Intel HD Graphics P4600 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 and Intel HD Graphics P4600 sit at nearly the same performance level, but the data clearly favors the discrete card. Based on the average benchmark scores, the GT 740 scores 3431, which is only 1.2% higher than the HD Graphics P4600's 3389. In the single available head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL), the GT 740 wins decisively with a 13.5% advantage. The GT 740 is the choice for anyone needing a dedicated, self-contained graphics solution with higher raw throughput, while the P4600 only makes sense as an integrated fallback where no expansion slot is available.

The Verdict

The GT 740 is the faster part in every measured scenario. Its average benchmark score of 3431 places it at the 21st percentile of all GPUs, while the P4600's 3389 places it at the 20th percentile. The delta between them is small in aggregate — just 1.2% — but the head-to-head OpenCL result shows a much larger 13.5% gap in favor of the GT 740. The P4600's only benchmark entry (OpenCL at 3389) is actually lower than the GT 740's OpenCL score of 3847, meaning the integrated part never wins a single test.

For a user building a system with a spare PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, the GT 740 is the obvious pick: it delivers higher performance, has its own 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, and offers a broader API set including Vulkan 1.2.175 and OpenGL 4.6. The P4600 is an integrated processor graphics solution that shares system memory and depends on the motherboard for outputs; it is only relevant if the system lacks a dedicated slot or if power draw must be minimized. The GT 740's 64 W TDP is lower than the P4600's 84 W TDP, so even on power efficiency, the discrete card wins. Neither part is competitive by modern standards — both sit in the bottom 21st percentile — but between these two, the GT 740 is the clear recommendation.

Where Each One Wins

The GT 740 wins in every benchmark category where both have data. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GT 740 scores 3847 versus the P4600's 3389, a 13.5% margin. The GT 740 also holds a higher average benchmark score (3431 vs 3389) and a better percentile rank (21st vs 20th). The GT 740's advantage comes from its architecture: it has 384 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, compared to the P4600's 160 shading units, 20 TMUs, and only 2 ROPs. The pixel rate of the GT 740 is 7.944 GPixel/s, more than three times the P4600's 2.400 GPixel/s. Texture rate favors the GT 740 at 31.78 GTexel/s versus 24.00 GTexel/s.

The P4600 has no benchmark wins at all. Its sole advantage is in availability and integration: it requires no power connector, uses the system's Ring Bus interface, and its memory is system-shared, so there are no dedicated VRAM costs. The P4600 also has a higher base clock configuration with a 350 MHz base and 1200 MHz boost, but that does not translate into any performance win. For workloads that are heavily dependent on pixel fill rate or ROP throughput, the GT 740 is overwhelmingly superior — its 16 ROPs versus 2 ROPs is a structural advantage that no clock speed can overcome.

Architecture Differences

The GT 740 is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture using the GK107 chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,270 million transistors on a 118 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 10.8M per mm². The P4600 uses Intel's Generation 7.5 architecture (Haswell GT2) on a 22 nm process at Intel, but the fact pack lists no transistor count or die size, making direct density comparisons impossible. The GT 740 has a fully independent memory subsystem: 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 80.19 GB/s bandwidth. The P4600 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, which is a fundamental architectural disadvantage.

Compute resources differ sharply. The GT 740 has 384 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, producing 762.6 GFLOPS of FP32 performance. The P4600 has 160 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 2 ROPs, yielding only 384.0 GFLOPS. The GT 740's pixel rate is 7.944 GPixel/s versus 2.400 GPixel/s for the P4600, and its texture rate is 31.78 GTexel/s versus 24.00 GTexel/s. The GT 740 also has a higher memory clock at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the P4600's memory clock is not applicable due to system sharing. API support differs: the GT 740 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175, while the P4600 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.3, and Vulkan 1.0. The GT 740's newer Vulkan and OpenGL versions are notable for compatibility with modern titles.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 has an average benchmark score of 3431, which is 1.2% higher than the Intel HD Graphics P4600's 3389.

Q: How much faster is the GT 740 in the head-to-head OpenCL test?

A: The GT 740 scores 3847 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the P4600's 3389, a 13.5% advantage.

Q: Does the Intel HD Graphics P4600 have any dedicated memory?

A: No. The P4600 uses system-shared memory with a system-dependent bandwidth, whereas the GT 740 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 80.19 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GT 740 has 384 shading units, compared to the P4600's 160 shading units.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GT 740 has a TDP of 64 W, while the P4600 has a TDP of 84 W, making the GT 740 more power-efficient.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The GT 740 supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the P4600 only supports Vulkan 1.0.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the GT 740 wins it by a wide margin. The GT 740 scores 3847, while the P4600 scores 3389, resulting in a 13.5% delta. This is a significant gap in raw compute throughput, driven by the GT 740's 384 shading units versus 160, and its 762.6 GFLOPS versus 384.0 GFLOPS. The GT 740's texture rate advantage is smaller but still clear: 31.78 GTexel/s versus 24.00 GTexel/s. The most dramatic difference is in pixel rate: 7.944 GPixel/s versus 2.400 GPixel/s, a 3.3x advantage for the GT 740, which directly stems from its 16 ROPs versus 2 ROPs.

In the aggregate benchmark averages, the GT 740 again leads, but by a much smaller margin: 3431 versus 3389, a delta of just 1.2%. This suggests that the P4600 is closer in some workloads, but the fact pack provides no additional tests to confirm that. The GT 740 also has a slightly better percentile rank at 21% versus 20%, meaning it outperforms 1% more of all GPUs. The P4600's nearest rival list includes the GT 740 at a -1.2% delta, confirming that the GT 740 is the reference point for this integrated part. No benchmark shows the P4600 winning; the data is unanimous in favor of the GT 740.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 | Intel HD Graphics P4600 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | Generation 7.5 (Haswell GT2) |

| Process Node | 28 nm (TSMC) | 22 nm (Intel) |

| Transistors | 1,270 million | Not listed |

| Die Size | 118 mm² | Not listed |

| Shading Units | 384 | 160 |

| TMUs | 32 | 20 |

| ROPs | 16 | 2 |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 80.19 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Memory Clock | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | System Shared |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 350 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1200 MHz |

| Pixel Rate | 7.944 GPixel/s | 2.400 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 31.78 GTexel/s | 24.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 762.6 GFLOPS | 384.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 64 W | 84 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | Ring Bus |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a | Motherboard Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.3 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.0 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2014-05-28 | 2013-05-31 |

| Launch MSRP | 89 USD | Not listed |

The GT 740 is a discrete card with its own VRAM and power delivery, while the P4600 is an integrated processor graphics solution. The GT 740 has more of every compute resource: shading units (384 vs 160), TMUs (32 vs 20), and ROPs (16 vs 2). Its memory bandwidth of 80.19 GB/s is a fixed value, whereas the P4600's bandwidth is system-dependent. The GT 740 also has a lower TDP (64 W vs 84 W) despite being a separate card, and it offers a newer Vulkan version (1.2.175 vs 1.0) and a newer OpenGL version (4.6 vs 4.3). The P4600's only advantages are its 22 nm process node, its higher base and boost clocks (350 MHz / 1200 MHz), and its DirectX 12 (11_1) support, which is one minor revision ahead of the GT 740's DirectX 12 (11_0).