AMD Radeon HD 8750M vs AMD Radeon R7 M460 Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon R7 M460 and AMD Radeon HD 8750M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but the data clearly separates them. The R7 M460 holds a decisive advantage in the single recorded benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 6612 against the HD 8750M's 5970. That is a 10.8% lead for the newer part. The R7 M460 also sits at the 38th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the HD 8750M ranks at the 34th percentile, confirming a modest but real performance tier gap.

For users choosing between these two, the R7 M460 is the straightforward pick for any compute or graphics workload where OpenCL performance matters. It delivers a higher average benchmark score, a better percentile standing, and a more modern feature set. The HD 8750M is the older design, and while it remains functional, it offers no recorded advantage in the head-to-head comparison. There are no wins for the HD 8750M in the database. If the choice is purely based on measured performance, the R7 M460 wins the only contest that matters. However, both are legacy parts, and neither should be considered for modern high-end gaming or professional workloads. They are best suited for older titles, light productivity, or as basic display adapters in aging laptops.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is significant, despite both being built on a 28 nm TSMC process. The R7 M460 uses the Meso chip, based on GCN 3.0 architecture, and belongs to the Gem System generation (R7 M400 series). The HD 8750M uses the Mars chip, based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture, and belongs to the Solar System generation (HD 8700M series). This generational leap explains most of the performance difference.

The R7 M460 packs 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The HD 8750M is much smaller, with 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, at a nearly identical density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The R7 M460's larger die and higher transistor count allow for more computational resources, even though both chips share the same number of shading units (384), texture mapping units (24), and render output units (8).

Clock speeds differ notably. The R7 M460 runs at a base clock of 730 MHz and boosts to 1024 MHz, while the HD 8750M operates at a base of 775 MHz and boosts to only 825 MHz. The R7 M460's higher boost clock is a major factor in its performance advantage. The memory subsystem also diverges sharply. The R7 M460 features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 36.00 GB/s of bandwidth at 4.5 Gbps effective speed. The HD 8750M uses 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a wider 128-bit bus, but only achieves 28.80 GB/s at 1800 Mbps effective. The R7 M460's GDDR5 memory, despite the narrower bus, provides 25% more bandwidth.

Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The R7 M460 reaches 8.192 GPixel/s and 24.58 GTexel/s, while the HD 8750M manages 6.600 GPixel/s and 19.80 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput is 786.4 GFLOPS for the R7 M460 versus 633.6 GFLOPS for the HD 8750M. The R7 M460 also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, a feature the HD 8750M lacks entirely. API support is another differentiator: the R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the HD 8750M only reaches DirectX 12 (11_1). Both parts support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains exactly one head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The R7 M460 scores 6612, while the HD 8750M scores 5970. The R7 M460 wins by 10.8%, which is a comfortable margin considering the architectural similarities in core counts. The delta is consistent with the R7 M460's higher boost clock, faster memory, and newer GCN 3.0 architecture.

The R7 M460's nearest rivals in the database illustrate its competitive position. It sits 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7730M (6581), 0.9% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554), and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 by 1.3% (6698). These are tight margins, indicating the R7 M460 is squarely in the mid-range of legacy mobile GPUs.

The HD 8750M's nearest rivals show a similar clustering. It is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5982) and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M (5986). It sits 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5957) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955). The HD 8750M is essentially tied with these parts, all within a 0.5% band. This suggests the HD 8750M is a baseline performer in its segment, while the R7 M460 is a step above.

The only recorded win belongs to the R7 M460, with one win and zero losses in the head-to-head table. The HD 8750M has no wins recorded. In practical terms, the R7 M460 should handle OpenCL-based workloads, such as video encoding, image processing, and light compute tasks, with noticeably better responsiveness.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon HD 8750M scores 5970. The R7 M460 leads by 10.8%.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life in the database. The R7 M460 was released on May 14, 2016, and the HD 8750M was released on February 25, 2013.

Q: What are the architectural differences between the two?

A: The R7 M460 uses the Meso chip on GCN 3.0 architecture, while the HD 8750M uses the Mars chip on GCN 1.0 architecture. The R7 M460 has 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, versus 950 million on 77 mm² for the HD 8750M. Both are built on a 28 nm TSMC process.

Q: How does memory configuration affect performance?

A: The R7 M460 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 36.00 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 8750M has 1024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 M460 delivers 25% more bandwidth despite the narrower bus.

Q: What API levels do these GPUs support?

A: The R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the HD 8750M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The R7 M460 is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7730M and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M, but 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010. The HD 8750M is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 8730M.

Where Each One Wins

The R7 M460 wins the only recorded benchmark, so its advantages are clear. It offers a 10.8% higher Geekbench OpenCL score, a 38th percentile ranking versus the HD 8750M's 34th, and a more capable memory subsystem. The GDDR5 memory at 36.00 GB/s is a meaningful upgrade over the HD 8750M's DDR3 at 28.80 GB/s, which helps in bandwidth-sensitive tasks like texture streaming and compute kernels. The R7 M460 also has a higher boost clock (1024 MHz vs 825 MHz), which translates to better sustained performance in bursty workloads.

The R7 M460's FP32 throughput of 786.4 GFLOPS is 24% higher than the HD 8750M's 633.6 GFLOPS. This makes the R7 M460 the better choice for any OpenCL-accelerated application, including video transcoding, image filters, and physics simulations. The newer GCN 3.0 architecture also brings better instruction efficiency and support for DirectX 12 (12_0), which can matter for titles that leverage DX12 features.

The HD 8750M, despite being older and slower, does have one theoretical advantage: its 128-bit memory bus. In the database, however, this does not translate into any recorded performance win. The wider bus is offset by the slower DDR3 memory and lower clocks. The HD 8750M's smaller die (77 mm²) and lower transistor count (950 million) may imply lower power consumption, but the database does not include TDP figures for either part, so this cannot be confirmed.

For legacy gaming, the R7 M460 is clearly superior. For compute tasks, the R7 M460 is again the choice. For users whose laptops already contain an HD 8750M, there is no reason to upgrade to another legacy part; the R7 M460 is only a modest step up in the grand scheme of modern GPUs. But if the choice is between these two specifically, the R7 M460 wins on every measurable axis in the database. The HD 8750M's only claim is that it exists in the same performance neighborhood as several Quadro parts, but the R7 M460 sits in a slightly higher tier. There is no scenario in the recorded data where the HD 8750M outperforms the R7 M460.