AMD Radeon 880M vs AMD Radeon R7 M380 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M380 and the AMD Radeon 880M represent two very different eras of mobile graphics. The R7 M380 is a discrete part from 2015 built on GCN 1.0, while the 880M is a modern integrated GPU from 2024 based on RDNA 3.5. The benchmark data shows a decisive shift in performance, but the comparison is not merely about speed; it highlights how far integrated graphics have come.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. This is a compute-oriented workload that measures raw GPU throughput, and the results are stark. The AMD Radeon 880M scores 31285 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9313 points. This gives the 880M a lead of 70.2 percent over the older discrete card.

In practical terms, the 880M is more than three times faster in this OpenCL workload. The R7 M380's score of 9313 places it just ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, which averages 9302, a margin of only 0.1 percent. It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 by 0.2 percent and the GeForce GTX 960 by 0.4 percent. This cluster of scores, all within about one percent of each other, indicates that the R7 M380 is firmly in the lower mid-range of historical GPU performance.

The Radeon 880M, with its 31285 OpenCL score, sits in a different league entirely. Its nearest rival in the database is the AMD Radeon R9 M375X, which averages 8325, a difference of 1.3 percent in favor of the 880M. The NVIDIA GeForce MX330 scores 8458, which is 0.3 percent lower than the 880M, and the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462, also 0.3 percent lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX averages 8427, which is 0.1 percent lower than the 880M.

When examining the broader benchmark suite for the 880M, the data paints a clear picture of its capabilities. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 535. Its PassMark G3D score is 7615, and its PassMark GPU Compute score is 3719. The 880M also shows strong performance in API-specific tests: PassMark DirectX 10 yields 31, DirectX 11 yields 73, DirectX 12 yields 32, and DirectX 9 yields 97. For 2D workloads, it scores 969 in PassMark G2D.

The R7 M380 has no corresponding tests in these categories, so the OpenCL result remains the only direct head-to-head metric. Still, that single data point is decisive. The 880M's OpenCL score is over three times higher, and its average benchmark score across all tests is 8436, compared to the R7 M380's average of 9313. This is an unusual situation where the newer integrated GPU has a lower average score than the older discrete GPU, but that is because the 880M's average includes several lower-scoring API-specific tests, while the R7 M380 only has the one high OpenCL result.

The percentile rankings tell a similar story. The R7 M380 ranks in the 46th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the 880M ranks in the 43rd percentile. Despite the 880M's dominant OpenCL win, its overall percentile is slightly lower due to the inclusion of those API-specific tests in its average. This suggests that the 880M is a capable all-rounder, but its raw compute advantage does not translate to an equally dominant position in every workload.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M is significantly faster, scoring 31285 compared to the R7 M380's 9313. This represents a 70.2 percent lead for the 880M.

Q: How does the R7 M380 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The R7 M380 scores 9313, which is 0.1 percent higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M at 9302, 0.2 percent higher than the GeForce GTX 465 at 9294, and 0.4 percent higher than the GeForce GTX 960 at 9273.

Q: What is the Radeon 880M's position among its nearest rivals?

A: The 880M has an average score of 8436. It is 0.1 percent higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX at 8427, 0.3 percent lower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 at 8458, and 0.3 percent lower than the AMD Radeon HD 8870M at 8462. It is 1.3 percent higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M375X at 8325.

Q: Does the R7 M380 support modern APIs?

A: The R7 M380 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The 880M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which is a newer specification.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each GPU?

A: The R7 M380 has 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 32.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The 880M uses System Shared memory, with its bandwidth described as System Dependent.

Q: What are the production statuses of these two GPUs?

A: The R7 M380 is end-of-life, having been released in May 2015. The 880M is active, with a release date of July 2024.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 880M wins the only direct benchmark comparison, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by a wide margin. It is the clear choice for any workload that relies on raw compute throughput, such as OpenCL-accelerated applications, machine learning inference, or general-purpose GPU computing. Its higher pixel rate of 46.40 GPixel/s and texture rate of 139.2 GTexel/s, compared to the R7 M380's 14.64 GPixel/s and 36.60 GTexel/s, indicate that it should also handle modern rendering tasks more effectively, even if those specific tests are not in the shared benchmark set.

The R7 M380, despite its age, still holds a position in the database's 46th percentile, which is slightly higher than the 880M's 43rd percentile. This is likely due to the 880M's lower scores in API-specific PassMark tests, such as DirectX 9 at 97 and DirectX 10 at 31. For legacy DirectX 9 workloads, the R7 M380 may be a more consistent performer, as it does not have these lower-scoring entries in its record. However, the R7 M380 has no ray tracing hardware, while the 880M includes 12 ray tracing cores, so the 880M is the only one of the two that can handle ray-traced content at all.

For users running older software that relies on DirectX 11 or earlier, the R7 M380's support for DirectX 12 (11_1) is adequate, but the 880M's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is more future-proof. The 880M also has a higher boost clock of 2900 MHz, compared to the R7 M380's 915 MHz, which contributes to its superior compute performance. The R7 M380 does have a higher base clock at 900 MHz versus the 880M's 400 MHz, but the 880M's boost clock more than compensates.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The R7 M380 is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The 880M uses a 4 nm process, also at TSMC, with 34,000 million transistors on a 233 mm² die. This makes the 880M far more transistor-dense, at 145.9 million transistors per mm², compared to the R7 M380's 12.2 million per mm².

The shading units differ: the R7 M380 has 640, while the 880M has 768. Texture mapping units are 40 on the R7 M380 and 48 on the 880M. Both have 16 ROPs. The 880M adds 12 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the R7 M380.

Clock speeds show a significant shift. The R7 M380 runs at a base of 900 MHz and boosts to 915 MHz. The 880M has a base of 400 MHz but boosts to 2900 MHz. Memory configurations are completely different: the R7 M380 has 4 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 32.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the 880M uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

The bus interface also differs: the R7 M380 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the 880M uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The 880M has a TDP of 15 W and is an IGP with no power connectors, while the R7 M380 has no TDP listed in the database. The 880M's display outputs are described as Portable Device Dependent, while the R7 M380 has no display outputs listed.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The R7 M380 uses GCN 1.0, AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture from 2012, while the 880M uses RDNA 3.5, the latest iteration of AMD's Radeon DNA architecture. The R7 M380's chip is codenamed Tropo, part of the Gem System generation under the R7 M300 series. The 880M uses the Strix Point chip, part of the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile.

The FP32 compute figures illustrate the raw capability difference. The R7 M380 delivers 1,171.2 GFLOPS, while the 880M delivers 4.454 TFLOPS. The 880M also has FP16 performance at 4.454 TFLOPS (1:1), while the R7 M380 has no FP16 data recorded. Pixel rate is 14.64 GPixel/s on the R7 M380 versus 46.40 GPixel/s on the 880M. Texture rate is 36.60 GTexel/s versus 139.2 GTexel/s.

API support reflects the newer architecture. The 880M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the R7 M380 tops out at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The 880M has 12 ray tracing cores, a feature that does not exist on the GCN 1.0 architecture.

The production statuses are also telling. The R7 M380 is end-of-life, with a release date of May 2015. Its predecessor is listed as Solar System, and its successor is Polaris Mobile. The 880M is active, released in July 2024, with a predecessor of Navi II IGP and no successor listed. The 880M's TDP of 15 W is notable for an integrated part, while the R7 M380 has no TDP data.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon 880M is the superior GPU in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score of 31285 is 70.2 percent higher than the R7 M380's 9313, and its FP32 throughput of 4.454 TFLOPS dwarfs the older card's 1,171.2 GFLOPS. For any modern workload, from gaming to compute, the 880M is the obvious choice.

The R7 M380 does have one advantage: its average benchmark score of 9313 is higher than the 880M's 8436. This is because the 880M's average is dragged down by lower scores in API-specific tests like PassMark DirectX 10 (31) and DirectX 12 (32). If a user is running legacy DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 applications, the R7 M380 may actually provide a more consistent experience, as it does not have these low-scoring entries in its record. However, this is a narrow edge case.

For most users, the 880M is the better choice. It is newer, active, and built on a far more advanced 4 nm process. It has 768 shading units, 12 ray tracing cores, a boost clock of 2900 MHz, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. Its 15 W TDP makes it suitable for thin-and-light laptops, and its System Shared memory configuration eliminates the need for separate VRAM.

The R7 M380, by contrast, is end-of-life. It is a discrete card from 2015 with 4 GB of DDR3, a 915 MHz boost clock, and no ray tracing support. Its 46th percentile ranking is respectable for its age, but it cannot compete with the 880M's modern architecture. The only scenario where the R7 M380 makes sense is if a user is specifically targeting legacy DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 workloads, where its higher average score might prove more reliable.

In short, the 880M is the GPU to pick for anyone building a new system or upgrading from an older laptop. It offers modern features, higher compute performance, and a clear path forward. The R7 M380 is a historical footnote, a capable card for its time, but one that has been decisively surpassed by the integrated graphics of 2024.