AMD Radeon HD 7730M vs AMD Radeon R7 350 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile and desktop oriented AMD parts. The AMD Radeon R7 350 wins the only head-to-head test recorded in the database, the Geekbench OpenCL workload, by a decisive margin. The R7 350 posts a score of 7792 against the HD 7730M's 6581, a 18.4 percent advantage. That is the entirety of the direct comparison, but it establishes a clear pattern: the R7 350 is the stronger compute performer.

The Radeon HD 7730M, by contrast, has no benchmark wins in the recorded head-to-head data. Its single recorded Geekbench OpenCL score of 6581 places it in a lower performance tier. The database shows the HD 7730M sitting at the 38th percentile of all GPUs, while the R7 350 sits at the 40th percentile. Neither part is a high-flyer in the broader GPU landscape, but the R7 350 occupies a slightly higher position in the distribution.

For use-case segmentation, the R7 350 is the pick for any workload that leans on OpenCL compute. The 18.4 percent lead in that specific test is substantial enough to matter for general-purpose GPU tasks. The HD 7730M, with its lower scores and weaker memory subsystem, is better suited to lighter duties where power draw is the primary concern, though the data does not directly measure power efficiency in a benchmark sense. The R7 350 also has a recorded Vulkan score of 7057, which the HD 7730M lacks entirely in the database, suggesting the newer part has broader API coverage in testing.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same fundamental building blocks. They are built on GCN 1.0 architecture, use the same 28 nm process node at TSMC, and each packs 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The transistor density is identical at 12.2M per mm². The chip names differ: the R7 350 uses Cape Verde, while the HD 7730M uses Chelsea. The R7 350 belongs to the Pirate Islands (R7 300) generation, while the HD 7730M comes from the London (HD 7700M) generation.

The compute core counts match exactly. Both have 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The pixel rate, however, favors the R7 350 at 12.80 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s for the HD 7730M. Texture rate follows the same pattern: 25.60 GTexel/s for the R7 350, 21.60 GTexel/s for the HD 7730M. FP32 throughput lands at 819.2 GFLOPS for the R7 350 and 691.2 GFLOPS for the HD 7730M. These differences come down to clock speeds, since the silicon is otherwise identical in configuration.

The memory architecture is where the two diverge sharply. The R7 350 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7730M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on the same 128-bit bus, but bandwidth drops to 28.80 GB/s. That is a massive gap, roughly two and a half times more bandwidth for the R7 350. The memory clock tells the story: the R7 350 runs at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective data rate, while the HD 7730M runs at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective. The HD 7730M does have a listed base clock of 575 MHz and boost clock of 675 MHz, while the R7 350's core clocks are not recorded in the database.

Power characteristics differ considerably. The R7 350 has a 55 W TDP, while the HD 7730M draws only 25 W. The R7 350 requires a 250 W suggested PSU and uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The HD 7730M uses PCIe 2.0 x16 and has no recorded PSU recommendation, consistent with a mobile part. The R7 350 is a single-slot desktop card with no power connectors, measuring 168 mm or 6.6 inches in length. The HD 7730M has no recorded dimensions and its display outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The R7 350 scores 7792, the HD 7730M scores 6581, and the R7 350 wins by 18.4 percent. That is a commanding lead in a single test, and it aligns with the specification gap in memory bandwidth and clock speeds.

The R7 350 also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 7057 in the database. The HD 7730M has no Vulkan score recorded, which means the R7 350 has demonstrated performance across two API workloads while the HD 7730M only has OpenCL data. The average benchmark score for the R7 350 is 7425 across its two recorded tests, while the HD 7730M's average is its single OpenCL score of 6581.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces the gap. The R7 350's average score of 7425 puts it within 0.2 percent of the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441), 0.3 percent behind the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7447), 0.6 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472), and 1.7 percent behind the Intel Arc A310 (7550). The HD 7730M's 6581 average sits 0.4 percent above the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554), 0.5 percent behind the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6612), 1 percent above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513), and 1.4 percent above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6493). The R7 350 competes in a higher performance neighborhood entirely.

The delta percentages in the head-to-head are not subtle. An 18.4 percent win in OpenCL is the kind of margin that translates into visibly faster compute tasks. The HD 7730M's memory bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s is the likely bottleneck, as the R7 350's 72.00 GB/s gives it a 150 percent bandwidth advantage in raw terms, though the benchmark delta is smaller than that, which suggests other factors like compute clocks also play a role.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 350 scores 7792 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 6581 for the AMD Radeon HD 7730M, a 18.4 percent advantage for the R7 350.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same core configuration?

A: Yes, both have 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. They also share the same GCN 1.0 architecture, 28 nm process, 1,500 million transistors, and 123 mm² die size.

Q: How do their memory systems compare?

A: The R7 350 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7730M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher power consumption?

A: The R7 350 has a 55 W TDP, while the HD 7730M has a 25 W TDP. The R7 350 also lists a 250 W suggested PSU.

Q: Does the HD 7730M have any Vulkan benchmark results?

A: No, the database records only a Geekbench OpenCL score of 6581 for the HD 7730M. The R7 350 has both OpenCL (7792) and Vulkan (7057) scores.

Q: How do the two GPUs rank against all other GPUs?

A: The R7 350 sits at the 40th percentile, while the HD 7730M sits at the 38th percentile. The R7 350's average benchmark score is 7425 versus 6581 for the HD 7730M.

The Verdict

The data points in one direction. The AMD Radeon R7 350 outperforms the AMD Radeon HD 7730M in the only recorded head-to-head test, and it does so by a wide margin. The 18.4 percent OpenCL lead, combined with the substantial memory bandwidth advantage and the additional Vulkan score, makes the R7 350 the clear choice for anyone prioritizing compute performance.

The HD 7730M is not without a role. Its 25 W TDP is less than half the R7 350's 55 W, which makes it a more power-conscious option for constrained environments. The database does not record any performance-per-watt metric, but the raw power difference is notable. For a system where thermal or power limits are the binding constraint, the HD 7730M draws significantly less.

However, the HD 7730M's memory subsystem is a serious liability. DDR3 at 28.80 GB/s is a fraction of the R7 350's GDDR5 at 72.00 GB/s. The compute cores may be identical in count, but the R7 350 runs them at higher effective rates, as shown by the pixel rate of 12.80 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s and texture rate of 25.60 GTexel/s versus 21.60 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput of 819.2 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS confirms the R7 350 extracts more from the same silicon.

The percentile ranking tells the same story. The R7 350 at the 40th percentile is not a strong GPU by modern standards, but it is two full percentile points above the HD 7730M at the 38th percentile. The nearest rival comparisons place the R7 350 near the Intel UHD Graphics 750 and AMD Radeon HD 8850M, while the HD 7730M sits near the Intel UHD Graphics P750 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M. These are different performance classes.

The verdict is straightforward. The R7 350 wins on compute, memory bandwidth, and API coverage. The HD 7730M wins only on power draw. For any workload where the R7 350's 55 W TDP is acceptable, it is the superior part. The HD 7730M is only preferable when the 25 W power envelope is a hard requirement, and even then the performance gap is steep.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 350 | AMD Radeon HD 7730M |

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

| Chip | Cape Verde | Chelsea |

| Generation | Pirate Islands (R7 300) | London (HD 7700M) |

| Base clock | Not recorded | 575 MHz |

| Boost clock | Not recorded | 675 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1125 MHz, 4.5 Gbps effective | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective |

| Memory type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Pixel rate | 12.80 GPixel/s | 10.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 25.60 GTexel/s | 21.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 819.2 GFLOPS | 691.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 55 W | 25 W |

| Slot width | Single-slot | Not recorded |

| Power connectors | None | Not recorded |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | Not recorded |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Length | 168 mm (6.6 inches) | Not recorded |

| Release date | 2016-07-05 | 2012-04-23 |

| Predecessor | Volcanic Islands | Vancouver |

| Successor | Arctic Islands | Solar System |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 7792 | 6581 |

| Geekbench Vulkan | 7057 | Not recorded |

| Average benchmark score | 7425 | 6581 |

| Percentile vs all GPUs | 40 | 38 |

The two GPUs share identical transistor counts, die size, transistor density, shading units, TMUs, ROPs, process node, foundry, architecture, memory size, memory bus width, DirectX support, OpenGL support, and Vulkan support. The differences above are where the parts truly diverge. The R7 350 is newer, faster, and more capable across every measured performance metric, while the HD 7730M is older, slower, and more power-efficient. The release dates confirm the generational gap: the R7 350 launched in 2016, the HD 7730M in 2012.