AMD Radeon 780M vs NVIDIA T400 Comparison

The data presents a clear contrast between two very different GPU designs: AMD’s modern integrated graphics solution, the Radeon 780M, and NVIDIA’s entry-level discrete workstation card, the T400. The benchmark results show a decisive overall victory for the AMD part, which wins both shared head-to-head tests by significant margins. This comparison is less about raw performance parity and more about the architectural and generational gap between a 2024 integrated processor and a 2021 discrete GPU.

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon 780M is the clear performance winner in this matchup, based strictly on the benchmark data. It wins both head-to-head tests, with a 9.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and a commanding 110.8% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. The 780M’s average benchmark score of 17588 also places it ahead of the T400’s 16508 average, reinforcing its overall superiority in compute tasks. The data suggests that for users prioritizing raw graphics and compute performance, particularly in modern APIs like Vulkan, the 780M is the superior choice despite being an integrated part.

The NVIDIA T400, while losing on performance, holds its own as a workstation-oriented product. Its 60th percentile ranking against all GPUs is nearly identical to the 780M’s 61st percentile, indicating that despite the performance gap, both occupy a similar tier in the broader GPU landscape. The T400’s role as a single-slot, low-power discrete card with dedicated 2 GB of GDDR6 memory makes it suitable for specific professional environments where a physical, dedicated GPU is required. The verdict is simple: the 780M for sheer performance, the T400 for its discrete form factor and workstation heritage.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark, reflecting their different release periods and design goals. The AMD Radeon 780M is built on the modern RDNA 3.0 architecture and utilizes a 4 nm process node at TSMC. This advanced node allows for a massive transistor count of 25,390 million on a 178 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 142.6M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA T400 is based on the older Turing architecture and uses a 12 nm process, also from TSMC. It houses only 4,700 million transistors on a larger 200 mm² die, yielding a much lower density of 23.5M per mm².

These fundamental differences lead to significant feature and specification gaps. The 780M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and includes 12 dedicated ray tracing cores. The T400, on the other hand, is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and has no ray tracing cores listed. The 780M also boasts a significantly higher shading unit count at 768, double the T400’s 384, along with more texture mapping units (48 vs 24) and render output units (32 vs 16). The 780M’s clock speeds are also much more aggressive, with a boost clock of 2900 MHz compared to the T400’s 1425 MHz. This architectural and process node advantage translates directly into the 780M’s superior theoretical performance numbers, such as its 8.909 TFLOPS FP32 throughput versus the T400’s 1,094.4 GFLOPS.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two head-to-head benchmarks available clearly illustrate the performance hierarchy. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon 780M scores 18602, which is 9.2% higher than the NVIDIA T400’s score of 17039. This indicates a solid, but not overwhelming, advantage for the AMD part in general-purpose compute workloads that utilize OpenCL. This result aligns with the 780M’s higher raw compute specifications, but the margin is relatively modest, suggesting the T400’s architecture is still efficient in this API.

The more decisive victory for the AMD Radeon 780M comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the 780M scores an impressive 33683, which is a staggering 110.8% higher than the T400’s score of 15976. This more than doubling of performance highlights the 780M’s superior efficiency and capabilities in modern graphics APIs. The T400’s Turing architecture, while proficient in older DirectX workloads, appears to be significantly outclassed for the lower-overhead and more modern Vulkan API. This result is the single biggest differentiator between the two products, showcasing the generational leap in GPU design. The overall head-to-head tally is 2 wins for the AMD Radeon 780M and 0 for the NVIDIA T400.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for the AMD Radeon 780M and NVIDIA T400 reveal several key differences beyond their compute performance.

• Process Node: AMD uses a 4 nm process, while NVIDIA uses a 12 nm process.
• Transistors: AMD has 25,390 million, while NVIDIA has 4,700 million.
• Die Size: AMD has a 178 mm² die, while NVIDIA has a 200 mm² die.
• Transistor Density: AMD achieves 142.6M / mm², compared to NVIDIA’s 23.5M / mm².
• Base Clock: AMD’s base clock is 800 MHz, while NVIDIA’s is 420 MHz.
• Boost Clock: AMD boosts to 2900 MHz, while NVIDIA boosts to 1425 MHz.
• Memory Size: AMD uses System Shared memory, while NVIDIA has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR6.
• Memory Bus Width: AMD’s is System Shared, while NVIDIA has a 64-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: AMD’s is System Dependent, while NVIDIA has a fixed 80.00 GB/s.
• Shading Units: AMD has 768, while NVIDIA has 384.
• TMUs: AMD has 48, while NVIDIA has 24.
• ROPs: AMD has 32, while NVIDIA has 16.
• Ray Tracing Cores: AMD has 12, while NVIDIA has none listed.
• Pixel Rate: AMD achieves 92.80 GPixel/s, while NVIDIA achieves 22.80 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: AMD achieves 139.2 GTexel/s, while NVIDIA achieves 34.20 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: AMD delivers 8.909 TFLOPS, while NVIDIA delivers 1,094.4 GFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: AMD delivers 8.909 TFLOPS (1:1), while NVIDIA delivers 2.189 TFLOPS (2:1).
• TDP: AMD is rated at 15 W, while NVIDIA is rated at 30 W.
• Slot Width: AMD is an IGP, while NVIDIA is a single-slot card.
• Bus Interface: AMD uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while NVIDIA uses PCIe 3.0 x16.
• Release Date: AMD was released on 2024-01-30, while NVIDIA was released on 2021-05-05.
• Production Status: AMD is Active, while NVIDIA is End-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance, the AMD Radeon 780M or the NVIDIA T400?

A: The AMD Radeon 780M has significantly higher raw compute performance. It delivers 8.909 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the NVIDIA T400 delivers 1,094.4 GFLOPS, a difference of roughly 8 times in favor of the AMD part.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon 780M is the clear winner in Vulkan, scoring 33683 compared to the NVIDIA T400’s 15976. This represents a 110.8% performance advantage for the AMD Radeon 780M.

Q: Does the NVIDIA T400 have any advantages over the AMD Radeon 780M?

A: While it loses in performance, the T400 has the advantage of being a discrete, single-slot card with its own dedicated 2 GB of GDDR6 memory and a fixed 80.00 GB/s bandwidth. This is in contrast to the 780M, which is an IGP that relies on system-shared memory.

Q: What are the key architectural differences between these two GPUs?

A: The main differences are the process node and architecture. The 780M uses a modern 4 nm RDNA 3.0 architecture, while the T400 uses an older 12 nm Turing architecture. This leads to a massive difference in transistor count, with the 780M having 25,390 million versus the T400’s 4,700 million.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon 780M’s average score of 17588 is 0.2% higher than that of the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551) and 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509). The NVIDIA T400’s average score of 16508 is 0.6% higher than both the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16415) and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408).

Q: Which GPU is better for modern graphics APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: The AMD Radeon 780M is better suited for modern APIs. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and includes 12 ray tracing cores, whereas the NVIDIA T400 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and has no ray tracing cores listed in its specifications.