Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits cleanly between two distinct workloads, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M claims victory in both recorded tests. The GTX 950M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 9,745 against the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580's 9,082, a 7.3% advantage. The margin widens considerably in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the GTX 950M scores 6,525 versus 5,258 for the Intel part, a 24.1% lead.

The use-case split is therefore straightforward: for compute-oriented OpenCL workloads, the GTX 950M holds a moderate but consistent edge. For Vulkan-based rendering tasks, the NVIDIA part is decisively faster. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580, despite its lower raw scores, does have its own territory. Its 15 W TDP versus the GTX 950M's 75 W TDP means it is designed for a different class of machine, one where power draw is the primary constraint. The data shows the Intel part is not competitive in absolute performance, but it exists in a power envelope the NVIDIA part cannot match.

Where the GTX 950M wins is on sheer throughput. Its pixel rate of 17.98 GPixel/s is exactly double the Intel part's 9.000 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 44.96 GTexel/s, however, is lower than the Intel part's 72.00 GTexel/s, which suggests the Intel architecture is tuned differently, favoring texture work over pixel output. That texture advantage does not translate into benchmark wins in the recorded tests, but it is a measurable architectural difference.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M uses the GM107 chip built on the Maxwell architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The die measures 148 mm² and holds 1,870 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 uses the Skylake GT4e chip on Intel's Generation 9.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm+ process at Intel's own fabs. Intel's transistor count and die size are not recorded in the database, so a direct density comparison is not possible.

The compute resources differ substantially. The GTX 950M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Intel part has 576 shading units, 72 TMUs, and only 9 ROPs. This explains the texture rate discrepancy: Intel packs more TMUs per shading unit, while NVIDIA concentrates on pixel output. The clock speeds tell a similar story. The GTX 950M runs at a 993 MHz base clock with a 1,124 MHz boost. The Intel part runs at a 350 MHz base clock and 1,000 MHz boost. The Intel chip's low base clock is typical of an integrated part that needs to idle aggressively, but its boost clock approaches the NVIDIA part's territory.

Memory is another major divide. The GTX 950M has 4 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 uses System Shared memory, with a bus width and bandwidth that are both System Dependent. This means the Intel part's memory performance is entirely dependent on the host system's memory configuration, while the NVIDIA part has its own dedicated pool. The GTX 950M's memory clock is 900 MHz, or 1,800 Mbps effective.

The API support differs as well. The GTX 950M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Intel part has a higher DirectX feature level, 12_1 versus 11_0, which can matter for certain modern rendering features.

Power is the clearest differentiator. The GTX 950M has a 75 W TDP. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has a 15 W TDP. That fivefold difference in power draw explains the form factor gap: the GTX 950M is a discrete part with no power connectors, while the Intel part is an integrated GPU on a Ring Bus interface. The GTX 950M connects via PCIe 3.0 x8, the Intel part via the processor's internal Ring Bus.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains two tests, and the GTX 950M wins both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 950M scores 9,745 against 9,082 for the Intel part, a 7.3% advantage. That is a solid but not overwhelming lead. It suggests the NVIDIA architecture extracts more compute throughput from its 640 shading units than Intel does from its 576, despite the Intel part's higher texture rate.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is where the separation becomes stark. The GTX 950M scores 6,525, which is 24.1% higher than the Intel part's 5,258. This is a significant margin and indicates that the NVIDIA driver stack and architecture handle Vulkan workloads with far greater efficiency. For any application that relies on Vulkan rendering, the GTX 950M is the clear choice from this data.

Looking at the broader database context, the GTX 950M's average benchmark score is 8,135, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 M360 at 8,129 (0.1% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 at 8,167 (0.4% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce 945M at 8,099 (0.4% behind), and the NVIDIA GRID K2 at 8,080 (0.7% behind). The GTX 950M sits in a tight cluster where a fraction of a percent separates it from its nearest competitors.

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has an average benchmark score of 7,170, placing it in the 39th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE at 7,171 (0% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 at 7,157 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile at 7,203 (0.5% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 at 7,222 (0.7% ahead). The Intel part is similarly clustered, but at a lower absolute performance level.

The gap between the two parts in average score is 965 points, or roughly 13.5% in favor of the GTX 950M. That is the headline number: the NVIDIA part is about 13.5% faster on average, with the gap growing to 24.1% in Vulkan specifically.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance hierarchy. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M is the faster GPU in every recorded benchmark, and its average benchmark score of 8,135 versus 7,170 for the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 reflects a consistent advantage. The GTX 950M also carries a higher percentile ranking, sitting at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs versus the Intel part's 39th.

For users who need maximum graphics throughput, the GTX 950M is the choice. Its 24.1% Vulkan lead is decisive, and its 7.3% OpenCL lead, while smaller, still favors it. The dedicated 4 GB of DDR3 memory with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth gives it predictable performance that does not depend on the host system's memory configuration.

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has one clear virtue from the data: power consumption. At 15 W TDP, it draws one-fifth the power of the GTX 950M's 75 W TDP. For a system where battery life and thermal limits are paramount, the Intel part is the only realistic option. It also has a higher DirectX feature level (12_1 versus 11_0) and a higher texture rate (72.00 GTexel/s versus 44.96 GTexel/s), which could matter in specific texture-bound workloads.

The verdict is not ambiguous. The GTX 950M wins on performance, the Intel part wins on efficiency. The GTX 950M's 42nd percentile ranking and its tight clustering with the GeForce GTX 980 and Radeon R9 M360 show it belongs in the mid-range discrete class. The Intel part's 39th percentile and its clustering with the GeForce GTX 750 and Radeon Vega 8 Mobile place it at the top of the integrated class, but still below the discrete baseline. Anyone choosing between these two parts is choosing between performance and power draw, and the data says there is no middle ground.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 9,745 versus 9,082 for the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580, a 7.3% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: The GTX 950M scores 6,525 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 24.1% higher than the Intel part's 5,258.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference?

A: The GTX 950M has an average benchmark score of 8,135, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 averages 7,170. That is a difference of 965 points in favor of the NVIDIA part.

Q: How do the TDP ratings compare?

A: The GTX 950M has a 75 W TDP, while the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 has a 15 W TDP. The Intel part draws one-fifth the power.

Q: What memory configurations do these GPUs use?

A: The GTX 950M has 4 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel part uses System Shared memory, with bandwidth that is System Dependent.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: The GTX 950M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Intel part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Intel part has a higher DirectX feature level, but the NVIDIA part has a newer Vulkan version.