Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EUs vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 (Laptop)

The Intel UHD Graphics Xe Graphics G4 (Tiger-Lake U GPU with 48 EUs) is a integrated graphics card in the low end Tiger-Lake U CPUs (15 Watt, e.g. Core i3 11th Gen). It is using the new Xe architecture (Gen12) and should be announced later in 2020.

The performance depends on the TDP settings of the laptop and the used cooling. First informations show that the chip can be configured at 15 and 28 Watt TDP default (as the Ice Lake-U chips) and the performance should be around a dedicated GeForce MX230 in 3DMark benchmarks. For gaming we are expecting a bit worse performance due to the missing dedicated graphics memory and driver support. Compared to the fastest Ice Lake iGPU (Iris Plus G7), the 48 EU version in an i3 should be slightly faster. Therefore, the iGPU is still only for lowest graphical settings and low resolutions in demanding games.

The Tiger Lake SoCs and therefore the integrated GPU are manufactured in the modern 10nm+ process (improved 10nm process) at Intel and therefore should offer a very good efficiency.

The Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 for laptops is a professional high-end graphics card for big and powerful laptops and mobile workstations. It is based on the same TU104 chip as the consumer GeForce RTX 2080 (mobile) but offers more shaders (128 more). Compared to the desktop RTX 5000, the mobile variant offers lower clock speeds. There are different versions available with 110 Watt (1035 - 1545 MHz) and 150 Watt (1350 - 1770 MHz) in addition to the even lower clocked Max-Q variant.

The Quadro GPUs offer certified drivers, which are optimized for stability and performance in professional applications (CAD, DCC, medical, prospection, and visualizing applications). The performance in these areas is therefore much better compared to corresponding consumer GPUs.

Features

NVIDIA manufacturers the TU104 chip on a 12 nm FinFET process and includes features like Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and Real-Time Ray Tracing (RTRT), which should combine to create more realistic lighting effects than older GPUs based on the company's Pascal architecture (if the games support it). The Quadro RTX 5000 is also DisplayPort 1.4 ready, while there is also support for HDMI 2.0b, HDR, Simultaneous Multi-Projection (SMP) and H.265 video en/decoding (PlayReady 3.0).

Performance

Depending on the application or game, the Quadro RTX 5000 is even faster than the GeForce RTX 2080 and therefore the fastest mobile graphics card. Especially for some professional apps and workflows that make use of the large VRAM, the Quadro can best the RTX2080 clearly.

The high power consumption of the RTX5000 makes the card most suited for big and heavy laptops. The slower Max-Q variant is intended for thinner laptops.