AMD Radeon HD 8690M vs AMD Radeon R7 M440 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data places the AMD Radeon HD 8690M ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M440 in the recorded OpenCL workload, with a 17.7% higher score (6137 versus 5214). The HD 8690M also holds a higher overall percentile rank among all GPUs, sitting at the 36th percentile compared to the R7 M440's 32nd percentile. For users prioritizing raw compute performance in OpenCL applications, the older HD 8690M is the clear choice based on these measurements.

However, the R7 M440 offers its own advantages in the recorded data. It features double the memory capacity (4 GB versus 2 GB), a newer architecture generation (GCN 3.0 versus GCN 1.0), and support for DirectX 12 (12_0) compared to the HD 8690M's DirectX 12 (11_1). The R7 M440 also has a Vulkan benchmark score of 5751 recorded in the database, a metric absent for the HD 8690M. Users needing more video memory for larger textures or those targeting newer API features may prefer the R7 M440 despite its lower OpenCL score.

The HD 8690M's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 (0.3% behind), NVIDIA RTX A400 (1% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (1% behind), while it sits 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 6950. The R7 M440's closest competitors are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (0.3% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (0.3% ahead), and NVIDIA GeForce MX130 (0.5% ahead), with the AMD Radeon 610M 0.7% behind. These positioning numbers show both cards are clustered tightly with mid-range mobile and older desktop parts.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8690M scores 6137 in the geekbench_opencl test, which is 17.7% higher than the R7 M440's score of 5214.

Q: Does the R7 M440 support any API that the HD 8690M does not?

A: Yes, the R7 M440 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and has a recorded Vulkan benchmark score of 5751. The HD 8690M only supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and has no Vulkan benchmark entry in the database.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have, and what type?

A: The HD 8690M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the R7 M440 has 4 GB of DDR3 memory. Both use a 64-bit bus width.

Q: Which GPU has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The HD 8690M has a memory bandwidth of 32.00 GB/s, which is significantly higher than the R7 M440's 14.40 GB/s.

Q: What are the pixel and texture rates for these GPUs?

A: The HD 8690M has a pixel rate of 7.800 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 19.50 GTexel/s. The R7 M440 has a pixel rate of 7.128 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 17.82 GTexel/s.

Q: Which GPU has a better percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The HD 8690M ranks at the 36th percentile, while the R7 M440 ranks at the 32nd percentile. The HD 8690M is positioned higher in the overall distribution.

Architecture Differences

The architecture gap between these two mobile GPUs is substantial. The HD 8690M is built on GCN 1.0 using the Sun chip, belonging to the Solar System generation (HD 8600M series). In contrast, the R7 M440 uses GCN 3.0 with the Meso chip, part of the Gem System generation (R7 M400 series). This architectural leap represents roughly two full generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next design.

Despite the generational difference, both GPUs share identical core configurations: 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation units. The transistor counts differ dramatically. The HD 8690M packs 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, while the R7 M440 contains 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die. The transistor density is nearly identical at 12.3 million per mm² for the HD 8690M and 12.4 million per mm² for the R7 M440. Both are fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process node.

The R7 M440's newer GCN 3.0 architecture brings improved feature support. It lists DirectX 12 (12_0) as its maximum DirectX version, while the HD 8690M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R7 M440 also records FP16 compute capability at 570.2 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio with FP32), whereas the HD 8690M has no FP16 figure listed.

Physical implementation differs as well. The R7 M440 is designated as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with portable-device-dependent display outputs, suggesting it is designed for integration into laptops or compact systems. The HD 8690M has no such designation recorded. Both use a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface.

The production status for both is end-of-life, though their release dates are separated by over three years: the HD 8690M launched in February 2013, and the R7 M440 launched in May 2016. The HD 8690M's predecessor is listed as London with a successor of Gem System, while the R7 M440's predecessor is Solar System and its successor is Polaris Mobile.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across several key specification fields. Memory configuration is the most prominent difference: the HD 8690M offers 2 GB of GDDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 32.00 GB/s, while the R7 M440 provides 4 GB of DDR3 memory with a bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s. The memory clock speeds reflect this gap, with the HD 8690M running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and the R7 M440 at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective).

Compute throughput metrics favor the HD 8690M. Its FP32 performance is 624.0 GFLOPS, exceeding the R7 M440's 570.2 GFLOPS. The pixel rate is 7.800 GPixel/s versus 7.128 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 19.50 GTexel/s versus 17.82 GTexel/s. These differences are modest in percentage terms but consistent across all three metrics.

Clock specifications show another divergence. The HD 8690M has recorded base and boost clocks of 925 MHz and 975 MHz respectively. The R7 M440 has no base or boost clock figures listed in the database. Its memory clock is the only clock specification recorded.

The R7 M440 has a larger die (125 mm² versus 56 mm²) and more transistors (1,550 million versus 690 million), though this does not translate into higher performance in the recorded benchmarks. The R7 M440 also lists a slot width of "IGP" and display outputs as "Portable Device Dependent," while the HD 8690M has no entries for these fields.

DirectX support differs, with the R7 M440 supporting version 12 (12_0) and the HD 8690M supporting version 12 (11_1). The R7 M440 additionally lists FP16 performance at 570.2 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio), a specification absent for the HD 8690M.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one head-to-head benchmark comparison between these two GPUs: the geekbench_opencl test. The HD 8690M achieves a score of 6137, while the R7 M440 scores 5214. This represents a 17.7% advantage for the HD 8690M, a meaningful margin in compute workloads.

Contextualizing this result with the nearest rivals provides additional perspective. The HD 8690M's score of 6137 places it 0.3% ahead of the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 (6117), 1% ahead of both the NVIDIA RTX A400 (6078) and NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (6077), and 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 6950 (6210). This positions the HD 8690M in a competitive cluster with these older and entry-level parts.

The R7 M440's score of 5214 sits 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (5467 is the rival's score, but the R7 M440 is behind it by 0.3%, meaning the Quadro M4000's 5467 exceeds 5214 by a small margin). The data shows the R7 M440 is 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (5501), 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 (5508), and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon 610M (5444). The R7 M440's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 5483, which includes its Vulkan result of 5751 alongside the OpenCL score.

The HD 8690M's average benchmark score equals its OpenCL score of 6137, as that is its only recorded benchmark. Its percentile ranking of 36 places it above the R7 M440's 32nd percentile. The wins tally reflects this outcome: the HD 8690M wins 1 head-to-head comparison, while the R7 M440 wins none.

For workloads that rely heavily on memory bandwidth, the HD 8690M's GDDR5 memory at 32.00 GB/s provides more than double the bandwidth of the R7 M440's DDR3 at 14.40 GB/s. This likely contributes to its OpenCL advantage. However, the R7 M440's larger memory capacity (4 GB) and newer API support (DirectX 12_0, Vulkan) may benefit applications that need larger working sets or leverage newer graphics features. The recorded Vulkan score of 5751 for the R7 M440 indicates reasonable compute capability in that API, though no comparable Vulkan measurement exists for the HD 8690M.

Overall, the benchmark data indicates that the HD 8690M is the faster GPU in OpenCL compute, while the R7 M440 offers architectural modernity and memory capacity advantages. The choice between them depends on whether the user prioritizes raw compute speed or feature support and memory size.