Intel Iris Xe vs Arc graphics: Which is better for gaming?
The Intel Iris Xe vs Arc graphics battle is somewhat puzzling, as they represent two product lines of discrete graphics processing units based on Intel's Xe microarchitecture. The former was launched in 2020 and included both discrete and integrated graphics card variations. Although the discrete line has been replaced by the Arc Alchemist series, Xe-based integrated graphics can be found in entry-level laptops.
Although the hardware configurations of different Iris Xe graphics processors differ, general specifications such as clock speeds, video RAM size, and input-output features are comparable to those of low-tier Arc graphics processors for desktop and mobile computers.
This article examines which one performs better for gaming.
Intel Iris Xe vs Arc graphics: Specifications
There are multiple options available in the Arc series. Let’s look at the core configuration of some cards:
All the cards are built on the same architecture and process node. Moreover, there is not much difference in their clock speeds, except for the A530M variant, which has slightly slow clocks. However, the shading units, RT cores, TDP, and memory bandwidth increase as you go from the A370M to the A770M model.
Now, let’s move to the Xe graphics. Here are the technical specifications:
They almost look identical to each other. The only difference is between the shading and execution units.
Intel Iris Xe vs Arc graphics: Performance comparison
Based on the technical specifications, the Arc graphics are more powerful than its counterpart. To get more insights, I have fetched some synthetic test results for these GPUs from the TechnicalCity and NotebookCheck websites.
I only found the Passmark for the Arc A530M. However, it would not be wrong to conclude that it will perform better on every test compared to the A370M. Nevertheless, the other results come out as expected, with significant performance gains when you move to a higher variant.
Based on the data presented above, it is clear that the Arc cards are more powerful than their Iris Xe-based graphics cards. Even the low-tier A370M has delivered better numbers than the G7 GPU.
Let’s see how they perform in gaming. Listed below is the best FPS you can get from both series’ cards:
The data is sourced from the TechnicalCity website. These are the projected FPS in various games at 1080p high settings.
Except for Minecraft, the Iris Xe graphics fall significantly behind their competitors. On average, of all games, the Arc A370M delivers 61% better performance in gaming compared to the G7 96EUs. The performance gap between the Xe card and the A770M card is around 260%, combining all games' averages.
Intel Iris Xe vs Arc graphics: Final verdict
Based on the above analysis, Arc GPUs emerge as superior in the Intel Iris Xe vs Arc graphics battle. Even its entry-level card outperforms the Iris Xe graphics by a significant margin. Moreover, being discrete, they come with their own dedicated video memory, which significantly improves performance.
Meanwhile, the Iris Xe relies on the device’s memory and can handle some esports titles and older games at lower settings but struggles with demanding modern games.
Check out our other articles:
- Should you wait for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D or buy the Ryzen 7 7800X3D?
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600X vs Ryzen 5 3600: Which is better for budget gaming?
- Nvidia RTX 4060 vs AMD RX 7600S: Which is the best laptop GPU?