GPU Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT and Intel Arc A730M are two very different graphics processors that nevertheless land in nearly the same performance tier. The aggregate benchmark data places the AMD part at an average score of 45642, while the Intel Arc A730M sits at 45592, a negligible 0.1% difference. This statistical dead heat, however, conceals a dramatic divergence in how each GPU performs across individual workloads, with the Intel part showing a substantial lead in the cross-platform compute tests where both were measured.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between these two cards is limited to two benchmark suites, and in both, the Intel Arc A730M decisively outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Intel GPU scored 70352 against AMD's 41772, resulting in a 40.6% advantage for the Intel part. This is not a marginal victory; it is a commanding lead that indicates a fundamentally different level of raw compute throughput in this particular API environment.

The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story. The Intel Arc A730M achieved a score of 64693, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT managed 39601. The delta here is 38.8% in favor of Intel. While this is slightly smaller than the OpenCL gap, it still represents a massive performance differential. These results suggest that for any application that leverages these cross-platform compute APIs, the Intel Arc A730M is in a different performance class entirely, despite the near-identical average benchmark scores.

The apparent contradiction between the head-to-head results and the average scores is resolved by understanding that the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has an additional benchmark result in its favor. The AMD card boasts a Geekbench Metal score of 55552, a test that the Intel part does not participate in. This strong Metal performance, likely reflecting its design for Apple's ecosystem, is what pulls its average up to nearly match the Intel GPU, which has no such corresponding high-score anchor. The data shows that the "tie" in average performance is a construct of the different benchmark suites each card was subjected to, rather than a reflection of equal performance in the two tests they share.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the available data, the Intel Arc A730M is the unequivocal winner in any workload that relies on OpenCL or Vulkan. The 40.6% and 38.8% leads, respectively, are significant enough to suggest that compute-heavy tasks, such as rendering, simulation, or machine learning inference that use these APIs, would see a substantial benefit from the Intel solution. Its higher pixel rate of 196.8 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.6 GTexel/s, compared to AMD's 56.22 GPixel/s and 168.7 GTexel/s, further reinforce this narrative of superior raw throughput.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, however, claims a clear victory in the Apple-specific Metal API, where it scores 55552. This is its only benchmark victory, and it is a significant one. For users or applications that are locked into the Metal ecosystem, the AMD card is the only option presented here with any data, and its score is substantial. The data implies that this GPU was designed with a specific platform in mind, and within that platform, it is the clear performer. The Intel Arc A730M has no Metal result to compare, so its capabilities in that environment are unknown.

A use-case split emerges from this data. For a general-purpose, cross-platform compute workload, the Intel Arc A730M is the superior choice by a wide margin. For an Apple-centric workflow where Metal is the primary API, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT is the only viable option and offers a strong score. The wins are not evenly distributed; they are split by API and platform loyalty.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectural philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT uses the Navi 14 chip, based on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, and is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 6,400 million transistors on a die size of 158 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 40.5 million per square millimeter. This is a compact, power-efficient design that prioritizes a specific feature set.

In contrast, the Intel Arc A730M is a much larger and more complex chip. It uses the DG2-512 die, based on the Xe-HPG architecture, built on a more advanced 6 nm process, also at TSMC. This chip packs 21,700 million transistors onto a 406 mm² die, achieving a density of 53.4 million per square millimeter. The sheer scale difference is enormous, with Intel packing well over three times the transistors onto a die that is roughly 2.5 times larger. This scale allows for a much wider execution engine, which is evident in its 3072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, compared to AMD's 1536, 96, and 32, respectively.

The most significant architectural feature difference is the inclusion of 24 ray tracing cores on the Intel Arc A730M, a feature entirely absent from the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT. This is a hardware-level capability for handling ray-traced lighting effects, which the AMD card cannot accelerate in the same manner. Furthermore, the Intel part supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like hardware ray tracing and variable rate shading, while the AMD card is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). The Intel GPU's memory subsystem is also wider, with a 192-bit bus and 12 GB of GDDR6, versus AMD's 128-bit bus and 8 GB.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 45642, compared to the Intel Arc A730M's 45592. This is a difference of only 0.1%.

Q: How much faster is the Intel Arc A730M in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The Intel Arc A730M scored 70352 in the Geekbench OpenCL test, which is 40.6% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT's score of 41772.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT have any benchmark where it wins?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has a Geekbench Metal score of 55552. The Intel Arc A730M does not have a result for this benchmark, so the AMD card is the winner by default in that specific test.

Q: What is the difference in transistor count between the two GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has 21,700 million transistors, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has 6,400 million. This means the Intel chip has significantly more transistors.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A730M support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A730M has 24 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has no ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of each card?

A: The Intel Arc A730M has a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT has a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT | Intel Arc A730M |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Chip | Navi 14 | DG2-512 |

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 6,400 million | 21,700 million |

| Die Size | 158 mm² | 406 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 40.5M / mm² | 53.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1187 MHz | 1100 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1757 MHz | 2050 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 336.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 96 | 192 |

| ROPs | 32 | 96 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 56.22 GPixel/s | 196.8 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 168.7 GTexel/s | 393.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 5.398 TFLOPS | 12.60 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 10.80 TFLOPS (2:1) | 25.19 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 125 W | 80 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

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

The Verdict

The data presents a clear, if nuanced, verdict. For users prioritizing raw cross-platform compute performance in OpenCL or Vulkan, the Intel Arc A730M is the obvious choice. Its 40.6% and 38.8% leads in those respective benchmarks are overwhelming, and its significantly higher pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 throughput of 12.60 TFLOPS versus 5.398 TFLOPS further cement its position as the more powerful compute engine. The presence of 24 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate also make it the more future-proof option for gaming and graphics workloads that leverage those features. The Intel card accomplishes all of this with a lower TDP of 80 W compared to AMD's 125 W, a remarkable efficiency advantage.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, however, has its own specific domain. Its strong Geekbench Metal score of 55552 indicates that it is the superior choice for applications that are optimized for Apple's Metal API. With no display outputs of its own, it is clearly designed to be integrated into a system, and its performance in the Metal environment is its defining characteristic. For a user within that ecosystem, the AMD card is the only one with proven data, and its score is robust. The choice ultimately comes down to the platform and API in question. If the workload is cross-platform, the Intel Arc A730M is the definitive winner. If the workload is Metal-specific, the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT is the only supported and proven option.