AMD Radeon 760M vs AMD Radeon HD 8730M Comparison

The AMD Radeon 760M and the AMD Radeon HD 8730M represent two distinct eras of mobile graphics, separated by over a decade of architectural evolution. The 760M, a modern integrated graphics processor (IGP) built on the Phoenix chip, is an active product from the Navi III generation, while the 8730M is an end-of-life discrete mobile part based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture. The benchmark data shows a decisive performance gap, but the differences extend far beyond raw speed into fundamental design philosophy, feature support, and efficiency.

Where Each One Wins

The performance landscape between these two GPUs is not a balanced contest; the data reveals a clear single-sided outcome. Across the only directly comparable benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon 760M claims an overwhelming victory. It scores 20,255 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8730M manages just 5,955 points. This translates to a 240.1% delta, meaning the 760M is roughly 3.4 times faster in this compute-oriented workload. The wins tally confirms this: the 760M has 1 win, while the 8730M has 0 wins in direct head-to-head comparisons.

The Radeon 760M also shows its dominance in its broader benchmark suite. Its Passmark G3D score of 5,310 and average benchmark score of 6,019 place it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs. In contrast, the HD 8730M’s only other benchmark result, its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5,955, gives it an average score of 5,955 and a 34th percentile ranking. While their percentile rankings are similar, the 760M’s average score is boosted by its strong performance across multiple DirectX tests, including a Passmark DirectX 11 score of 52 and a DirectX 9 score of 65. The 8730M lacks any comparable data in these legacy tests, making its single compute score less representative of overall graphics capability.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two parts is vast, representing a generational leap in design. The Radeon 760M is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, utilizing a 4 nm process at TSMC. This is a stark contrast to the HD 8730M’s GCN 1.0 architecture, which uses a much older and larger 28 nm process. The transistor count tells the story of complexity: the 760M packs 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, while the 8730M has just 950 million on a 77 mm² die. This leads to a transistor density of 142.6M per mm² for the 760M versus a mere 12.3M per mm² for the 8730M, illustrating the immense miniaturization and design sophistication of the newer part.

The compute pipelines are fundamentally different as well. The 760M features 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). It also includes 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. The 8730M, by contrast, has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs, with no ray tracing support at all. The memory subsystem is another major divergence point. The 760M uses a system-shared memory architecture, where the GPU draws from the main system RAM, making its bandwidth "system dependent." The 8730M is a traditional discrete GPU with its own 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a fixed 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The 760M also supports a much newer PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the 8730M is limited to PCIe 3.0 x8.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon 760M than the HD 8730M in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The 760M scores 20,255, which is 240.1% higher than the 8730M’s score of 5,955.

Q: What are the key differences in their manufacturing processes?

A: The 760M is built on TSMC’s 4 nm process, while the 8730M uses a 28 nm process. This contributes to the 760M’s much higher transistor density of 142.6M per mm² versus 12.3M per mm².

Q: Does the Radeon 760M support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the 760M includes 8 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the HD 8730M.

Q: How does memory configuration differ between the two?

A: The 760M uses a system-shared memory architecture with bandwidth that is dependent on the host system, while the 8730M has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The Radeon 760M has a pixel rate of 41.58 GPixel/s, which is significantly higher than the HD 8730M’s 5.600 GPixel/s.

Q: What is the DirectX feature level of each GPU?

A: The 760M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the 8730M supports an older DirectX 12 (11_1) feature level.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights the core specifications where the two GPUs differ, based directly on the fact pack data.

| Specification | AMD Radeon 760M | AMD Radeon HD 8730M |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 25,390 million | 950 million |

| Die Size | 178 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Base Clock | 800 MHz | 650 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2599 MHz | 700 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 28.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 384 |

| TMUs | 32 | 24 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 8 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 41.58 GPixel/s | 5.600 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 83.17 GTexel/s | 16.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 5.323 TFLOPS | 537.6 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 15 W | Not specified |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2024-01-30 | 2013-03-31 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is a decisive blowout. The AMD Radeon 760M scores 20,255, dwarfing the HD 8730M’s 5,955. This represents a 240.1% performance advantage for the newer chip. This single result encapsulates the entire generational gap between the two, showing that the 760M is not just a little faster, but in a completely different performance class for compute workloads.

While the 8730M has no other benchmark results to compare directly, the 760M’s other scores provide context for its overall capability. For instance, the 760M achieves a Passmark G3D score of 5,310, a Passmark G2D score of 890, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 30,336. Its FP32 compute throughput is 5.323 TFLOPS, compared to the 8730M’s 537.6 GFLOPS, a tenfold difference. The 760M also has a much higher texture rate of 83.17 GTexel/s versus the 8730M’s 16.80 GTexel/s, which would translate to significant differences in texture-heavy gaming scenarios.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Radeon 760M is the superior product by a massive margin. Its 240.1% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test is not a marginal improvement but a generational leap. The 760M’s modern RDNA 3.0 architecture, with its 4 nm process, 8 ray tracing cores, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, places it in a different technological tier than the GCN 1.0-based 8730M.

Users looking for any kind of modern gaming or compute capability should unequivocally choose the Radeon 760M. Its performance in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, alongside rivals like the NVIDIA Quadro P2000, shows it is a capable part for its class. The HD 8730M, with its 34th percentile ranking and single benchmark score, is a legacy product from 2013 that is now firmly in the end-of-life category.

While the 8730M’s dedicated 2 GB of memory might seem like an advantage over the 760M’s shared memory architecture, the sheer performance deficit makes this point moot. The 760M’s system-shared memory is a design choice for modern IGP, and its bandwidth is system dependent, but the raw compute and fill rates it achieves are far beyond what the 8730M can offer. For any prospective user, the choice is clear: the Radeon 760M is the only viable option for current workloads, while the HD 8730M should only be considered as a historical artifact.