AMD Radeon HD 7770M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 7770M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 represent two vastly different approaches to graphics hardware, separated by two years of architectural evolution and designed for entirely different physical contexts. The data places them nearly neck-and-neck in raw benchmark scoring, with the HD 7770M achieving an average benchmark score of 13,536 and the GTX 480 scoring 13,300, a difference of just 1.8%. This proximity is remarkable given their divergent specifications, and the head-to-head comparison reveals more about the shifting priorities of GPU design than about pure performance parity.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results show no direct head-to-head test scores between the two cards, so the comparison relies on their respective average scores and nearest rival positions. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M posts an average score of 13,536, placing it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, which scores 13,543, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the HD 7770M trails that modern flagship by a mere 0.1%. The HD 7770M also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 by 0.2% (13,536 vs. 13,515) and the NVIDIA P106-090 by 0.5% (13,536 vs. 13,470). It leads the AMD Radeon Pro 555 by 1% (13,536 vs. 13,407). This clustering around the 13,500 mark suggests the HD 7770M, despite its mobile pedigree, lands in a performance tier that includes both decade-old desktop cards and much newer entries.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480, meanwhile, scores 13,300 on its Geekbench OpenCL test, landing in the 53rd percentile. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 555X at 13,321, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the GTX 480 falls just 0.2% short of that card. The GTX 480 also trails the AMD FirePro M6100 by 0.4% (13,300 vs. 13,354), the AMD Radeon RX 5500M by 0.4% (13,300 vs. 13,356), and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M by 0.6% (13,300 vs. 13,376). The deltaPct values here are all negative, indicating the GTX 480 is the underdog in every one of its closest comparisons. In the direct matchup, the HD 7770M leads the GTX 480 by 236 points, which is 1.8% higher. That is a narrow margin, but it flips the expected narrative given the GTX 480's much larger silicon and power envelope.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7770M scores 13,536, which is 236 points higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480's 13,300, a lead of 1.8%.

Q: How does the HD 7770M compare to a modern flagship like the RX 9070 XT?

A: The HD 7770M trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT by only 0.1%, with scores of 13,536 and 13,543 respectively, indicating the older mobile chip performs nearly identically in this specific benchmark.

Q: Does the GTX 480 beat any of its nearest rivals?

A: No, the data shows the GTX 480 trails all four of its nearest rivals, with negative deltaPct values ranging from -0.2% against the Radeon Pro 555X to -0.6% against the Radeon HD 8950M.

Q: What is the percentile ranking difference between the two cards?

A: The HD 7770M sits in the 54th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 480 sits in the 53rd percentile, a one-percentile gap in favor of the AMD card.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density despite being smaller?

A: The HD 7770M has a transistor density of 12.2M per mm² on a 28 nm process, compared to the GTX 480's 5.9M per mm² on a 40 nm process.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No, both are listed as end-of-life products, with the HD 7770M releasing in April 2012 and the GTX 480 in March 2010.

The Verdict

The data suggests a clear but surprising winner: the AMD Radeon HD 7770M outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 in the available benchmark, while consuming dramatically less power and occupying a much smaller physical footprint. For anyone constrained by a laptop chassis or a low-wattage power supply, the HD 7770M is the obvious choice—it delivers 1.8% more performance at a 32 W TDP versus the GTX 480's 250 W TDP. That is an eight-fold efficiency advantage that cannot be ignored. The GTX 480, however, offers a larger memory bus and more raw fill rates, which may appeal to workloads that are not captured by the Geekbench OpenCL test. But strictly from the data available, the HD 7770M wins the performance crown, and its architectural advantages in density and power efficiency make it the more forward-looking design. The GTX 480's only edge is its dual-slot desktop form factor with 2x DVI and mini-HDMI outputs, which the HD 7770M cannot match due to its portable-device-dependent display configuration.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M uses 1,024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 uses 1,536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 177.4 GB/s. The HD 7770M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, whereas the GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Pixel rates differ significantly: the HD 7770M produces 10.80 GPixel/s versus the GTX 480's 21.03 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 21.60 GTexel/s versus 42.06 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 691.2 GFLOPS for the AMD card and 1,345.0 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA card. Memory clocks also differ, with the HD 7770M running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and the GTX 480 at 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective). The GTX 480 has a launch MSRP of 499 USD, while the HD 7770M has no listed launch price. The GTX 480 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, and recommends a 600 W PSU. The HD 7770M has no slot width, power connector, or PSU specifications listed, reflecting its mobile design.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is stark. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M is built on GCN 1.0 architecture using the Chelsea chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 uses the GF100 chip with Fermi architecture, fabricated on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC, but packs 3,100 million transistors onto a much larger 529 mm² die, achieving a density of only 5.9M per mm². The HD 7770M belongs to the London generation (HD 7700M series), while the GTX 480 is part of the GeForce 400 generation. In terms of API support, the HD 7770M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the GTX 480 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support listed. The HD 7770M's predecessor is Vancouver and its successor is Solar System, while the GTX 480's predecessor is the GeForce 200 series and its successor is the GeForce 500 series. The HD 7770M uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, as does the GTX 480, but the AMD card's display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," whereas the GTX 480 offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7770M wins decisively in efficiency and portability. Its 32 W TDP makes it suitable for thin-and-light laptops, and its 54th percentile ranking edges out the GTX 480's 53rd percentile. It also wins on raw benchmark score, leading by 1.8%, and supports Vulkan, which the GTX 480 does not. The HD 7770M's smaller die and higher transistor density (12.2M vs. 5.9M per mm²) indicate a more modern manufacturing process that allows for better performance-per-watt. Its 4 Gbps effective memory clock is faster than the GTX 480's 3.7 Gbps, though the GTX 480 compensates with a wider bus.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 wins in raw throughput metrics that the benchmark may not fully capture. Its pixel rate of 21.03 GPixel/s is nearly double the HD 7770M's 10.80 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 42.06 GTexel/s is similarly about twice the AMD card's 21.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is also nearly double at 1,345.0 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS. Memory bandwidth is 177.4 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s, a 2.77x advantage. The GTX 480 has 48 ROPs versus 16, and 60 TMUs versus 32, making it better suited for high-resolution rendering and heavy texture work. It also has more memory (1,536 MB vs. 1,024 MB) and a wider 384-bit bus. For desktop users with a 600 W PSU and a full-size case, the GTX 480's dual-slot cooler and dedicated display outputs make it a practical choice for legacy systems. The HD 7770M, conversely, offers no desktop connectivity options beyond what the host laptop provides, limiting its use case to mobile platforms.