AMD Radeon 740M vs AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 740M and the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU occupy different performance tiers despite sharing the same RDNA 3.0 architecture and 4 nm TSMC process node. The database records a clear split in capability based on core configuration, memory subsystem, and thermal envelope.

The Radeon 740M is an integrated graphics processor built on the Phoenix2 chip, positioned as a mainstream IGP for thin-and-light laptops. Its recorded benchmarks show an average score of 12870 across Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests, placing it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs in the database. The Ryzen Z2 GPU, by contrast, is a console-oriented part on the Hawk Point chip with a 768-shader configuration, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. It has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, so direct numeric comparison is limited to architectural specifications.

In terms of raw compute throughput, the Ryzen Z2 GPU delivers 8.294 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is 2.9 times the 2.867 TFLOPS of the Radeon 740M. The pixel rate tells a similar story: 86.40 GPixel/s versus 22.40 GPixel/s, a 3.9x advantage. Texture rate also favors the Ryzen Z2 GPU at 129.6 GTexel/s compared to 44.80 GTexel/s. These figures indicate that the Ryzen Z2 GPU is designed for sustained rendering workloads, while the Radeon 740M targets lighter graphical tasks.

The Radeon 740M wins in the power efficiency category. Its thermal design power is 45 W, whereas the Ryzen Z2 GPU operates at 28 W. This is counterintuitive given the Ryzen Z2 GPU's larger core count, but the data shows that the Ryzen Z2 GPU achieves its higher throughput while drawing less power. The Radeon 740M also offers a higher boost clock at 2800 MHz versus 2700 MHz, though the Ryzen Z2 GPU compensates with many more execution units.

Memory configuration separates these two parts decisively. The Radeon 740M uses system-shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent, which means its effective performance scales with the host platform's RAM speed. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has 16 GB of dedicated LPDDR5X memory on a 128-bit bus with 119.9 GB/s of bandwidth. This fixed memory allocation gives the Ryzen Z2 GPU predictable performance in memory-bound scenarios, whereas the Radeon 740M's performance varies by laptop configuration.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs use the RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 4 nm process. The underlying instruction set and API support are identical: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The transistor counts differ substantially, with the Ryzen Z2 GPU's Hawk Point chip containing 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, while the Radeon 740M's Phoenix2 chip packs 20,900 million transistors on a 137 mm² die. Transistor density is higher on the Phoenix2 at 152.6 million per square millimeter versus 142.6 million for Hawk Point.

The core configuration is where the architectural gap emerges. The Radeon 740M has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The Ryzen Z2 GPU triples the shading units to 768, triples TMUs to 48, and quadruples ROPs to 32. Ray tracing cores follow the same pattern: 4 on the Radeon 740M versus 12 on the Ryzen Z2 GPU. This represents a 3x scaling in shader and texture throughput and a 4x scaling in rasterization output, which explains the large differences in pixel and texture rates.

Clock behavior differs despite the same 800 MHz base frequency. The Radeon 740M boosts to 2800 MHz, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU boosts to 2700 MHz. The Ryzen Z2 GPU's memory clock is listed at 937 MHz with 7.5 Gbps effective data rate, tied to its LPDDR5X memory. The Radeon 740M's memory clock is system shared, meaning it depends entirely on the host laptop's RAM implementation.

The Ryzen Z2 GPU's memory interface is a fixed 128-bit bus with 16 GB of LPDDR5X, providing 119.9 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a substantial advantage over the Radeon 740M's system-dependent memory, which has no dedicated bandwidth figure in the database. For workloads that stream large textures or geometry, the Ryzen Z2 GPU's dedicated memory subsystem removes the latency and contention penalties that shared-memory IGPs face when the CPU and GPU compete for the same memory controller.

Form factor and connectivity also differ. The Radeon 740M is classified as an IGP with no slot width and no power connectors, using a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface. Its display outputs are motherboard dependent. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no listed bus interface but shows a single USB Type-C display output, consistent with its console-oriented design. Both parts have no power connectors, though the Radeon 740M's 45 W TDP is higher than the Ryzen Z2 GPU's 28 W.

The Radeon 740M has a recorded release date of January 30, 2024, and is marked as active production. The Ryzen Z2 GPU's release date is December 31, 2024. The Radeon 740M lists a predecessor as Navi II IGP and a successor as Navi III IGP, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU has no predecessor or successor recorded in the database.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the Ryzen Z2 GPU is the stronger part for compute-intensive graphics workloads. Its 8.294 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, 86.40 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 129.6 GTexel/s texture rate are all multiples of the Radeon 740M's corresponding figures. The 16 GB LPDDR5X memory with 119.9 GB/s bandwidth provides a stable foundation for demanding applications, and the 12 ray tracing cores offer three times the RT hardware of the Radeon 740M.

The Radeon 740M is the more appropriate choice for lightweight integrated graphics use cases. Its 2.867 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 22.40 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for basic rendering, and its system-shared memory keeps the design flexible for laptop manufacturers. The 45 W TDP is higher than the Ryzen Z2 GPU's 28 W, but this reflects the different positioning: the Radeon 740M is a general-purpose IGP, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU is a console-oriented GPU with a fixed memory configuration.

For users comparing these parts, the Ryzen Z2 GPU is the clear performance leader on every compute metric in the database. The Radeon 740M's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD FirePro W5100 at 12847 average score (0.2% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 455 at 12831 (0.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 at 12830 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 12928 (0.4% higher). The Radeon 740M sits essentially at parity with these older discrete GPUs, which gives context for its performance class.

The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no nearest rivals recorded and no benchmark scores, so its competitive positioning relies entirely on its architectural specifications. Those specifications place it well above the Radeon 740M and above the Radeon 740M's rival set, but the lack of measured scores means the database cannot quantify the exact performance gap in real-world tests.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU delivers 8.294 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to 2.867 TFLOPS for the AMD Radeon 740M. This is a 2.9x advantage for the Ryzen Z2 GPU.

Q: What memory configurations do these GPUs use?

A: The Ryzen Z2 GPU uses 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 128-bit bus with 119.9 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 740M uses system-shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent.

Q: How do the ray tracing capabilities compare?

A: The Ryzen Z2 GPU has 12 ray tracing cores, while the Radeon 740M has 4. This represents a 3x difference in RT hardware.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Radeon 740M has a thermal design power of 45 W, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU has a TDP of 28 W. The Ryzen Z2 GPU consumes less power despite having significantly more compute resources.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use RDNA 3.0 architecture and are manufactured by TSMC on a 4 nm process. They also share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the Radeon 740M's performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon 740M has an average benchmark score of 12870. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD FirePro W5100, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 455, 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590, and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 580.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the AMD Radeon 740M and the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU, and the Ryzen Z2 GPU has no recorded benchmark scores. The analysis must therefore rely on the architectural specifications recorded for each part.

The largest advantage for the Ryzen Z2 GPU appears in pixel throughput. Its 86.40 GPixel/s pixel rate is 3.9 times the Radeon 740M's 22.40 GPixel/s. This metric reflects the number of render output units and their clock speed. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has 32 ROPs versus 8 on the Radeon 740M, a 4x difference that directly explains the pixel rate gap. For rasterization-heavy workloads such as traditional game rendering, the Ryzen Z2 GPU will process fill-rate-bound scenes considerably faster.

Texture throughput shows a 2.9x advantage for the Ryzen Z2 GPU at 129.6 GTexel/s versus 44.80 GTexel/s. The TMU count difference is 48 versus 16, which is a 3x scaling, though the Radeon 740M's higher boost clock of 2800 MHz versus 2700 MHz slightly narrows the gap. Texture-bound effects like terrain detail and surface materials will benefit from the Ryzen Z2 GPU's larger texture unit array.

FP32 compute follows the same pattern. The Ryzen Z2 GPU's 8.294 TFLOPS is 2.9x the Radeon 740M's 2.867 TFLOPS. With 768 shading units versus 256, the 3x core scaling is partially offset by the Radeon 740M's clock advantage. FP16 performance is identical to FP32 on both parts at a 1:1 ratio, so the same relative gap applies to half-precision workloads.

Ray tracing presents a 3x difference in hardware resources, with 12 RT cores on the Ryzen Z2 GPU versus 4 on the Radeon 740M. No ray tracing benchmark scores exist in the database for either part, so the practical impact cannot be quantified, but the hardware count indicates that the Ryzen Z2 GPU has substantially more RT processing capacity.

Memory bandwidth is another decisive differentiator. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has a fixed 119.9 GB/s from its LPDDR5X memory, while the Radeon 740M's bandwidth is system dependent. In a laptop with dual-channel DDR5 memory, the Radeon 740M might approach similar bandwidth, but the database does not record a specific value. The Ryzen Z2 GPU's dedicated memory also eliminates CPU-GPU memory contention, which is a known bottleneck for shared-memory IGPs.

The Radeon 740M does hold one advantage in the recorded data: its boost clock of 2800 MHz exceeds the Ryzen Z2 GPU's 2700 MHz. This 100 MHz difference is minor in absolute terms but does help the Radeon 740M close some of the gap in single-threaded or latency-sensitive workloads. The base clocks are identical at 800 MHz for both parts.

The Radeon 740M's nearest rival data provides useful context for its performance class. Its 12870 average benchmark score places it within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 580, a well-known discrete GPU from a previous generation. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no such reference points in the database, making its absolute performance level harder to contextualize. However, given that its compute resources are roughly three times those of the Radeon 740M, and the Radeon 740M sits near the RX 580 in score, the Ryzen Z2 GPU would likely score well above all four of the Radeon 740M's nearest rivals if it were measured.

Both parts share the same API feature set, including DirectX 12 Ultimate with ray tracing support, so software compatibility is identical. The Ryzen Z2 GPU's larger memory pool of 16 GB gives it more headroom for large assets and higher-resolution textures, while the Radeon 740M's system-shared memory means its effective capacity depends on the host laptop's total RAM.

The release timing also differs, with the Radeon 740M launching in January 2024 and the Ryzen Z2 GPU in December 2024. The Ryzen Z2 GPU is a newer design, and its Hawk Point chip carries 25,390 million transistors, which is 21% more than the Phoenix2's 20,900 million. The die size difference is 178 mm² versus 137 mm², a 30% increase, though transistor density is actually lower on the larger chip at 142.6M per square millimeter versus 152.6M.

In summary, every compute metric recorded in the database favors the Ryzen Z2 GPU by a factor of roughly three, with the pixel rate gap reaching nearly four. The Radeon 740M's only recorded advantages are its higher boost clock and its lower transistor density, neither of which translates into a performance win. The Ryzen Z2 GPU is the superior part for any workload that stresses the GPU, while the Radeon 740M remains a capable integrated solution for mainstream laptops.