AMD Radeon RX 580 vs Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics Comparison
AMD Radeon RX 580
Iris Xe MAX Graphics
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD Radeon RX 580 vs Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The database contains one directly comparable benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. In that test, the AMD Radeon RX 580 records a score of 37,453, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics scores 14,315. This yields a delta of -61.8% for the Intel part, meaning the AMD GPU delivers roughly 2.6 times the OpenCL compute throughput of the Intel chip in this specific workload. This is a decisive margin, not a close contest.
However, the overall average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has an average benchmark score of 14,315 across its recorded submissions, while the AMD Radeon RX 580 averages 12,928. This average is computed across a broader set of tests for the AMD card, including DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, Vulkan, Metal, and 3DMark Steel Nomad. The Intel GPU, by contrast, has only the single OpenCL result recorded.
The disparity between the head-to-head OpenCL result and the overall averages highlights that these GPUs are measured across different test suites. The AMD RX 580 shows a 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX sits at the 56th percentile. Despite losing the direct OpenCL comparison by 61.8%, the Intel part holds a higher overall percentile, suggesting that the single OpenCL test does not capture the full performance envelope of either card.
Looking at nearest rivals, the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics sits within 0.5% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373), within 0.3% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (14,277), and is 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14,352). It also trails the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385) by 0.5%. These are all sub-1% differences, placing the Intel GPU in a tight performance cluster around the 14,300 to 14,400 OpenCL score range.
The AMD Radeon RX 580's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940, delta -0.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986, delta -0.4%), the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870, delta +0.5%), and the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, delta +0.6%). The RX 580's average score of 12,928 places it slightly below the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and GTX 1660 SUPER, but above the Radeon 740M and FirePro W5100. Importantly, the RX 580's average sits about 9.7% below the Intel Iris Xe MAX's average, even though the RX 580 wins the direct OpenCL test by a wide margin.
Where Each One Wins
The AMD Radeon RX 580 wins in raw compute density. Its OpenCL score of 37,453 versus 14,315 for the Intel part demonstrates a clear advantage in general-purpose compute workloads that utilize OpenCL. The RX 580 also shows strength in legacy API tests: its PassMark DirectX 9 score is 124, DirectX 10 is 46, DirectX 11 is 60, and DirectX 12 is 43. It also records a PassMark GPU Compute score of 3,488 and a PassMark G3D score of 8,813. In Vulkan, the RX 580 scores 45,173, and in Metal it scores 45,235. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result is 1,005.
The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, while having only the one recorded OpenCL benchmark, achieves a higher average score overall. Its 14,315 OpenCL result, while far below the RX 580, is enough to secure a 56th percentile ranking. The Intel GPU's nearest rivals include the GTX 1070 Ti and GTX TITAN, both of which are substantially more powerful discrete cards in other contexts. This suggests the Intel part is competitive in specific workloads where its architecture and driver optimizations align.
The data shows a clear split: for compute-heavy OpenCL tasks, the RX 580 is the decisive winner. For overall percentile ranking, the Intel part holds a slight edge. The RX 580's additional benchmarks across multiple APIs indicate broader compatibility, but the Intel GPU's single benchmark places it higher in the aggregate distribution.
The Verdict
Users should select the AMD Radeon RX 580 when their workload centers on OpenCL compute performance. The 61.8% lead in the direct head-to-head benchmark is substantial and cannot be ignored. Additionally, the RX 580 offers 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, versus the Intel part's 4 GB of LPDDR4X on a 128-bit bus with 68.26 GB/s. The RX 580 also has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines, compared to 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs for the Intel GPU. The RX 580's pixel rate is 42.88 GPixel/s versus 39.60 GPixel/s for the Intel part, and its texture rate is 193.0 GTexel/s versus 79.20 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 6.175 TFLOPS for the RX 580 versus 2.534 TFLOPS for the Intel chip.
Users should select the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics when power consumption and physical footprint are primary constraints. The Intel part draws 25 W versus 185 W for the RX 580, and it is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no display outputs, whereas the RX 580 is a dual-slot card requiring a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 450 W power supply. The Intel part suggests a 200 W PSU. The Intel GPU also uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RX 580 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. For systems where the Intel GPU's lower power draw and smaller footprint are decisive, the data supports its selection despite the compute deficit.
FAQ
Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?
A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 37,453 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics scores 14,315. The RX 580 leads by 61.8%.
Q: How do their overall average benchmark scores compare?
A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics averages 14,315, while the AMD Radeon RX 580 averages 12,928. The Intel part holds a higher average despite losing the direct OpenCL test.
Q: What are the memory specifications for each GPU?
A: The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has 4 GB of LPDDR4X memory on a 128-bit bus with 68.26 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon RX 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.
Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?
A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 has a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has a pixel rate of 39.60 GPixel/s.
Q: What is the FP32 compute performance for each?
A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 delivers 6.175 TFLOPS FP32, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics delivers 2.534 TFLOPS FP32.
Q: Which GPU has more shading units?
A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 has 2,304 shading units, while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics has 768 shading units.
Architecture Differences
The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics uses the DG1 chip built on Intel's Generation 12.1 architecture, also known as Xe Graphics. It is fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 95 mm². The AMD Radeon RX 580 uses the Polaris 20 chip on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process with a die size of 232 mm² and 5,700 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 24.6M per mm².
The Intel GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, with memory clocked at 2133 MHz (4.3 Gbps effective). The AMD GPU has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz, with memory clocked at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective).
In terms of compute resources, the Intel part has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The AMD part has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. FP16 performance on the Intel GPU is 5.069 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the AMD GPU delivers 6.175 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio). The Intel GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.
The Intel GPU is an IGP with no display outputs, while the AMD GPU is a dual-slot card with 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Intel GPU has a TDP of 25 W and suggests a 200 W power supply, whereas the AMD GPU has a TDP of 185 W and requires a 450 W power supply with a single 8-pin connector. The Intel GPU measures no physical length in the database, while the AMD GPU is 241 mm (9.5 inches) long. The Intel GPU uses PCIe 4.0 x8, and the AMD GPU uses PCIe 3.0 x16.
The Intel GPU was released on October 30, 2020, while the AMD GPU was released on April 17, 2017. Both are end-of-life products. The Intel GPU's predecessor is listed as "Graphics" and its successor as "Alchemist." The AMD GPU's predecessor is "Arctic Islands" and its successor is "Vega." The AMD GPU had a launch MSRP of 229 USD, which is not a factor in performance analysis but is recorded in the database.