AMD Radeon 840M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data separates these two mobile graphics solutions primarily by capability tier and workload intent. The AMD Radeon 840M, built as an integrated graphics processor on the Krackan Point chip, occupies the low-power integrated segment. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q, a discrete-class mobile part in the GeForce 40-series, occupies the high-performance laptop tier. With no head-to-head benchmark entries in the database, the wins are determined by architectural capacity and specification dominance rather than measured frame rates.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q wins in raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance reaches 20.04 TFLOPS, which is more than 13 times the 1,484.8 GFLOPS of the Radeon 840M. That gap extends across texture and pixel processing. The NVIDIA part delivers 313.2 GTexel/s against 46.40 GTexel/s, and 108.0 GPixel/s against 23.20 GPixel/s. These are not marginal differences; they represent a different performance class entirely.

The Radeon 840M wins in power efficiency per watt, based on the stated TDP figures. The AMD part draws 15 W, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q draws 60 W. That 4x power envelope difference means the integrated part can operate in systems without discrete cooling solutions, whereas the NVIDIA part requires the thermal and electrical headroom of a larger chassis. The Radeon also wins on integration simplicity, using system shared memory and requiring no power connectors.

The RTX 4080 Max-Q wins decisively in memory bandwidth. It has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s. The Radeon 840M uses system shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent, meaning its effective throughput varies with the host platform's memory configuration. In any realistic configuration, dedicated GDDR6 at 432.0 GB/s will outperform shared system memory.

The NVIDIA part wins in feature density. It carries 7,424 shading units, 232 texture mapping units, 80 render output units, 58 ray tracing cores, and 232 tensor cores. The Radeon 840M has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, 8 ROPs, and 4 ray tracing cores, with no tensor cores listed. The RTX 4080 Max-Q also supports a 16-lane PCIe 4.0 interface versus the Radeon's 8-lane connection.

Architecture Differences

The two parts belong to different architectural generations and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon 840M uses RDNA 3.5, the latest iteration of AMD's graphics architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It is part of the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q uses Ada Lovelace, fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, and belongs to the GeForce 40 Mobile generation.

The transistor counts reveal the scale difference. The RTX 4080 Max-Q contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The Radeon 840M lists transistor count and die size as unknown, but as an integrated part on the Krackan Point chip, it shares silicon with CPU cores rather than existing as a discrete die. The Radeon's process node is smaller at 4 nm, but the NVIDIA part's much larger die area accommodates far more execution resources.

Clock behavior differs substantially. The Radeon 840M has a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has a base clock of 795 MHz and a boost clock of 1350 MHz. The AMD part's boost clock is more than double its base clock, reflecting the aggressive boost behavior typical of integrated GPUs that scale with thermal headroom. The NVIDIA part runs at a lower boost clock but compensates with vastly more parallel hardware.

Memory architecture is fundamentally different. The Radeon 840M uses system shared memory for both capacity and bandwidth, with the bus width also system shared. The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses 12 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory with a 192 bit bus and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock on the NVIDIA part is 2250 MHz, or 18 Gbps effective. The Radeon's memory clock is listed as system shared, meaning it depends entirely on the host platform.

Feature sets differ in ray tracing and AI acceleration. The RTX 4080 Max-Q includes 58 ray tracing cores and 232 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and tensor operations. The Radeon 840M has 4 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical even though hardware capability is not.

The bus interface also differs. The Radeon 840M uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The wider interface on the NVIDIA part allows more bandwidth for data transfers between the GPU and the rest of the system, which matters for a discrete part that must move data across the bus. The integrated Radeon shares memory with the CPU and does not require the same transfer path.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear segmentation. The AMD Radeon 840M is an integrated solution designed for low-power portable systems. Its 15 W TDP, system shared memory, and lack of power connectors position it as a part that enables basic 3D acceleration and modern API support without dedicated graphics hardware. Its 50th percentile standing among all GPUs in the database indicates it sits at the midpoint of the performance distribution, which is notable for an integrated part.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q is a high-end mobile discrete GPU. Its 60 W TDP, 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth place it in a different performance tier. The 20.04 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, 58 ray tracing cores, and 232 tensor cores provide the hardware resources needed for demanding gaming and compute workloads. Its 50th percentile ranking in the database reflects the entire GPU population, where this part competes with other discrete mobile and desktop solutions.

A system builder choosing between these two parts is not comparing alternatives in the same category. The Radeon 840M fits into thin-and-light laptops where power draw must stay minimal and memory is shared with the CPU. The RTX 4080 Max-Q fits into performance laptops where the chassis can handle 60 W of GPU power and where dedicated memory bandwidth is required. The benchmark data, specifically the absence of head-to-head results, confirms that these parts target different market segments.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Max-Q delivers 20.04 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to 1,484.8 GFLOPS for the AMD Radeon 840M.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each part?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192 bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 840M uses system shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The Radeon 840M has a 15 W TDP, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q has a 60 W TDP. Neither requires external power connectors.

Q: What are the ray tracing capabilities of each?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 58 ray tracing cores and 232 tensor cores. The Radeon 840M has 4 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 7,424 shading units, while the Radeon 840M has 256 shading units.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no recorded head-to-head benchmark entries between these two parts. The winsA and winsB counters are both zero, and the headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty. This absence is itself informative: benchmark aggregators typically match comparable parts against each other, and the lack of direct comparisons indicates these GPUs are not seen as competitors in the same performance class.

The largest measurable gaps appear in the specification data. The FP32 compute difference is the most striking. The RTX 4080 Max-Q's 20.04 TFLOPS represents a 13.5x advantage over the Radeon 840M's 1,484.8 GFLOPS. In texture throughput, the NVIDIA part's 313.2 GTexel/s is 6.75x the AMD part's 46.40 GTexel/s. Pixel throughput shows a 4.66x gap, with 108.0 GPixel/s versus 23.20 GPixel/s.

The shading unit count difference is even larger proportionally. The RTX 4080 Max-Q's 7,424 shading units are 29x the Radeon 840M's 256. Texture mapping units show a 14.5x gap at 232 versus 16. Render output units show a 10x gap at 80 versus 8. Ray tracing cores show a 14.5x gap at 58 versus 4.

Memory bandwidth presents the most consequential real-world difference. The RTX 4080 Max-Q's 432.0 GB/s is fixed and dedicated, while the Radeon 840M's bandwidth is system dependent. In a laptop using dual-channel DDR5 memory, shared bandwidth would still fall far short of 432.0 GB/s, but the exact figure depends on the host platform. This makes the NVIDIA part's advantage in memory-bound workloads difficult to overstate.

Clock speeds complicate the comparison in the AMD part's favor. The Radeon 840M boosts to 2900 MHz, more than double the RTX 4080 Max-Q's 1350 MHz boost. The AMD part also has a lower base clock at 400 MHz versus 795 MHz. The higher boost clock on the Radeon partially compensates for its smaller execution footprint, but the sheer difference in parallel hardware means the NVIDIA part maintains a dominant lead in aggregate throughput.

The transistor budget tells the story of design intent. The RTX 4080 Max-Q uses 35,800 million transistors across 294 mm². The Radeon 840M's transistor count is unknown because it is an integrated part sharing the Krackan Point die with CPU components. A discrete GPU with dedicated silicon can devote far more area to graphics execution than an IGP that must share space with processing cores.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ across nearly every measurable specification. The Radeon 840M uses RDNA 3.5 architecture on a 4 nm process, while the RTX 4080 Max-Q uses Ada Lovelace on a 5 nm process. Both are fabricated by TSMC. The NVIDIA part has a known transistor count of 35,800 million and a die size of 294 mm², with a density of 121.8M per mm². The AMD part lists these as unknown.

Clock speeds differ in both directions. The Radeon 840M has a 400 MHz base and 2900 MHz boost. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has a 795 MHz base and 1350 MHz boost. The AMD part's boost clock is 1550 MHz higher, while the NVIDIA part's base clock is 395 MHz higher.

Memory configurations are entirely different. The Radeon 840M uses system shared memory for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 12 GB of GDDR6, a 192 bit bus, 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, and a 2250 MHz memory clock running at 18 Gbps effective.

Execution resources show the largest gaps. The Radeon 840M has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, 8 ROPs, and 4 ray tracing cores, with no tensor cores. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has 7,424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 58 ray tracing cores, and 232 tensor cores.

Throughput rates follow the resource counts. The Radeon 840M achieves 23.20 GPixel/s and 46.40 GTexel/s. The RTX 4080 Max-Q achieves 108.0 GPixel/s and 313.2 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 1,484.8 GFLOPS versus 20.04 TFLOPS, with both parts running FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

Power and interface specifications also diverge. The Radeon 840M has a 15 W TDP and uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The RTX 4080 Max-Q has a 60 W TDP and uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Neither requires power connectors. Both are listed as IGP slot width and have portable device dependent display outputs.

Release timing differs by over two years. The RTX 4080 Max-Q released on 2023-01-02, while the Radeon 840M released on 2025-02-28. The NVIDIA part's predecessor is GeForce 30 Mobile and its successor is GeForce 50 Mobile. The Radeon 840M's predecessor is Navi II IGP, with no successor listed. Both parts remain in active production.