AMD Radeon HD 8750M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M and AMD Radeon HD 8750M represent two distinct approaches to mobile graphics from different eras, with the GTX 580M arriving first as a high-end Fermi-based part and the HD 8750M following as a mid-range GCN solution. Benchmark data shows the GTX 580M holds a 7% lead in the single available OpenCL test, scoring 6389 against 5970, but the two cards target very different use cases and system configurations, making the comparison more nuanced than a simple score gap suggests.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 580M is the clear winner in raw compute performance, as its 6389 Geekbench OpenCL score surpasses the HD 8750M’s 5970 by 7%. This advantage positions it for workloads that stress shader throughput and memory bandwidth, such as GPU-accelerated rendering, video encoding, and compute-heavy productivity tasks. The data shows the GTX 580M also sits at the 37th percentile among all GPUs, three points above the HD 8750M’s 34th percentile, indicating it outperforms a slightly larger share of the overall GPU landscape. In practical terms, the GTX 580M’s 96.00 GB/s memory bandwidth—more than triple the HD 8750M’s 28.80 GB/s—gives it a decisive edge in bandwidth-sensitive applications, where data movement often becomes the bottleneck rather than raw compute.

The HD 8750M, despite losing the benchmark head-to-head, wins on efficiency-focused design and architectural modernity. Its 28 nm process node versus the GTX 580M’s 40 nm node means it packs more transistors per square millimeter—12.3M / mm² compared to 5.9M / mm²—and its GCN 1.0 architecture supports newer API features. The HD 8750M offers Vulkan 1.2.170 support, while the GTX 580M lists no Vulkan capability, giving the AMD part an edge in modern cross-platform games and applications that leverage Vulkan. The HD 8750M also runs on PCIe 3.0 x8, whereas the GTX 580M uses the older MXM-B (3.0) interface, making the AMD card more compatible with contemporary laptop platforms. For users prioritizing API compatibility and power-conscious operation in a thin-and-light chassis, the HD 8750M is the more sensible choice despite its lower compute score.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial. The GTX 580M uses NVIDIA’s Fermi 2.0 architecture on the GF114 chip, built on a 40 nm process at TSMC with 1,950 million transistors spread across a large 332 mm² die. This older design emphasizes raw throughput, featuring 384 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The HD 8750M, by contrast, employs AMD’s GCN 1.0 architecture on the Mars chip, fabricated on a more advanced 28 nm process at the same foundry, with 950 million transistors on a much smaller 77 mm² die. While both cards field 384 shading units, the AMD part reduces texture units to 24 and ROPs to just 8, reflecting its mid-range positioning. The transistor density tells the story of process maturity: the HD 8750M crams 12.3M transistors per mm², more than double the GTX 580M’s 5.9M / mm² density.

The memory subsystem differs fundamentally as well. The GTX 580M pairs 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8750M uses 1024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, producing only 28.80 GB/s—a 70% reduction in memory bandwidth. Clock behavior also diverges: the HD 8750M has explicit base and boost clocks of 775 MHz and 825 MHz respectively, while the GTX 580M lists no base or boost figures, only a 750 MHz memory clock translating to 3 Gbps effective. The GTX 580M’s fill rates reflect its higher bandwidth and wider pipeline: 9.920 GPixel/s pixel rate and 39.68 GTexel/s texture rate, versus the HD 8750M’s 6.600 GPixel/s and 19.80 GTexel/s. FP32 compute also favors NVIDIA at 952.3 GFLOPS against AMD’s 633.6 GFLOPS, a 50% advantage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, where the GTX 580M scores 6389 against the HD 8750M’s 5970, yielding a 7% delta in NVIDIA’s favor. This result aligns with the GTX 580M’s nearest rival comparisons: it matches the GTX 460 SE exactly at 6389, trails the RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell by only 0.3% (6407 vs 6389), and leads the Radeon Pro WX 4100 by 0.9% (6330) and the Radeon R7 M350 by 1% (6327). The HD 8750M’s nearest rivals cluster tightly around its score: the Quadro K4000 sits 0.2% higher at 5982, the Quadro K4000M is 0.3% higher at 5986, the Quadro K620M trails by 0.2% at 5957, and the Radeon HD 8730M is 0.3% lower at 5955. This tight clustering suggests both cards perform at the level of their respective peer groups, but the GTX 580M’s peer group sits at a higher absolute performance tier.

Examining the fill-rate and compute numbers reinforces the benchmark outcome. The GTX 580M’s 39.68 GTexel/s texture rate is exactly double the HD 8750M’s 19.80 GTexel/s, and its 9.920 GPixel/s pixel rate is 50% higher than 6.600 GPixel/s. FP32 throughput tells a similar story: 952.3 GFLOPS versus 633.6 GFLOPS. These hardware advantages translate directly into the 7% OpenCL delta, though the gap is smaller than the raw specs might suggest—likely because the OpenCL workload used in the benchmark does not fully stress memory bandwidth, where the GTX 580M holds its largest advantage. In bandwidth-bound scenarios, the 96.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s difference would likely produce a much larger performance gap than the 7% observed in this particular test.

Specification Differences

Direct specification comparisons reveal where the two cards diverge most sharply. The GTX 580M offers 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the HD 8750M provides 1024 MB of DDR3—the NVIDIA card has double the capacity and a fundamentally faster memory type. Bus width also differs significantly: 256-bit for the GTX 580M versus 128-bit for the HD 8750M, contributing to the 96.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s bandwidth gap. The GTX 580M fields 64 TMUs and 32 ROPs against the HD 8750M’s 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs, though both have 384 shading units. Process technology favors AMD: 28 nm versus 40 nm, with corresponding die sizes of 77 mm² and 332 mm², and transistor counts of 950 million versus 1,950 million.

Clock speeds are listed only for the HD 8750M (775 MHz base, 825 MHz boost), while the GTX 580M provides no base or boost figures—only a 750 MHz memory clock. The GTX 580M carries a 100 W TDP, while the HD 8750M lists no TDP at all, suggesting the AMD part is designed for lower power envelopes. Form factor and interface also differ: the GTX 580M uses an MXM Module with MXM-B (3.0) bus interface and no power connectors, while the HD 8750M uses PCIe 3.0 x8. API support shows the HD 8750M with DirectX 12 (11_1) versus the GTX 580M’s DirectX 12 (11_0), and Vulkan 1.2.170 for AMD versus no Vulkan for NVIDIA. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. Release timing also separates them: the GTX 580M launched on 2011-06-27, while the HD 8750M arrived on 2013-02-25. The GTX 580M’s predecessor is GeForce 400M and successor is GeForce 600M, while the HD 8750M follows the London architecture and precedes Gem System.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The GTX 580M delivers 952.3 GFLOPS FP32 performance, which is 50% higher than the HD 8750M’s 633.6 GFLOPS. This advantage shows up in the Geekbench OpenCL score, where the GTX 580M leads 6389 to 5970.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The GTX 580M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 8750M uses 1024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, providing 28.80 GB/s—a difference of more than 3x in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: Which GPU supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The HD 8750M supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GTX 580M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) but has no Vulkan capability listed. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What are the architectural differences between the two chips?

A: The GTX 580M uses Fermi 2.0 on a 40 nm process with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die. The HD 8750M uses GCN 1.0 on a 28 nm process with 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die. The HD 8750M has double the transistor density at 12.3M / mm² versus 5.9M / mm².

Q: How do the texture and pixel fill rates differ?

A: The GTX 580M has a texture rate of 39.68 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 9.920 GPixel/s. The HD 8750M has a texture rate of 19.80 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 6.600 GPixel/s. The GTX 580M is exactly 2x faster in texture fill and 50% faster in pixel fill.

Q: Which card is positioned higher in the overall GPU performance distribution?

A: The GTX 580M sits at the 37th percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 8750M sits at the 34th percentile. The GTX 580M’s nearest rivals include the GTX 460 SE (identical score) and RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell (0.3% higher), while the HD 8750M’s nearest rivals cluster around the Quadro K4000 and K4000M.