Intel Iris Xe vs AMD Vega: Which is the better integrated GPU for gaming?

A normal or professional work laptop doesn't have a dedicated GPU and relies on the integrated GPU inside the processor. Most people assume they can't play games on these laptops since they don't have a dedicated graphics card, but that's simply not true. Although you may have trouble running modern AAA games on them, older titles and games that aren't graphically intensive should run just fine.

The Intel Iris Xe and AMD Vega are two popular integrated GPUs that are commonly found in laptops. In this article, we will compare the two integrated graphics processors to see which is better.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinions.

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Intel Iris Xe vs AMD Vega: Comparison of integrated GPUs

The Iris Xe integrated graphics processor is usually found in laptops with Intel 11th - 13th Gen CPUs. On the contrary, the AMD Vega is found in laptops powered by the AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors and higher. Let's check out the specs of the two GPUs to better gauge their capabilities.

Specs comparison

Intel Iris Xe (Image via Intel)

Here are the specs of Intel Iris Xe vs AMD Vega:

Specifications	Intel Iris Xe	AMD Radeon Vega
Shader cores	Up to 768	Up to 512
TMUs	Up to 48	Up to 32
ROPs	Up to 24	Up to 8
Base clock speed	300 MHz	300 MHz
Boost clock speed	Up to 1500 MHz	Up to 2000 MHz
VRAM size, bus width, and bandwidth	Dependent on the system's memory	Dependent on the system's memory
DirectX support	Up to DirectX 12 (12_1)	Up to DirectX 12 (12_1)
Thermal design power (TDP)	15 - 45W	15 - 45W
Manufacturing process node	10nm	7nm

Upon first glance at the specs sheet, you would assume that the Intel Iris integrated graphics processor is better since it has a higher number of shader cores, TMUs, and ROPs, but you would be wrong. That's because they are based on two different architectures and don't work the same way.

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Gaming performance comparison

The Hellblade game running on Intel Iris Xe vs AMD Vega (Image via TechEpiphany/YouTube)

Specs can give you a general idea of a GPU's capabilities, but it doesn't show real-world performance differences. So let's check out how Intel Iris Xe and AMD Vega perform in actual games:

Note: All the FPS numbers have been sourced from TechEpiphany on YouTube.

Games	Intel Iris Xe (Intel Core i7-1165G7)	AMD Radeon Vega (Ryzen 7 5800U)
Assassin's Creed Valhalla (1080p Low with 70% scaling)	28 FPS	38 FPS
Death Stranding (720p Low)	36 FPS	42 FPS
Dues Ex (1080p Low)	30 FPS	28 FPS
Dota 2 (1080p Low with 80% scaling)	120 FPS	150 FPS
F1 2020 (1080p Medium)	55 FPS	60 FPS
Hellblade (1080p Medium)	37 FPS	28 FPS
Shadow of War (1080p Low with 70% scaling)	48 FPS	42 FPS
Skyrim (1080p High)	36 FPS	34 FPS
Strange Brigade (1080p Medium)	32 FPS	38 FPS
Tomb Raider 2013 (1080p Ultra)	42 FPS	43 FPS

As you can see, they are extremely competitive. In some games, the Intel Iris Xe has slightly better performance, while the AMD Vega takes the lead in others. On average, however, AMD's integrated GPU is around 8.4% better than Intel's.

Even graphically demanding games like Hellblade run with 30+ FPS on both integrated graphics processors here. Its sequel Hellblade 2 is also out but requires a lot of graphical power, so it won't run well on these GPUs and may even crash upon launch.

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Final verdict

The AMD Vega is the best integrated GPU for gaming, and it performs 8.4% better than the Intel Iris Xe in the 11 games we looked at. However, since they are so close in terms of performance, both will run most of the popular titles with 30+ FPS, as long as you are willing to lower the resolution and graphical settings occasionally.

Some games can be played at 1080p resolution with low settings, but others may have to be played at 720p. However, most older games can be played with high graphics settings. In fact, older titles like Tomb Raider from 2013 can run with ultra settings at 1080p.