AMD Radeon HD 8750M vs NVIDIA Quadro K3100M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single direct comparison between the AMD Radeon HD 8750M and the NVIDIA Quadro K3100M: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In that test, the Quadro K3100M scored 6154, while the Radeon HD 8750M scored 5970. This gives the NVIDIA part a 3% lead, with the delta recorded at -3% from the perspective of the AMD card. That is a narrow margin, but it is consistent across the single benchmark available.

What makes this result more interesting is how each card sits relative to its own nearest rivals. The Radeon HD 8750M, with its OpenCL score of 5970, sits at the 34th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA Quadro K4000, scores 5982, which is a mere 0.2% ahead. The Quadro K620M scores 5957 (0.2% behind), and the AMD Radeon HD 8730M scores 5955 (0.3% behind). The spread across these four rivals is barely 27 points, which is less than half a percent. The Radeon HD 8750M is essentially in a dead heat with its immediate neighbors, suggesting that its performance class is tightly packed.

The NVIDIA Quadro K3100M, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 5154 across its three recorded tests (OpenCL, Metal, and Vulkan). Its OpenCL score of 6154 is its highest, and it is that figure that beats the Radeon. The Quadro's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R7 M260X, averages 5161, which is 0.1% ahead of the Quadro's average. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M averages 5211 (1.1% ahead), the GeForce GTX 760M averages 5236 (1.6% ahead), and the AMD Radeon R7 240 averages 5063 (1.8% behind). The Quadro K3100M sits in a similarly dense cluster, but its average score is dragged down by the Metal result of 3823 and the Vulkan result of 5484. The OpenCL score alone, however, is the one that matters for the head-to-head, and it is a clear win for the NVIDIA part.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results indicate that the NVIDIA Quadro K3100M wins the only direct comparison, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by 3%. That is the sole recorded win in the head-to-head data, giving the Quadro one win and the Radeon zero. For users prioritizing raw OpenCL compute throughput, the Quadro is the stronger choice based on the recorded numbers.

However, the Radeon HD 8750M is not without its own strengths in the broader database context. Its single benchmark score of 5970 places it at the 34th percentile of all GPUs, which is higher than the Quadro K3100M's percentile of 30. The average benchmark score for the Radeon is 5970, while the Quadro's average is 5154. That difference of 816 points is largely due to the Quadro's weaker Metal and Vulkan results. If a workload relies on OpenCL exclusively, the Quadro leads. But if a workload draws on the average across multiple APIs, the Radeon has a higher typical score.

The data suggests a split based on API usage. In OpenCL, the Quadro K3100M is ahead. In Vulkan, the Quadro scores 5484, which is below its own OpenCL score but still a substantial figure. The Radeon has no recorded Vulkan or Metal scores, so its performance in those APIs is unknown from the database. This means the Quadro is the only one of the two with verified cross-API performance, and its Vulkan score of 5484 is higher than the Radeon's entire OpenCL result, implying that the NVIDIA part may have a broader performance envelope. The Radeon, however, holds a higher percentile ranking, which suggests that its single strong OpenCL result is more competitive against the full GPU population than the Quadro's mixed results.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural families, and the database shows clear distinctions. The AMD Radeon HD 8750M uses the Mars chip, built on GCN 1.0 architecture, with a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 950 million transistors onto a die size of 77 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². The NVIDIA Quadro K3100M uses the GK104 chip, built on Kepler architecture, also on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a density of 12.0 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip is far larger in both transistor count and die area, but the density is nearly identical, differing by only 0.3 million per mm².

The memory subsystems are radically different. The Radeon has 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 102.4 GB/s. That is a 3.56x advantage in bandwidth for the NVIDIA part, which aligns with its higher compute throughput. The Radeon's memory clock is listed at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), while the Quadro's is 800 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective). The GDDR5 type and double the bus width explain the bandwidth gap.

The execution resources also favor the NVIDIA chip decisively. The Quadro has 768 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Radeon has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The Quadro doubles the shading units, has 2.67x the TMUs, and 4x the ROPs. Pixel rate on the Quadro is 11.30 GPixel/s versus 6.600 GPixel/s on the Radeon, a 1.71x lead. Texture rate is 45.18 GTexel/s versus 19.80 GTexel/s, a 2.28x lead. FP32 compute is 1,084.4 GFLOPS versus 633.6 GFLOPS, a 1.71x lead.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The Radeon runs at a base of 775 MHz and boosts to 825 MHz, while the Quadro runs at a flat 706 MHz for both base and boost. The Radeon has a higher clock, but the Quadro compensates with far more hardware. The power envelope also differs: the Quadro is rated at 75 W TDP, while the Radeon has no listed TDP, meaning the database does not record its thermal limit. The Quadro is specified as an MXM Module with no power connectors, and its display outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent." The Radeon uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, whereas the Quadro uses MXM-B (3.0).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K3100M scores 6154 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon HD 8750M scores 5970. The Quadro wins by 3%.

Q: How does the Radeon HD 8750M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon's score of 5970 is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5982), 0.2% ahead of the Quadro K620M (5957), and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Quadro K3100M has 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Radeon HD 8750M has 28.80 GB/s. That is a 3.56x advantage for the Quadro.

Q: Does the Radeon have any recorded Vulkan or Metal scores?

A: No. The database only lists a Geekbench OpenCL score for the Radeon HD 8750M. The Quadro K3100M has OpenCL, Metal, and Vulkan scores.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The Radeon HD 8750M sits at the 34th percentile, while the Quadro K3100M sits at the 30th percentile. Despite losing the head-to-head, the Radeon ranks higher in the overall distribution.

Q: What is the transistor count on each chip?

A: The Radeon HD 8750M has 950 million transistors, while the Quadro K3100M has 3,540 million transistors. The Quadro has 3.73x more transistors.

Specification Differences

The key specification differences between the AMD Radeon HD 8750M and the NVIDIA Quadro K3100M are as follows:

• Chip: Mars (AMD) versus GK104 (NVIDIA)
• Architecture: GCN 1.0 versus Kepler
• Transistors: 950 million versus 3,540 million
• Die Size: 77 mm² versus 294 mm²
• Transistor Density: 12.3M / mm² versus 12.0M / mm²
• Base Clock: 775 MHz versus 706 MHz
• Boost Clock: 825 MHz versus 706 MHz
• Memory Size: 1024 MB versus 4 GB
• Memory Type: DDR3 versus GDDR5
• Memory Bus Width: 128 bit versus 256 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 28.80 GB/s versus 102.4 GB/s
• Shading Units: 384 versus 768
• TMUs: 24 versus 64
• ROPs: 8 versus 32
• Pixel Rate: 6.600 GPixel/s versus 11.30 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 19.80 GTexel/s versus 45.18 GTexel/s
• FP32: 633.6 GFLOPS versus 1,084.4 GFLOPS
• TDP: Not listed versus 75 W
• Bus Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8 versus MXM-B (3.0)
• Display Outputs: Not listed versus "Portable Device Dependent"
• DirectX Support: 12 (11_1) versus 12 (11_0)
• Vulkan Support: 1.2.170 versus 1.2.175

The two share a 28 nm TSMC process and OpenGL 4.6 support. The Radeon has a higher base and boost clock, but the Quadro leads in every other computational metric, from memory to shading units to fill rates.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to a clear split. For a single OpenCL workload, the NVIDIA Quadro K3100M is 3% faster than the AMD Radeon HD 8750M, and it also offers 3.56x more memory bandwidth, 2x the shading units, 4x the ROPs, and 1.71x the FP32 compute. Those are structural advantages that the Radeon cannot offset with its higher clock speed. Any user running compute-heavy OpenCL tasks should select the Quadro K3100M based on the benchmark result and the hardware specifications.

The case for the Radeon is narrower but still present. Its percentile ranking of 34 against the Quadro's 30 indicates that, within the full GPU population, the Radeon's single score is more competitive. Its average benchmark score of 5970 is also higher than the Quadro's average of 5154, because the Quadro's Metal score of 3823 pulls its average down. For workloads that do not rely on OpenCL alone, the Radeon's consistent performance across the one recorded test may be more predictable than the Quadro's variability across three different APIs.

The architecture differences reinforce the verdict. The Quadro is a larger, more powerful chip with 3.73x the transistors and a 3.56x bandwidth advantage. The Radeon is a smaller, denser design with a higher clock, but it cannot overcome the raw resource gap. The Quadro's 75 W TDP is a known quantity, while the Radeon has no recorded power draw, making the Quadro the more documented choice for system integration. Ultimately, the database shows the Quadro K3100M as the winner in the only head-to-head test, and the specification sheet explains why: more of everything except clock speed. The Radeon HD 8750M is a capable entry-level part, but the NVIDIA Quadro K3100M is the superior performer in this comparison.