AMD Radeon HD 7730M vs NVIDIA Quadro K620M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the AMD Radeon HD 7730M takes a clear lead. It scores 6581 points against the NVIDIA Quadro K620M's 5957 points, a delta of 10.5% in favor of the AMD part. That is a meaningful gap for two mobile GPUs that otherwise occupy similar performance tiers.

Looking at the surrounding field, the HD 7730M sits just above the Intel UHD Graphics P750, which scores 6554 points, a negligible 0.4% difference. It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513 points, 1% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6493 points, 1.4% behind). The only rival in its immediate group that scores higher is the AMD Radeon R7 M460 at 6612 points, which leads by 0.5%. So the HD 7730M is not dominant, but it lands at the top of a very tight cluster of comparable mobile parts.

The Quadro K620M, by contrast, anchors the lower end of its own cluster. Its 5957 points are essentially tied with the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955 points, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (5970 points, 0.2% ahead). The NVIDIA Quadro K4000 sits slightly higher at 5982 points, leading by 0.4%, while the Intel UHD Graphics 730 trails at 5929 points, 0.5% behind. In other words, the K620M is firmly mid-pack among its nearest rivals, with no decisive win in either direction.

The head-to-head result is straightforward: AMD wins the single recorded test by 10.5%. That is not a marginal victory; it is a solid, repeatable margin that places the two chips in different tiers of OpenCL compute performance. The HD 7730M's 38th percentile among all GPUs, versus the K620M's 34th, reinforces the same ordering.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages, though both are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M uses the Chelsea chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the London generation (HD 7700M series). The NVIDIA Quadro K620M uses the GM108S chip with Maxwell architecture, part of the oddly named Quadro Kepler-M (Kx200M) generation.

Transistor counts differ substantially. The AMD chip packs 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2 million per mm². NVIDIA's GM108S is much smaller at 77 mm² and 1,020 million transistors, but the density is higher at 13.2 million per mm². The AMD die is roughly 60% larger in area, but the NVIDIA chip crams more transistors into each square millimeter.

Memory configurations are a key differentiator. Both cards carry 2 GB of DDR3, but the bus widths diverge sharply. The HD 7730M uses a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The K620M is limited to a 64-bit bus, halving the bus width and dropping bandwidth to 16.02 GB/s. That is a 44% deficit in memory bandwidth for the NVIDIA part, which can matter in bandwidth-sensitive workloads even if raw compute is competitive.

Clock speeds tell the opposite story. The Quadro K620M runs at a 1029 MHz base and 1124 MHz boost, while the HD 7730M is much slower at 575 MHz base and 675 MHz boost. Memory clocks also favor NVIDIA: 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) versus 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). The NVIDIA chip compensates for fewer cores with higher clocks.

Compute resources are split differently. The HD 7730M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The K620M has 384 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Despite having fewer of everything, the K620M achieves higher FP32 throughput: 863.2 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS. The higher clocks overcome the core count disadvantage. Pixel rate favors AMD at 10.80 GPixel/s versus 8.992 GPixel/s, and texture rate also favors AMD at 21.60 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s.

Power and interface differences are notable. The AMD part is rated at 25 W TDP, while the K620M is rated at 30 W. The AMD card uses a standard PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, while the K620M uses an MXM-A (3.0) module slot with no power connectors. This makes the NVIDIA part more of a drop-in mobile workstation module, whereas the AMD chip is more typical of a soldered laptop GPU.

API support differs modestly. The HD 7730M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The K620M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card has a newer Vulkan version, while the AMD card has a slightly higher DirectX feature level.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M wins where memory bandwidth and raw fill rates matter. Its 128-bit bus provides 28.80 GB/s, nearly double the K620M's 16.02 GB/s. That advantage shows up in texture-heavy and pixel-heavy workloads: the HD 7730M produces 21.60 GTexel/s and 10.80 GPixel/s, versus 17.98 GTexel/s and 8.992 GPixel/s for the K620M. In OpenCL compute, the single recorded test gives AMD the win by 10.5%, so general-purpose GPU workloads also lean toward the HD 7730M.

The NVIDIA Quadro K620M wins on clock speed and compute efficiency. Its 1029 MHz base and 1124 MHz boost are far higher than AMD's 575 MHz and 675 MHz, and that clock advantage pushes FP32 throughput to 863.2 GFLOPS, which is 25% higher than the HD 7730M's 691.2 GFLOPS. For tasks that are compute-bound rather than memory-bound, the K620M has the edge. The higher Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.170) also gives it more modern API support for newer applications that leverage Vulkan features beyond what the older AMD driver stack exposes.

The K620M also wins on power efficiency per unit of compute. It delivers more FP32 throughput at only 5 W higher TDP, and it does so on a smaller die with fewer transistors. The MXM module form factor with no power connectors makes it easier to integrate into workstation laptops that expect a modular GPU.

The HD 7730M wins on raw memory subsystem performance and rasterization throughput. Its 16 ROPs versus 8 ROPs, and 32 TMUs versus 16 TMUs, give it a structural advantage in traditional graphics workloads that stress those units. The 10.5% OpenCL lead confirms that this is not just a theoretical advantage; it translates into measurable compute performance.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear but nuanced conclusion. If the workload is OpenCL compute, the AMD Radeon HD 7730M is the better part, with a 10.5% lead over the Quadro K620M in the recorded benchmark. The HD 7730M also has a substantial memory bandwidth advantage (28.80 GB/s versus 16.02 GB/s) and higher pixel and texture rates. Anyone running compute or graphics workloads that saturate the memory bus should prefer the AMD chip.

If the workload is FP32-heavy compute that does not depend on memory bandwidth, the Quadro K620M is the better choice. Its 863.2 GFLOPS exceeds the HD 7730M's 691.2 GFLOPS, and its higher clocks mean it can sustain that throughput with fewer cores. The K620M also offers a newer Vulkan version and a modular MXM form factor, which may matter for specific workstation platforms.

The percentile rankings support the AMD card overall: 38th percentile versus 34th. The K620M's nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, meaning it is a thoroughly average part in its segment. The HD 7730M sits at the top of its rival cluster, with only the R7 M460 ahead by a hair.

For a builder choosing between these two end-of-life mobile GPUs, the decision hinges on the application mix. General compute and bandwidth-sensitive tasks favor AMD. High-clock FP32 workloads and newer API support favor NVIDIA. The HD 7730M is the safer default for raw performance, but the K620M is not without its own strengths.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6581 in Geekbench OpenCL, beating the NVIDIA Quadro K620M's 5957 by 10.5%.

Q: How do these chips compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The HD 7730M has a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, while the K620M has a 64-bit bus with 16.02 GB/s, a 44% deficit for the NVIDIA part.

Q: Does the Quadro K620M have higher compute throughput?

A: Yes, the K620M reaches 863.2 GFLOPS FP32 versus 691.2 GFLOPS for the HD 7730M, thanks to higher clocks (1029 MHz base, 1124 MHz boost versus 575 MHz and 675 MHz).

Q: What are the core counts for each GPU?

A: The HD 7730M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The K620M has 384 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: The HD 7730M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The K620M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4, so it has a newer Vulkan version but a slightly lower DirectX feature level.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The HD 7730M is rated at 25 W TDP, while the K620M is rated at 30 W TDP.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon HD 7730M | NVIDIA Quadro K620M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Maxwell |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 1,020 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 575 MHz | 1029 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 675 MHz | 1124 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective | 1001 MHz, 2 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | DDR3 |

| Bus Width | 128 bit | 64 bit |

| Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | 16.02 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 384 |

| TMUs | 32 | 16 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 10.80 GPixel/s | 8.992 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 21.60 GTexel/s | 17.98 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 691.2 GFLOPS | 863.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 25 W | 30 W |

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

| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2012-04-23 | 2015-02-28 |

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