AMD Radeon HD 6950 vs AMD Radeon R7 M365X Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data shows a narrow overall advantage for the AMD Radeon HD 6950 in the single comparison available. Across the database, the HD 6950 wins 1 out of 1 head-to-head tests against the Radeon R7 M365X, while the R7 M365X claims no wins in the shared test set. This is not a sweeping victory; the delta is a modest 4.6% in Geekbench OpenCL, a score of 6210 versus 5939.

Digging deeper, the HD 6950 sits at the 36th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 6210. Its OpenCL result places it among competitors like the AMD FirePro W600, which scores 6223 and trails by 0.2%, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102, which scores 6270 and trails by 0.9%. In contrast, the R7 M365X lands at the 32nd percentile overall, with an average score of 5416 when averaging its OpenCL result of 5939 is combined with its Vulkan result of 4893. The R7 M365X's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 610M at 5444, which trails by 0.5%, and the Intel UHD Graphics P630 at 5370, with a 0.9% delta.

The functional split between the two cards emerges in API support: the R7 M365X supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1, whereas the HD 6950 tops out at DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and offers no Vulkan entry. The R7 M365X also supports OpenGL 4.6 versus the HD 6950's OpenGL 4.4. For compute-oriented workloads captured by OpenCL, the older card holds a lead. For modern API coverage, the newer mobile chip is the one with the feature set.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and radically different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon HD 6950 uses the Cayman chip built on TeraScale 3, part of the Northern Islands (HD 6900) generation. It is fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with 2,640 million transistors on a 389 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 6.8M / mm². The Radeon R7 M365X uses the Litho chip on GCN 1.0, part of the Gem System (R7 M300) generation. It is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, producing a density of 12.3M / mm².

The compute resources differ substantially. The HD 6950 carries 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The R7 M365X has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Pixel throughput tells the story: the HD 6950 delivers 25.60 GPixel/s and 70.40 GTexel/s, while the R7 M365X manages 6.600 GPixel/s and 19.80 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is also lopsided: the HD 6950 reaches 2.253 TFLOPS FP32, while the R7 M365X delivers 633.6 GFLOPS.

Memory configuration reinforces the gap. The HD 6950 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with memory clocks of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s. The R7 M365X has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), for 64.00 GB/s. Bus interface also differs: PCIe 2.0 x16 for the HD 6950, PCIe 3.0 x8 for the R7 M365X. The HD 6950 is a dual-slot card with 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU; the R7 M365X has no recorded slot width, power connectors, or PSU guidance. The HD 6950 measures 286 mm (11.3 inches) in length, 126 mm (5 inches) in height, and 42 mm (1.7 inches) in width; the R7 M365X has no dimensions recorded. The HD 6950 has a TDP of 200 W; the R7 M365X has no TDP recorded. The HD 6950 outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2; the R7 M365X has no display outputs recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6950 has 1408 shading units, while the AMD Radeon R7 M365X has 384 shading units.

Q: Does the Radeon R7 M365X support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the R7 M365X supports Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the HD 6950 has no Vulkan support recorded and tops out at DirectX 11.2 (11_0).

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card provide?

A: The HD 6950 provides 160.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5. The R7 M365X provides 64.00 GB/s over a 128-bit bus with 1024 MB of GDDR5.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The HD 6950 has an average benchmark score of 6210, placing it at the 36th percentile. The R7 M365X has an average score of 5416, at the 32nd percentile.

Q: What is the difference in OpenCL performance between the two?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the HD 6950 scores 6210 and the R7 M365X scores 5939, giving the HD 6950 a 4.6% lead.

Q: Which card is manufactured on a smaller process node?

A: The R7 M365X is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the HD 6950 uses a 40 nm process at TSMC.

Specification Differences

The database records several fields where the two differ directly:

• Process Node: HD 6950 is 40 nm; R7 M365X is 28 nm.
• Transistors: HD 6950 has 2,640 million; R7 M365X has 950 million.
• Die Size: HD 6950 is 389 mm²; R7 M365X is 77 mm².
• Transistor Density: HD 6950 is 6.8M / mm²; R7 M365X is 12.3M / mm².
• Shader Units: 1408 vs 384.
• TMUs: 88 vs 24.
• ROPs: 32 vs 8.
• Memory Size: 2 GB vs 1024 MB.
• Memory Bus Width: 256 bit vs 128 bit.
• Memory Clock: 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) vs 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).
• Memory Bandwidth: 160.0 GB/s vs 64.00 GB/s.
• Pixel Rate: 25.60 GPixel/s vs 6.600 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: 70.40 GTexel/s vs 19.80 GTexel/s.
• FP32: 2.253 TFLOPS vs 633.6 GFLOPS.
• TDP: 200 W for HD 6950; no TDP recorded for R7 M365X.
• Slot Width: Dual-slot for HD 6950; none recorded for R7 M365X.
• Power Connectors: 2x 6-pin for HD 6950; none recorded for R7 M365X.
• Suggested PSU: 550 W for HD 6950; none recorded for R7 M365X.
• Bus Interface: PCIe 2.0 x16 vs PCIe 3.0 x8.
• Display Outputs: 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 for HD 6950; none recorded for R7 M365X.
• DirectX: 11.2 (11_0) vs 12 (11_1).
• OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6.
• Vulkan: None vs 1.2.170.
• Dimensions: HD 6950 is 286 mm × 126 mm × 42 mm; R7 M365X has none recorded.
• Release Date: 2010-12-13 vs 2015-05-04.
• Generation: Northern Islands (HD 6900) vs Gem System (R7 M300).
• Predecessor: Evergreen vs Solar System.
• Successor: Southern Islands vs Polaris Mobile.
• Launch MSRP: 299 USD for HD 6950; none recorded for R7 M365X.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only shared benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The HD 6950 scores 6210, the R7 M365X scores 5939, and the winner is the HD 6950 with a 4.6% delta. That margin is small in absolute terms, but it is consistent with the raw compute differences. The HD 6950's FP32 throughput of 2.253 TFLOPS is more than three times the R7 M365X's 633.6 GFLOPS, and its texture rate of 70.40 GTexel/s dwarfs the 19.80 GTexel/s of the R7 M365X. The memory bandwidth gap is similarly wide: 160.0 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s.

However, raw throughput does not always translate to a large OpenCL score delta. The 4.6% lead suggests that the OpenCL workload used in this test does not fully stress the HD 6950's advantages, or that the R7 M365X's GCN 1.0 architecture extracts more efficiency per unit of compute. The R7 M365X also has a Vulkan result of 4893 in the database, but no Vulkan result exists for the HD 6950, so no head-to-head comparison is possible there.

The HD 6950's position among its nearest rivals reinforces its modest standing in the modern database. It sits at 36th percentile, just below the AMD FirePro W600 (6223, 0.2% ahead) and several NVIDIA cards with scores around 6270 to 6282. The R7 M365X, at 32nd percentile, sits in a cluster with the AMD Radeon 610M (5444, 0.5% ahead) and NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (5467, 0.9% ahead), while trailing slightly behind the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (5370, 0.9% behind) and AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5358, 1.1% behind). Neither card is a top performer by modern standards; the data places both below the 40th percentile of all GPUs.

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon HD 6950 is the stronger choice for raw compute and memory throughput. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark, leads in FP32, pixel rate, texture rate, bandwidth, and has double the memory capacity of the R7 M365X. Its 4.6% OpenCL lead is real but not overwhelming. The HD 6950 also holds a higher percentile rank (36 versus 32) and a higher average benchmark score (6210 versus 5416). Its launch MSRP was 299 USD, but that figure is historical and does not reflect current availability.

The AMD Radeon R7 M365X is the better option for users who need modern API support. It offers Vulkan 1.2.170, DirectX 12 (11_1), and OpenGL 4.6, all of which are absent or lower on the HD 6950. It is also built on a much smaller 28 nm process with higher transistor density (12.3M / mm² versus 6.8M / mm²), which suggests better efficiency per transistor, although no TDP is recorded to confirm power behavior. Its smaller die (77 mm² versus 389 mm²) and lower transistor count (950 million versus 2,640 million) indicate it is a far less complex part.

For workloads that rely on OpenCL compute and benefit from high bandwidth and large memory, the HD 6950 is the correct pick based on the data. For applications that require Vulkan or DirectX 12 support, the R7 M365X is the only one of the two that can handle them. The HD 6950 is an end-of-life desktop card from the Northern Islands generation with a 200 W TDP and dual-slot cooling; the R7 M365X is an end-of-life mobile-oriented part from the Gem System generation with no recorded power or physical dimensions. The data does not show the R7 M365X winning any benchmark, but its API coverage gives it a functional edge in modern software environments.