Iris Plus Graphics 640 vs Iris Graphics 550

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General info

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking673659
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for moneyno data0.85
ArchitectureGen. 9 Skylake (2015−2016)Gen. 9.5 Kaby Lake (2015−2017)
GPU code nameSkylake GT3eKaby Lake GT3e
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date1 September 2015 (8 years old)3 January 2017 (7 years old)
Current priceno data$669
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores4848
Core clock speed300 MHz300 MHz
Boost clock speed1100 MHz1050 MHz
Number of transistors189 million189 million
Manufacturing process technology14 nm14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)15 Watt15 Watt
Texture fill rate52.8052.80

Size and compatibility

Information on Iris Graphics 550 and Iris Plus Graphics 640 compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

InterfacePCIe 3.0 x1PCIe 3.0 x1

Memory

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeeDRAMDDR3L/LPDDR3/DDR4
Maximum RAM amount64 MB32 GB
Memory bus widtheDRAM + 64/128 Bit64/128 Bit
Memory clock speedSystem SharedSystem Shared
Shared memory++

Video outputs and ports

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsNo outputsNo outputs

Technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

Quick Sync++

API support

List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_1)
Shader Model6.46.4
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.12.1
Vulkan1.1.971.1.103

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Iris Graphics 550
3.57

Iris Plus Graphics 640 outperforms Iris Graphics 550 by 8% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

Iris Graphics 550 1429
Iris Plus Graphics 640 1489
+4.2%

Iris Plus Graphics 640 outperforms Iris Graphics 550 by 4% in Passmark.

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

Iris Graphics 550 2534
+6.5%
Iris Plus Graphics 640 2379

Iris Graphics 550 outperforms Iris Plus Graphics 640 by 6% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

Iris Graphics 550 1648
+18.2%
Iris Plus Graphics 640 1394

Iris Graphics 550 outperforms Iris Plus Graphics 640 by 18% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

Iris Graphics 550 12986
+15.5%
Iris Plus Graphics 640 11248

Iris Graphics 550 outperforms Iris Plus Graphics 640 by 15% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

Benchmark coverage: 8%

Iris Graphics 550 144742
Iris Plus Graphics 640 145481
+0.5%

Iris Plus Graphics 640 outperforms Iris Graphics 550 by 1% in 3DMark Ice Storm GPU.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD19
−15.8%
22
+15.8%
1440p28
−7.1%
30−35
+7.1%
4K50
+0%
50−55
+0%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Battlefield 5 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
−7.7%
14−16
+7.7%
Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Far Cry 5 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%
Forza Horizon 4 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
Hitman 3 7−8
−14.3%
8−9
+14.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 8
+0%
8−9
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Battlefield 5 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
−7.7%
14−16
+7.7%
Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Far Cry 5 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%
Forza Horizon 4 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
Hitman 3 7−8
−14.3%
8−9
+14.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Metro Exodus 3
−66.7%
5−6
+66.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2 7−8
−14.3%
8−9
+14.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8
+0%
8−9
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Battlefield 5 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Far Cry 5 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%
Forza Horizon 4 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9
+100%
4
−100%
Watch Dogs: Legion 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Hitman 3 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Metro Exodus 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Far Cry 5 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
+0%
1−2
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 1−2
−100%
2−3
+100%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Hitman 3 3−4
−33.3%
4−5
+33.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 0−1 0−1

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 0−1 1−2
Cyberpunk 2077 0−1 0−1
Far Cry 5 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%

This is how Iris Graphics 550 and Iris Plus Graphics 640 compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • Iris Plus Graphics 640 is 15.8% faster than Iris Graphics 550

1440p resolution:

  • Iris Plus Graphics 640 is 7.1% faster than Iris Graphics 550

4K resolution:

  • Iris Plus Graphics 640 is 0% faster than Iris Graphics 550

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the Iris Graphics 550 is 100% faster than the Iris Plus Graphics 640.
  • in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1440p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the Iris Plus Graphics 640 is 100% faster than the Iris Graphics 550.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Iris Graphics 550 is ahead in 1 test (2%)
  • Iris Plus Graphics 640 is ahead in 20 tests (38%)
  • there's a draw in 32 tests (60%)

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 3.57 3.84
Recency 1 September 2015 3 January 2017
Maximum RAM amount 64 MB 32 GB

We couldn't decide between Iris Graphics 550 and Iris Plus Graphics 640. The differences in performance seem too small.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Cast your own vote

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


Intel Iris Graphics 550
Iris Graphics 550
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Iris Plus Graphics 640

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User ratings: view and submit

Here you can see the user rating of the graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


3.5 48 votes

Rate Intel Iris Graphics 550 on a scale of 1 to 5:

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3.3 266 votes

Rate Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 on a scale of 1 to 5:

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Questions and comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.