Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M vs Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M and the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 occupy different corners of the mobile graphics market. The GTX 560M is a discrete MXM module built on NVIDIA's Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the Iris Pro 5200 is an integrated processor graphics solution using Intel's Generation 7.5 design. Both target laptop users, but the data shows they are not direct contemporaries in performance. The GTX 560M records an average OpenCL score of 4855, placing it in the 28th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The Iris Pro 5200 averages 4360 across two benchmark runs, sitting in the 26th percentile. The scores are close, but the underlying specifications and the environments they serve differ substantially.

FAQ

Q: What is the GeForce GTX 560M's architecture and process node?

A: The GTX 560M is built on the GF116 chip using the Fermi 2.0 architecture. It is manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 4.9M per mm².

Q: How much memory does the Iris Pro 5200 have?

A: The Iris Pro 5200 uses system shared memory, the size and type of which depends on the host laptop. Its memory clock is tied to the system regardless of configuration.

Q: What is the theoretical pixel throughput of the GTX 560M?

A: The GTX 560M reaches a pixel rate of 6.200 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 24.80 GTexel/s.

Q: What shading hardware does the Intel Iris Pro 5200 include?

A: The Iris Pro 5200 has 320 shading units, 40 texture memory units, and 4 ROPs. It runs at a base clock of 200 MHz and a boost clock of 1150 MHz.

Q: Which API levels does the GTX 560M support?

A: The GTX 560M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The Iris Pro 5200 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.3, and Vulkan 1.0.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M and Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 diverge at the fundamental design level. The GTX 560M is a discrete part from NVIDIA's GeForce 500M series, built on the GF116 chip. It is a Fermi 2.0 architecture part, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The GPU packs 1,170 million transistors into a 238 mm² die, yielding a density of 4.9M transistors per mm². The Intel part is the Iris Pro 5200, built on the Haswell GT3e chip under Intel's Generation 7.5 architecture. It uses a 22 nm process at Intel's own fabs. The transistor count is not recorded in the database, nor is the die size or density.

Memory configurations mark a hard split. The GTX 560M comes with 1536 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 60.00 GB/s of bandwidth. Memory clock runs at 625 MHz, which translates to 2.5 Gbps effective. The Iris Pro 5200 has no dedicated VRAM: it draws on system shared memory, so its capacity, bus width and bandwidth are host dependent. The GTX 560M's 192 unified shader units, 32 texture memory units and 24 ROPs are on the same side. The Iris Pro 5200 counters higher in shading units with 320, 40 TMus and 4 ROPs.

Clock behavior also diverges. The GTX 560M's base and boost clocks are not listed in the database. The Iris Pro runs at 200 MHz base and 1150 MHz boost. The GTX 560M reaches 6.200 GPixel/s fill rate and 24.80 GTexel/s texture rate. The Iris Pro 5200 is rated at 4.600 GPixel/s and 46.00 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part has 595.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute; Iris Pro 5200 delivers 736.0 GFLOPS.

The power profile is also different. The GTX 560M is rated to a 75 W TDP, while the Iris Pro 5200 sips 45 W. The former is an MXM module (MXM-B 3.0) with no power connectors and display output that is portable device dependent. The Iris Pro 5200 is an IGP, which uses the Ring Bus interface, outputs depend on the motherboard, and requires no extra power connectors. The GTX 560M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The Iris Pro 5200 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.3 and Vulkan 1.0.

The production status also differs: the GTX 560M is listed as end-of-life, while the Iris Pro 5200 is also end-of-life. The GTX 560M released on 2011-05-29, the Iris Pro 5200 two years later on 2013-06-02. The GTX 560M's predecessor is the GeForce 400M, and its successor is the GeForce 600M. The database does not list a predecessor or successor for the Iris Pro 5200.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison in the database is a Geekbench OpenCL run: the GTX 560M scored 4855, the Iris Pro 5200 scored 5042, a 3.7% advantage for the Intel part. The two chips also trade wins across other workloads. The GTX 560M's nearest rivals in the database are a set of cards that frame its position. It is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (4844 average), 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4867 average), 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4893 avg), and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901 avg). The Iris Pro 5200's nearest competition, on the other hand, consists of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 (4335 avg, 0.6% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce 930M (4388 avg, 0.6% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M (4411 avg, 1.2% slower), and the AMD FirePro W2100 (4295 avg, 1.5% slower).

The OpenCL score is the primary metric in this matchup. A single head-to-head run shows the GeForce GTX 560M at 4855 against the Iris Pro 5200 at 5042. Across both benchmark records, the Iris Pro 5200 holds the win count at 1 to 0 over the GTX 560M.

The Verdict

From the benchmark data alone, the Intel Iris Pro 5200 is the better pick for raw OpenCL compute. It won the head-to-head benchmark, scoring 3.7% higher than the GTX 560M in the single recorded comparison, and it also comes with a higher average score across all its runs (4360 vs 4855). It also supports Vulkan, which the GTX 560M does not, and it does so at a much lower power draw (45 W TDP vs 75 W TDP). The GTX 560M does not fight back, however. It has more dedicated memory (1536 MB of GDDR5) and a wider memory bus (192-bit) which yields far more memory bandwidth (60.00 GB/s vs system dependent). It also delivers higher pixel rate (6.200 GPixel/s vs 4.600 GPixel/s) and a higher texture rate (24.80 GTexel/s vs 46.00 GTexel/s). For a gaming laptop of that era, the GTX 560M's dedicated memory and fill rate advantage might be what matters. The data suggests a simple rule: for compute workloads (OpenCL, FP32), the Intel part is faster; for memory-bound, fill-rate-bound workloads, the NVIDIA part is faster. The GTX 560M is also a physically larger card (MXM module), while the Iris Pro 5200 is an integrated part, so the comparison is not strictly direct.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ in several fields where the database has no direct entry. The GTX 560M lists a core GF116, Fermi 2.0 architecture, and a 40 nm process at TSMC. The Iris Pro 5200 uses the Haswell GT3e chip, Gen 7.5 architecture, on Intel's 22 nm process. The GTX 560M has 1170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die; the Iris Pro's transistor count, die size, and density are not recorded. The GTX 560M is an MXM (MXM-B 3.0) module with no power connectors; the Iris Pro 5200 is an IGP using a Ring Bus interface and no power connectors. The GTX 560M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The Iris Pro 5200 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.3, and Vulkan 1.0. The GTX 560M's display outputs are portable device dependent; the Iris Pro's display outputs are motherboard dependent. The GTX 560M is end-of-life; the Iris Pro 5200 is also end-of-life. The GTX 560M launched on 2011-05-29, the Iris Pro 5200 on 2013-06-02.

Where Each One Wins

Looking across all recorded data, the wins split by workload type.

Compute (OpenCL / GPGPU): The Intel Iris Pro 5200 wins. It scored 5042 in the OpenCL benchmark versus 4855 for the GTX 560M, a 3.7% margin. The Iris Pro also posts a higher average compute score (4360 vs 4855). For users running OpenCL workloads, the Iris Pro 5200 is the faster part.

Memory bandwidth and fill-rate workloads: The NVIDIA GTX 560M wins here. It has 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 60.00 GB/s. The Iris Pro 5200 shares system memory, so its bandwidth is host dependent and not listed. The GTX 560M also has the higher pixel rate, 6.200 GPixel/s versus 4.600 GPixel/s, and the higher texture rate, 24.80 GTexel/s versus 46.00 GTexel/s. For gaming and fill-rate-limited scenarios, the GTX 560M is the stronger part.

Power and form factor: The Iris Pro 5200 is the more efficient part, rated at 45 W TDP versus 75 W TDP for the GTX 560M. The GTX 560M is a removable MXM module, the Iris Pro 5200 is soldered to the motherboard. The GTX 560M requires no auxiliary power connectors; the Iris Pro is also a self-contained IGP, drawing power from the motherboard.

API and features: The Iris Pro 5200 adds Vulkan 1.0 support, which the GTX 560M lacks. Both parts support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.x, though the Iris Pro uses a newer DirectX feature level (11_1 vs 11_0).

Availability: The GTX 560M is end-of-life, as is the Iris Pro 5200. Both shipped in the same generation window, 2011 and 2013 respectively.