Intel HD Graphics P530 vs NVIDIA GeForce 930A Comparison

The Verdict

The data is clear: the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is the faster GPU in this comparison. In the only head-to-head benchmark recorded, Geekbench OpenCL, the 930A scores 5317 against the Intel HD Graphics P530's 4549, a 16.9% advantage. This is a decisive margin, not a narrow one.

For anyone choosing between these two, the decision hinges on the platform. The GeForce 930A is a discrete-class IGP solution aimed at portable devices, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 is an integrated processor graphics solution tied to the motherboard. If you are building or buying a system where the GPU is already fixed, the choice is made for you. But if you are selecting between two laptops that differ only in their graphics solution, the data favors the NVIDIA part outright.

The 930A also sits in a slightly higher performance percentile overall: 31st percentile versus 26th for the Intel. Neither is a high-end part by any stretch, but the NVIDIA chip is consistently a step above in compute workloads. The Intel part does offer a Vulkan benchmark score of 4571, but that test was not run on the 930A, so a direct comparison in that API is not possible from the recorded data.

The practical verdict: pick the GeForce 930A for raw performance, pick the Intel HD Graphics P530 only if you need lower power draw (15 W versus 33 W) or if the system integration demands it.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A scores 5317 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 16.9% higher than the Intel HD Graphics P530's 4549 in the same test.

Q: Does the Intel part have any benchmark where it wins?

A: No. In the head-to-head benchmarks recorded, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A wins 1 test and the Intel HD Graphics P530 wins 0 tests. The Intel does have a separate Vulkan score of 4571, but the NVIDIA part was not run in that test.

Q: How do these two compare in power consumption?

A: The Intel HD Graphics P530 is rated at 15 W TDP, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is rated at 33 W TDP. The Intel part draws less than half the power.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU?

A: For the GeForce 930A, the closest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (5322, 0.1% higher), the GeForce GTX 980M (5308, 0.2% lower), and the GeForce 940M (5284, 0.6% lower). For the Intel HD Graphics P530, the closest are the AMD Radeon RX 560 (4569, 0.2% higher), the Radeon R5 M230 (4577, 0.4% higher), and the AMD FirePro W4190M (4505, 1.2% lower).

Q: Which GPU has the better API support?

A: The Intel HD Graphics P530 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930A supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The GeForce 930A has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 16.02 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel HD Graphics P530 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A is built on the Maxwell architecture using the GM108 chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,020 million transistors into a 77 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. This is a discrete-oriented design with dedicated memory and its own power delivery.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 uses the Skylake GT2 chip under Intel's Generation 9.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm+ process at Intel. Its die size is 123 mm², which is larger than the NVIDIA chip, but it has no standalone transistor count recorded. The Intel part is an integrated solution, sharing system memory and relying on a ring bus interface rather than a PCIe connection.

The shading resources differ significantly. The GeForce 930A has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation units. The Intel HD Graphics P530 has 192 shading units, 16 TMUs, and only 3 ROPs. That is half the shaders, two-thirds the TMUs, and a fraction of the ROPs. These structural differences explain most of the performance gap.

Clock behavior also diverges. The NVIDIA part runs at a 928 MHz base clock with a 941 MHz boost, staying within a tight range. The Intel part starts at 350 MHz base and boosts to 1000 MHz, a much wider dynamic range typical of integrated graphics that scale with thermal and power headroom.

Feature support differs in the API layer. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), which is a higher feature level than the NVIDIA's DirectX 12 (11_0). The NVIDIA part supports Vulkan 1.4 versus Intel's 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Specification Differences

The recorded data shows several spec fields where the two GPUs differ.

• Process Node: NVIDIA uses 28 nm, Intel uses 14 nm+
• Transistors: NVIDIA has 1,020 million, Intel has no recorded figure
• Die Size: NVIDIA is 77 mm², Intel is 123 mm²
• Base Clock: NVIDIA is 928 MHz, Intel is 350 MHz
• Boost Clock: NVIDIA is 941 MHz, Intel is 1000 MHz
• Memory Size: NVIDIA has 2 GB dedicated, Intel uses system shared
• Memory Type: NVIDIA uses DDR3, Intel uses system shared
• Memory Bus: NVIDIA is 64 bit, Intel is system shared
• Memory Bandwidth: NVIDIA is 16.02 GB/s, Intel is system dependent
• Shading Units: NVIDIA has 384, Intel has 192
• TMUs: NVIDIA has 24, Intel has 16
• ROPs: NVIDIA has 8, Intel has 3
• Pixel Rate: NVIDIA is 7.528 GPixel/s, Intel is 3.000 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: NVIDIA is 22.58 GTexel/s, Intel is 16.00 GTexel/s
• FP32: NVIDIA is 722.7 GFLOPS, Intel is 384.0 GFLOPS
• FP16: NVIDIA has no recorded figure, Intel is 768.0 GFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: NVIDIA is 33 W, Intel is 15 W
• Bus Interface: NVIDIA is PCIe 3.0 x8, Intel is ring bus
• Display Outputs: NVIDIA is portable device dependent, Intel is motherboard dependent
• DirectX Support: NVIDIA is 12 (11_0), Intel is 12 (12_1)
• Vulkan Support: NVIDIA is 1.4, Intel is 1.3
• Release Date: NVIDIA is March 2015, Intel is August 2015

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and it favors the NVIDIA GeForce 930A clearly. The NVIDIA part posts 5317 points, while the Intel HD Graphics P530 manages 4549 points. That is a 16.9% delta in favor of the NVIDIA chip.

To put that in perspective, look at the nearest rivals for each part. The GeForce 930A sits within 0.8% of the GeForce 940M, within 0.2% of the GeForce GTX 980M, and within 0.1% of the GeForce 840M. The Intel HD Graphics P530 is within 1.3% of the Quadro M3000M and within 0.4% of the Radeon R5 M230. The performance tier difference between the two is roughly the gap between a mid-range mobile NVIDIA part and a low-end integrated solution.

The NVIDIA part also wins on raw throughput metrics. Its pixel rate of 7.528 GPixel/s is more than double the Intel's 3.000 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 22.58 GTexel/s beats Intel's 16.00 GTexel/s by over 40%. Its FP32 compute of 722.7 GFLOPS nearly doubles Intel's 384.0 GFLOPS. These figures align with the benchmark result and confirm that the 930A is the stronger compute part across the board.

The Intel part does have one interesting advantage: FP16 performance. It records 768.0 GFLOPS in FP16 (at a 2:1 ratio), while the NVIDIA part has no FP16 figure recorded. This suggests the Intel part may handle half-precision workloads differently, but without a benchmark test to confirm real-world impact, it remains a specification note rather than a proven win.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A wins in every measured category that matters for traditional GPU workloads. It takes the OpenCL benchmark, has higher pixel and texture rates, more shading units, more ROPs, and dedicated memory with its own bandwidth. This makes it the clear choice for any application that relies on fill rate, texture throughput, or general compute performance. The 16.9% benchmark lead over the Intel part is consistent with its 2x advantage in pixel rate and 1.9x advantage in FP32 compute.

The Intel HD Graphics P530 wins in power efficiency and API feature level. At 15 W TDP, it uses less than half the power of the NVIDIA part's 33 W. This makes it the better option for fanless designs, ultra-portable systems, or any scenario where battery life takes priority over graphics performance. It also supports DirectX 12 (12_1), a higher feature level than the NVIDIA's 11_0, which may matter for specific modern games or applications that require those features. Its Vulkan 1.3 support is a step behind NVIDIA's 1.4, but it is still a modern API.

For the FP16-capable workloads, the Intel part has a raw specification advantage with 768.0 GFLOPS, though no benchmark confirms whether this translates into real performance. The system shared memory architecture means the Intel part can scale with the host system's memory capacity and bandwidth, which could be an advantage in memory-heavy scenarios, but the recorded bandwidth is system dependent and not directly comparable to the NVIDIA's fixed 16.02 GB/s.

The practical split: choose the GeForce 930A for gaming, rendering, or any GPU-bound task. Choose the Intel HD Graphics P530 for low-power systems, or when you specifically need DirectX 12_1 feature support. The data does not support any other conclusion.