AMD Radeon HD 8690M vs AMD Radeon R7 M445 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single recorded benchmark comparison between the AMD Radeon HD 8690M and the AMD Radeon R7 M445 is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is decisive. The HD 8690M scores 6137, while the R7 M445 scores 5358. That is a 14.5% advantage for the older card, a substantial gap for two GPUs that share the same fundamental architecture family.

The HD 8690M does not merely beat its newer rival; it also positions itself well against the broader field. Its 36th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database places it above the R7 M445, which sits at the 31st percentile. The HD 8690M's score of 6137 puts it within striking distance of the AMD Radeon HD 6950 (6210, a 1.2% gap in favor of the desktop card), and ahead of the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 (6117, a 0.3% edge), the NVIDIA RTX A400 (6078, a 1% edge), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX230 (6077, a 1% edge). These are tight margins, but they show the HD 8690M holding its own against a mix of integrated and entry-level discrete solutions.

The R7 M445, by contrast, finds itself in a different competitive bracket. Its 5358 score is nearly level with the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (5370, a 0.2% deficit), while it edges out the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (5322, a 0.7% win), the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317, a 0.8% win), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (5308, a 0.9% win). The delta between these rivals is small, but the pattern is clear: the R7 M445 competes at a lower performance tier than the HD 8690M.

In the head-to-head tally, the HD 8690M wins the single benchmark, taking the victory count 1 to 0. The data does not suggest any benchmark category where the R7 M445 overcomes this deficit, as the only recorded test is the OpenCL workload.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8690M scores 6137, which is 14.5% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M445's 5358.

Q: How does the HD 8690M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The HD 8690M is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200, 1% ahead of both the NVIDIA RTX A400 and the NVIDIA GeForce MX230, and 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 6950.

Q: Where does the R7 M445 stand relative to its competition?

A: The R7 M445 trails the Intel UHD Graphics P630 by 0.2%, but beats the NVIDIA GeForce 840M by 0.7%, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A by 0.8%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M by 0.9%.

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

A: The HD 8690M ranks at the 36th percentile of all GPUs, while the R7 M445 ranks at the 31st percentile.

Q: Does the R7 M445 have any benchmark win over the HD 8690M?

A: No, the R7 M445 has zero wins in the recorded benchmark data; the HD 8690M wins the sole Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: Both cards use GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 8690M has 2 GB, while the R7 M445 has 4 GB.

Where Each One Wins

The performance split in this comparison is one-sided, but it is worth examining the context behind the numbers. The HD 8690M wins the only recorded benchmark, and it does so by a meaningful margin. This makes it the clear choice for any workload that relies on raw OpenCL compute performance, which often includes tasks like general-purpose GPU computing, certain physics simulations, and some rendering acceleration.

The R7 M445's advantage lies not in compute throughput, but in memory capacity. It doubles the HD 8690M's VRAM, offering 4 GB versus 2 GB. For applications that need to hold larger textures, bigger framebuffers, or more data resident on the GPU, the extra memory could be a practical benefit, even if the underlying compute engine is slower. The data does not show a scenario where this capacity advantage translates into a benchmark win, but it remains a differentiating factor for memory-bound workloads.

The HD 8690M also wins on raw specifications that feed compute performance. Its pixel rate is 7.800 GPixel/s versus 7.360 GPixel/s for the R7 M445, and its texture rate is 19.50 GTexel/s versus 18.40 GTexel/s. Both cards have 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation units, so the HD 8690M's higher clock speeds (925 MHz base and 975 MHz boost versus 780 MHz base and 920 MHz boost) directly translate into higher fill rates and more floating-point throughput.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on several core specifications. The HD 8690M has a base clock of 925 MHz and a boost clock of 975 MHz, while the R7 M445 runs at 780 MHz base and 920 MHz boost. The HD 8690M's higher clocks produce a pixel rate of 7.800 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 19.50 GTexel/s, compared to the R7 M445's 7.360 GPixel/s and 18.40 GTexel/s.

Floating-point performance follows the same pattern. The HD 8690M delivers 624.0 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the R7 M445 delivers 588.8 GFLOPS. Notably, the R7 M445 also lists FP16 performance at 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1), while the HD 8690M has no recorded FP16 figure.

Memory capacity is the most visible difference: the HD 8690M has 2 GB of GDDR5, while the R7 M445 has 4 GB of GDDR5. Both use a 64-bit bus and achieve 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. The memory clock is identical at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

The two cards also differ in their form factor and display outputs. The R7 M445 is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs, while the HD 8690M has no slot width or display output information recorded. Both use a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is significant, even though both are built by AMD on TSMC's 28 nm process. The HD 8690M uses the "Sun" chip with a GCN 1.0 architecture, while the R7 M445 uses the "Meso" chip with a GCN 3.0 architecture. This is a two-generation jump in the Graphics Core Next design.

The transistor counts reflect this evolution. The Sun chip packs 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The Meso chip is more than double that, with 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The density is nearly identical, but the R7 M445's chip is physically much larger and more complex.

The generation names reinforce the lineage. The HD 8690M belongs to the "Solar System" generation (HD 8600M series), while the R7 M445 belongs to the "Gem System" generation (R7 M400 series). The HD 8690M's predecessor is listed as "London" and its successor as "Gem System", which directly connects the two cards in the AMD product line. The R7 M445's predecessor is "Solar System" and its successor is "Polaris Mobile".

API support differs as well. The HD 8690M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R7 M445 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The DirectX feature level is the key difference: the newer card supports the fuller DirectX 12 feature set (12_0), while the older card is limited to the 11_1 feature level.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for compute performance: the AMD Radeon HD 8690M. It leads the head-to-head benchmark by 14.5%, holds a higher percentile ranking (36th versus 31st), and delivers higher pixel rates, texture rates, and FP32 throughput. For any user prioritizing raw GPU compute in OpenCL workloads, the HD 8690M is the stronger choice.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 is not without its merits, but they come from a different angle. Its 4 GB memory capacity is double that of the HD 8690M, which could matter for applications that are memory-hungry rather than compute-bound. Its newer GCN 3.0 architecture also brings a more complete DirectX 12 feature set (12_0 versus 11_1), which may provide better compatibility with certain modern graphics APIs.

The release timeline shows the R7 M445 launched in 2016, while the HD 8690M came from 2013. Both are now end-of-life products, and the benchmark data suggests that the newer card did not translate its architectural advantages into superior compute performance.

The practical guidance from the database is straightforward. Choose the HD 8690M if the primary workload is OpenCL compute, pixel fill, or texture throughput. Choose the R7 M445 if the workload demands larger memory allocations or if DirectX 12 feature level 12_0 support is a requirement. For a direct performance comparison, the HD 8690M wins the recorded benchmark decisively, and that is the single most important number in this matchup.