GPU Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce MX230 and Intel UHD Graphics 730 are both end-of-life integrated-class GPUs, but they target very different workloads. The MX230 is a discrete mobile chip built on Pascal, while the UHD 730 is a processor-integrated solution from Rocket Lake. Benchmark data shows a split decision: the Intel part wins the OpenCL test, while the NVIDIA part wins the Vulkan test. This page breaks down where each GPU excels, how they compare head-to-head, and what the architectural differences mean for real-world use.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results paint a clear picture of two GPUs with distinct strengths. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 takes the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 5988, beating the MX230’s 5739 by 4.2%. OpenCL is a general-purpose compute API, so this win indicates the Intel iGPU has a slight edge in compute workloads that are not tied to a specific graphics API. The data shows this is a narrow victory, the delta is small, but it is consistent with the UHD 730’s higher FP16 throughput.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test decisively, scoring 6414 against the UHD 730’s 5870. That is a 9.3% advantage, which is more than double the margin Intel holds in OpenCL. Vulkan is a low-overhead graphics API used in modern games and GPU-accelerated applications. This suggests the MX230 is the better choice for tasks that leverage Vulkan, such as newer game titles or Vulkan-based renderers. The MX230 also has a higher average benchmark score of 6077 versus 5929 for the UHD 730, indicating better overall performance across the two tests.

Looking at the nearest rivals, the MX230 sits at the 35th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 6077. Its closest competitor is the NVIDIA RTX A400 at 6078 (0% delta), followed by the Quadro P2000 at 6049 (0.5% faster). The Intel UHD 730 sits at the 33rd percentile with an average score of 5929; its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 8730M at 5955 (0.4% faster). These percentile rankings confirm that both GPUs are in the lower tier of overall performance, but the MX230 holds a slight edge in aggregate.

The Verdict

Choose the NVIDIA GeForce MX230 if your workload leans on Vulkan or if you want the higher average benchmark score. The data shows a 9.3% Vulkan win, which is the largest performance gap in this comparison. The MX230 also has a higher average score (6077 vs 5929) and sits in a higher percentile (35th vs 33rd). This makes it the better pick for gaming or graphics applications that use Vulkan.

Choose the Intel UHD Graphics 730 if your primary concern is OpenCL compute performance. It wins that test by 4.2%, which is a modest but measurable advantage. The UHD 730 also has a significant FP16 advantage, rated at 998.4 GFLOPS versus the MX230’s 12.25 GFLOPS, so it is markedly better for half-precision compute tasks. This GPU is also built into the processor, which means it uses system memory and has no dedicated VRAM, that can be a benefit in terms of shared resources, but it also means performance depends on the rest of the system.

For most users, the MX230 is the safer recommendation based on the Vulkan victory and higher average score. However, if you are doing compute-heavy work that uses OpenCL or FP16, the UHD 730 is the better choice. The split is roughly even, each wins one benchmark, so your selection should be driven by the specific API you plan to use.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two Geekbench tests tell the whole story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 scores 5988, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX230 scores 5739. That is a 4.2% difference in Intel’s favor. This is a relatively close result, but it shows that the UHD 730’s architecture is better suited to OpenCL’s compute model. The MX230’s Pascal architecture, with 256 shading units and 16 TMUs, does not translate into an OpenCL win here.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the tables turn. The MX230 scores 6414, against the UHD 730’s 5870, a 9.3% advantage for NVIDIA. This is the standout result of the comparison. Vulkan is designed to reduce driver overhead and give developers more control over the GPU, and the MX230’s dedicated hardware appears to handle this workload more efficiently. The delta of 9.3% is the largest margin in either test, making it the deciding factor for gamers or users of Vulkan-based software.

The wins are evenly split at one apiece, but the magnitude differs. Intel’s OpenCL win is 4.2%, while NVIDIA’s Vulkan win is 9.3%. That means the MX230’s victory is more significant in terms of raw performance gap. If you average the two tests, the MX230 comes out ahead with an average score of 6077 versus 5929, a difference of 148 points. This aggregate data supports the conclusion that the MX230 is the stronger overall performer, despite losing the OpenCL test.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 has an average benchmark score of 6077, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 scores 5929.

Q: Which GPU wins the Vulkan benchmark and by how much?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 6414, beating the Intel UHD Graphics 730’s 5870 by 9.3%.

Q: Is the Intel UHD Graphics 730 better in any benchmark?

A: Yes, the Intel UHD Graphics 730 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 5988, which is 4.2% higher than the MX230’s 5739.

Q: What is the memory configuration for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 48.06 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses system shared memory, with type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as system dependent.

Q: How do these GPUs rank against all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 is in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 is in the 33rd percentile.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 has an FP32 rate of 783.9 GFLOPS, compared to the Intel UHD Graphics 730’s 499.2 GFLOPS.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and use fundamentally different architectures. The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 is built on the Pascal architecture using the GP108 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process by Samsung. It contains 1,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, with a transistor density of 24.3 million per square millimeter. The Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses the Generation 12.1 architecture with the Rocket Lake chip, fabricated on Intel’s 14 nm+++ process. Intel does not list transistor count, die size, or density for this chip, but the process node is a refinement of the same 14 nm class.

The MX230 is a discrete GPU with its own memory, while the UHD 730 is an integrated GPU that shares system memory. This is a fundamental architectural difference. The MX230’s memory clock runs at 1502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective speed, and it has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus. The UHD 730 has no dedicated memory; everything is system shared, and bandwidth is system dependent. This means the UHD 730’s performance is tied to the speed of the system RAM, while the MX230 has fixed, dedicated bandwidth of 48.06 GB/s.

Shading unit counts also differ. The MX230 has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The UHD 730 has 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The MX230’s higher counts in all three categories give it a raw hardware advantage, which shows in its pixel rate of 24.50 GPixel/s versus the UHD 730’s 10.40 GPixel/s, and texture rate of 24.50 GTexel/s versus 15.60 GTexel/s. The FP32 output is also higher on the MX230 at 783.9 GFLOPS versus 499.2 GFLOPS.

The FP16 story is reversed. The UHD 730 delivers 998.4 GFLOPS of FP16 performance at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32, while the MX230 delivers only 12.25 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio. This indicates the Intel architecture is far more capable for half-precision compute, which is relevant for certain machine learning or graphics workloads. Power consumption also differs: the MX230 is rated at 10 W TDP, while the UHD 730 is rated at 15 W.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field. The NVIDIA GeForce MX230 uses a 14 nm process from Samsung, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 uses Intel’s 14 nm+++ process. The MX230 has 1,800 million transistors and a 74 mm² die size; the UHD 730 has no listed transistor count or die size. Clock speeds show a significant difference: the MX230 has a base clock of 1519 MHz and a boost clock of 1531 MHz, while the UHD 730 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1300 MHz. The MX230’s memory clock is 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the UHD 730’s memory is system shared and its speed is not specified.

Memory configuration is a major differentiator. The MX230 comes with 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 48.06 GB/s bandwidth. The UHD 730 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The MX230 has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 16 ROPs; the UHD 730 has 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Pixel and texture rates follow: the MX230 achieves 24.50 GPixel/s and 24.50 GTexel/s, while the UHD 730 achieves 10.40 GPixel/s and 15.60 GTexel/s.

FP32 performance is higher on the MX230 at 783.9 GFLOPS, but FP16 is dramatically higher on the UHD 730 at 998.4 GFLOPS versus 12.25 GFLOPS. TDP differs, with the MX230 at 10 W and the UHD 730 at 15 W. The bus interface also differs: the MX230 uses PCIe 3.0 x4, while the UHD 730 uses a Ring Bus. Display outputs are portable device dependent for the MX230 and motherboard dependent for the UHD 730. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Release dates differ, with the MX230 launching on 2019-02-20 and the UHD 730 on 2021-03-29. Neither has a launch MSRP listed.