AMD Radeon HD 8790M vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

The benchmark data splits the two contenders evenly, but the nature of those wins points to a clear recommendation. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M is the stronger choice for OpenCL-based professional workloads, while the AMD Radeon HD 8790M dominates in Vulkan compute tasks. For a mobile workstation GPU, the Quadro’s decisive OpenCL advantage makes it the safer pick for general-purpose GPU computing, but the AMD card is the better option if Vulkan is your primary API. The data shows a 1.6% average score advantage for the AMD part, but that margin is driven entirely by its Vulkan performance; the NVIDIA card is the more consistent performer in the legacy compute API.

The Verdict

The verdict from the data is straightforward: choose the NVIDIA Quadro M500M for OpenCL-centric workloads, and the AMD Radeon HD 8790M for Vulkan-centric workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro M500M scores 5986 against AMD’s 5017, a 16.2% margin that is the single largest performance gap in this comparison. This is not a marginal difference; the Quadro is substantially faster in the API most commonly used for professional compute tasks. Conversely, in Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon HD 8790M scores 6365 against the Quadro’s 5222, a 21.9% lead in the other direction. This is an even larger swing, making the AMD card the outright winner for Vulkan applications.

The average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story: the AMD card averages 5691 across both tests, while the Quadro averages 5604. This puts the AMD part 1.6% ahead of the Quadro in the head-to-head, and the rival list confirms the Quadro is 1.5% behind the AMD card in its own data. However, this average is misleading for decision-making. The Quadro’s OpenCL win is more relevant to traditional workstation tasks, while the AMD Vulkan win is more relevant to modern game engines and emerging compute frameworks. If you must pick one for a mixed workload, the Quadro’s OpenCL dominance is the stronger foundation, as OpenCL has broader legacy support in professional software. The AMD card’s Vulkan edge is impressive but narrower in practical application scope.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architecture generations, and the data reflects that. The AMD Radeon HD 8790M uses the Mars chip based on GCN 1.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M uses the GM108S chip based on Maxwell architecture. Both are built on the same 28 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts differ: AMD packs 950 million transistors, while NVIDIA has 1,020 million. Both dies measure exactly 77 mm², which gives the NVIDIA chip a higher transistor density of 13.2M / mm² versus AMD’s 12.3M / mm².

Memory architecture is a major differentiator. The AMD card uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro M500M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering only 14.40 GB/s. This is a 4.4x bandwidth advantage for AMD, which likely explains its Vulkan performance lead. However, the Quadro compensates with much higher clocks: its base clock is 1029 MHz and boost is 1124 MHz, versus AMD’s 850 MHz base and 900 MHz boost. The memory clocks also differ, with AMD running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and NVIDIA at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective).

Compute resources differ in texture units: AMD has 24 TMUs, while NVIDIA has 16, but both have 384 shading units and 8 ROPs. This configuration yields AMD a texture rate of 21.60 GTexel/s versus NVIDIA’s 17.98 GTexel/s, but NVIDIA wins on pixel rate at 8.992 GPixel/s versus AMD’s 7.200 GPixel/s. The FP32 throughput also favors NVIDIA: 863.2 GFLOPS versus AMD’s 691.2 GFLOPS, a 24.9% advantage. The API support differs as well: AMD supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Quadro also has a stated TDP of 30 W, while the AMD card has no TDP listed in the data.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8790M has an average benchmark score of 5691, which is 1.6% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro M500M’s 5604 average. In the rival lists, the AMD card shows a 1.6% delta over the Quadro, and the Quadro shows a -1.5% delta against the AMD card.

Q: Which GPU is better for OpenCL workloads?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M is significantly better for OpenCL. It scores 5986 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 16.2% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8790M’s score of 5017. This is the Quadro’s biggest win in the head-to-head benchmarks.

Q: Which GPU is better for Vulkan workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8790M is significantly better for Vulkan. It scores 6365 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 21.9% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro M500M’s score of 5222. This is the AMD card’s biggest win and the largest performance gap in the entire comparison.

Q: How do the memory specifications compare?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8790M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding only 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card has a 4.4x bandwidth advantage.

Q: Which GPU has higher clock speeds?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has higher clock speeds. Its base clock is 1029 MHz and boost clock is 1124 MHz, compared to the AMD Radeon HD 8790M’s base clock of 850 MHz and boost clock of 900 MHz. The Quadro also has a higher FP32 throughput at 863.2 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS.

Q: What are the production statuses and release dates?

A: Both GPUs are end-of-life. The AMD Radeon HD 8790M was released on 2013-03-31, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M was released later on 2016-04-26. The AMD card’s predecessor is London and its successor is Gem System; the Quadro’s predecessor is Quadro Kepler-M and its successor is Quadro Pascal-M.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every core specification. The AMD Radeon HD 8790M uses the Mars chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M uses the GM108S chip with Maxwell architecture. Transistor counts differ: 950 million for AMD versus 1,020 million for NVIDIA, though the die size is identical at 77 mm². Transistor density is higher on the NVIDIA chip at 13.2M / mm² versus 12.3M / mm².

Clock speeds are a clear differentiator: AMD runs at 850 MHz base and 900 MHz boost, while NVIDIA runs at 1029 MHz base and 1124 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: AMD uses 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) GDDR5, while NVIDIA uses 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) DDR3. Memory bandwidth is drastically different: 64.00 GB/s for AMD versus 14.40 GB/s for NVIDIA, with the same 2 GB capacity but different bus widths (128-bit vs 64-bit).

Compute units differ in TMU count: 24 for AMD versus 16 for NVIDIA, while shading units are equal at 384 and ROPs are equal at 8. Pixel rate favors NVIDIA at 8.992 GPixel/s versus 7.200 GPixel/s, while texture rate favors AMD at 21.60 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s. FP32 performance favors NVIDIA at 863.2 GFLOPS versus 691.2 GFLOPS. The Quadro has a stated TDP of 30 W, while the AMD card has no TDP listed. API support differs: AMD has DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while NVIDIA has DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4; both have OpenGL 4.6.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data shows a clean split, with each GPU winning one test by a wide margin. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA Quadro M500M scores 5986 against the AMD Radeon HD 8790M’s 5017. This is a 16.2% delta in NVIDIA’s favor, making it the Quadro’s most decisive victory. The Quadro’s higher FP32 throughput (863.2 GFLOPS vs 691.2 GFLOPS) and higher clock speeds likely drive this result, despite the AMD card’s massive memory bandwidth advantage.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon HD 8790M scores 6365 against the NVIDIA Quadro M500M’s 5222. This is a 21.9% delta in AMD’s favor, which is the largest single gap in either direction in this comparison. The AMD card’s 64.00 GB/s of GDDR5 bandwidth versus the Quadro’s 14.40 GB/s of DDR3 bandwidth is the most plausible explanation for this Vulkan dominance, as Vulkan compute workloads often stress memory bandwidth heavily. The AMD card’s higher texture rate (21.60 GTexel/s vs 17.98 GTexel/s) may also contribute.

The overall wins are tied at 1-1, but the magnitude of each win differs. AMD’s Vulkan win is 21.9%, while NVIDIA’s OpenCL win is 16.2%. The average benchmark scores (5691 for AMD, 5604 for NVIDIA) reflect these opposing results, with AMD holding a slim 1.6% edge in the aggregate. The percentile rankings are close as well: AMD sits at the 33rd percentile of all GPUs, while NVIDIA sits at the 32nd percentile. In the rival lists, AMD’s nearest rival is the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 at 5712 (-0.4%), while NVIDIA’s nearest rival is the AMD FirePro M4000 at 5537 (1.2%).

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro M500M wins in OpenCL-heavy professional workflows. Its 16.2% lead in Geekbench OpenCL (5986 vs 5017) makes it the clear choice for applications that rely on OpenCL for compute acceleration, such as video rendering, scientific simulation, and CAD tools. The Quadro’s higher FP32 throughput (863.2 GFLOPS) and boost clock of 1124 MHz provide a solid foundation for these tasks. Its lower memory bandwidth is a limitation, but the OpenCL benchmark suggests the architecture compensates effectively. The Quadro also has a 30 W TDP, which is a concrete power figure, though the AMD card has no TDP listed for comparison.

The AMD Radeon HD 8790M wins in Vulkan-based applications and memory-bandwidth-sensitive workloads. Its 21.9% lead in Geekbench Vulkan (6365 vs 5222) is the decisive factor. The 4.4x memory bandwidth advantage (64.00 GB/s vs 14.40 GB/s) is the standout specification difference, and Vulkan’s low-level nature likely exploits this fully. The AMD card also has more texture units (24 vs 16) and a higher texture rate (21.60 GTexel/s), which benefits texture-heavy Vulkan rendering. For gaming workloads using Vulkan, or compute tasks written for Vulkan, the AMD card is the better performer.

For a balanced workload, the data slightly favors AMD due to the higher average score (5691 vs 5604) and the larger single-test win (21.9% vs 16.2%). However, the choice should be driven by API priority. If your software stack is OpenCL-first, the Quadro’s 16.2% margin is the safer bet. If Vulkan is the target, the AMD card’s 21.9% margin is unambiguously superior. The tied 1-1 win count in head-to-head benchmarks, combined with the divergent API results, means there is no universal winner—only the right tool for the right job.