AMD Radeon 740M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile graphics solutions, with each claiming one decisive victory in the recorded tests. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M takes the OpenCL workload by a substantial margin, while the AMD Radeon 740M answers back in the Vulkan test with a clear, though narrower, win.

Looking at the Geekbench OpenCL results, the GTX 965M scores 14,509 points against the Radeon 740M's 10,172 points. That is a 42.6% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a massive gap that speaks to the GTX 965M's raw compute throughput in this particular API. The Radeon 740M falls behind by over 4,300 points, a difference that places it firmly in a lower performance tier for OpenCL-based workloads.

The tables turn in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the AMD Radeon 740M scores 15,568 points, edging out the GTX 965M's 14,299 points. The delta is 8.2% in AMD's favor, a meaningful but not overwhelming lead. The Vulkan result shows the Radeon 740M's modern architecture handling a contemporary graphics API more efficiently than the older Maxwell-based part.

In terms of overall average benchmark scores, the GTX 965M records 14,404 points across both tests, while the Radeon 740M averages 12,870 points. That puts the NVIDIA part about 11.9% ahead on average, but the split nature of the wins means the choice depends entirely on which API or workload matters more to the user.

The percentile rankings reinforce this split. The GTX 965M sits at the 56th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Radeon 740M sits at the 53rd percentile. Both are mid-pack performers, but the GTX 965M holds a slight edge in overall standing.

The Verdict

The data points to two distinct user profiles. If OpenCL compute performance is the priority, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M is the clear choice. Its 42.6% lead in that benchmark is decisive, and its higher average score of 14,404 versus 12,870 reflects a stronger overall compute showing in the database's recorded tests.

If Vulkan-based workloads or modern gaming APIs are the focus, the AMD Radeon 740M takes the crown. Its 8.2% advantage in Vulkan, scoring 15,568 to 14,299, demonstrates that newer architecture can overcome older hardware's raw compute advantages when the API is optimized for modern GPU designs.

The GTX 965M also holds the edge in nearest rival comparisons. Its closest competitors include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 at 14,385 points (0.1% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN at 14,373 points (0.2% behind). The Radeon 740M's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580, which actually scores 12,928 points, 0.4% ahead of the 740M, showing the AMD part sits slightly below a well-known desktop GPU.

For users who need a mobile GPU for OpenCL-heavy tasks like certain scientific computing or media encoding workloads, the GTX 965M is the data-supported pick. For users targeting Vulkan games or applications that leverage modern graphics APIs, the Radeon 740M is the better choice despite its lower average score.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers the largest margin in this comparison. The GTX 965M posts 14,509 points, while the Radeon 740M manages only 10,172 points. The 42.6% delta is the biggest single-test gap between the two parts, and it dwarfs any other difference in the recorded data. To put that in perspective, the GTX 965M's score is closer to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 at 14,385 points, than it is to the Radeon 740M.

The Vulkan test flips the script. The Radeon 740M scores 15,568 points, beating the GTX 965M's 14,299 points by 8.2%. That is a 1,269-point swing in AMD's favor. Interestingly, the Radeon 740M's Vulkan score is its stronger result by far, as its OpenCL score lags at 10,172. The GTX 965M shows more consistency, with its two scores separated by only 210 points (14,509 OpenCL versus 14,299 Vulkan).

The average benchmark score tells the story of overall performance. The GTX 965M averages 14,404 points, while the Radeon 740M averages 12,870 points. The 11.9% gap in the averages is driven entirely by the OpenCL result, as the Vulkan test actually favors the AMD part. The data suggests that the GTX 965M is the more balanced performer, while the Radeon 740M is specialized in Vulkan scenarios.

The nearest rival data for each part adds context. The GTX 965M's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, which trails by only 0.1%. The Radeon 740M's closest rival is the AMD FirePro W5100 at 12,847 points, just 0.2% behind. These tight margins show that both parts are competitive within their respective performance tiers.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M averages 14,404 points across the recorded benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon 740M averages 12,870 points. The GTX 965M leads by approximately 11.9%.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap?

A: The GTX 965M scores 14,509 points in Geekbench OpenCL versus the Radeon 740M's 10,172 points. That is a 42.6% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 740M win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the Radeon 740M wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with 15,568 points, beating the GTX 965M's 14,299 points by 8.2%.

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

A: The GTX 965M's closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, which scores 14,385 points, just 0.1% behind. The Radeon 740M's closest rival is the AMD FirePro W5100 at 12,847 points, 0.2% behind. The Radeon RX 580 actually scores 0.4% ahead of the 740M with 12,928 points.

Q: Which GPU has better overall standing in the database?

A: The GTX 965M sits at the 56th percentile among all GPUs, while the Radeon 740M sits at the 53rd percentile. The NVIDIA part holds a slightly higher overall ranking.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The GTX 965M is marked as end-of-life, while the Radeon 740M is listed as active production.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M uses the GM204 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The chip packs 5,200 million transistors into a 398 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.1 million transistors per square millimeter.

The AMD Radeon 740M uses the Phoenix2 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. This chip contains 20,900 million transistors in a much smaller 137 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 152.6 million per square millimeter. That is over 11 times the density of the NVIDIA part, a clear reflection of the decade-long process node advancement between the two.

The GTX 965M is a discrete mobile GPU on an MXM Module with a bus interface of MXM-B (3.0). The Radeon 740M is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface. The NVIDIA part has its own dedicated memory, while the AMD part shares system memory.

The Radeon 740M features 4 ray tracing cores, a technology absent from the Maxwell-based GTX 965M. The AMD part also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 965M supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

The transistor counts highlight the architectural shift. The Radeon 740M's 20,900 million transistors vastly exceed the GTX 965M's 5,200 million, even though the AMD chip is physically smaller due to the advanced process node.

Specification Differences

The clock speeds differ significantly. The GTX 965M runs at a base clock of 924 MHz with a boost of 950 MHz. The Radeon 740M has a lower base clock of 800 MHz but a much higher boost clock of 2800 MHz, nearly triple the NVIDIA part's boost frequency.

Memory configurations are fundamentally different. The GTX 965M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 740M uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, making its memory performance variable based on the host system.

The shading units show a stark contrast. The GTX 965M has 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The Radeon 740M has only 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Despite having fewer units, the Radeon 740M achieves higher FP32 throughput at 2.867 TFLOPS versus the GTX 965M's 1.946 TFLOPS, thanks to its much higher boost clock.

The Radeon 740M supports FP16 at 2.867 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 965M has no recorded FP16 capability. Pixel and texture rates also differ: the GTX 965M hits 30.40 GPixel/s and 60.80 GTexel/s, while the Radeon 740M manages 22.40 GPixel/s and 44.80 GTexel/s.

The Radeon 740M has a rated TDP of 45 W, while the GTX 965M has no TDP listed. Both use no power connectors. The GTX 965M's display outputs are portable device dependent, while the Radeon 740M's are motherboard dependent. The release dates show a nine-year gap: the GTX 965M launched in January 2015, and the Radeon 740M launched in January 2024.