AMD Radeon HD 7950 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single recorded head-to-head benchmark between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X and the AMD Radeon HD 7950 delivers a surprising result. In the Geekbench Metal test, the AMD Radeon HD 7950 scores 33,951, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X scores just 18,723. That translates to a deltaPct of -44.9% for the NVIDIA card, meaning the AMD card outperforms it by nearly 45% in this specific API workload. This is a remarkable outcome given the generational gap and the specifications of both cards.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X carries a much higher average benchmark score of 36,530 across all recorded tests, while the AMD Radeon HD 7950 averages 33,951. However, these averages are not directly comparable because the NVIDIA card has three benchmark entries (Geekbench Metal, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan), whereas the AMD card only has the single Geekbench Metal result. The NVIDIA card's OpenCL score of 41,471 and Vulkan score of 49,397 suggest that in compute-heavy APIs, the TITAN X is far more capable. Yet, in the Metal API, the older AMD card holds a commanding lead.

The percentile rankings place both cards close together: the TITAN X sits at the 80th percentile of all GPUs, while the HD 7950 sits at the 78th percentile. This 2-percentile gap is narrow, but the underlying benchmark data tells a more complex story. The AMD card's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 480, scores 33,997 with a deltaPct of -0.1%, meaning the HD 7950 is essentially tied with a much newer mid-range card in this metric. Meanwhile, the TITAN X's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon PRO W6400, scores 37,157 with a deltaPct of -1.7%, meaning the TITAN X is actually 1.7% behind that professional card in average score.

The head-to-head results reveal that the AMD card wins the only directly comparable test, but the NVIDIA card's additional benchmark data suggests it dominates in OpenCL and Vulkan. The question becomes whether the Metal result is an outlier or a true reflection of the architecture's strengths.

Where Each One Wins

Looking strictly at the data, the AMD Radeon HD 7950 wins the only direct comparison available: Geekbench Metal, with a score of 33,951 versus 18,723 for the NVIDIA card. This represents a 44.9% advantage for AMD in this specific Apple-developed graphics API. The data implies that the GCN 1.0 architecture retains strong performance in Metal workloads, possibly due to its compute-centric design that aligns well with the API's requirements.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X, however, shows its strength in the other two benchmark categories. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 41,471 is substantially higher than its Metal score, and its Vulkan score of 49,397 is the highest of any test recorded for either card. While no direct head-to-head comparison exists for OpenCL or Vulkan against the HD 7950, the sheer magnitude of these scores suggests the TITAN X would outperform the AMD card in those APIs. The HD 7950 lists Vulkan 1.2.170 support, while the TITAN X lists Vulkan 1.4, which may contribute to the NVIDIA card's stronger Vulkan showing.

For users prioritizing Metal-based applications, the AMD card is the clear winner based on the data. For users working with OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the NVIDIA card's benchmark scores are indicative of superior performance, though direct comparisons are absent. The TITAN X also has a higher average benchmark score (36,530 vs 33,951), suggesting it is the more well-rounded performer across all recorded tests.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent fundamentally different architectural philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X uses the GM200 chip built on Maxwell 2.0 architecture, part of the GeForce 900 generation. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 uses the Tahiti chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the Southern Islands (HD 7900) generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The transistor counts are vastly different: the NVIDIA chip contains 8,000 million transistors on a 601 mm² die, while the AMD chip contains 4,313 million transistors on a 352 mm² die. This gives the NVIDIA chip a transistor density of 13.3 million per mm², slightly higher than the AMD chip's 12.3 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip is nearly twice the size of the AMD chip, which explains its significantly higher transistor budget.

The memory configurations differ substantially. The TITAN X offers 12 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 7950 offers 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on the same 384-bit bus, but with only 240.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock speeds reflect this: the TITAN X runs at 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the HD 7950 runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card provides four times the memory capacity and roughly 40% more bandwidth.

The compute resources are also heavily skewed toward NVIDIA. The TITAN X has 3,072 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. The HD 7950 has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs. This translates to a pixel rate of 104.5 GPixel/s for the TITAN X versus 25.60 GPixel/s for the HD 7950, and a texture rate of 209.1 GTexel/s versus 89.60 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance is 6.691 TFLOPS for NVIDIA versus 2.867 TFLOPS for AMD.

Power consumption and connectivity also differ. The TITAN X has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector, with a suggested 600 W PSU. The HD 7950 has a TDP of 200 W and requires 2x 6-pin connectors, with a suggested 550 W PSU. Both are dual-slot cards, but the AMD card is slightly longer at 278 mm versus 267 mm for NVIDIA. Display outputs differ as well: the TITAN X offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2, while the HD 7950 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

FAQ

Q: Why does the AMD Radeon HD 7950 score so much higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X in Geekbench Metal?

A: The Geekbench Metal result shows the HD 7950 scoring 33,951 against the TITAN X's 18,723, a 44.9% advantage. The data does not explain the cause, but the GCN 1.0 architecture's compute-heavy design may be more efficient in Metal workloads than Maxwell 2.0.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X has 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to 240.0 GB/s for the AMD Radeon HD 7950. This comes from a higher memory clock of 1753 MHz versus 1250 MHz, both on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Are these cards from the same era?

A: No. The AMD Radeon HD 7950 was released in 2012, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X was released in 2015. Their architectures reflect this gap: GCN 1.0 versus Maxwell 2.0, with the NVIDIA card having significantly more transistors and compute units.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The NVIDIA card has an average benchmark score of 36,530 across three tests, while the AMD card has an average of 33,951 from a single test. The NVIDIA card's average is 7.6% higher, but the comparison is limited by the different number of tests.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: They support different versions. The TITAN X supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 7950 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both are PCIe 3.0 x16 cards.

Q: Which card is larger physically?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 7950 is longer at 278 mm (10.9 inches), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X is 267 mm (10.5 inches). Both have the same height of 111 mm and width of 38 mm.

The Verdict

The data presents a nuanced picture. For Metal-based workloads, the AMD Radeon HD 7950 is the definitive winner, outperforming the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X by 44.9% in the only direct benchmark comparison. This is a striking result for a card released three years earlier with fewer shading units, less memory, and lower bandwidth.

However, the NVIDIA card's other benchmark scores tell a different story. With OpenCL at 41,471 and Vulkan at 49,397, the TITAN X demonstrates far higher compute capability in those APIs. Its average benchmark score of 36,530 exceeds the AMD card's 33,951, and its 80th percentile ranking edges out the AMD card's 78th percentile. The TITAN X also offers four times the memory capacity (12 GB vs 3 GB) and significantly higher pixel, texture, and FP32 rates.

For users specifically targeting Metal applications, the HD 7950 is the clear choice based on the data. For users with diverse workloads spanning OpenCL, Vulkan, or more traditional rendering tasks, the TITAN X's higher compute numbers and larger memory pool make it the stronger candidate. The data cannot definitively declare an overall winner because the only direct comparison favors AMD, while the indirect metrics favor NVIDIA. The choice depends entirely on the target API and workload.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X | AMD Radeon HD 7950 |

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

| Chip | GM200 | Tahiti |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 900 | Southern Islands (HD 7900) |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 8,000 million | 4,313 million |

| Die Size | 601 mm² | 352 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.3M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Memory Size | 12 GB GDDR5 | 3 GB GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 336.6 GB/s | 240.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 3072 | 1792 |

| TMUs | 192 | 112 |

| ROPs | 96 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 104.5 GPixel/s | 25.60 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 209.1 GTexel/s | 89.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 6.691 TFLOPS | 2.867 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 250 W | 200 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 550 W |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 278 mm (10.9 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 111 mm (4.4 inches) |

| Width | 38 mm (1.5 inches) | 38 mm (1.5 inches) |

| Release Date | 2015-03-16 | 2012-01-30 |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | 449 USD |