Intel HD Graphics 630 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 and the Intel HD Graphics 630 occupy completely different corners of the graphics landscape, and the benchmark data reflects that split. The GTS 450 is a dedicated discrete graphics card built for rendering workloads, while the HD 630 is an integrated processor graphics solution designed for basic display output and light acceleration.

In the only direct head-to-head benchmark recorded in the database, the GeForce GTS 450 wins decisively. On the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTS 450 scores 4893 against the HD 630's 3587, a 36.4% advantage. That is not a marginal gap; it is a clear generational and architectural statement. OpenCL compute performance is where the GTS 450 pulls ahead, and the data shows it does so by a wide margin.

The HD Graphics 630 does not win any of the recorded head-to-head comparisons. However, it posts results in three different benchmark APIs, including a Geekbench Metal score of 5099 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 3540. The GTS 450 has only a single recorded OpenCL result. So while the GTS 450 wins the compute race outright, the HD 630 demonstrates broader API coverage in the database, including support for Vulkan and Metal in testing.

The percentile rankings tell a similar story. The GTS 450 sits at the 28th percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 630 sits at the 24th percentile. Both are near the bottom of the overall performance distribution, but the GTS 450 holds a modest edge in overall standing. The average benchmark score for the GTS 450 is 4893, compared to 4075 for the HD 630, a difference of roughly 20%. For users who need dedicated compute throughput, the GTS 450 is the clear pick. For users who need an integrated solution with zero additional hardware, the HD 630 is the only one of the two that can exist inside a CPU package.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two parts is enormous, and it explains nearly every performance difference in the database. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 uses the GF106 chip, built on the Fermi architecture from the GeForce 400 generation. It is manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with 1,170 million transistors packed into a 238 mm² die. That works out to a transistor density of 4.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The HD Graphics 630, by contrast, uses the Kaby Lake GT2 chip, built on Intel's Generation 9.5 architecture from the HD Graphics (Kaby Lake) family. It is manufactured on Intel's 14 nm++ process, and the database lists no transistor count or die size for the integrated part.

The memory systems are fundamentally different. The GTS 450 has 1024 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 57.73 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 630 uses system shared memory, with a system-dependent bus width and system-dependent bandwidth. That distinction matters enormously for compute workloads, because the GTS 450 never has to contend with the CPU for memory access. The HD 630's memory clock is listed as "System Shared" as well, meaning its performance scales with the host platform's RAM speed rather than a fixed specification.

Shader resources are closer than one might expect. Both parts have 192 shading units. The GTS 450 has 32 texture mapping units and 16 raster output units, while the HD 630 has 24 TMUs and only 3 ROPs. That ROP disparity is stark: the GTS 450 delivers 6.264 GPixel/s of pixel fill rate versus 3.000 GPixel/s for the HD 630, more than double. Texture rate is nearly identical, at 25.06 GTexel/s for the GTS 450 and 24.00 GTexel/s for the HD 630. FP32 compute is 601.3 GFLOPS for the GTS 450 versus 384.0 GFLOPS for the HD 630. The HD 630 does have a 768.0 GFLOPS FP16 rate at 2:1 ratio, a feature the GTS 450 lacks entirely.

Clock behavior also differs. The GTS 450 has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 902 MHz, which translates to 3.6 Gbps effective. The HD 630 has a base clock of 350 MHz and a boost clock of 1000 MHz. Power consumption is a chasm: the GTS 450 has a 106 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, and needs a 1x 6-pin power connector with a 300 W suggested PSU. The HD 630 has a 15 W TDP, is an IGP with no power connectors, and needs no suggested PSU at all. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 for the GTS 450 and Ring Bus for the HD 630.

API support favors the integrated part. The HD 630 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and has no listed Vulkan support. Both parts are end-of-life. The GTS 450 launched on September 12, 2010, with a launch MSRP of 129 USD. The HD 630 launched on August 29, 2016, with no listed launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 is significantly faster. In the recorded Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTS 450 scores 4893 compared to 3587 for the HD Graphics 630, giving the NVIDIA card a 36.4% advantage.

Q: Does the Intel HD Graphics 630 support Vulkan, and does the GTS 450?

A: The HD 630 supports Vulkan 1.3, and the database records a Geekbench Vulkan score of 3540 for the integrated part. The GTS 450 has no Vulkan support listed and no Vulkan benchmark recorded.

Q: How do the two compare in overall GPU percentile rankings?

A: The GTS 450 ranks at the 28th percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 630 ranks at the 24th percentile. Their average benchmark scores are 4893 and 4075, respectively.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: They have the same number of shading units. Both the GTS 450 and the HD 630 feature 192 shading units, though the GTS 450 has 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs, while the HD 630 has 24 TMUs and 3 ROPs.

Q: What is the power consumption difference between these two?

A: The GTS 450 has a 106 W TDP and requires a dual-slot cooler plus a 1x 6-pin power connector. The HD 630 has a 15 W TDP and is an integrated graphics processor with no power connectors needed.

Q: Which GPU has better pixel fill rate?

A: The GTS 450 has more than double the pixel rate of the HD 630. The NVIDIA card delivers 6.264 GPixel/s, while the Intel part delivers 3.000 GPixel/s.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ across nearly every specification category in the database. The GTS 450 uses the GF106 chip on a 40 nm TSMC process with 1,170 million transistors and a 238 mm² die size. The HD 630 uses the Kaby Lake GT2 chip on Intel's 14 nm++ process, with no transistor count or die size listed. The GTS 450 has a 106 W TDP and requires a dual-slot cooler, a 1x 6-pin power connector, and a 300 W suggested PSU. The HD 630 has a 15 W TDP, is an IGP, requires no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU.

Memory configurations are entirely different. The GTS 450 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus and 57.73 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 630 uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. The GTS 450 has a memory clock of 902 MHz, translating to 3.6 Gbps effective. The HD 630 has no dedicated memory clock.

Clock speeds differ in structure. The GTS 450 has no base or boost clock listed, while the HD 630 has a 350 MHz base and 1000 MHz boost. The GTS 450 has 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs; the HD 630 has 24 TMUs and 3 ROPs. Pixel rate is 6.264 GPixel/s for the GTS 450 versus 3.000 GPixel/s for the HD 630. Texture rate is 25.06 GTexel/s versus 24.00 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 601.3 GFLOPS versus 384.0 GFLOPS. The HD 630 adds 768.0 GFLOPS FP16 at 2:1 ratio, which the GTS 450 does not offer.

Bus interface, display outputs, and API support also diverge. The GTS 450 uses PCIe 2.0 x16 with 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs. The HD 630 uses Ring Bus with motherboard-dependent display outputs. The GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and no Vulkan. The HD 630 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTS 450 measures 210 mm in length and 111 mm in height; the HD 630 has no listed dimensions. Release dates differ by roughly six years, with the GTS 450 launching in 2010 and the HD 630 in 2016.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains exactly one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs, and it is a lopsided contest. On Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893 against the Intel HD Graphics 630's 3587. That is a 36.4% delta in favor of the NVIDIA card. In practical terms, the GTS 450 delivers compute throughput that the integrated Intel solution cannot approach, which aligns with the architectural differences: 601.3 GFLOPS of FP32 performance versus 384.0 GFLOPS, and 57.73 GB/s of dedicated memory bandwidth versus a system-shared pool.

The GTS 450's nearest rivals in the database help contextualize its score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB scores 4901, just 0.2% higher. The AMD FirePro W5130M scores 4904, also 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon R6 M255DX scores 4867, which is 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon R7 M265 scores 4929, which is 0.7% higher. The GTS 450 sits in a tight cluster of GPUs all scoring within a point or so of 4900, which is remarkable for a part from the Fermi generation.

The HD 630's nearest rivals tell a different story. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB scores 4093, which is 0.4% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M scores 1% higher at 4033. The AMD FirePro M4150 scores 1.5% higher at 4013. The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M scores 1.5% higher at 4151, which is 1.1% higher than 4093. These deltas show the HD 630 landing in a similar 4000-point class, roughly 20% below the GTS 450's level.

The wins tally confirms the analysis: one win for the GTS 450, zero wins for the HD 630. There is no recorded contest where the Intel part comes out ahead. The HD 630 does post a Metal score of 5099 in the database, which is higher than 4893, and a Vulkan score of 3540, but neither of which appears in a head-to-head comparison with the GTS 450. The OpenCL result is the only direct comparison, and it belongs to NVIDIA by a wide margin.