AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 vs Intel Arc A730M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits decisively in favor of the Intel Arc A730M in the single shared DirectX 12 workload, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 claims its only victory in a compute-oriented API test that the Intel part does not appear in. For users prioritizing modern rasterization performance under DirectX 12 Ultimate, the Arc A730M is the clear choice based on the 3DMark Steel Nomad result. The Vega 56, however, demonstrates superior raw compute throughput in the Geekbench Metal test, a metric that matters for certain content-creation and GPU-accelerated rendering tasks.

Looking at the broader average benchmark score, the Arc A730M posts 45,592 against the Vega 56's 37,507, a gap of roughly 21.5% in favor of the Intel part. This average aggregates all recorded tests in the database, and it places the Arc A730M in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, while the Vega 56 sits at the 81st percentile. The percentile difference is modest, but the average score gap is substantial, suggesting the Arc A730M has a higher ceiling in the workloads where both are measured.

The Vega 56's win comes exclusively in the Geekbench Metal test, where it scores 73,512. The Arc A730M has no Metal benchmark in the database, so this is not a direct comparison but rather a reflection of each card's strength in its respective API ecosystem. The Metal result indicates that the Vega 56 remains competitive in Apple-centric compute workloads, likely due to its large shader array and high memory bandwidth. The Arc A730M counters with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 70,352 and a Vulkan score of 64,693, both of which are strong showings for a mobile-oriented GPU.

In terms of use-case split, the data points to the Arc A730M as the superior choice for gaming under DirectX 12, especially with its support for hardware ray tracing (24 RT cores) and the latest API feature set. The Vega 56, lacking any RT cores and limited to DirectX 12 (12_1), is better suited for legacy workloads or compute tasks where its 3,584 shading units can be fully utilized. For users who need Metal performance, the Vega 56 is the only option in this comparison.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies from different eras. The Intel Arc A730M uses the DG2-512 chip built on TSMC's 6 nm process, featuring the Xe-HPG architecture from the Alchemist generation (Arc 7 Mobile). In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 uses the Vega 10 chip on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process, based on the older GCN 5.0 architecture from the Vega generation.

The transistor counts tell a story of density versus scale. The Intel chip packs 21,700 million transistors into a 406 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 53.4 million per square millimeter. The AMD chip has 12,500 million transistors on a larger 495 mm² die, giving a much lower density of 25.3 million per square millimeter. This reflects the process node advantage: the 6 nm node allows Intel to pack more than 70% more transistors into a smaller physical area, which directly contributes to the Arc A730M's higher efficiency ratings.

Clock speeds differ significantly. The Arc A730M has a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz, while the Vega 56 runs at 1156 MHz base and 1471 MHz boost. The higher boost clock on the Intel part (nearly 40% higher) is a major factor in its superior rasterization performance, despite having fewer shading units (3072 vs 3584) and fewer texture mapping units (192 vs 224). The Arc A730M compensates with more ROPs (96 vs 64) and much higher pixel and texture fill rates: 196.8 GPixel/s and 393.6 GTexel/s versus 94.14 GPixel/s and 329.5 GTexel/s for the Vega 56.

Memory architectures are completely different. The Arc A730M uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Vega 56 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a massive 2048-bit bus with 409.6 GB/s bandwidth. Despite having less bandwidth, the Intel part benefits from more capacity (12 GB vs 8 GB) and a more modern memory type. The Vega 56's HBM2 advantage in bandwidth is real, but it does not translate into a win in the shared 3DMark test.

Feature sets diverge sharply. The Arc A730M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 56 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The Intel part also includes 24 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the AMD GPU. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Arc A730M uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Vega 56 uses the older PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark shared between the two GPUs is the 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, and the result is unambiguous. The Intel Arc A730M scores 1732, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 1501. This gives the Intel part a 15.4% victory, a significant margin in a modern DirectX 12 workload. The Steel Nomad test is designed to stress modern GPU features, including mesh shaders and advanced rasterization, which aligns with the Arc A730M's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and higher boost clock.

The Vega 56's lack of a DirectX 12_2 feature set likely contributes to this deficit. Its older GCN architecture, while still capable, cannot leverage the same hardware acceleration paths available to the Xe-HPG architecture. The 15.4% delta is consistent with the difference in average benchmark scores between the two cards (21.5% in favor of Intel), though the head-to-head gap is slightly narrower.

In the compute-oriented tests, the picture is more nuanced. The Vega 56 scores 73,512 in Geekbench Metal, which is its best recorded result. The Arc A730M's best compute scores are 70,352 in Geekbench OpenCL and 64,693 in Geekbench Vulkan. While these are different APIs and not directly comparable, the Vega 56's Metal score is higher than the Arc A730M's OpenCL score by 4.5%, suggesting that the AMD card retains a compute advantage in certain ecosystems. However, the Arc A730M's Vulkan score is respectable and indicates solid cross-platform performance.

The win count in the head-to-head comparison is 1-0 in favor of the Arc A730M, but this only reflects the shared 3DMark test. The database records no direct OpenCL or Vulkan comparison between the two, so the full picture requires considering the average scores and percentile rankings. The Arc A730M's average of 45,592 versus the Vega 56's 37,507 is the more representative metric for overall performance.

Specification Differences

The table below highlights only the fields where the two GPUs differ, based on the recorded data.

| Specification | Intel Arc A730M | AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 |

|---------------|-----------------|----------------------|

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | GCN 5.0 |

| Generation | Alchemist (Arc 7 Mobile) | Vega (RX Vega) |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 21,700 million | 12,500 million |

| Die Size | 406 mm² | 495 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 53.4M / mm² | 25.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1100 MHz | 1156 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2050 MHz | 1471 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM2 |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 2048 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.0 GB/s | 409.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3072 | 3584 |

| TMUs | 192 | 224 |

| ROPs | 96 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 24 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 196.8 GPixel/s | 94.14 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 393.6 GTexel/s | 329.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 12.60 TFLOPS | 10.54 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 25.19 TFLOPS (2:1) | 21.09 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 80 W | 210 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 550 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Version | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Version | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Dimensions | Not specified | 280 mm x 111 mm x 40 mm |

| Release Date | Not specified | 2017-08-13 |

| Launch MSRP | None | 399 USD |

The most striking differences are the process node (6 nm vs 14 nm), boost clock (2050 MHz vs 1471 MHz), TDP (80 W vs 210 W), and memory configuration. The Arc A730M is dramatically more power-efficient, consuming 62% less power while delivering higher FP32 throughput (12.60 vs 10.54 TFLOPS). The Vega 56's HBM2 memory provides higher bandwidth (409.6 vs 336.0 GB/s), but at the cost of lower capacity (8 GB vs 12 GB).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in DirectX 12 gaming?

A: The Intel Arc A730M wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test with a score of 1732 versus 1501 for the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, a 15.4% advantage. This is the only shared benchmark in the database.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 have any performance advantage?

A: Yes, in the Geekbench Metal test, the Vega 56 scores 73,512, which is higher than the Arc A730M's best compute scores (70,352 OpenCL, 64,693 Vulkan). However, these are different APIs, so a direct comparison is not possible.

Q: Why does the Arc A730M have a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Arc A730M records an average score of 45,592 across all benchmarks, compared to 37,507 for the Vega 56. This 21.5% gap reflects the Intel part's stronger performance in modern workloads, including its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and higher boost clocks.

Q: What are the memory differences between the two?

A: The Arc A730M has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 56 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 409.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 56 offers higher bandwidth, but the Arc A730M provides 50% more capacity.

Q: Which GPU supports hardware ray tracing?

A: Only the Intel Arc A730M includes 24 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 has no RT cores, and its DirectX 12 (12_1) support does not include the ray tracing features of DirectX 12 Ultimate.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The Arc A730M has a TDP of 80 W and requires no external power connectors, making it suitable for integrated or mobile designs. The Vega 56 has a TDP of 210 W, needs two 8-pin power connectors, and recommends a 550 W power supply.

The Verdict

The data strongly favors the Intel Arc A730M for modern gaming and general GPU workloads. Its 15.4% win in the shared 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, combined with a 21.5% higher average benchmark score, establishes it as the more capable card in this comparison. The Arc A730M also brings hardware ray tracing, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and a significantly lower TDP of 80 W versus 210 W, making it the logical choice for laptop or compact system builders.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 still has a niche for users who prioritize Metal compute performance. Its 73,512 Geekbench Metal score is the highest recorded result among the two cards, and its 409.6 GB/s memory bandwidth remains impressive. However, its older GCN architecture, lack of ray tracing, and higher power draw place it at a clear disadvantage in the areas that matter most for current-generation software.

For a user building a new system or upgrading a laptop GPU, the Arc A730M is the recommended pick based on the recorded measurements. For someone with existing Vega-compatible workflows, particularly in Metal-based applications, the Vega 56 remains a viable compute accelerator, but it cannot match the Intel part in DirectX 12 scenarios. The percentile rankings (84th vs 81st) confirm that both cards sit in similar overall tiers, but the Arc A730M's higher average score and architectural advantages make it the stronger all-around performer.