AMD Radeon HD 7770M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 represent two radically different approaches to graphics hardware, separated by a generation of process technology and targeting opposite ends of the power spectrum. The HD 7770M is a 28 nm mobile chip designed for efficiency, while the GTX 590 is a 40 nm dual-GPU desktop monster built for absolute performance. Benchmark data places them surprisingly close in raw compute scores, yet their architectural and physical characteristics could not be more divergent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7770M scores 13,536 in Geekbench Metal, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 scores 12,830 in Geekbench OpenCL. This gives the AMD part a slight edge of roughly 5.5% in their respective benchmark tests, despite the GTX 590 having nearly double the transistor count.

Q: How does the memory configuration differ between the two cards?

A: The HD 7770M uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 590 packs 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 164.0 GB/s—more than 2.5 times the memory bandwidth of the AMD mobile chip.

Q: What process nodes do these GPUs use?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7770M is built on TSMC's 28 nm process, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 uses TSMC's older 40 nm node. This explains the dramatic difference in transistor density: 12.2M per mm² for AMD versus 5.8M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Q: Which card has a higher power consumption rating?

A: The GTX 590 is rated at 365 W TDP and requires a 750 W power supply with two 8-pin connectors. The HD 7770M, by contrast, draws only 32 W—making it roughly 11 times more power-efficient on paper.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: Both are marked as end-of-life products. The HD 7770M was released on April 23, 2012, while the GTX 590 launched earlier on March 23, 2011. The GTX 590 has a recorded launch MSRP of 699 USD.

Q: How do their API support levels compare?

A: Both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6. The HD 7770M offers DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 590 lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and no Vulkan support in the data.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is profound. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Chelsea chip, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 employs Fermi 2.0 with the GF110 chip. This is a generational shift: GCN 1.0 was designed for compute-heavy workloads and efficiency, whereas Fermi 2.0 was NVIDIA's high-performance compute architecture from the previous era.

The manufacturing process tells a large part of the story. AMD's chip is fabricated on a 28 nm node at TSMC, allowing 1,500 million transistors to fit on a 123 mm² die. NVIDIA's GTX 590 uses the same foundry but on 40 nm, cramming 3,000 million transistors onto a massive 520 mm² die. The transistor density figures are stark: AMD achieves 12.2M transistors per mm², while NVIDIA manages only 5.8M. This means the GTX 590 uses over four times the silicon area to house twice the transistors, a direct consequence of the older process.

Both GPUs feature 512 shading units, but the parallel processing resources diverge from there. The HD 7770M has 32 texture mapping units and 16 raster output pipelines, producing a pixel rate of 10.80 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s. The GTX 590 doubles the TMUs to 64 and triples the ROPs to 48, achieving 19.46 GPixel/s and 38.91 GTexel/s. This suggests the NVIDIA card was engineered for higher fill-rate workloads, while the AMD chip focuses on balanced compute.

Memory architecture further separates them. The HD 7770M runs GDDR5 at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit interface. The GTX 590 operates at 854 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective) but over a 384-bit bus, resulting in 164.0 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s. The NVIDIA card also carries 50% more memory capacity at 1536 MB compared to 1024 MB.

Physical dimensions highlight the form-factor divide. The GTX 590 is a dual-slot card measuring 279 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, with 3x DVI and 1x mini-DisplayPort outputs. The HD 7770M is "Portable Device Dependent" for display outputs, indicating its mobile nature with no fixed dimensions listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a fascinating inversion of expectations. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M, a mobile chip with a 32 W TDP, outscores the desktop GTX 590 in their respective benchmark tests. The HD 7770M achieves 13,536 in Geekbench Metal, while the GTX 590 manages 12,830 in Geekbench OpenCL—a difference of 706 points in favor of AMD.

Context from nearest rivals clarifies the performance tiers. The HD 7770M's score places it just 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (13,543) and 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13,515). It also beats the NVIDIA P106-090 (13,470) by 0.5% and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13,407) by 1%. This suggests the HD 7770M punches far above its mobile-class weight.

The GTX 590, meanwhile, sits nearly level with the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12,831), showing a 0% delta. It trails the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847) by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870) by 0.3%, while leading the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773) by 0.4%. The GTX 590's 52nd percentile ranking versus the HD 7770M's 54th percentile reinforces the AMD card's slight statistical advantage.

The raw compute figures align with this outcome. The GTX 590 delivers 1,244.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, nearly double the HD 7770M's 691.2 GFLOPS. Yet the benchmark scores tell a different story, possibly reflecting the mobile chip's architectural efficiency or the differing benchmark methodologies (Metal versus OpenCL). The data implies that raw theoretical throughput does not directly translate to higher benchmark results in these specific tests.

The Verdict

The data presents a nuanced picture for potential users. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M wins on benchmark score, efficiency, and process technology, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 dominates in memory bandwidth, fill rates, and raw FP32 compute. The HD 7770M's 13,536 score against the GTX 590's 12,830 suggests that for compute-oriented workloads measured by these benchmarks, the mobile AMD chip holds an edge.

Power consumption is the decisive differentiator. The HD 7770M's 32 W TDP makes it suitable for laptops and compact systems, while the GTX 590's 365 W TDP with a 750 W suggested PSU confines it to full-sized desktop towers. The GTX 590's dual-slot width and 279 mm length further restrict its mounting options.

Users seeking a drop-in solution for a legacy desktop with high memory bandwidth and texture throughput might favor the GTX 590, particularly given its 164.0 GB/s bandwidth and 38.91 GTexel/s texture rate. However, the HD 7770M offers the better benchmark performance and consumes 333 W less power, making it the more versatile option from an efficiency standpoint.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field. The AMD Radeon HD 7770M uses the Chelsea chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 uses GF110 on Fermi 2.0. Process nodes diverge at 28 nm versus 40 nm, with transistor counts of 1,500 million versus 3,000 million and die sizes of 123 mm² versus 520 mm².

Memory configurations show the GTX 590's advantage: 1536 MB versus 1024 MB capacity, 384-bit versus 128-bit bus width, and 164.0 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clocks also differ, with AMD at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and NVIDIA at 854 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective).

Shading units match at 512, but TMUs differ (32 versus 64) and ROPs differ (16 versus 48). Pixel rate favors NVIDIA at 19.46 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s, as does texture rate at 38.91 GTexel/s versus 21.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute shows NVIDIA ahead at 1,244.2 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS.

Power and physical specs are wildly different: TDP of 32 W versus 365 W, dual-slot versus portable-dependent form factor, and no power connectors listed versus 2x 8-pin with a 750 W suggested PSU. The GTX 590 has fixed dimensions (279 mm x 111 mm x 40 mm) and 3x DVI plus 1x mini-DisplayPort outputs. API support differs in DirectX version (12 (11_1) versus 12 (11_0)) and Vulkan support (1.2.170 versus null). Release dates are April 23, 2012 for AMD and March 23, 2011 for NVIDIA.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 7770M wins in benchmark performance, posting a 13,536 score versus the GTX 590's 12,830. It also wins decisively on power efficiency with its 32 W TDP, making it the clear choice for mobile or low-power applications. The 28 nm process gives it superior transistor density at 12.2M per mm², and it offers Vulkan support that the GTX 590 lacks. Its percentile ranking of 54 versus 52 further cements its statistical advantage.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 wins in memory bandwidth, delivering 164.0 GB/s compared to 64.00 GB/s—a 2.56x advantage. It also leads in pixel rate (19.46 GPixel/s versus 10.80 GPixel/s) and texture rate (38.91 GTexel/s versus 21.60 GTexel/s). Its FP32 compute of 1,244.2 GFLOPS nearly doubles the AMD part's 691.2 GFLOPS. The GTX 590 also offers more memory capacity at 1536 MB and a wider 384-bit bus, plus fixed display outputs for desktop connectivity.

Use-case interpretation from the data suggests the HD 7770M suits efficiency-driven scenarios where benchmark compute matters and power is constrained. The GTX 590 fits situations demanding maximum memory bandwidth and fill rates, accepting its 365 W power draw and dual-slot footprint. The launch MSRP of 699 USD for the GTX 590 provides historical context, but the HD 7770M has no listed launch price. Neither card remains in production, so both represent legacy options for specific hardware collections or compatibility needs.