AMD Radeon 540 vs AMD Radeon R9 M375X Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 M375X and AMD Radeon 540 are two end-of-life mobile GPUs that present a clear generational split, with the older GCN 1.0 part winning in OpenCL while the newer GCN 4.0 part takes the Vulkan crown. The aggregate benchmark average favors the R9 M375X at 8325 versus 7673 for the Radeon 540, a difference of roughly 8.5%, but the individual test results tell a more nuanced story where each card dominates one API workload. The R9 M375X sits in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon 540 lands at the 41st percentile, indicating both are firmly in the entry-level segment, yet the data shows the R9 M375X holds a slight overall edge despite its older architecture.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive result in this comparison comes from the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon R9 M375X delivers a score of 8273 against the Radeon 540’s 6184. That is a 33.8% advantage for the older card, a massive gap that cannot be explained away by minor clock differences. The R9 M375X’s 640 shading units and 40 texture mapping units simply overwhelm the Radeon 540’s 384 shading units and 24 TMUs, despite the latter’s more modern architecture. The R9 M375X also posts a higher FP32 throughput of 1,299.2 GFLOPS versus 908.5 GFLOPS, and a texture rate of 40.60 GTexel/s compared to 28.39 GTexel/s. These raw compute advantages translate directly into the OpenCL benchmark, where the R9 M375X outperforms its rival by more than a third.

However, the Vulkan results flip the script entirely. The AMD Radeon 540 scores 9162 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the R9 M375X manages only 8377, giving the newer card an 8.6% victory. This is a significant reversal, and it highlights the architectural maturity of GCN 4.0 over GCN 1.0 for modern low-level APIs. The Radeon 540 supports Vulkan 1.3, whereas the R9 M375X is limited to Vulkan 1.2.170, and that version advantage appears to matter in practice. The Radeon 540’s 18.93 GPixel/s pixel rate also edges out the R9 M375X’s 16.24 GPixel/s, suggesting better rasterization efficiency per clock even with fewer resources.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the R9 M375X’s 8325 average score sits just 0.7% above the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 (8265) and 1.2% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8427). The Radeon 540’s 7673 average, by contrast, is 1.2% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (7580) and 1.5% above the AMD Radeon R7 250 (7557). Notably, the Radeon 540’s average is only 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (7723), a desktop-class card, which speaks to the efficiency of the 14nm Polaris design. The R9 M375X’s closest rival delta is a mere 0.7%, indicating it is right at the edge of its performance class, while the Radeon 540 has a slightly wider cushion above the cards below it.

The Verdict

The data supports a split decision: the AMD Radeon R9 M375X is the better choice for compute-heavy OpenCL workloads, while the AMD Radeon 540 is superior for Vulkan-based applications. If a user’s primary tasks involve OpenCL acceleration—common in older productivity suites, video encoding, or scientific computation—the R9 M375X’s 33.8% lead in that specific benchmark makes it the clear winner. Its higher shading unit count, larger memory bus (128-bit versus 32-bit), and double the VRAM (2 GB versus 1024 MB) give it a structural advantage that newer architecture cannot fully offset in this test.

Conversely, for gaming or any workload leveraging Vulkan, the Radeon 540 is the stronger performer. Its 8.6% Vulkan lead, combined with support for DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the R9 M375X’s DirectX 12 (11_1), means it is better positioned for modern titles and future-proofing. The Radeon 540 also draws only 50 W TDP with no power connectors and a suggested 250 W PSU, whereas the R9 M375X has no TDP listed, making the newer card the more power-efficient option on paper.

For the average user, the Radeon 540 is the safer recommendation because of its Vulkan performance and API support. The R9 M375X is a niche pick for those who specifically need maximum OpenCL throughput and can tolerate its older feature set. The percentile rankings—43rd for the R9 M375X versus 41st for the Radeon 540—are close enough that neither card will impress in modern AAA gaming, but the Radeon 540’s newer architecture gives it a longer useful life in API-constrained scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375X has an average benchmark score of 8325, compared to the AMD Radeon 540’s 7673, making the R9 M375X approximately 8.5% faster on aggregate.

Q: How big is the difference in OpenCL performance?

A: The R9 M375X scores 8273 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 6184 for the Radeon 540, a 33.8% advantage for the older card.

Q: Does the Radeon 540 win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the Radeon 540 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 9162 against the R9 M375X’s 8377, an 8.6% margin.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The R9 M375X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon 540 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 32-bit bus with 24.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports newer API versions?

A: The Radeon 540 supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the R9 M375X supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The R9 M375X is 0.7% above the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 and 1.2% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX. The Radeon 540 is 1.2% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 and 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge sharply on memory configuration. The R9 M375X offers 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Radeon 540 is limited to 1024 MB on a 32-bit bus, yielding just 24.00 GB/s. This is a threefold difference in memory bandwidth, which heavily favors the R9 M375X in bandwidth-sensitive workloads. The R9 M375X’s memory clock is listed at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective, whereas the Radeon 540 runs at 1500 MHz with 6 Gbps effective, but the narrower bus negates that speed advantage.

Compute resources also differ substantially. The R9 M375X packs 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the Radeon 540 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The R9 M375X’s FP32 output is 1,299.2 GFLOPS versus 908.5 GFLOPS for the Radeon 540, and its texture rate is 40.60 GTexel/s versus 28.39 GTexel/s. The Radeon 540 does have a higher pixel rate at 18.93 GPixel/s compared to 16.24 GPixel/s, and it uniquely supports FP16 at 908.5 GFLOPS (1:1), which the R9 M375X does not list.

The bus interface differs as well: the R9 M375X uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Radeon 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The Radeon 540 also lists a 50 W TDP, single-slot form factor, no power connectors, and a suggested 250 W PSU, while none of these are specified for the R9 M375X. Display outputs are only listed for the Radeon 540, which has 2x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Architecture Differences

The R9 M375X is built on GCN 1.0 architecture using the Tropo chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It belongs to the Gem System (R9 M300) generation and contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². The Radeon 540, by contrast, uses GCN 4.0 with the Lexa chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, and is part of the Polaris (RX 500) generation. It packs 2,200 million transistors into a smaller 103 mm² die, achieving a density of 21.4M per mm².

The architectural leap from GCN 1.0 to GCN 4.0 brings several feature improvements. The Radeon 540 supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the R9 M375X is capped at Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Radeon 540 also has FP16 compute capability at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, which the R9 M375X lacks entirely. The Radeon 540’s predecessor is listed as Arctic Islands and its successor as Vega, while the R9 M375X’s predecessor is Solar System and successor is Polaris Mobile, indicating the R9 M375X is one generation older in AMD’s product lineage.

The release dates reinforce this gap: the R9 M375X launched on 2015-05-04, while the Radeon 540 arrived on 2017-04-19, a two-year span that explains the API and process differences. The Radeon 540’s smaller die with more transistors reflects the density improvement from 28 nm to 14 nm, and its display outputs support DisplayPort 1.4a, a newer standard than what the R9 M375X would have offered in 2015.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M375X wins decisively in compute-heavy OpenCL applications. Its 33.8% OpenCL lead makes it the pick for tasks like legacy GPU-accelerated rendering, OpenCL-based video processing, or scientific computing that relies on this API. The 2 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus also make it better suited for larger working sets, and its 40.60 GTexel/s texture rate helps in texture-bound scenarios. The R9 M375X’s higher average score (8325 versus 7673) means it is the overall faster card in aggregate, so for general-purpose compute without a specific API preference, it edges ahead.

The AMD Radeon 540 wins in Vulkan and modern API scenarios. Its 8.6% Vulkan advantage, combined with Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0) support, makes it the better choice for contemporary games and applications that use these low-level APIs. The 50 W TDP and single-slot design with no power connectors also make it easier to integrate into thin laptops, and its 18.93 GPixel/s pixel rate suggests better fill-rate efficiency. The FP16 support at 908.5 GFLOPS is a bonus for AI inference or compute workloads that utilize half-precision, which the R9 M375X cannot handle.

For power-sensitive users, the Radeon 540 is the only option with a listed TDP (50 W) and PSU requirement (250 W), making it the predictable choice for battery life and thermal management. The R9 M375X offers no such specifications, leaving its power draw unknown. Ultimately, the R9 M375X is the raw compute winner, while the Radeon 540 is the modern API and efficiency winner, and the choice depends entirely on whether OpenCL or Vulkan dominates the user’s workload.