Iris Xe MAX Graphics vs Radeon RX 540

Place in the ranking	539	622
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Power efficiency	10.08	14.25
Architecture	GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)	Generation 12.1 (2020−2021)
GPU code name	Lexa	DG1
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Release date	11 November 2017 (7 years ago)	31 October 2020 (4 years ago)

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	512	768
Core clock speed	1124 MHz	300 MHz
Boost clock speed	1219 MHz	1650 MHz
Number of transistors	2,200 million	no data
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	10 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	50 Watt	25 Watt
Texture fill rate	39.01	79.20
Floating-point processing power	1.248 TFLOPS	2.534 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	24
TMUs	32	48

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop size	large	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x8	PCIe 4.0 x4
Supplementary power connectors	None	no data

VRAM capacity and type

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 type	GDDR5	LPDDR4X
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	4 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	1500 MHz	2133 MHz
Memory bandwidth	96 GB/s	68.26 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

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 Connectors

No outputs

Supported technologies

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

FreeSync

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 (12_0)	12 (12_1)
Shader Model	6.4	6.4
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	2.0	3.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.2

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark 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.

RX 540 7.23
+41.5%

Iris Xe MAX Graphics 5.11

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. 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.

RX 540 2788
+41.5%

Iris Xe MAX Graphics 1971

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.

RX 540 4646

Iris Xe MAX Graphics 8214
+76.8%

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.

RX 540 3686

Iris Xe MAX Graphics 6333
+71.8%

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.

RX 540 24170

Iris Xe MAX Graphics 36993
+53.1%

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.

RX 540 138197

Iris Xe MAX Graphics 177442
+28.4%

3DMark Time Spy Graphics

RX 540 787

Iris Xe MAX Graphics 1743
+121%

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 HD	23 −17.4%	27 +17.4%
1440p	24−27 +41.2%	17 −41.2%
4K	21−24 +40%	15 −40%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

10−12

−63.6%

18−20
+63.6%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	18−20 −50%	27−30 +50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	9−10 −111%	19 +111%
Battlefield 5	21−24 −71.4%	35−40 +71.4%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 −53.3%	21−24 +53.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 −63.6%	18−20 +63.6%
Far Cry 5	13 −108%	27−30 +108%
Far Cry New Dawn	20−22 −60%	30−35 +60%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −58.3%	75−80 +58.3%
Hitman 3	14−16 −71.4%	24 +71.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn	40−45 −45.2%	60−65 +45.2%
Metro Exodus	21−24 −171%	57 +171%
Red Dead Redemption 2	20−22 −65%	33 +65%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	40 +8.1%	35−40 −8.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion	50−55 −25.9%	65−70 +25.9%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	18−20 −50%	27−30 +50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	9−10 +50%	6 −50%
Battlefield 5	21−24 −71.4%	35−40 +71.4%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 −53.3%	21−24 +53.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 −63.6%	18−20 +63.6%
Far Cry 5	10 −170%	27−30 +170%
Far Cry New Dawn	20−22 −60%	30−35 +60%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −58.3%	75−80 +58.3%
Hitman 3	14−16 −64.3%	23 +64.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	40−45 −45.2%	60−65 +45.2%
Metro Exodus	21−24 −105%	43 +105%
Red Dead Redemption 2	20−22 −60%	30−35 +60%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	24−27 −37.5%	33 +37.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21−24 −31.8%	27−30 +31.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion	50−55 −25.9%	65−70 +25.9%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	18−20 −50%	27−30 +50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	9−10 −100%	18−20 +100%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 −53.3%	21−24 +53.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−12 −63.6%	18−20 +63.6%
Far Cry 5	7 −286%	27−30 +286%
Forza Horizon 4	45−50 −58.3%	75−80 +58.3%
Hitman 3	14−16 −50%	21 +50%
Horizon Zero Dawn	40−45 +61.5%	26 −61.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	24−27 −20.8%	29 +20.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	7 −157%	18 +157%
Watch Dogs: Legion	50−55 −25.9%	65−70 +25.9%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

20−22

−25%

25
+25%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	14−16 −57.1%	21−24 +57.1%
Far Cry New Dawn	10−12 −54.5%	16−18 +54.5%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	7−8 −57.1%	10−12 +57.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	3−4 −167%	8−9 +167%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	7−8 −71.4%	12−14 +71.4%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 −100%	6−7 +100%
Far Cry 5	8−9 −62.5%	12−14 +62.5%
Forza Horizon 4	24−27 −108%	50−55 +108%
Hitman 3	10−12 −27.3%	14−16 +27.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	14−16 −53.3%	21−24 +53.3%
Metro Exodus	8−9 −125%	18−20 +125%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	5−6 −300%	20 +300%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	6−7 −83.3%	10−12 +83.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	45−50 −56.5%	70−75 +56.5%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

12−14

−58.3%

18−20
+58.3%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	6−7 −83.3%	10−12 +83.3%
Far Cry New Dawn	5−6 −60%	8−9 +60%
Hitman 3	3−4 −133%	7−8 +133%
Horizon Zero Dawn	21−24 −126%	50−55 +126%
Metro Exodus	4−5 −150%	10−11 +150%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	4−5 −175%	11 +175%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	4−5 −75%	7−8 +75%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	3−4 −66.7%	5−6 +66.7%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	3−4 −66.7%	5−6 +66.7%
Cyberpunk 2077	1−2 +0%	1−2 +0%
Far Cry 5	4−5 −50%	6−7 +50%
Forza Horizon 4	8−9 −87.5%	14−16 +87.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	2−3 −450%	11 +450%
Watch Dogs: Legion	2−3 −100%	4−5 +100%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

7−8

−57.1%

10−12
+57.1%

This is how RX 540 and Iris Xe MAX Graphics compete in popular games:

Iris Xe MAX Graphics is 17% faster in 1080p
RX 540 is 41% faster in 1440p
RX 540 is 40% faster in 4K

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

in Horizon Zero Dawn, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RX 540 is 62% faster.
in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the Iris Xe MAX Graphics is 450% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RX 540 is ahead in 3 tests (4%)
Iris Xe MAX Graphics is ahead in 68 tests (94%)
there's a draw in 1 test (1%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	7.23	5.11
Recency	11 November 2017	31 October 2020
Maximum RAM amount	2 GB	4 GB
Chip lithography	14 nm	10 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	50 Watt	25 Watt

RX 540 has a 41.5% higher aggregate performance score.

Iris Xe MAX Graphics, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 40% more advanced lithography process, and 100% lower power consumption.

The Radeon RX 540 is our recommended choice as it beats the Iris Xe MAX Graphics in performance tests.

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