AMD Radeon 880M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits cleanly between these two parts, though the comparison is limited by the available test coverage. The AMD Radeon 880M holds a decisive advantage in the only direct head-to-head test, the Geekbench OpenCL compute workload, where it outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE by 336.3%. This makes the 880M the clear choice for any OpenCL-accelerated application, including general compute tasks, video processing filters, and physics simulations that leverage GPU parallel processing.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE, by contrast, has no benchmark wins in the database. Its single recorded score, 7,171 points in Geekbench OpenCL, places it in the 39th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon 880M sits at the 43rd percentile based on its average benchmark score of 8,436. The 880M's average score across all recorded tests is 8,436, which is 17.6% higher than the 560 SE's single result, indicating that the AMD part is not only faster in the shared workload but also maintains a broader performance profile across DirectX 9 through DirectX 12 and compute tests.

Where the GTX 560 SE might have historically been relevant, such as legacy DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 titles from its 2012 era, the database does not provide direct comparison points. The 880M's PassMark DirectX 9 score of 97 and DirectX 10 score of 31 show that it handles older APIs, but without a corresponding GTX 560 SE result in those tests, a direct verdict is not possible. The data available strongly favors the AMD part for modern workloads, particularly those using OpenCL or DirectX 12 Ultimate features, while the NVIDIA card's remaining strength would be purely historical and undocumented in the current benchmark set. For users needing maximum compute throughput in OpenCL, the 880M is the definitive winner; for those running software that relies on older NVIDIA-specific optimizations, the GTX 560 SE's performance cannot be substantiated from the recorded measurements.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from radically different design eras and process technologies. The AMD Radeon 880M uses the RDNA 3.5 architecture on a 4 nm TSMC process, packing 34,000 million transistors into a 233 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 145.9 million transistors per square millimeter. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture using a 40 nm TSMC process, with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, giving a density of just 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The 880M's manufacturing advantage is enormous: it fits over 17 times more transistors per area while consuming far less power.

The 880M is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) designed for Strix Point mobile platforms, with a 15 W TDP and no dedicated power connectors. It relies on system-shared memory, meaning its bandwidth and capacity are dependent on the host system's RAM configuration. The GTX 560 SE, by contrast, is a discrete dual-slot card with a 150 W TDP, requiring two 6-pin power connectors and a suggested 450 W power supply. It carries 1,024 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the 880M's memory bandwidth is listed as system dependent.

Core configuration differences are substantial. The 880M features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the GTX 560 SE. The NVIDIA part has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, giving it more ROPs but far fewer shaders. The 880M's pixel rate is 46.40 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s for the GTX 560 SE, and its texture rate is 139.2 GTexel/s versus 35.33 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance shows a 5.3x gap in the AMD part's favor: 4.454 TFLOPS versus 847.9 GFLOPS.

The 880M also supports modern API features that the GTX 560 SE lacks. AMD's part lists DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6, while the NVIDIA card only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support recorded. The 880M uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the GTX 560 SE uses the older PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs differ too: the 880M's outputs are portable device dependent, reflecting its IGP nature, whereas the GTX 560 SE offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. Production status also diverges, with the 880M listed as active and the GTX 560 SE as end-of-life, released in February 2012 versus July 2024 for the AMD part.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is lopsided. The AMD Radeon 880M scores 31,285 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE manages 7,171 points, a delta of 336.3% in favor of the AMD part. This means the 880M delivers more than four times the OpenCL compute performance of the older NVIDIA card, a gap that reflects both architectural efficiency and process technology advantages.

Beyond the shared test, the 880M's broader benchmark suite paints a picture of balanced capability. Its PassMark G3D score is 7,615, which contributes to an average benchmark score of 8,436 across all recorded tests. The GTX 560 SE's average score is simply its single OpenCL result, 7,171. The 880M's PassMark DirectX 11 score of 73 and DirectX 12 score of 32 show moderate performance in modern APIs, while its DirectX 9 score of 97 and DirectX 10 score of 31 indicate reasonable legacy support. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 40,006 is notably high, suggesting strong performance in Vulkan-based games and applications, though no Vulkan result exists for the GTX 560 SE.

The 880M's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 535 provides an additional modern gaming data point, one that has no counterpart for the NVIDIA card. In terms of compute, the 880M's PassMark GPU compute score of 3,719 and its Geekbench OpenCL score of 31,285 both indicate that the AMD part is compute-capable far beyond the GTX 560 SE. The GTX 560 SE's only recorded strength is its ROP count (24 versus 16), which could theoretically benefit fill-rate-bound scenarios, but the actual pixel rate data shows the 880M is 5.3x faster, so even that theoretical advantage does not materialize in practice.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database provides context for each card's standing. The 880M's average score of 8,436 places it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427), 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458), 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8870M (8,462), and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M375X (8,325). These are all close competitors, indicating the 880M sits in a dense performance cluster. The GTX 560 SE's 7,171 average is essentially tied with the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7,170, 0% delta), 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7,157), 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7,203), and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7,222). This places the GTX 560 SE in a lower performance tier, consistent with its age and smaller shader count.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M scores 31,285 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 336.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE's 7,171, making the AMD part more than four times faster in this workload.

Q: Does the GTX 560 SE support ray tracing?

A: No, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE has no ray tracing cores recorded. The AMD Radeon 880M includes 12 ray tracing cores as part of its RDNA 3.5 architecture.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The GTX 560 SE uses 1,024 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus with 91.87 GB/s bandwidth. The 880M uses system-shared memory, with size, type, and bus width all listed as system shared and bandwidth described as system dependent.

Q: Which card has better DirectX API support?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0). The 880M also lists Vulkan 1.4 support, whereas the GTX 560 SE has no Vulkan support recorded.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M has an average benchmark score of 8,436 across all recorded tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE has an average of 7,171 based on its single OpenCL result, a difference of 17.6% in the AMD part's favor.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the GTX 560 SE wins?

A: No, the database records zero wins for the GTX 560 SE. The only head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL, is won by the AMD Radeon 880M.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon 880M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 3.5 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 34,000 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 233 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 145.9M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 400 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 2900 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 91.87 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 288 |

| TMUs | 48 | 48 |

| ROPs | 16 | 24 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 12 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 46.40 GPixel/s | 8.832 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 139.2 GTexel/s | 35.33 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 4.454 TFLOPS | 847.9 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 15 W | 150 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not specified | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | None |

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

| Release Date | 2024-07-14 | 2012-02-19 |

The specification table highlights the generational divide. The 880M's 4 nm process delivers 24.7 times higher transistor density than the 40 nm GTX 560 SE, despite the NVIDIA chip having a larger die. The AMD part's boost clock of 2,900 MHz is far above anything achievable on Fermi, and its FP32 throughput of 4.454 TFLOPS is 5.3 times the GTX 560 SE's 847.9 GFLOPS. Power consumption tells the opposite story: the 880M draws 15 W as an IGP, while the GTX 560 SE requires 150 W and a dual-slot cooler with two 6-pin connectors. The GTX 560 SE does retain advantages in memory bandwidth (91.87 GB/s dedicated versus system dependent) and ROP count (24 versus 16), but these do not translate into benchmark victories in the recorded data. The 880M's support for ray tracing, Vulkan, and DirectX 12 Ultimate further cements its position as the more capable and future-proof part.