Intel HD Graphics P530 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark split between the Intel HD Graphics P530 and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M is unusually clean: each part takes one major workload category, and the margins are substantial in both directions. In OpenCL compute, the Intel HD Graphics P530 posts 4549 points against 3580 for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M, a 27.1% advantage that represents the largest single-test gap in this comparison. That is not a marginal win; it is a decisive lead in general-purpose GPU compute workloads that scale well across Intel's execution resources.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M answers in Vulkan, where it scores 5502 against Intel's 4571. That is a 16.9% swing in the opposite direction, and it indicates that the Kepler-based part handles the lower-level, driver-tuned API workload more efficiently. The data suggests that the GT 745M is the better choice for modern graphics API workloads, particularly those that lean heavily on Vulkan's explicit control model. The Intel part's Vulkan result, while lower, is still respectable, but the gap is large enough to matter in real-world Vulkan titles.

Looking at the broader database context, the Intel HD Graphics P530 sits at the 26th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 4560. Its nearest rivals in the database are separated by fractions of a percent: the AMD Radeon RX 560 averages 4569 (0.2% faster), the AMD Radeon R5 M230 averages 4577 (0.4% faster), the AMD FirePro W4190M averages 4505 (1.2% slower), and the NVIDIA Quadro M3000M averages 4621 (1.3% faster). This places the P530 in a remarkably tight performance cluster where a single test result can reorder the rankings.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M, by contrast, averages 3953 across its benchmark suite, placing it at the 23rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are equally tightly grouped: the AMD Radeon R5 M420 averages 3956 (0.1% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce 830M averages 3957 (0.1% faster), the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 averages 3964 (0.3% faster), and the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D averages 3930 (0.6% slower). The GT 745M's average is dragged down by its weak OpenCL result, but its Vulkan score is the single highest recorded number in either part's benchmark list.

The use-case split is therefore clear. Compute-heavy workloads, OpenCL-based applications, and anything that stresses raw FP32 throughput favor the Intel HD Graphics P530. Graphics rendering, Vulkan-based games, and applications that benefit from dedicated GDDR5 memory bandwidth favor the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M. The GT 745M also benefits from having a full 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which removes the system-memory contention that the Intel part must tolerate.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different foundries, different process nodes, and fundamentally different design philosophies. The Intel HD Graphics P530 is built on Intel's 14 nm+ process and uses the Skylake GT2 chip, part of the Generation 9.0 architecture. The die size is 123 mm², and it integrates 192 shading units, 16 texture mapping units, and just 3 ROPs. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M uses the GK107 chip on TSMC's 28 nm process, with a die size of 118 mm² and a transistor count of 1,270 million, which works out to a transistor density of 10.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The Kepler architecture packs 384 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, exactly double the Intel part in each of those categories.

The clock behavior differs sharply. The Intel part has a base clock of 350 MHz and a boost clock of 1000 MHz, which is a wide dynamic range typical of integrated graphics that must conserve power. The NVIDIA part does not list base or boost clocks in the database, but its memory clock is specified at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective data rate. The Intel part's memory is system shared, with the bus width, type, and bandwidth all listed as system dependent. The GT 745M has fixed memory specifications: 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus delivering 64.00 GB/s.

The throughput numbers reflect the architectural split. The Intel P530 delivers a pixel rate of 3.000 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 16.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 throughput of 384.0 GFLOPS and FP16 throughput of 768.0 GFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio. The GT 745M delivers a pixel rate of 4.392 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 17.57 GTexel/s, with FP32 throughput of 421.6 GFLOPS. The GT 745M leads in every raw throughput metric, yet it loses OpenCL. That suggests the Intel part's compute advantage comes from driver optimization, API scheduling, or the FP16 capability rather than raw shader output.

Power consumption is a major differentiator. The Intel P530 is rated at 15 W TDP, while the GT 745M is rated at 45 W. The Intel part also uses a Ring Bus interface, while the NVIDIA part uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The Intel part is an IGP with motherboard-dependent display outputs, and the NVIDIA part is also listed as IGP slot width but with portable-device-dependent outputs, reflecting its mobile laptop heritage.

API support is close but not identical. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA part supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Intel part has a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version, yet the NVIDIA part wins the Vulkan benchmark. This implies that API version numbers alone do not determine real-world performance; driver maturity and hardware design matter more.

The production status for both parts is end-of-life. The Intel P530 was released on 2015-08-31, and the GT 745M on 2013-03-31. The GT 745M has a recorded predecessor in the GeForce 600M and a successor in the GeForce 800M, while the Intel part has no listed predecessor or successor in the database.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward recommendation based on workload. For compute tasks, particularly OpenCL-based applications, the Intel HD Graphics P530 is the stronger part. Its 27.1% OpenCL lead over the GT 745M is the largest margin in this comparison, and its average benchmark score of 4560 places it higher than the GT 745M's 3953 average. The P530 also does this at a 15 W TDP, exactly one-third of the GT 745M's 45 W rating, which matters in thermally constrained systems.

For graphics workloads, especially Vulkan-based applications, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M is the clear winner. Its 5502 Vulkan score beats the Intel part by 16.9%, and its dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth gives it a structural advantage in texture-heavy and memory-intensive rendering. The GT 745M also leads in pixel rate (4.392 GPixel/s vs 3.000 GPixel/s) and texture rate (17.57 GTexel/s vs 16.00 GTexel/s), so the Vulkan win is consistent with its hardware capabilities.

Users who need a low-power integrated solution for compute tasks should choose the Intel P530. Users who need a mobile discrete GPU for gaming or graphics work should choose the GT 745M. The choice is not about which GPU is universally better; it is about which workload matters more. The Intel part wins one benchmark and the NVIDIA part wins the other, with no ties and no ambiguous results.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel HD Graphics P530, with an average score of 4560 across its recorded benchmarks, compared to 3953 for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap?

A: The Intel HD Graphics P530 scores 4549 in OpenCL, which is 27.1% higher than the GT 745M's 3580.

Q: Which GPU performs better in Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M scores 5502 in Vulkan, beating the Intel P530's 4571 by 16.9%.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each GPU?

A: The GT 745M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel P530 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: How do the power ratings compare?

A: The Intel HD Graphics P530 has a 15 W TDP, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has a 45 W TDP.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has 384 shading units, exactly double the Intel P530's 192.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results give each part one decisive victory, and the margins are worth examining closely because they reveal why the average scores diverge so much. In OpenCL, the Intel HD Graphics P530 scores 4549 against the GT 745M's 3580, a 27.1% advantage. This is the single largest delta in the comparison and it entirely explains the Intel part's higher average score. The GT 745M's OpenCL result is 3580, which is even lower than its own Vulkan score of 5502, indicating that Kepler's OpenCL implementation has a significant weakness relative to its graphics API performance.

In Vulkan, the GT 745M reverses the result with a score of 5502 against the Intel P530's 4571. That 16.9% margin is smaller than the Intel part's OpenCL win, but it is still substantial. The GT 745M's Vulkan score is the highest individual benchmark result recorded for either GPU, and it pulls the NVIDIA part's average up considerably. However, because the GT 745M only has three recorded benchmarks (OpenCL, Vulkan, and Metal at 2777), its average of 3953 is diluted by the weak Metal and OpenCL results. The Intel part has only two recorded benchmarks (OpenCL and Vulkan), both above 4500, which keeps its average high.

The architecture explains some of this. The Intel P530's FP16 throughput of 768.0 GFLOPS, achieved at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32, gives it a compute advantage in mixed-precision workloads that OpenCL can exploit. The GT 745M has no listed FP16 capability, so it cannot match this. On the graphics side, the GT 745M's 16 ROPs and 32 TMUs, combined with dedicated GDDR5 memory, provide the bandwidth and pixel throughput that Vulkan rendering demands. The Intel part's 3 ROPs are a severe limitation for pixel-heavy workloads, and system shared memory adds latency that the GT 745M avoids.

The percentile rankings reflect the overall picture. The Intel P530 sits at the 26th percentile of all GPUs, while the GT 745M sits at the 23rd percentile. Despite the GT 745M's strong Vulkan showing, its overall standing is lower because its average is weighed down by the Metal and OpenCL results. The Intel part's consistent high scores across both of its recorded benchmarks keep it ahead in the aggregate.

The nearest rival data reinforces that both parts are tightly clustered with their peers. The Intel P530's closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 560, is only 0.2% faster on average, a negligible difference. The GT 745M's closest rival, the AMD Radeon R5 M420, is only 0.1% faster. Neither part is an outlier in its performance class; both are solidly mid-pack GPUs that happen to have complementary strengths. The GT 745M's 4.392 GPixel/s pixel rate and 17.57 GTexel/s texture rate outpace the Intel part's 3.000 GPixel/s and 16.00 GTexel/s, but the Intel part's FP32 throughput of 384.0 GFLOPS is only 8.9% below the GT 745M's 421.6 GFLOPS, which is a smaller gap than the OpenCL benchmark suggests.

The database records one win for each part, and the final choice depends entirely on whether the workload is compute-oriented or graphics-oriented. The numbers do not lie, and they do not overlap: OpenCL belongs to Intel, Vulkan belongs to NVIDIA.