AMD Radeon HD 7730M vs AMD Radeon HD 8750M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single direct comparison between these two mobile GPUs: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In that benchmark, the AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6581 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8750M scores 5970 points. That is a 10.2% advantage for the older chip. This is not a marginal difference; it is a clear, measurable gap in raw compute throughput.

Looking at the broader context, the HD 7730M sits at the 38th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the HD 8750M sits at the 34th percentile. That percentile gap reinforces the head-to-head result: the 7730M is not just slightly faster, it is positioned a full tier higher in the overall performance distribution.

The nearest rivals for the HD 7730M show how tight the competition is around its score. It is 0.4% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics P750, 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R7 M460, 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M, and 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M. For the HD 8750M, the picture is similarly close: it is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K4000, 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K620M, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 8730M, and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M. Both chips are clustered with their immediate rivals, but the 7730M's cluster is simply higher up the ladder.

The raw specifications explain why the 7730M wins. It has 512 shading units versus 384 on the 8750M, 32 texture mapping units versus 24, and 16 ROPs versus 8. Its pixel rate is 10.80 GPixel/s compared to 6.600 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 21.60 GTexel/s versus 19.80 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance also favors the 7730M: 691.2 GFLOPS versus 633.6 GFLOPS. The 8750M does have a higher base clock, 775 MHz against 575 MHz, and a higher boost clock, 825 MHz against 675 MHz, but those clock advantages are not enough to overcome the 7730M's larger execution resources.

Memory is a wash. Both have a 128-bit bus and DDR3 type memory running at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective speed, yielding identical 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The difference in capacity, 2 GB on the 7730M versus 1024 MB on the 8750M, does not affect the OpenCL score directly, but it is a meaningful spec for real-world use. The 7730M also has a higher memory clock in terms of effective data rate, yet the bandwidth figure is identical because the bus width and memory type are the same.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the AMD Radeon HD 7730M is the faster GPU. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 10.2%, and its percentile ranking is higher. If the choice is between these two for raw compute performance, the 7730M is the pick.

The 8750M is not without merit, but the data does not support it as a performance upgrade. It is a smaller chip with fewer shading units, fewer TMUs, fewer ROPs, and lower pixel and texture rates. Its higher clocks do narrow the gap, but they do not close it. In the OpenCL test, the 8750M is 611 points behind, which is a substantial margin for two chips in the same performance class.

Who should pick the 8750M? A user who prioritizes a newer release date, as it launched in 2013 compared to the 7730M's 2012 release, and who does not need the extra memory capacity. The 8750M also uses PCIe 3.0 x8, a newer bus interface, while the 7730M uses PCIe 2.0 x16. For most laptop workloads, that bus difference is unlikely to matter, but it is a spec advantage for the newer part.

Who should pick the 7730M? Anyone who wants the higher OpenCL score, the larger 2 GB frame buffer, and the higher computational throughput. The data is unambiguous: in a direct comparison, the 7730M wins every measured performance category except clock speed, and clock speed alone does not translate into a benchmark win.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same GCN 1.0 architecture, and both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The foundry is identical, and the transistor density is nearly identical: 12.2M per mm² for the 7730M and 12.3M per mm² for the 8750M. That density similarity is where the architectural comparison ends.

The 7730M uses the Chelsea chip, a larger die at 123 mm² with 1,500 million transistors. The 8750M uses the Mars chip, a much smaller die at 77 mm² with 950 million transistors. That is a 46 mm² difference in die area and a 550 million transistor difference. The 7730M simply packs more hardware into a larger piece of silicon.

The generation names reflect their positions in AMD's lineup. The 7730M belongs to the "London (HD 7700M)" generation, while the 8750M belongs to the "Solar System (HD 8700M)" generation. In AMD's naming scheme of that era, the 8700M series was positioned as a lower-tier part relative to the 7700M series, and the silicon sizes confirm that hierarchy. The 7730M is the bigger, more capable chip.

Both support the same API levels: DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Neither has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, which is expected for GCN 1.0 parts. The architectural feature sets are otherwise aligned, so the performance difference comes down to resource counts, not feature gaps.

The 7730M's predecessor is listed as Vancouver, and its successor is Solar System. The 8750M's predecessor is London, and its successor is Gem System. This places the 8750M as a direct descendant of the 7730M's generation, but a smaller implementation of the same idea.

Specification Differences

The specification table shows several fields where these two differ. The chip name is different: Chelsea versus Mars. The die size differs significantly, 123 mm² versus 77 mm². Transistor count differs, 1,500 million versus 950 million. The base clock is 575 MHz on the 7730M and 775 MHz on the 8750M. The boost clock is 675 MHz versus 825 MHz.

Shading units differ: 512 versus 384. TMUs differ: 32 versus 24. ROPs differ: 16 versus 8. Pixel rate is 10.80 GPixel/s versus 6.600 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 21.60 GTexel/s versus 19.80 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 691.2 GFLOPS versus 633.6 GFLOPS.

Memory size differs: 2 GB versus 1024 MB. The bus interface differs: PCIe 2.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x8. The TDP is listed as 25 W for the 7730M, while the 8750M has no TDP recorded in the database. The display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent" for the 7730M, while the 8750M has no display output data. The release dates differ: 2012-04-23 for the 7730M and 2013-02-25 for the 8750M.

The fields that are the same include the 28 nm process, the TSMC foundry, the DDR3 memory type, the 128-bit bus width, the 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, the memory clock of 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective, the GCN 1.0 architecture, the DirectX 12 (11_1) support, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.2.170, and the end-of-life production status for both.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6581 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon HD 8750M scores 5970. The 7730M is 10.2% ahead.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. Both use DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective speed, giving both a bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The HD 7730M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory. The HD 8750M has 1024 MB of DDR3 memory.

Q: Are these GPUs from the same architecture?

A: Yes, both are based on GCN 1.0 architecture and are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The HD 7730M has 512 shading units. The HD 8750M has 384 shading units.

Q: What is the release date difference?

A: The HD 7730M was released on 2012-04-23. The HD 8750M was released on 2013-02-25, nearly ten months later.

Where Each One Wins

The HD 7730M wins in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score is 10.2% higher, its percentile rank is 38 versus 34, and its shading unit, TMU, and ROP counts are all higher. It also has double the memory capacity at 2 GB versus 1024 MB, which matters for workloads that need larger frame buffers or more texture data resident in VRAM. Its pixel rate of 10.80 GPixel/s is significantly higher than the 8750M's 6.600 GPixel/s, making it the better choice for fill-rate bound tasks. Its texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s also edges out the 8750M's 19.80 GTexel/s.

The HD 8750M wins in clock speed. Its base clock of 775 MHz is 200 MHz higher than the 7730M's 575 MHz, and its boost clock of 825 MHz is 150 MHz higher than the 7730M's 675 MHz. This makes it the better choice for workloads that are sensitive to clock frequency rather than raw resource count, though the benchmark data does not show any test where that advantage translates into a win. The 8750M also has a newer bus interface, PCIe 3.0 x8, compared to the 7730M's PCIe 2.0 x16, which could matter for systems with limited PCIe lane availability. Its smaller die size, 77 mm² versus 123 mm², and lower transistor count, 950 million versus 1,500 million, suggest it may be more power-efficient per transistor, though the database does not record a TDP for the 8750M to confirm that.

For a user choosing between these two in a laptop, the 7730M is the performance pick. The data shows a clear win in every computational metric that matters for GPU workloads. The 8750M is the newer part with higher clocks, but higher clocks on a smaller chip do not overcome the 7730M's larger execution resources. If the choice is between these two and the laptop chassis can handle the 25 W TDP of the 7730M, that is the GPU to select. The 8750M is a reasonable alternative only if the system requires the newer PCIe revision or if the lower resource counts are acceptable for lighter tasks.