Iris Plus Graphics 640 vs Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U

Intel

Iris Plus Graphics 640

2017Core: 300 MHzBoost: 1100 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U

2020Boost: 2100 MHz
Similar parts
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Iris Plus Graphics 640 vs Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Iris Plus Graphics 640 vs Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Iris Plus Graphics 640

2017

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U

2020

Why buy it

  • Iris Plus Graphics 640 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U is the less risky modern option long term.
  • More future proof: Vega (2017−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2020 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (1,359 vs 1,353), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 7nm process instead of 14nm, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2017. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Iris Plus Graphics 640 vs Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Intel

Iris Plus Graphics 640

The Iris Plus Graphics 640 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in January 3 2017. It features the Generation 9.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 300 MHz to 1100 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 14 nm++ process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,353 points.

AMD

Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U

The Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2020. It features the Vega architecture. The boost clock speed is 2100 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,359 points.

Graphics Performance

The Iris Plus Graphics 640 scores 1,353 and the Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U reaches 1,359 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Iris Plus Graphics 640 is built on Generation 9.5 while the Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U uses Vega, both on 14 nm++ vs 7 nm. Shader units: 384 (Iris Plus Graphics 640) vs 512 (Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U). Boost clocks: 1100 MHz vs 2100 MHz.

FeatureIris Plus Graphics 640Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U
G3D Mark Score
1,353
1,359
Architecture
Generation 9.5
Vega
Process Node
14 nm++
7 nm
Shading Units
384
512+33%
Boost Clock
1100 MHz
2100 MHz+91%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureIris Plus Graphics 640Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 0 MB of Shared. Memory bus width is System on the Iris Plus Graphics 640 and System on the Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U.

FeatureIris Plus Graphics 640Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U
VRAM Capacity
Shared System RAM
Shared System RAM
Memory Type
Shared
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
System
System
Bus Width
System
System
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Iris Plus Graphics 640 draws 15W versus the Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U's 15W — a 0% difference. The Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 0W (Iris Plus Graphics 640) vs 1W (Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U). Power connectors: None vs Integrated.

FeatureIris Plus Graphics 640Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U
TDP
15W
15W
Recommended PSU
0W-100%
1W
Power Connector
None
Integrated
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
80
Perf/Watt
90.2
90.6
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Iris Plus Graphics 640 came in at $0, while the Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U launched at $0. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (Iris Plus Graphics 640) vs Infinity (Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U) — the Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U offers NaN% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U (2020 vs 2017).

FeatureIris Plus Graphics 640Radeon Vega 8 Ryzen 5 3500U
MSRP
$0
$0
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
Infinity
Codename
Kaby Lake GT3e
Vega
Release
January 3 2017
January 7 2020
Ranking
#767
#545

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