Intel HD Graphics 630 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M Comparison

Intel HD Graphics 630 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but they come from very different eras and design philosophies. The Intel part is a modern integrated GPU built into Kaby Lake processors, while the GT 740M is a dedicated entry-level discrete GPU from NVIDIA’s Kepler generation. The benchmark data shows a surprisingly close contest, with each card taking one win in the two shared tests, but the underlying specifications tell a story of trade-offs between power efficiency and raw throughput.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are split exactly one win apiece, making this a genuinely competitive pairing rather than a one-sided rout. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M posts a score of 3974 against Intel’s 3587, giving the discrete card a 9.7% advantage. This is the larger margin of the two tests, and it reflects the GT 740M’s dedicated memory and higher shader count. The Intel HD Graphics 630 counters in Geekbench Vulkan, scoring 3540 versus 3459, a 2.3% lead. That is a narrow victory, but it is a meaningful one because it shows the Intel part handles modern low-level APIs competitively despite its integrated nature.

Looking at the broader picture, the average benchmark scores confirm the closeness. Intel HD Graphics 630 averages 4075 across all its tests, while the GT 740M averages 3717. That 358-point gap translates to the Intel card sitting at the 24th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the GT 740M’s 22nd percentile. In practical terms, both are firmly in entry-level territory, but the Intel part’s higher average is buoyed by its Geekbench Metal score of 5099, a test the NVIDIA card does not have a result for. If you only compare the two overlapping tests, the GT 740M wins OpenCL by a meaningful margin, while Intel wins Vulkan by a small one.

The nearest rival data adds context. Intel’s average score of 4075 is only 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB (4093) and 1.5% ahead of the AMD FirePro M4150 (4013). It also sits 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M (4033). The GT 740M’s average of 3717 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Quadro 3000M (3718, 0% delta) and 0.6% ahead of the GeForce 825M (3694). These figures suggest the Intel part performs like a slightly older mid-range discrete GPU, while the GT 740M performs like a newer but lower-tier discrete part.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split decision. If your workload is OpenCL-heavy, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M is the stronger choice, delivering a 9.7% higher score in that specific test. The GT 740M also has a higher average benchmark score than the Intel part in the tests they share, despite Intel’s overall average being inflated by its Metal result. For users running OpenCL applications—which includes many compute tasks and older game engines—the discrete card’s 384 shading units and 32 texture mapping units provide a real advantage.

However, if you are working with Vulkan-based applications or games, the Intel HD Graphics 630 is the better pick. Its 2.3% lead in Geekbench Vulkan, combined with its substantially lower power draw, makes it the more practical choice for sustained mobile use. The Intel part also supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, whereas the GT 740M maxes out at DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. For modern API adoption, Intel is ahead.

The verdict depends on your priorities. For raw compute throughput in OpenCL, choose the GT 740M. For a balanced integrated solution that handles Vulkan well and uses a fraction of the power, choose the Intel HD Graphics 630. Neither card is a gaming powerhouse—both sit below the 25th percentile of all GPUs—but they serve different niches in legacy and light-duty systems.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M wins with a score of 3974, beating the Intel HD Graphics 630’s 3587 by 9.7%.

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The Intel HD Graphics 630 wins with a score of 3540, edging out the GT 740M’s 3459 by 2.3%.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two?

A: The Intel HD Graphics 630 has an average benchmark score of 4075, while the GT 740M averages 3717. The Intel part is higher overall, but it includes a Geekbench Metal result that the NVIDIA card lacks.

Q: How do their API supports differ?

A: The Intel HD Graphics 630 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GT 740M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175.

Q: What memory configurations do they use?

A: The Intel HD Graphics 630 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. The GT 740M has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The Intel HD Graphics 630 has a TDP of 15 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M has a TDP of 33 W. The Intel part draws less than half the power.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ fundamentally in their memory and interface setups. The Intel HD Graphics 630 uses system-shared memory for both size and type, with bandwidth that is system dependent. The GT 740M has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering a fixed 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. This dedicated memory is a key reason the NVIDIA card wins in OpenCL, as it does not compete with the CPU for bandwidth.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. The Intel part runs at a base of 350 MHz with a boost of 1000 MHz, while the GT 740M runs at a base of 980 MHz and boosts to 1033 MHz. The GT 740M’s higher base clock gives it a consistent performance floor, even if the boost clocks are similar. The memory clock is another divider: Intel’s is system shared, while the GT 740M runs at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective speed.

The bus interface separates them further. Intel uses a Ring Bus (integrated into the CPU), while NVIDIA uses PCIe 3.0 x8 as an MXM module. The slot width reflects this: Intel is an IGP, meaning it is soldered into the motherboard, while the GT 740M is a removable MXM module. Display outputs are motherboard dependent for Intel and portable device dependent for NVIDIA, so neither has a fixed set of connectors.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is wide. The Intel HD Graphics 630 is built on a 14 nm++ process by Intel, using the Generation 9.5 architecture from the Kaby Lake generation. The GT 740M uses NVIDIA’s Kepler 2.0 architecture on a 28 nm process fabricated by TSMC. The process node difference is significant—14 nm++ versus 28 nm—which explains why Intel can fit its GPU into a 15 W TDP while NVIDIA needs 33 W.

Compute resources favor the NVIDIA card in raw numbers. The GT 740M has 384 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, while the Intel part has 192 shading units, 24 TMUs, and only 3 ROPs. This translates to higher fill rates: the GT 740M achieves 8.264 GPixel/s pixel rate and 33.06 GTexel/s texture rate, versus Intel’s 3.000 GPixel/s and 24.00 GTexel/s. FP32 performance also favors NVIDIA at 793.3 GFLOPS versus Intel’s 384.0 GFLOPS. Interestingly, the Intel part has an FP16 rate of 768.0 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the GT 740M lists no FP16 capability.

The GT 740M is built on a 1,020 million transistor die measuring 87 mm², with a transistor density of 11.7M per mm². Intel does not list transistor count or die size in the data. The GT 740M’s predecessor is the GeForce 600M and its successor is the GeForce 800M, while the Intel part has no listed predecessor or successor. Both support OpenGL 4.6, but Intel’s Vulkan 1.3 support is newer than NVIDIA’s 1.2.175.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel HD Graphics 630 wins in Vulkan-based workloads, taking a 2.3% lead in that benchmark. It also wins on power efficiency with a 15 W TDP versus 33 W, making it the clear choice for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermals matter. The Intel part also has the higher overall average benchmark score (4075 versus 3717), driven partly by its Geekbench Metal score of 5099, which the GT 740M cannot match. For users running Metal applications on a compatible system, the Intel card is the only option here.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M wins in OpenCL compute, with a 9.7% advantage that is the largest margin in any shared test. Its 384 shading units and 8 ROPs give it a raw throughput advantage that shows up in fill-rate-limited tasks. The dedicated 2 GB of DDR3 memory also makes it more reliable for workloads that need consistent memory bandwidth without competing with the system. For legacy OpenCL applications or games from the GT 740M’s era, the discrete card is the stronger performer.

The split comes down to API preference and system constraints. If you are locked into an Intel platform without a discrete GPU slot, the HD Graphics 630 is the only choice, and it handles Vulkan competently. If you have an MXM slot and need OpenCL performance, the GT 740M is the better part despite its higher power draw. Neither card will impress in modern AAA titles, but for light gaming, media playback, and compute tasks from their respective eras, each has a distinct edge. The data does not declare a single winner—it declares two different winners for two different use cases.