Prior to the Intel 10th gen CPU series, gaming on thin-and-light laptops was largely limited to models with discrete Nvidia GeForce MX graphics options such as the MX150, MX250, or MX350. The integrated UHD Graphics 620 solutions that were prevalent in most Ultrabooks at the time had nowhere near the horsepower needed to run even basic games like Rocket League or DOTA 2 at decent frame rates.
The introduction of Iris Xe on Intel 11th gen CPUs to replace the aging UHD Graphics 620 on older processors would subsequently increase graphics performance by as much as 200 to 300 percent all while maintaining a similar power envelope of under 25 W. Gaming would suddenly become possible on traditional thin-and-light laptops with no discrete graphics options like the Dell XPS 13, Asus Zenbook 14, or even small business laptops like the HP EliteBook 840 Aero G8. The availability of GeForce MX options would decrease significantly as many manufacturers were satisfied with Intel's Iris Xe solution on most models. By dropping GeForce MX GPUs, newer laptop designs could generally be made thinner, lighter, and longer-lasting as well.
Are there still any reasons to configure or choose laptops with GeForce MX graphics instead of Iris Xe? Though they're not as common, we've tested at least 15 laptops thus far with the latest GeForce MX450 including the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 16IHU6, MSI Modern 14, and Asus ZenBook 14X OLED. On average, laptops with the MX450 will outperform a laptop with Iris Xe 96 EUs graphics on all tested games. Certain games like Fortnite or DOTA 2 would run significantly faster on MX450 laptops by 80 to 100 percent while other games like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands may see a smaller boost of around 30 percent or less. Even so, the performance differences between Iris Xe and the GeForce MX450 can still be very noticeable despite their misleading neck-to-neck 3DMark scores.
If you're looking to maximize gaming performance without resorting to GeForce GTX or RTX GPUs, then you'll still want to keep an eye out for the GeForce MX450.
3DMark | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (25467 - 33806, n=13) | |
Lenovo Yoga 9 14IAP7 82LU0001US | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (13162 - 38578, n=181) | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Lenovo Yoga 9 14IAP7 82LU0001US | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (2286 - 6482, n=216) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (4336 - 5753, n=17) | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (1086 - 2300, n=16) | |
Lenovo Yoga 9 14IAP7 82LU0001US | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (707 - 1871, n=213) |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (6341 - 9580, n=16) | |
Lenovo Yoga 9 14IAP7 82LU0001US | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (2867 - 7676, n=203) |
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 The Witcher 3 high | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (21 - 46, n=16) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (10.6 - 45.9, n=190) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (20.6 - 29.9, n=13) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (16.3 - 23.1, n=27) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (13.3 - 23.8, n=25) |
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 Dota 2 Reborn ultra | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (34.9 - 104.6, n=20) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (52.3 - 80.6, n=14) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (60.2 - 68.9, n=6) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (7.8 - 67.5, n=21) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (20.6 - 78.5, n=216) |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1280x720 Final Fantasy XV low | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (27.6 - 72.2, n=16) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (36.5 - 49.2, n=5) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (14.9 - 56.5, n=184) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (33.7 - 41, n=5) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (23 - 36.9, n=7) |
Strange Brigade - 1280x720 Strange Brigade Low AF:1 | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (61.4 - 137.7, n=12) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (90.9 - 94.4, n=3) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (48.5 - 115.1, n=169) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (71.3 - 80.5, n=2) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 () |
God of War | |
1280x720 God of War Low HD | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 () | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (25 - 35.8, n=6) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 () | |
1920x1080 God of War Low FHD | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (25.8 - 32.1, n=2) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (16.3 - 26.4, n=6) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 () |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 - 1280x720 Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 Low HD | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 () | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (20.6 - 44.7, n=17) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 () |
Far Cry 5 | |
1280x720 Far Cry 5 low AA:T | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (47 - 96, n=8) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (58 - 64, n=7) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (23 - 75, n=92) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (38 - 45, n=3) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (31 - 46, n=7) | |
1920x1080 Far Cry 5 low 1080 AA:T | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (41 - 52, n=3) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 (32 - 34, n=3) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (15 - 48, n=41) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 () |
Overwatch | |
1280x720 Overwatch low AA:FX AF:1x | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (166.4 - 171.7, n=2) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (60 - 174, n=6) | |
1366x768 Overwatch medium AA:FX AF:2x | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (112.2 - 122.5, n=2) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (60 - 118, n=7) |
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands | |
1280x720 Tiny Tinas Wonderlands Lowest HD | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 () | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (25.9 - 67.3, n=31) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 (39.9 - 39.9, n=2) | |
1920x1080 Tiny Tinas Wonderlands Low FHD | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX450 (37.2 - 38.6, n=2) | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (22.3 - 53, n=31) | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX350 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250 () | |
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX150 () |