Intel UHD Graphics 730 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one directly comparable benchmark result between these two GPUs, and it decisively favors the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 680M scores 9,230 points against 5,988 for the Intel UHD Graphics 730. That is a 54.1% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial margin that places the two firmly in different performance tiers.

The GTX 680M's OpenCL score of 9,230 is not an outlier in its own ranking. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 7,023, which places it at the 39th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The Intel UHD Graphics 730, by contrast, averages 5,929 across its tests and sits at the 33rd percentile. The gap in average scores is 1,094 points, roughly 18.5% in favor of the NVIDIA part. While the single head-to-head test shows a larger gap than the averages would suggest, both figures point in the same direction.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card adds context. The GTX 680M's average score of 7,023 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA T600, which averages 7,035, a difference of just 0.2%. It also trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 by 1.9% (7,157 average) while edging out the AMD Radeon R5 M240 by 0.7% (6,975) and the GeForce GTX 675M by 1.1% (6,946). The GTX 680M is, by this measure, a mid-pack performer that sits in a tight cluster of comparable mobile and entry-level desktop parts.

The Intel UHD Graphics 730's nearest rivals tell a similar story at a lower performance level. Its average score of 5,929 is 0.4% below the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5,955), 0.5% below the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5,957), 0.7% below the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (5,970), and 0.9% below the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5,982). The integrated Intel part is essentially at parity with a group of older discrete mobile GPUs, all within a 1% band. The recorded data shows the Intel part is competitive with those entries but cannot challenge the GTX 680M's performance class.

The Vulkan result for the Intel UHD Graphics 730, 5,870, is close to its OpenCL score of 5,988, indicating consistent performance across API workloads. The GTX 680M has no Vulkan score in the database, but its Metal score of 4,815 from Geekbench Metal is notably lower than its OpenCL result, suggesting its compute performance varies significantly by API. The OpenCL comparison remains the cleanest direct measurement between the two, and it clearly favors NVIDIA.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M has an average benchmark score of 7,023, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 averages 5,929. That is an 18.5% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The GTX 680M scores 9,230, which is 54.1% higher than the Intel UHD Graphics 730's 5,988. The NVIDIA part wins this test outright.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU?

A: The GTX 680M sits at the 39th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is at the 33rd percentile. Both are below the median, but the NVIDIA part ranks higher.

Q: Which GPUs are the closest rivals to the GTX 680M?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA T600 (0.2% higher average score), the AMD Radeon R5 M240 (0.7% lower), the GeForce GTX 675M (1.1% lower), and the GeForce GTX 970 (1.9% higher).

Q: Which GPUs are the closest rivals to the Intel UHD Graphics 730?

A: The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (0.4% higher average score), the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (0.5% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (0.7% higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (0.9% higher).

Q: Does the Intel UHD Graphics 730 have any benchmark win over the GTX 680M?

A: No. In the recorded head-to-head data, the GTX 680M wins the only direct comparison (Geekbench OpenCL), and the Intel part has zero wins.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages entirely. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M uses the GK104 chip built on the Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses the Rocket Lake chip based on Intel's Generation 12.1 architecture, built on a 14 nm+++ process at Intel's own foundry. The process node difference is substantial: 28 nm versus 14 nm+++, with the Intel part using a more advanced manufacturing process despite being the integrated solution.

Transistor counts tell a stark story. The GTX 680M packs 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0 million per square millimeter. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 has no recorded transistor count or die size in the database, which is typical for integrated graphics where the GPU shares the die with CPU cores. The NVIDIA part is a large, dedicated graphics processor, while the Intel GPU is a block within a larger processor.

Shading hardware differs by an order of magnitude. The GTX 680M has 1,344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 has 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA part has 7 times the shading units, 9.3 times the TMUs, and 4 times the ROPs. These ratios explain the compute performance gap.

Memory architecture is a fundamental difference. The GTX 680M has 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses system shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, a system-dependent bus width, and system-dependent bandwidth. The NVIDIA part's dedicated memory provides predictable, high-bandwidth access, while the Intel part competes with the CPU for memory resources.

Clock behavior also differs. The GTX 680M runs at 719 MHz base and 758 MHz boost, with memory at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). The Intel UHD Graphics 730 runs at 300 MHz base and 1300 MHz boost, a much wider clock range typical of integrated parts that scale with thermal and power headroom.

API support shows a notable inversion. The GTX 680M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Intel part supports a higher DirectX 12 feature level (12_1 versus 11_0) and a newer Vulkan version, despite being far slower in raw compute.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every recorded specification. The GTX 680M is a discrete MXM module with no power connectors, drawing 100 W TDP, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a 15 W TDP. The power draw difference is 85 W, reflecting the NVIDIA part's dedicated hardware versus Intel's integrated approach.

Pixel and texture rates reflect the hardware disparity. The GTX 680M delivers 21.22 GPixel/s and 84.90 GTexel/s, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 delivers 10.40 GPixel/s and 15.60 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part is roughly 2 times faster in pixel throughput and 5.4 times faster in texture throughput.

Compute throughput follows a similar pattern. The GTX 680M achieves 2.038 TFLOPS FP32, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 achieves 499.2 GFLOPS FP32. The NVIDIA part is over 4 times faster in single-precision compute. The Intel part has a recorded FP16 figure of 998.4 GFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the GTX 680M has no FP16 data in the database.

Memory specifications are entirely different. The GTX 680M has 4 GB GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. There is no direct comparison possible on memory capacity or speed.

Bus interface and form factor also differ. The GTX 680M uses MXM-B (3.0) and is a portable device dependent display output. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses a Ring Bus interface and is motherboard dependent for display outputs. The NVIDIA part is designed for upgradeable laptop modules, while the Intel part is fixed to the motherboard.

Release timing is separated by nearly nine years. The GTX 680M launched on June 3, 2012, as part of the GeForce 600M generation, succeeding the GeForce 500M and preceding the GeForce 700M. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 launched on March 29, 2021, within the HD Graphics (Rocket Lake) generation. Both are now end-of-life products.

The Verdict

The recorded data makes the performance hierarchy clear. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 54.1%, holds a higher average score (7,023 versus 5,929), and ranks at the 39th percentile versus the Intel part's 33rd. For any workload captured in the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 680M is the stronger choice.

The Intel UHD Graphics 730 is not without merit, but its merits lie elsewhere. It consumes 85 W less power (15 W versus 100 W), supports a higher DirectX 12 feature level (12_1 versus 11_0), and runs a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.175). For systems constrained by power or thermal limits, or for users needing modern API features, the Intel part has a role.

The GTX 680M's nearest rivals cluster tightly around its average score, with the NVIDIA T600 just 0.2% ahead and the GeForce GTX 970 1.9% ahead. This shows the GTX 680M sits in a competitive band for its era. The Intel UHD Graphics 730's rivals are similarly clustered, all within 1% of its score, indicating it is a predictable performer at the low end.

There is no scenario in the data where the Intel part wins a performance comparison. The single head-to-head result, the average scores, and the percentile rankings all favor NVIDIA. The Intel part's advantages are architectural: power efficiency, API modernity, and integration simplicity.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M wins every performance metric recorded in the database. Its 54.1% OpenCL advantage, 4.1 times higher FP32 throughput, 5.4 times higher texture rate, and 2 times higher pixel rate make it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks. The 4 GB dedicated GDDR5 memory with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth provides a stable foundation for workloads that require consistent memory access. Users running OpenCL compute tasks, or any application that leverages the shading units and TMUs, will see materially better results on the GTX 680M.

The Intel UHD Graphics 730 wins on efficiency and integration. Its 15 W TDP versus 100 W means it draws 85 W less power, making it suitable for low-power systems where the GTX 680M would be impractical. Its DirectX 12 (12_1) support is a feature-level advantage over the GTX 680M's DirectX 12 (11_0), which matters for games or applications that require the newer feature set. The Vulkan 1.4 support is likewise ahead of the GTX 680M's 1.2.175. The Intel part also requires no dedicated memory allocation, using system shared memory instead, which simplifies system design.

For gaming workloads, the GTX 680M's higher pixel rate (21.22 GPixel/s versus 10.40) and texture rate (84.90 GTexel/s versus 15.60) suggest it can handle higher resolutions and more detailed scenes. The Intel part's higher boost clock (1300 MHz versus 758 MHz) helps close the gap in lightly threaded scenarios, but the raw hardware advantage of the NVIDIA part is overwhelming.

The choice depends on context. The GTX 680M is the performance pick, justified by every benchmark number in the database. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 is the efficiency pick, justified by its power draw, API support, and integration into the host processor. For anyone who needs compute performance, the GTX 680M is the only option. For anyone who needs a low-power integrated solution with modern API support, the Intel part is the sensible default.