Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 and the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 is based on the recorded Geekbench OpenCL scores in the database. The GTS 450 posts a score of 4,893, while the Iris Pro 5200 reaches 5,042. The delta of 3% places the Intel part ahead in this specific test. This is a narrow margin, and it is importantly both parts sit close together in the overall distribution, with the GTS 450 at the 28th percentile and the Iris Pro at the 26th percentile across all GPUs. The head to head result gives the Iris Pro one win out of the single recorded benchmark. The data does not include a multi-core stress test, so the conclusion is limited to the OpenCL workload.

When looking at the nearest rivals in the database, the GTS 450 is 0.2% behind the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, 0.2% behind the FirePro W5130M, and 0.5% ahead of the Radeon R6 M255DX. The Iris Pro 5200, meanwhile, trails the RTX 4070 GDDR6 by 0.6%, the GeForce 930M by 0.6%, and the GT 645M by 1.2%. These small deltas indicate that both parts are clustered tightly with a group of mid-range GPUs from the same era. The benchmark results suggest that the Iris Pro holds a slight edge in raw OpenCL compute performance, but the difference is small enough that driver maturity and thermal behavior could easily reverse the ranking on a different workload.

Architecture Differences

The GTS 450 is built on the GF106 chip with the Fermi architecture, produced on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, for a transistor density of 4.9 million per mm². The Iris Pro 5200 uses the Haswell GT3e chip with the Generation 7.5 architecture, built on Intel's 22nm process. Intel does not disclose transistor counts or die size for this part. The memory subsystem is the largest split: the GTS 450 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 across a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 57.73 GB/s, with an effective memory clock of 902 MHz and 3.6 Gbps effective. The Iris Pro is an integrated part of the CPU package and uses the system shared memory, so its bandwidth is entirely system dependent. That architectural difference matters: the NVIDIA card has dedicated, high-bandwidth memory, while the Intel part is limited by the memory controller of the host platform.

The NVIDIA card has 192 shading units, 32 texture units, and 16 ROPs. The Intel part has 320 shading units, 40 texture units, and only 4 ROPs. The pixel rate is 6.264 GPixel/s for the GTS 450 versus 4.600 GPixel/s for the Iris Pro. Texture rate stands at 25.06 GTexel/s for NVIDIA and 46.00 GTexel/s for Intel. The floating point performance, expressed as FP32, is 601.3 GFLOPS for the GTS 450 and 736.0 GFLOPS for the Iris Pro. The Intel part does not support FP16 in the database, and the NVIDIA card has no ray tracing or tensor cores. Both are dual-slot designs, but the GTS 450 needs a 6-pin power connector and a 300 W power supply, while the Iris Pro draws its power from the motherboard, so no power connector is listed. The GTS 450 has a PCIe 2.0 x16 bus interface, the Iris Pro uses the ring bus. Displays: the NVIDIA card provides 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the Intel part depends on motherboard outputs.

DirectX support is 12 (11_0) on the GTS 450 and 12 (11_1) on the Iris Pro. OpenGL is 4.6 versus 4.3, and Vulkan is not listed for the NVIDIA, but the Iris Pro supports Vulkan 1.0.

Where Each One Wins

The Geekbench OpenCL score is the only benchmark in the data. There, the Intel Iris Pro wins by 3%, a solid but not decisive lead. The GTS 450 is 0.2% behind the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB and the AMD FirePro W5130M, and it is 0.5% ahead of the Radeon R6 M255DX. The Iris Pro is 0.6% behind the RTX 4070 GDDR6, 0.6% ahead of the GeForce 930M, and 1.2% ahead of the GT 645M. These are all close matches.

The GTS 450 wins in memory bandwidth: 57.73 GB/s versus system-dependent for the Iris Pro. It also has more ROPs (16 vs 4) and a higher pixel rate (6.264 vs 4.600 GPixel/s). That makes it the stronger choice for frame-heavy work at high resolutions, especially when the workload can stay within the dedicated memory.

The Iris Pro 5200 wins on shading throughput: 320 shading units vs 192, and 40 texture units vs 32. It leads in FP32 compute (736.0 vs 601.3 GFLOPS), and it has the newer API support (DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.3, and Vulkan 1.0). It also runs in a smaller thermal envelope (45 W vs 106 W), and is the only one of the two to have the system shared memory. This part is best suited for a system where the CPU's integrated graphics are enough and power or simplicity is preferred.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is better for OpenCL compute, the GTS 450 or the Iris Pro 5200?

A: Based on the Geekbench OpenCL score, the Iris Pro 5200 is 3% faster than the GTS 450. This is a small gap, so the result may vary depending on drivers and workload.

Q: Does the GTS 450 have more memory?

A: Yes, the GTS 450 has 1024 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory, while the Iris Pro uses shared system memory.

Q: Which has better API support?

A: The Iris Pro supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.3, and Vulkan 1.0. The GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, no Vulkan.

Q: Can the GTS 450 output to multiple monitors?

A: Yes, it provides 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The Iris Pro outputs depend on the motherboard.

Q: Which card is more energy efficient?

A: The Iris Pro has a 45 W TDP, while the GTS 450 has a 106 W TDP and requires a 300 W power supply with one 6-pin connector.

The Verdict

The benchmark data gives the Intel Iris Pro 5200 a narrow but consistent lead over the NVIDIA GTS 450 in the OpenCL test. The 3% delta is within the error margin of these old parts, but the Iris Pro also has a higher FP32 rate and a newer feature set (Vulkan, DX12). The GTS 450 is still the right choice if you need a dedicated memory buffer, a high pixel fill rate, or a DVI output. The Iris Pro is the part to choose for a compact, low-power system where the CPU's integrated graphics are sufficient and you want to avoid an extra card. Both are end-of-life products in the database; platform support and drivers are the deciding factors in 2024.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA GTS 450 | Intel Iris Pro 5200 |

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

| Chip | GF106 | Haswell GT3e |

| Architecture | Fermi | Generation 7.5 |

| Process | 40 nm | 22 nm |

| Transistors | 1,170 million | Not disclosed |

| Die Size | 238 mm² | Not disclosed |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | Not disclosed |

| Base Clock | Not disclosed | 200 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not disclosed | 1150 MHz |

| Memory | 1024 MB GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 57.73 GB/s | System dependent |

| Shading Units | 192 | 320 |

| Texture Units | 32 | 40 |

| ROPs | 16 | 4 |

| Pixel Rate | 6.264 GPixel/s | 4.600 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.06 GTexel/s | 46.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 601.3 GFLOPS | 736.0 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |

| RT Cores | 0 | 0 |

| Tensor Cores | 0 | 0 |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | Ring Bus |

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

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | Not disclosed |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Motherboard dependent |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.3 |

| Vulkan | None | 1.0 |

| TDP | 106 W | 45 W |

| Launch Date | 2010-09-12 | 2013-06-02 |

| Launch MSRP | 129 USD | None |

| Predecessor | GeForce 200 | None |

| Successor | GeForce 500 | None |