AMD Radeon HD 6950 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 6950 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M represent two very different approaches to graphics hardware, separated by over two years of architectural evolution. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, with the GTX 770M delivering a decisive 27.4% performance advantage in Geekbench OpenCL scoring, yet the HD 6950 holds its own in raw compute specifications. This analysis breaks down where each card wins, what separates their designs, and how the benchmark numbers translate into real-world positioning.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data presents a clear split between the two cards. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M wins the only direct comparison available, posting a Geekbench OpenCL score of 8552 against the AMD Radeon HD 6950's 6210. That 27.4% delta is substantial and places the mobile Kepler part firmly ahead in compute workloads that leverage OpenCL acceleration.

However, the HD 6950 is not without its own advantages. In terms of raw throughput specifications, the older AMD card delivers higher numbers across the board: 2.253 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus 1.530 TFLOPS, a pixel rate of 25.60 GPixel/s versus 15.94 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 70.40 GTexel/s versus 63.76 GTexel/s. The HD 6950 also offers significantly more memory bandwidth at 160.0 GB/s compared to 96.19 GB/s, thanks to a 256-bit bus versus 192-bit. These specification wins suggest the HD 6950 would excel in bandwidth-sensitive scenarios, even if the benchmark result shows the GTX 770M dominating in OpenCL compute.

The percentile rankings tell a nuanced story. The HD 6950 sits at the 36th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 770M ranks at the 35th percentile. Despite the GTX 770M's benchmark victory, its average benchmark score of 6000 is actually lower than the HD 6950's average of 6210. This discrepancy arises because the GTX 770M's average includes both its OpenCL score of 8552 and a separate Geekbench Metal score of 3448, which drags its average down considerably. The HD 6950, with only one benchmark result, maintains a higher average despite losing the head-to-head.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark. The AMD Radeon HD 6950 uses the Cayman chip built on the TeraScale 3 architecture, part of the Northern Islands generation (HD 6900 series). It is fabricated on TSMC's 40 nm process node, packing 2,640 million transistors into a 389 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 6.8M per mm², which is comparatively low by modern standards.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M, by contrast, employs the GK106 chip based on the Kepler architecture, belonging to the GeForce 700M generation. It uses a more advanced 28 nm process from TSMC, fitting 2,540 million transistors into a much smaller 221 mm² die. The transistor density jumps to 11.5M per mm², reflecting the process node advantage. Despite having roughly the same transistor count, the GTX 770M's die is nearly half the size, which has significant implications for power efficiency.

The compute resources differ substantially. The HD 6950 packs 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 770M has 960 shading units, 80 TMUs, and only 24 ROPs. This gives the AMD card a 46.7% advantage in shading unit count and a 33.3% advantage in ROPs. However, the GTX 770M compensates with higher clock speeds: a base clock of 706 MHz and boost clock of 797 MHz, while the HD 6950's core clocks are not specified in the data.

Memory configurations also diverge. The HD 6950 comes with 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, running at 1250 MHz with 5 Gbps effective speed. The GTX 770M offers 3 GB of GDDR5 on a narrower 192-bit bus, at 1002 MHz with 4 Gbps effective. The wider bus gives the AMD card its substantial bandwidth advantage. Power consumption tells a dramatic story: the HD 6950 draws 200 W TDP requiring dual 6-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU, while the GTX 770M sips just 75 W with no power connectors needed, as an MXM module for portable devices.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark result is Geekbench OpenCL, where the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M scores 8552 against the AMD Radeon HD 6950's 6210. The delta of 27.4% in favor of the GTX 770M is the definitive performance gap in this comparison. This is a significant margin, placing the mobile Kepler chip well ahead of the older desktop card in OpenCL compute tasks.

Interpreting this result requires context from the nearest rivals. The HD 6950's closest competitors include the AMD FirePro W600 with an average score of 6223 (0.2% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER AD102 at 6270 (0.9% ahead), and the NVIDIA Quadro K620 at 6282 (1.1% ahead). The HD 6950's loss to the GTX 770M is far larger than any of these differentials, indicating that the GTX 770M occupies a performance tier noticeably above the HD 6950's immediate peers.

For the GTX 770M, its nearest rivals paint a different picture. The AMD Radeon RX 6400 sits at 6001 (0% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server at 5996 (0.1% behind), and the AMD FirePro W4100 at 5987 (0.2% behind). The GTX 770M's OpenCL score of 8552, however, is far above its average of 6000, meaning the card's OpenCL performance is exceptional relative to its overall profile. The Metal benchmark score of 3448 is what pulls its average down, suggesting the GPU performs very differently across compute APIs.

The head-to-head result aligns with the architectural data. Despite the HD 6950 having higher theoretical FP32 throughput, the GTX 770M's Kepler architecture with its boost clocks and newer process node delivers better real-world OpenCL performance. The 27.4% margin is consistent with the GTX 770M's superior memory latency characteristics, despite lower bandwidth, and its more efficient compute pipeline.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M wins decisively with a score of 8552 compared to the AMD Radeon HD 6950's 6210, a 27.4% advantage.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 6950 has a higher average benchmark score of 6210, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M averages 6000. The GTX 770M's average is pulled down by its lower Metal score of 3448.

Q: What are the process node differences between the two cards?

A: The HD 6950 uses a 40 nm process from TSMC with a die size of 389 mm², while the GTX 770M uses a newer 28 nm process with a die size of 221 mm². Both have similar transistor counts at 2,640 million and 2,540 million respectively.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare?

A: The HD 6950 offers 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth on a 256-bit bus, significantly higher than the GTX 770M's 96.19 GB/s on a 192-bit bus. The GTX 770M has more memory capacity at 3 GB versus 2 GB.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The HD 6950 has a TDP of 200 W requiring dual 6-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU. The GTX 770M has a TDP of only 75 W with no power connectors, operating as an MXM module.

Q: How do their percentile rankings compare?

A: The HD 6950 ranks at the 36th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 770M ranks at the 35th percentile, putting them in nearly the same overall performance tier despite the head-to-head result.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear performance hierarchy. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M is the faster card in compute workloads, winning the only head-to-head benchmark by 27.4% with an OpenCL score of 8552 versus 6210. This makes it the better choice for users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, particularly given its dramatically lower power envelope of 75 W compared to 200 W.

However, the AMD Radeon HD 6950 remains competitive in specific areas. Its higher FP32 throughput of 2.253 TFLOPS, superior pixel rate of 25.60 GPixel/s, and significantly higher memory bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s suggest it would perform better in bandwidth-bound tasks and traditional rasterization workloads. Its higher average benchmark score of 6210 versus 6000 also indicates more consistent performance across the limited benchmark data available.

For users deciding between these two end-of-life products, the choice depends on workload. The GTX 770M's superior OpenCL performance and modern Kepler architecture make it the stronger pick for compute-oriented tasks and mobile applications where power efficiency matters. The HD 6950, with its desktop-oriented dual-slot design and higher raw specifications, suits scenarios where memory bandwidth and fill rates are paramount, and where the 200 W power draw is acceptable. The GTX 770M's 27.4% head-to-head victory is the single most decisive data point, but the HD 6950's specification advantages keep it relevant for specific use cases.