AMD Radeon HD 7730M vs NVIDIA Quadro M5000M Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M scores 22,920, while the AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6,581. The Quadro M5000M wins this test with a delta of -71.3% from the AMD's perspective, meaning it is roughly 3.5 times faster in raw OpenCL compute performance.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU according to the benchmark data?

A: For the AMD Radeon HD 7730M, the nearest rivals are the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6,554, +0.4%), AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6,612, -0.5%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6,513, +1%), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6,493, +1.4%). For the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6,476, +0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6,493, -0.2%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6,513, -0.5%), and Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6,554, -1.1%).

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU, and what percentile do they occupy?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M has an average benchmark score of 6,581 and sits in the 38th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M has an average benchmark score of 6,481 and sits in the 37th percentile. Despite the Quadro's massive OpenCL advantage, its average score is dragged down by other tests.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units and texture mapping units?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M has 1,536 shading units and 96 TMUs, compared to the AMD Radeon HD 7730M's 512 shading units and 32 TMUs. The Quadro has exactly three times the shading units and three times the TMUs.

Q: What memory configurations do the two GPUs use?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M uses 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size difference between the two chips?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7730M (chip: Chelsea) contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (chip: GM204) contains 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die. The Quadro's chip is over 3.4 times larger in die area and has roughly 3.5 times more transistors.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M is built on the Graphics Core Next 1.0 (GCN 1.0) architecture, using the Chelsea chip fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. Its generation is listed as "London (HD 7700M)." The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, built on the GM204 chip, also fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with the generation "Quadro Maxwell-M (Mx000M)."

The process node is identical (28 nm), but the transistor density differs slightly: the AMD chip has 12.2 million transistors per mm², while the NVIDIA chip has 13.1 million per mm². The AMD chip has a die size of 123 mm² and 1,500 million transistors, whereas the NVIDIA chip has a die size of 398 mm² and 5,200 million transistors.

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M features 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M features 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. In terms of raw compute, the AMD card delivers 691.2 GFLOPS FP32, while the NVIDIA card delivers 3.229 TFLOPS FP32. The pixel rate is 10.80 GPixel/s for AMD and 67.26 GPixel/s for NVIDIA; the texture rate is 21.60 GTexel/s for AMD and 100.9 GTexel/s for NVIDIA.

The AMD card uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 bus interface, while the NVIDIA card uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface. The AMD card's power connectors are listed as null, and the NVIDIA card has none. The AMD card has a TDP of 25 W; the NVIDIA card has a TDP of 100 W. Both have display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent." The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M scores 6,581, while the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M scores 22,920. This represents a delta of -71.3% when measured from the AMD side, meaning the Quadro M5000M outperforms the HD 7730M by a substantial margin. The Quadro's score is approximately 3.48 times higher than the AMD's score.

However, the average benchmark score tells a more nuanced story. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M has an average benchmark score of 6,581, while the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M has an average of 6,481. This puts the AMD card slightly ahead on average, despite losing the single OpenCL test. The reason is that the Quadro M5000M has additional benchmark results that pull its average down. For instance, the Quadro scores only 35 in Passmark DirectX 10, 54 in Passmark DirectX 11, 29 in Passmark DirectX 12, 119 in Passmark DirectX 9, 476 in Passmark G2D, 7,062 in Passmark G3D, and 2,756 in Passmark GPU Compute. It also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 24,875.

Looking at percentile placement, both GPUs land near the middle of the database: the AMD card is in the 38th percentile, and the NVIDIA card is in the 37th percentile. This indicates that while the Quadro dominates in OpenCL compute, its overall standing relative to all GPUs is essentially tied with the much older and smaller AMD part.

The nearest rival data reinforces this odd parity. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M's closest rival is the AMD Radeon R7 M460 at 6,612 (a -0.5% delta), and it beats the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6,513) by 1% and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6,493) by 1.4%. The Quadro M5000M's closest rival is the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile at 6,476 (a +0.1% delta), and it trails the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (6,493) by -0.2%, the GTX 670M (6,513) by -0.5%, and the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6,554) by -1.1%.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field. The process node is the same (28 nm, TSMC), but the transistor count is 1,500 million for AMD versus 5,200 million for NVIDIA. Die size is 123 mm² versus 398 mm². Transistor density is 12.2M / mm² versus 13.1M / mm².

Clock speeds differ significantly: the AMD base clock is 575 MHz with a boost of 675 MHz, while the NVIDIA base clock is 962 MHz with a boost of 1,051 MHz. Memory clocks are 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective) for AMD versus 1,253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA.

Memory configuration: AMD has 2 GB DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth; NVIDIA has 8 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units are 512 versus 1,536; TMUs are 32 versus 96; ROPs are 16 versus 64.

Compute rates: pixel rate is 10.80 GPixel/s versus 67.26 GPixel/s; texture rate is 21.60 GTexel/s versus 100.9 GTexel/s; FP32 is 691.2 GFLOPS versus 3.229 TFLOPS. TDP is 25 W versus 100 W.

Bus interface: PCIe 2.0 x16 versus MXM-B (3.0). The NVIDIA card has a slot width listed as "MXM Module," while the AMD card has no slot width listed. Power connectors are null for AMD and "None" for NVIDIA.

API support differs: DirectX 12 (11_1) for AMD versus DirectX 12 (12_1) for NVIDIA; Vulkan 1.2.170 versus Vulkan 1.4. OpenGL is the same at 4.6.

Release dates: the AMD card was released on 2012-04-23, and the NVIDIA card on 2015-08-17. The AMD predecessor is "Vancouver" and successor is "Solar System"; the NVIDIA predecessor is "Quadro Kepler-M" and successor is "Quadro Pascal-M." Both are end-of-life. Neither has a launch MSRP listed.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7730M wins in terms of average benchmark score, posting 6,581 against the Quadro's 6,481. It also holds a slightly higher percentile rank at 38 versus 37. In the nearest rival comparison, the AMD card shows positive deltas against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (+1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M (+1.4%), meaning it outperforms those GPUs. The AMD card also has a much lower TDP at 25 W versus 100 W, making it far more power-efficient for thin-and-light laptops.

The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M wins decisively in the only direct head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 22,920 versus 6,581 (a -71.3% delta from the AMD perspective). It also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 24,875, indicating strong compute capability. The Quadro's memory subsystem is vastly superior: 8 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth versus 2 GB DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s. Its shading unit count (1,536), TMUs (96), and ROPs (64) triple or quadruple the AMD's respective counts.

In terms of raw throughput, the Quadro delivers 3.229 TFLOPS FP32, 67.26 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 100.9 GTexel/s texture rate, compared to the AMD's 691.2 GFLOPS, 10.80 GPixel/s, and 21.60 GTexel/s. The Quadro also supports a newer DirectX feature level (12_1 versus 11_1) and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.170). Its base clock is 962 MHz versus 575 MHz, and its boost clock is 1,051 MHz versus 675 MHz.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between compute capability and overall benchmark standing. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000M is the unequivocal winner in raw performance metrics: it has three times the shading units, six times the TMUs, four times the ROPs, over 4.6 times the FP32 throughput, and over 5.5 times the memory bandwidth. In the sole head-to-head test, it beats the AMD Radeon HD 7730M by 71.3% in Geekbench OpenCL.

However, the average benchmark score tells a different story. The AMD Radeon HD 7730M averages 6,581, which is actually 100 points higher than the Quadro's average of 6,481. This is because the Quadro's additional Passmark tests (DirectX 9/10/11/12, G2D, G3D, GPU Compute) show inconsistent results, with some scores as low as 29 and 35. The AMD card has only one benchmark recorded, so its average is not diluted.

For a buyer prioritizing compute-intensive workloads like OpenCL or Vulkan, the Quadro M5000M is the obvious choice, given its 22,920 OpenCL and 24,875 Vulkan scores. For a buyer prioritizing balanced performance across a wider range of tests, the AMD card's higher average score and better percentile rank (38 versus 37) suggest it is not as far behind as the raw specs imply.

The power envelope is another differentiator: the AMD card draws 25 W, while the Quadro draws 100 W. This makes the AMD card suitable for thinner, lighter laptops with smaller batteries, while the Quadro requires a larger cooling solution and power delivery system. The Quadro's MXM-B (3.0) interface also implies a modular, higher-end notebook design, whereas the AMD card uses standard PCIe 2.0 x16.

In terms of nearest rivals, both GPUs sit in a crowded mid-range field. The AMD card's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6,612), and it beats the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M and GT 555M. The Quadro's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6,476), and it trails the GT 555M, GTX 670M, and Intel UHD Graphics P750. This indicates that despite the Quadro's massive compute advantage, its overall benchmark profile is comparable to older mid-range parts.

The recommendation depends on the workload. For professional or compute-heavy tasks that leverage OpenCL or Vulkan, the Quadro M5000M is the superior choice by a wide margin. For general-purpose use where power consumption and average benchmark performance matter more, the AMD Radeon HD 7730M holds its own despite being three years older and significantly smaller. The data does not support calling one universally better; it supports calling the Quadro better at compute and the AMD better at efficiency and consistency.