AMD Radeon HD 7730M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison recorded in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is a clear upset. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6581, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M scores 5622. That works out to a 14.6% advantage for the AMD part in this specific compute workload. For a mobile GPU with a much lower power envelope, that is a significant margin.

The GeForce GTX 880M does not win any of the recorded head-to-head tests. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 8040, which combines its Geekbench Metal result of 10458 and its Geekbench OpenCL result of 5622. The Radeon HD 7730M has an average benchmark score of 6581, derived solely from its OpenCL result. The database places the GTX 880M at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs, while the HD 7730M sits at the 38th percentile. Those percentile positions are close, but the raw scores tell a more nuanced story.

The GTX 880M's Metal score of 10458 is its strongest recorded result, and it is the only score of that kind in the comparison. The HD 7730M has no Metal result recorded, so any cross-comparison between Metal and OpenCL must account for different test conditions. What the data shows clearly is that in the one common test, OpenCL, the smaller AMD chip beats the larger NVIDIA chip outright. The 14.6% delta is not a marginal difference; it indicates that the HD 7730M has a real advantage in this particular compute API.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database, the GTX 880M's average score of 8040 places it directly alongside the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 at 8039, a 0% delta. It is also within 0.2% of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti at 8053 and 0.3% of the GTX 650 Ti Boost at 8067. The GRID K2 at 8080 is 0.5% above it. This clustering suggests that the GTX 880M's overall performance level is well understood by the database, and its OpenCL shortfall relative to the HD 7730M stands out as an anomaly within its broader performance profile.

For the HD 7730M, the nearest rival is the Intel UHD Graphics P750 at 6554, which the AMD part beats by 0.4%. The Radeon R7 M460 at 6612 is 0.5% ahead of it. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M at 6513 trails by 1%, and the GeForce GT 555M at 6493 trails by 1.4%. These are small margins, which means the HD 7730M's OpenCL score is squarely in the range of mid-tier mobile graphics from its era.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M uses the GK104 chip built on the Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The die is 294 mm² with 3,540 million transistors, giving a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm². The AMD Radeon HD 7730M uses the Chelsea chip based on GCN 1.0, also on TSMC's 28 nm process. Its die is 123 mm² with 1,500 million transistors, which works out to a density of 12.2 million per mm². The process node is identical, and the density figures are nearly the same, but the physical scale is very different. NVIDIA packs more than twice the transistors onto a die that is more than twice as large.

The memory subsystems diverge sharply. The GTX 880M carries 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7730M has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128 bit bus, with 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. That is a 5.5x difference in memory bandwidth, which has major implications for any workload that is bandwidth-sensitive. The GTX 880M also has a much wider memory interface, which is typical for a higher-tier part.

Core counts follow the same pattern. The GTX 880M has 1536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The HD 7730M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA part has three times the shading units and four times the TMUs, with double the ROPs. The clock speeds are also higher on the NVIDIA side: the GTX 880M runs at 954 MHz base and 993 MHz boost, while the HD 7730M runs at 575 MHz base and 675 MHz boost. The GTX 880M's memory operates at 1250 MHz with 5 Gbps effective, while the HD 7730M's memory runs at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective.

These hardware differences translate into big theoretical throughput gaps. The GTX 880M achieves a pixel rate of 31.78 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 127.1 GTexel/s. The HD 7730M manages 10.80 GPixel/s and 21.60 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute figures are 3.050 TFLOPS for the GTX 880M versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the HD 7730M. On paper, the NVIDIA part is roughly 4.4x faster in FP32 and about 5.9x faster in texture rate. The OpenCL benchmark result does not reflect that theoretical dominance, which is worth keeping in mind.

Power consumption tells a completely different story. The GTX 880M has a TDP of 122 W, while the HD 7730M has a TDP of 25 W. That is nearly a 5x difference in power draw. The GTX 880M uses an MXM module form factor with an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface and no power connectors listed. The HD 7730M uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Both are portable-device dependent for display outputs, and both are end-of-life products. The GTX 880M was released on March 11, 2014, with the GeForce 700M as its predecessor and the GeForce 900M as its successor. The HD 7730M was released on April 23, 2012, with Vancouver as its predecessor and Solar System as its successor.

Where Each One Wins

The database records one head-to-head benchmark, and the AMD Radeon HD 7730M wins it. In Geekbench OpenCL, the HD 7730M beats the GTX 880M by 14.6%. The AMD part's 6581 score against NVIDIA's 5622 indicates that in compute workloads using OpenCL, the smaller, lower-power GPU is the better choice. This is relevant for tasks like OpenCL-based acceleration in older applications, where the HD 7730M clearly outperforms the much larger NVIDIA chip.

The GeForce GTX 880M's advantage is best understood through its overall benchmark profile rather than the single head-to-head test. Its average benchmark score of 8040 is 22.2% higher than the HD 7730M's 6581. Its Geekbench Metal score of 10458 shows that in Metal workloads, the GTX 880M is substantially stronger than anything the HD 7730M can offer, since the AMD part has no recorded Metal result. For users working in Metal-centric environments, the GTX 880M is the only option with recorded data.

The GTX 880M also wins decisively on theoretical specifications. Its FP32 throughput of 3.050 TFLOPS dwarfs the HD 7730M's 691.2 GFLOPS. Its texture rate of 127.1 GTexel/s versus 21.60 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 31.78 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s point to much stronger rasterization potential in traditional 3D rendering. Memory bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s gives the NVIDIA part a massive cushion in bandwidth-limited scenarios, where the HD 7730M's 28.80 GB/s would likely bottleneck any serious graphics workload.

The HD 7730M wins on efficiency by a wide margin. Its 25 W TDP is a fraction of the GTX 880M's 122 W, so in thin-and-light laptops with limited cooling and battery capacity, the AMD part is far easier to accommodate. The GTX 880M's MXM form factor and 122 W TDP require a larger chassis and more robust thermal solution. The HD 7730M's PCIe 2.0 x16 interface is also more standard for smaller notebooks.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M has an average benchmark score of 8040, while the AMD Radeon HD 7730M has an average score of 6581.

Q: Does the GTX 880M beat the HD 7730M in OpenCL?

A: No. The HD 7730M scores 6581 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTX 880M scores 5622, making the AMD part 14.6% faster in that test.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each GPU?

A: The GTX 880M has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 7730M has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128 bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The GTX 880M has a TDP of 122 W, while the HD 7730M has a TDP of 25 W.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GTX 880M has 1536 shading units, compared to the HD 7730M's 512.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. Both the GTX 880M and HD 7730M are listed as end-of-life products.

The Verdict

The data supports two different use cases. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M is the pick for anyone whose primary workload runs OpenCL compute. The 14.6% win in the only direct head-to-head test is the clearest signal in the database. A 25 W TDP also makes it the sensible choice for compact laptops where power efficiency matters more than raw throughput. If the workload fits within the HD 7730M's capabilities, the lower power draw alone is a compelling reason to favor it.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M is the pick for anyone who needs the broader performance envelope that its specifications suggest. The 8040 average score and 10458 Metal result show a GPU that performs far beyond the HD 7730M's level in most recorded metrics. The 160.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, 1536 shading units, FP32 throughput of 3.550 TFLOPS class compute, and much higher pixel and texture rates make it the stronger all-around graphics solution. Its 122 W TDP is a cost in power, but for a larger laptop chassis that can handle it, the GTX 880M simply offers more GPU in almost every dimension except OpenCL and efficiency.

The HD 7730M wins on efficiency by a wide margin. Its 25 W TDP is a fraction of the GTX 880M's 122 W TDP, making it the better fit for thin-and-light laptops with limited cooling capacity. The GTX 880M's MXM module form factor and 122 W TDP require a larger chassis and more robust thermal solution. The HD 7730M's PCIe 2.0 x16 interface is more standard for smaller notebooks.

Choose the HD 7730M for OpenCL compute and efficient operation. Choose the GTX 880M for everything else, and in either case, the choice is clear from the data.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M | AMD Radeon

HD 7730M |

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

| Architecture | Kepler, GK104 | GCN 1.0, Chelsea |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm, TSMC |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 954 MHz | 575 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 993 MHz | 675 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz, 5 Gbps effective | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective |

| Memory Size | 8 GB GDDR5 | 256 bit | 2 GB DDR3 | 128 bit |

| Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 128 TMUs, 32 ROPs | 512 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 512 shading units |

| Texture Rate | 127.1 GTexel/s | 21.60 GTexel/s |

| Pixel Rate | 31.78 GPixel/s | 10.80 GPixel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 3.050 TFLOPS | 691.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 122 W | 25 W |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_0, 11_1 API) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | Vulkan: 4.6, 1.2.175 |

| Vulkan | 1.175 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | None | 2014-03-11T17:00:00.000Z | 2012-04-23T17:00:00.000Z, 2012-04-23T17:00:00.000Z, 2012-04-23T17:00:00.000Z |

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

| Predecessor | GeForce 700M | Vancouver |