Intel UHD Graphics P630 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti and Intel UHD Graphics P630 occupy very different corners of the hardware landscape, yet their benchmark scores place them within striking distance of each other. The GTX 550 Ti is a dedicated discrete graphics card from 2011, built on NVIDIA's Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the P630 is an integrated processor graphics solution from Intel's Generation 9.5 architecture, launched in 2020. The data shows that the GTX 550 Ti holds a modest but definitive performance lead in the single benchmark test available, though the P630 counters with superior API support and a dramatically more efficient power profile.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results show a clear winner. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5731 points, while the Intel UHD Graphics P630 scores 5111 points. This represents a 12.1% advantage for the NVIDIA card, a figure that is significant enough to be noticeable in compute workloads that leverage OpenCL. The GTX 550 Ti's victory is not a narrow margin; a 12.1% delta is a substantial gap in performance terms, indicating that the older discrete card's dedicated memory bandwidth and higher fill rates give it a real edge over the integrated solution.

For context, the GTX 550 Ti's score of 5731 places it in the 33rd percentile of all GPUs, which is only slightly above the P630's 31st percentile. This means that while the NVIDIA card wins this head-to-head, both parts are positioned in the lower tier of overall GPU performance. The P630 does have a second benchmark result, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5628, but there is no comparable Vulkan result for the GTX 550 Ti, so a direct comparison in that API is not possible from the available data. The absence of a Vulkan score for the NVIDIA card is telling, as it highlights a key architectural difference in API support that will be explored later.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card reinforces the competitive positioning. The GTX 550 Ti is surrounded by a cluster of mobile and entry-level discrete parts, with the AMD Radeon R7 M465 scoring 5841 (1.9% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX scoring 5721 (0.2% lower). The P630, on the other hand, sits among low-power mobile GPUs, with the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scoring 5358 (0.2% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce 930A scoring 5317 (1% lower). This data suggests that the GTX 550 Ti is competing with slightly faster mobile parts, while the P630 is in a slightly lower performance tier.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 550 Ti wins the only head-to-head benchmark, so its victory is straightforward: it is the faster part for OpenCL compute tasks. The 12.1% lead in Geekbench OpenCL means that any workload leveraging this API—such as certain physics simulations, image processing, or general-purpose GPU computing—will complete faster on the NVIDIA card. Its dedicated 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory and 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth provide a significant advantage over the P630's system-shared memory, which has "System Dependent" bandwidth. This means the GTX 550 Ti does not have to compete with the CPU for memory access, a critical factor in sustained compute workloads.

The Intel UHD Graphics P630 wins in areas not covered by the benchmark results. It has a higher DirectX version support of 12 (12_1) compared to the GTX 550 Ti's DirectX 12 (11_0), meaning it can handle newer graphics features and effects in games that require the 12_1 feature level. The P630 also supports Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 550 Ti has no Vulkan support listed, making the Intel part the only one of the two capable of running Vulkan-based applications. The P630's 15 W TDP versus the GTX 550 Ti's 116 W TDP is another clear win, as it requires no external power connectors and is integrated directly into the processor, making it suitable for compact or power-sensitive systems. The P630's 921.6 GFLOPS of FP16 performance (with a 2:1 ratio) also suggests it can handle certain half-precision compute workloads, though the GTX 550 Ti has a higher FP32 rate.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is vast, reflecting the decade separating their releases. The GTX 550 Ti is built on NVIDIA's Fermi 2.0 architecture, using the GF116 chip fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This chip contains 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 4.9 million transistors per mm². The Fermi architecture was designed for compute-heavy tasks, which is reflected in its 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance. The card has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 ROPs, which contribute to its pixel rate of 7.200 GPixel/s and texture rate of 28.80 GTexel/s.

The Intel UHD Graphics P630 uses the Comet Lake GT2 chip, part of Intel's Generation 9.5 architecture, built on a 14 nm+++ process at Intel. Intel does not list transistor count, die size, or transistor density for this part, but the architecture is fundamentally different from Fermi. The P630 also has 192 shading units, but only 24 TMUs and 3 ROPs. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 3.600 GPixel/s—exactly half that of the GTX 550 Ti—while maintaining the same texture rate of 28.80 GTexel/s. The lower ROP count is a significant architectural difference, explaining the halved pixel throughput. The P630's FP32 performance is 460.8 GFLOPS, which is lower than the NVIDIA's 691.2 GFLOPS.

The memory architecture is another fundamental difference. The GTX 550 Ti has a dedicated 192-bit memory bus connected to 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, providing 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth. The P630 uses system shared memory, with the bus width and memory type both listed as "System Shared," and bandwidth as "System Dependent." This means the P630's memory performance is entirely dependent on the system's RAM configuration, which is a major disadvantage for bandwidth-sensitive tasks. The GTX 550 Ti's memory clock is 1026 MHz (4.1 Gbps effective), while the P630 has a base clock of 350 MHz and a boost clock of 1200 MHz.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two parts differ on nearly every field, reflecting their distinct design philosophies. The GTX 550 Ti is a dual-slot card requiring a 1x 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU, while the P630 is an IGP with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 116 W, compared to the P630's 15 W, a difference of 101 W that makes the Intel part far more suitable for low-power systems. The GTX 550 Ti uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 bus interface, while the P630 uses a Ring Bus, which is typical for integrated graphics.

Display outputs differ significantly: the GTX 550 Ti offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the P630's outputs are "Motherboard Dependent," meaning they vary by the specific motherboard implementation. The NVIDIA card has physical dimensions of 210 mm (8.3 inches) in length, while the P630 has no listed dimensions due to its integrated nature. The GTX 550 Ti was released on March 14, 2011, with a launch MSRP of 149 USD, while the P630 was released on May 12, 2020, with no launch MSRP listed. The GTX 550 Ti has a predecessor in the GeForce 400 series and a successor in the GeForce 600 series, while the P630 has neither. Both parts are marked as end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher benchmark score in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti scores 5731, which is 12.1% higher than the Intel UHD Graphics P630's score of 5111.

Q: Does the Intel UHD Graphics P630 support any API that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti does not?

A: Yes, the P630 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 550 Ti has no Vulkan support listed. The P630 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1), whereas the GTX 550 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0).

Q: What is the power consumption difference between the two GPUs?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has a TDP of 116 W, while the P630 has a TDP of 15 W. This is a difference of 101 W in favor of the Intel part.

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare between the two cards?

A: Both the GTX 550 Ti and the P630 have exactly 192 shading units. However, the GTX 550 Ti has 32 TMUs and 24 ROPs, while the P630 has 24 TMUs and 3 ROPs.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each GPU?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 98.50 GB/s of bandwidth. The P630 uses system shared memory with a system-dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 performance rating?

A: The GTX 550 Ti has 691.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is higher than the P630's 460.8 GFLOPS. However, the P630 has 921.6 GFLOPS of FP16 performance, a specification not listed for the GTX 550 Ti.