NVIDIA Quadro K500M vs Intel UHD Graphics 605 vs Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580

NVIDIA Quadro K500M

The NVIDIA Quadro K500M is an entry-level, DirectX 11.1-compatible graphics card for mobile workstations. It is a Kepler-based GPU built on the GK107 architecture and is manufactured in 28nm at TSMC. Compared to the K2000M, the K500M only features a 64-Bit memory bus and 192 shader cores instead of 384. The Quadro K500M is built for the Intel Chief River generation (Ivy Bridge) and is the successor to the Fermi-based Quadro 1000M (Huron River platform).

The Quadro series offers certified drivers that are optimized for stability and performance in professional applications like CAD or DCC. OpenGL performance, for example, should be significantly better than GeForce graphics cards of similar specifications.

Architecture

The Kepler architecture is the successor to the Fermi architecture that first appeared in laptops with the GeForce 400M series. The GK107 Kepler core offers two shader blocks, called SMX, each with 192 shaders for a total of 384 shader cores that are clocked at the same speed as the central core. The K500M, however, offers only one SMX with 192 shaders. Although more shader cores are available in the Kepler architecture as compared to the Fermi design, the Kepler shaders are still expected to be up to twice as power efficient. However, due to the missing hot clock of the shader domain, two shaders of a Kepler chip are about as fast as one shader of a Fermi chip (as the latter is clocked twice as fast).

PCIe 3.0 is now supported by the mobile Kepler series and an optional Turbo mode can automatically overclock the Nvidia card by a theoretical 15 percent if the laptop cooling system allows it. The implementation of this boost mode is done in the BIOS, but it is ultimately dependent upon the manufacturer of the laptop.

Performance

The gaming performance should be similar to the consumer GeForce GT 620M.

Features

The improved feature set now includes support for up to 4 active displays. Furthermore, high resolution monitors of up to 3840x2160 pixels can now be connected using DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 1.4a if available. HD-Audio codecs, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, can be transmitted via bitstream mode through the HDMI port. However, as most laptops will feature Optimus, the integrated GPU will likely have direct control over the display ports and may limit the feature set available by the Nvidia Kepler cards.

The 5th generation PureVideo HD video processor (VP5) is also integrated in the GK107 core and offers hardware decoding of HD videos. Common codecs such as MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264 and VC1/WMV9 are fully supported up to 4K resolutions while VC1 and MPEG-4 are supported up to 1080p. Two streams can be decoded in parallel for features such as Picture-in-Picture. Another novelty is the inclusion of a dedicated video encoding engine similar to Intel QuickSync that can be accessed by the NVENC API.

The power consumption of the K500M is rated at 35 Watt (TGP according to Nvidia) and therefore suited for medium-sized notebooks of 15-inches or greater.

Intel UHD Graphics 605

The Intel UHD Graphics 605 is an integrated processor graphics unit from the Gemini Lake generation (e. g. Pentium Silver N5000), which was announced late 2017. The GPU can convince with low consumption figures, but the performance is only in the low-end segment and is rarely sufficient for modern games. Being the maximum configuration of the Gemini Lake GPU, the UHD Graphics 605 is equipped with 18 Execution Units (EUs) running at up to 750 MHz. The technical specifications of the GPU are based on Intel's Gen9 architecture, which is also used for the more expensive Skylake series and also in the predecessor HD Graphics 505.

Due to its lack of dedicated graphics memory or eDRAM cache, the UHD 605 has to access the main memory via processor (2x 64bit DDR4/LPDDR4-2400).

Performance

The UHD Graphics 605 offers a similar performance as the Intel HD Graphics 505 in the Apollo Lake SoCs (same Gen 9 architecture). Therefore, the GPU is only suited for some very low demanding games like Dirt Rally or Sims 4.

Features

The video engine decodes H.265/HEVC (8b and 10b) and VP9 completely in hardware. Up to three displays can be connected via DP 1.2a/eDP 1.3 or HDMI 2.0a (including HDCP 2.2).

Power Consumption

The TDP of the whole Pentium Silver N5000 chip is 6 Watts by default, so the GPU is primarily used for (often passively cooled) netbooks or thin notebooks. The TDP can also be reduced to 4.9 Watts, but this will obviously affect the performance.

Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580

The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 (GT4e) is an integrated graphics unit of the Skylake generation (top version). As successors of the Iris Graphics 6200 (Broadwell), the Iris 580 can be found in some high-end quad core CPUs and offers 128 MB of dedicated eDRAM memory. Furthermore, the so-called GT4e-version features 72 Execution Units (EUs). Besides the eDRAM cache, the Iris 580 is able to access the main memory (2x 64bit DDR3L-1600 / DDR4-2133).

Compared to the Iris Graphics 550 (28 W GT3e), the Iris Pro Graphics 580 offers more EUs (72 vs. 48) and a larger eDRAM Cache (128 vs. 64 MB).

Performance

The exact performance of the Iris Graphics 580 depends on memory configuration and CPU model (different clock speeds). However, it should be clearly faster than the old Broadwell Iris Pro 6200 and may compete with a dedicated GeForce 945M. Modern games of 2015/2016 should be playable in medium settings.

Features

The revised video engine now decodes H.265/HEVC completely in hardware and thereby much more efficiently than before. Displays can be connected via DP 1.2 / eDP 1.3 (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz), whereas HDMI is limited to the older version 1.4 (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 30 Hz). However, HDMI 2.0 can be added using a DisplayPort converter. Up to three displays can be controlled simultaneously.

Power Consumption

The Iris Graphics 580 can be found in some mobile high-end quad core processors (45 W). Therefore, they are most likely not used in thin and light laptops.