AMD Radeon 780M vs NVIDIA N1 20SM Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark database presents an unusual comparison: the AMD Radeon 780M has recorded scores across three tests, while the NVIDIA N1 20SM currently has no benchmark entries. This makes a direct win/loss tally impossible from recorded measurements alone. The Radeon 780M therefore holds every available benchmark win by default, not because of demonstrated superiority, but because the NVIDIA part has no submitted results in the database yet.

For the AMD Radeon 780M, the recorded data shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 480, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 18602, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 33683. These results place the 780M at the 61st percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score across these three tests is 17588. The NVIDIA N1 20SM sits at the 50th percentile, but with an average score of 0, reflecting the absence of any submitted benchmarks.

The use-case split is therefore entirely one-sided in the recorded data. The Radeon 780M demonstrates capability in DX12 workloads through Steel Nomad, and in both OpenCL and Vulkan compute through Geekbench. The NVIDIA N1 20SM has no recorded wins because it has no recorded scores. Buyers or system integrators looking at the database today would find performance evidence only for the AMD part.

That said, the absence of data for the N1 20SM is not evidence of absence of capability. The database records what has been submitted, and the NVIDIA part's entry is incomplete. Its percentile rank of 50 is a placeholder derived from its specification profile, not from measured performance. Until benchmark results are submitted, the N1 20SM cannot claim any win in this database.

Architecture Differences

The two integrated GPUs come from different architectural generations and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon 780M uses the Phoenix chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, belonging to the Navi III IGP (Phoenix) generation. It is fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC, with 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die. The transistor density works out to 142.6 million transistors per square millimeter. It uses the PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface.

The NVIDIA N1 20SM uses the GB20B chip built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, belonging to the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, with a die size of 382 mm². The transistor count and density for the N1 20SM are listed as unknown in the database. It uses the PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface, a wider and newer bus than the AMD part.

The AMD RDNA 3.0 architecture implements 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 32 raster operation units, and 12 ray tracing cores. It does not list tensor cores. The NVIDIA Blackwell 2.0 architecture implements 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, 24 raster operation units, 20 ray tracing cores, and 80 tensor cores. The NVIDIA part has significantly more shading units, texture units, and ray tracing cores, but fewer ROPs.

API support differs substantially. The Radeon 780M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. This suggests the NVIDIA part either has not been tested for API compatibility in the database, or its driver stack does not expose those APIs in a standard manner. The display outputs also differ: the Radeon 780M is motherboard dependent, while the N1 20SM lists a single HDMI output.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Because the NVIDIA N1 20SM has no submitted benchmark scores, a direct head-to-head walkthrough of individual test results is impossible. The database contains no head-to-head benchmark entries for this pair. What follows is an analysis of the AMD part's recorded scores and how they position against its nearest rivals, which are all discrete GPUs rather than the N1 20SM.

The Radeon 780M's average benchmark score is 17588. Its nearest rival in the database is the AMD Radeon Pro 560, which averages 17551, a 0.2% difference in favor of the 780M. The next closest is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 17639, which is 0.3% ahead of the 780M. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 averages 17666, 0.4% ahead. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 averages 17509, which is 0.5% behind the 780M.

These deltas are small, all under one percent. The data indicates the Radeon 780M sits in a tight cluster of GPUs with average scores between roughly 17500 and 17700. Its 61st percentile rank reflects this mid-pack positioning. The RTX 4060, a far more recent and expensive discrete GPU, leads the 780M by only 0.3% in average score, which is a notable result for an integrated part.

For the individual tests, the 780M scores 480 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 18602 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 33683 in Geekbench Vulkan. The Vulkan score is substantially higher than the OpenCL score, indicating the RDNA 3.0 architecture performs better under Vulkan's API in this workload. The Steel Nomad score of 480 is the only DX12 data point.

The NVIDIA N1 20SM, with its 12.01 TFLOPS FP32 peak and 273.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, would likely compete in a different tier if benchmarked. But the database shows no results, so any comparison would be speculative. The recorded data only allows for the Radeon 780M's scores to be interpreted against its listed rivals.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field in the database. The most significant differences are in process node, memory, compute units, and clock speeds.

Process and Die: AMD uses a 4 nm TSMC process for the Phoenix chip with a 178 mm² die. NVIDIA uses a 5 nm TSMC process for the GB20B chip with a 382 mm² die. AMD's die is substantially smaller despite being on a more advanced node. AMD lists 25,390 million transistors; NVIDIA's transistor count is unknown.

Memory: The Radeon 780M uses system shared memory, with size, type, and bus width all listed as system dependent. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of dedicated LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA part also lists a fixed memory clock of 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective). This is a fundamental architectural difference: the AMD IGP relies on shared system RAM, while the NVIDIA IGP has its own high-bandwidth memory pool.

Compute Units: The Radeon 780M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 12 RT cores. The N1 20SM has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 24 ROPs, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores. NVIDIA has 3.3 times the shading units, 3.3 times the TMUs, and 1.7 times the RT cores, but AMD has 1.3 times the ROPs.

Clocks: The Radeon 780M has a base clock of 800 MHz and a boost of 2900 MHz. The N1 20SM has a base of 741 MHz and a boost of 2346 MHz. AMD's clocks are higher in both cases, but NVIDIA's raw throughput still exceeds AMD's due to the larger compute core count.

Performance Rates: The Radeon 780M delivers 92.80 GPixel/s pixel rate, 139.2 GTexel/s texture rate, and 8.909 TFLOPS FP32 (also 8.909 TFLOPS FP16 at 1:1). The N1 20SM delivers 56.30 GPixel/s, 375.4 GTexel/s, and 12.01 TFLOPS FP32 (also 12.01 TFLOPS FP16 at 1:1). NVIDIA leads in texture rate and FP32 throughput, while AMD leads in pixel rate.

TDP and Power: The Radeon 780M is rated at 15 W TDP. The N1 20SM has an unknown TDP. Both are integrated GPUs (IGP slot width) with no power connectors. The Radeon 780M has no suggested PSU listed; the N1 20SM also has none.

Bus Interface: The Radeon 780M uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The N1 20SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16, which offers more bandwidth for data transfer.

Release Dates: The Radeon 780M was released on January 30, 2024. The N1 20SM has a release date of May 31, 2026, which is in the future relative to the database's current records. Both are marked as Active in production status.

API Support: The Radeon 780M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists N/A for all three APIs. This is a major differentiator for software compatibility.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 compute throughput in the database?

A: The NVIDIA N1 20SM lists 12.01 TFLOPS FP32, while the AMD Radeon 780M lists 8.909 TFLOPS FP32. The NVIDIA part is approximately 35% higher in raw FP32 throughput.

Q: Does the NVIDIA N1 20SM have any benchmark scores recorded?

A: No. The database contains an empty benchmark array for the N1 20SM, with an average score of 0. The Radeon 780M has three recorded benchmark scores: 480 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 18602 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 33683 in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: What memory configuration does each GPU use?

A: The Radeon 780M uses system shared memory with system-dependent size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How does the Radeon 780M's average score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Radeon 780M's average benchmark score is 17588. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 560, averages 17551, which is 0.2% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 averages 17639, 0.3% higher than the 780M.

Q: Which GPU has more ray tracing cores?

A: The NVIDIA N1 20SM has 20 ray tracing cores, compared to 12 on the AMD Radeon 780M. The NVIDIA part also has 80 tensor cores, while the Radeon 780M lists no tensor cores.

Q: What are the process nodes for these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon 780M is fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA N1 20SM is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. AMD's process is one step more advanced, and its die is 178 mm² versus 382 mm² for NVIDIA.