Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M and the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 represent two very different approaches to mobile graphics: a discrete Fermi-based part from 2011 versus a later integrated Broadwell solution. The benchmark data shows a clear, if narrow, overall picture, with the older NVIDIA chip winning the only shared test by a substantial margin, though the Intel part counters with a broader feature set and superior architectural efficiency.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, a compute-focused workload that measures raw parallel processing throughput. The results are decisively in favor of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M, which scores 6,493 points against the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200’s 4,556 points. This translates to a 42.5% delta, a significant performance gap. The data indicates that in this legacy compute benchmark, the discrete GT 555M outperforms the integrated Iris Pro 6200 by nearly half again its own score.

This victory for NVIDIA is contextualized by their respective standings against the broader GPU landscape. The GT 555M sits at the 37th percentile of all GPUs, while the Iris Pro 6200 is slightly lower at the 35th percentile. In terms of average benchmark score, the GT 555M averages 6,493, placing it within a tight cluster of rivals. It is a mere 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (6,481) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6,476). Conversely, it trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6,513) by 0.3% and the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6,554) by 0.9%. This suggests the GT 555M’s raw OpenCL performance is highly competitive with a range of mid-tier and professional mobile parts from its era.

The Intel Iris Pro 6200’s average score, by contrast, is 6,117, which is heavily influenced by its other benchmark results. Its best showing is a 7,764 in Geekbench Metal, a test the GT 555M did not undergo. It also scores 6,032 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its OpenCL score of 4,556 is its weakest result. However, the average score of 6,117 places it in contention with different rivals, such as the AMD Radeon HD 8690M (6,137, a -0.3% delta), while it leads the NVIDIA RTX A400 (6,078) by 0.6%, the NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (6,077) by 0.7%, and the NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (6,049) by 1.1%. This indicates that while the Iris Pro 6200 loses the specific OpenCL test, its overall benchmark portfolio is more balanced and allows it to compete effectively in other modern API workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is significantly faster, scoring 6,493 compared to the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200’s 4,556, a 42.5% advantage.

Q: Does the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 have any benchmark wins?

A: Yes. The data shows it scores 7,764 in Geekbench Metal and 6,032 in Geekbench Vulkan, tests in which the GT 555M has no recorded scores. Its average benchmark score of 6,117 is also a single-point metric where it is competitive, though lower than the GT 555M's 6,493.

Q: How does each GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GT 555M is 0.2% ahead of the Quadro M5000M and 0.3% ahead of the Radeon Vega 10 Mobile, but 0.3% behind the GTX 670M. The Iris Pro 6200 is 0.3% behind the Radeon HD 8690M but 0.6% ahead of the RTX A400 and 1.1% ahead of the Quadro P2000.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The GT 555M has a slightly higher percentile rank at 37, compared to the Iris Pro 6200’s 35.

Q: What is the process node difference between the two?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is built on a 40 nm process at TSMC, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 is fabricated on Intel’s much smaller 14 nm process.

Q: What are the memory configurations for each GPU?

A: The GT 555M has a dedicated 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The Iris Pro 6200 uses System Shared memory, with its bandwidth listed as System Dependent.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is the clear winner in the traditional, compute-heavy OpenCL benchmark. Its score of 6,493 versus 4,556 for the Intel part shows a distinct advantage in this specific workload. This suggests that for applications or games that rely heavily on OpenCL compute, the discrete GT 555M would be the better performer. Its higher percentile ranking of 37 versus 35 also supports a slight edge in overall standing.

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 wins in the modern API benchmarks, leveraging its support for and performance in Metal and Vulkan. It scores 7,764 in Geekbench Metal and 6,032 in Geekbench Vulkan, demonstrating a capability in these newer APIs that the GT 555M lacks entirely, as the GT 555M has no recorded scores for these tests. This points to a significant advantage for the Intel part in applications that utilize these contemporary graphics interfaces. Furthermore, its 15 W TDP is far lower than the GT 555M's 35 W, making it the superior choice for power-constrained ultraportable designs where battery life is paramount.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ markedly in their core specifications. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is built on a 40 nm process and features a 238 mm² die with 1,170 million transistors. The Intel Iris Pro 6200 is on a 14 nm process, though its transistor count and die size are not listed. The GT 555M has a dedicated 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Iris Pro 6200 uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

In terms of raw compute units, the Intel part has more shading units (384 vs 144) and texture mapping units (48 vs 24), but fewer ROPs (6 vs 16). This leads to a higher pixel rate for Intel (6.600 GPixel/s vs 3.540 GPixel/s) and a much higher texture rate (52.80 GTexel/s vs 14.16 GTexel/s). The Intel GPU also has a higher FP32 performance of 844.8 GFLOPS compared to the GT 555M’s 339.8 GFLOPS. The GT 555M has a fixed base clock, while the Iris Pro 6200 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1100 MHz. The GT 555M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, while the Iris Pro 6200 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.4, and Vulkan 1.0. The bus interface also differs, with the GT 555M using PCIe 2.0 x16 and the Iris Pro 6200 using a Ring Bus.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two parts is substantial. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M is based on the Fermi architecture, using the GF106 chip. This is a discrete GPU design from the GeForce 500M generation, manufactured by TSMC. Its predecessor is the GeForce 400M and its successor is the GeForce 600M, marking it as a middle-generation product. In contrast, the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 is based on the Generation 8.0 architecture, using the Broadwell GT3e chip. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) from Intel’s HD Graphics (Broadwell) generation, connected via a Ring Bus and integrated onto the CPU die.

The manufacturing processes highlight the generational shift: the GT 555M uses a 40 nm node at TSMC, while the Iris Pro 6200 uses Intel’s 14 nm node. This difference is reflected in their power characteristics, with the NVIDIA part having a 35 W TDP and the Intel part a much more efficient 15 W TDP. The GT 555M is a discrete component with its own memory and bus interface (PCIe 2.0 x16), whereas the Iris Pro 6200 is an IGP that shares system memory and relies on the motherboard for its display outputs. The display outputs are also different: the GT 555M’s are Portable Device Dependent, while the Iris Pro 6200’s are Motherboard Dependent. Both are end-of-life products, but the GT 555M was released on 2011-07-01, while the Iris Pro 6200 was released later, on 2014-09-04.