26 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth. Memory clock is listed as 2133 MHz with 4.3 Gbps effective for Intel, while AMD's is System Shared.

Compute resources slightly favor Intel: 768 shading units versus 704, 48 TMUs versus 44, and 24 ROPs versus 8. The resulting throughput numbers show Intel ahead in every rate: pixel rate is 39.60 GPixel/s versus 11.20 GPixel/s, texture rate is 79.20 GTexel/s versus 61.60 GTexel/s, FP32 is 2.534 TFLOPS versus 1.971 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 5.069 TFLOPS versus 3.942 TFLOPS (both at a 2:1 ratio).

Power and interface also differ. AMD has a 15 W TDP with no power connectors and an IGP bus interface. Intel has a 25 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 200 W and uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. Display outputs are motherboard dependent for AMD, while Intel has no outputs at all. Release dates are roughly 15 months apart: AMD launched on July 6, 2019, and Intel on October 30, 2020.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics wins the only direct benchmark comparison. Its 12.5% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is decisive, and its dedicated memory subsystem with 68.26 GB/s of bandwidth gives it a fixed performance floor regardless of the host system's RAM speed. The Intel part's higher boost clock (1650 MHz vs 1400 MHz) and triple the ROP count (24 vs 8) make it the better choice for fill-rate-bound workloads. Its pixel rate of 39.60 GPixel/s is more than triple AMD's 11.20 GPixel/s, suggesting advantages in resolution scaling and framebuffer-heavy rendering.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 wins on aggregate average score, holding a 14385 versus 14315 lead. Its Geekbench Metal score of 17086 is the highest single result for either GPU, indicating strong performance in Apple's Metal API ecosystem. The AMD part also has a lower TDP at 15 W versus Intel's 25 W, which matters in thermally constrained systems. Its Vulkan 1.3 support is one version behind Intel's 1.4, but its GCN 5.0 architecture has broader software maturity given its earlier release date.

System integration favors AMD. As an IGP with motherboard-dependent outputs, it requires no separate display wiring and no dedicated memory allocation planning. The Intel part's "No outputs" designation means it cannot drive a display on its own, which is a critical limitation for many use cases.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split decision. Choose the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics if your workload is compute-heavy and you can work around its lack of display outputs. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 12.5%, offers higher raw throughput across the board — 2.534 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.971 TFLOPS — and its dedicated 4 GB LPDDR4X memory with 68.26 GB/s bandwidth eliminates the variable of system RAM quality. The higher 25 W TDP and 200 W suggested PSU are acceptable trade-offs for the performance gain.

Choose the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 if you need a drop-in IGP with no power connectors, a lower 15 W TDP, and motherboard-dependent outputs that actually work. Its average benchmark score of 14385 edges out Intel's 14315, and its Geekbench Metal result of 17086 shows strength in API-specific workloads that Intel cannot match. The 12 nm process is older and the die is larger at 210 mm², but the system-shared memory model means you save on VRAM cost and complexity.

Both sit at the 56th percentile of all GPUs, so neither is a performance king. The AMD part's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (delta 0.1%), while Intel's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (delta -0.3%). In practical terms, the difference between these two is less than one percent on average, making the decision hinge on platform compatibility, memory architecture, and the specific benchmark that matters to your application. If you need Vulkan 1.4 and dedicated VRAM, take Intel. If you need Metal performance and a simpler IGP integration, take AMD.