AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs AMD Radeon R7 250 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole benchmark in the dataset, Geekbench OpenCL, places the AMD Radeon R7 250 and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M in remarkably close proximity. The R7 250 scores 7557 points, while the HD 8850M trails slightly with 7447 points. This yields a delta of 1.5% in favor of the R7 250, a margin that is statistically narrow yet consistent across the single available test. In practical terms, the R7 250 holds a slim but measurable edge in raw compute workloads.

Contextualizing these scores against the nearest rivals reveals how tight this segment is. The R7 250 sits within 0.1% of the Intel Arc A310 (7550) and is 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472). Meanwhile, the HD 8850M matches the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441) within 0.1%, and it trails the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7425) by only 0.3%. The GTX 1650, a widely recognized desktop part, lands between these two mobile/entry-level GPUs, underscoring that neither AMD part dramatically outperforms the other in this specific OpenCL workload.

The data indicates that the R7 250’s victory is not a case of overwhelming superiority but rather a marginal consolidation of architectural efficiency. Its 512 shading units operate at a memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), whereas the HD 8850M fields 640 shading units but runs at a base clock of 575 MHz and a boost clock of 625 MHz. The extra 128 shading units in the HD 8850M do not compensate for the R7 250’s higher pixel rate (14.80 GPixel/s versus 10.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (29.60 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s). The R7 250 also delivers superior FP32 throughput at 947.2 GFLOPS compared to 800.0 GFLOPS for the HD 8850M. These numbers explain why the R7 250 edges ahead despite the HD 8850M’s larger shader count.

Memory bandwidth tells a different story. The HD 8850M employs 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, achieving 64.00 GB/s, while the R7 250 uses 1 GB of DDR3 on the same bus width, yielding only 28.80 GB/s. This 2.2x bandwidth advantage for the HD 8850M is substantial, yet it does not translate into a win in the Geekbench OpenCL test — a result that suggests the workload is more sensitive to compute throughput than to memory speed. The R7 250’s DDR3 configuration, with its lower bandwidth, still manages to outperform, implying that the benchmark’s kernel execution is bound by shader and texture operations rather than data movement.

Both GPUs share the same Cape Verde and Venus chips respectively, but the R7 250 is built on the Volcanic Islands generation, while the HD 8850M belongs to the Solar System generation. Despite this generational naming difference, both use GCN 1.0 architecture, 28 nm process node, 1,500 million transistors, and a 123 mm² die size. The identical transistor count and die size mean the fundamental silicon resources are comparable, with the R7 250’s binning and clock strategy favoring higher throughput per shader.

Percentile rankings corroborate the narrow gap. The R7 250 sits at the 41st percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 8850M is at the 40th percentile. That one-percentile difference aligns with the 1.5% score delta, reinforcing that these are near-peer parts in the broader GPU landscape. The R7 250’s nearest rival list includes the Arc A310 and GTX 1650, both within 1.1%, while the HD 8850M’s list is dominated by integrated graphics and low-end discrete parts, with the GTX 1650 as its closest high-performance comparator at -0.3%.

The Verdict

From the data alone, the AMD Radeon R7 250 is the superior performer. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark, records a higher average score (7557 versus 7447), and achieves a better percentile rank (41 versus 40). The 1.5% delta is modest, but it is the only quantitative comparison available, and it consistently favors the R7 250. No benchmark in the dataset shows the HD 8850M ahead, so the verdict is clear: the R7 250 is the faster GPU in compute-oriented OpenCL tasks.

However, the HD 8850M is not without merit. Its 2 GB GDDR5 memory with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth is a significant advantage for workloads that are memory-latency sensitive or require larger frame buffers. The R7 250’s 1 GB DDR3 configuration, with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, could bottleneck in scenarios involving high-resolution textures or data-intensive compute. The data does not include a memory-bound benchmark, but the specifications alone suggest the HD 8850M would excel in such conditions.

For a user prioritizing raw compute scores, the R7 250 is the logical choice. For a user who needs double the VRAM and over twice the memory bandwidth, the HD 8850M offers a compelling counterpoint, even if its aggregate score is slightly lower. The 128-bit bus width is identical, but the memory type and capacity differences are stark. The R7 250’s higher pixel and texture rates (14.80 GPixel/s and 29.60 GTexel/s versus 10.00 and 25.00) make it better suited for fill-rate-heavy tasks, while the HD 8850M’s shader count (640 versus 512) could theoretically benefit compute workloads that scale with parallel ALUs — though the benchmark does not confirm this.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 250 wins in OpenCL compute performance, as evidenced by its 7557 score against 7447 for the HD 8850M. This advantage stems from its higher clocked memory (900 MHz versus 1000 MHz, but with a different effective rate) and superior FP32 throughput of 947.2 GFLOPS. The R7 250 also leads in pixel fill rate (14.80 GPixel/s) and texture fill rate (29.60 GTexel/s), making it the better candidate for applications that stress rasterization and texture filtering.

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M wins on memory capacity and bandwidth. Its 2 GB GDDR5 frame buffer doubles the R7 250’s 1 GB DDR3, and its 64.00 GB/s bandwidth is 2.2x higher. For workloads that require frequent data streaming or large working sets — such as certain compute kernels, video processing, or games with high-resolution textures — the HD 8850M’s memory subsystem is clearly superior. It also has more shading units (640 versus 512) and texture mapping units (40 versus 32), which could be advantageous in multi-threaded compute scenarios that are not memory-bound.

The R7 250 further distinguishes itself with a lower TDP of 55 W versus no published TDP for the HD 8850M, and it is a single-slot card with no power connectors, suggesting easier integration into compact systems. The HD 8850M, being a mobile part, has no slot width or power connector data, but its lack of a TDP figure indicates it is designed for laptop platforms. Both support PCIe 3.0 x16, DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, so API feature parity is complete.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 250 scores 7557, while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, giving the R7 250 a 1.5% advantage.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650?

A: The R7 250 is 1.1% ahead of the GTX 1650 (7472), while the HD 8850M is 0.3% behind it. Both AMD parts are within a narrow range of the GTX 1650.

Q: What are the memory differences between the two?

A: The R7 250 has 1024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The HD 8850M has 2048 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both GPUs use the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use GCN 1.0 architecture, but the R7 250 uses the Cape Verde chip, while the HD 8850M uses the Venus chip. Both are built on a 28 nm process with 1,500 million transistors and a 123 mm² die size.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The HD 8850M has 640 shading units, compared to 512 for the R7 250. However, the R7 250 achieves higher FP32 throughput at 947.2 GFLOPS versus 800.0 GFLOPS.

Q: What are the pixel and texture rates for each?

A: The R7 250 achieves a pixel rate of 14.80 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 29.60 GTexel/s, while the HD 8850M delivers 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s respectively.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 250 and AMD Radeon HD 8850M share a common foundation but diverge in key implementation details. Both utilize GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The transistor count is identical at 1,500 million, and the die size matches at 123 mm², yielding the same transistor density of 12.2M per mm². This indicates that the underlying silicon is nearly identical, with differences arising from binning, clock speeds, and memory configuration.

The R7 250 is based on the Cape Verde chip and belongs to the Volcanic Islands generation (R7 200 series), released on October 7, 2013. The HD 8850M uses the Venus chip and is part of the Solar System generation (HD 8800M series), released earlier on March 31, 2013. Despite the generational naming, both are end-of-life products with identical API support: DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R7 250’s predecessor is Sea Islands, with Pirate Islands as its successor, while the HD 8850M follows London and precedes Gem System.

Clock behavior differs markedly. The R7 250 lists no base or boost clock, but its memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). The HD 8850M has a base clock of 575 MHz and a boost clock of 625 MHz, with memory at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). These clock differences explain the performance pattern: the R7 250’s higher pixel and texture rates (14.80 GPixel/s and 29.60 GTexel/s) stem from a more aggressive clock configuration, while the HD 8850M’s lower rates (10.00 and 25.00) reflect its modest clocks despite more execution units.

The shader configuration is asymmetric. The HD 8850M packs 640 shading units and 40 TMUs, versus 512 shading units and 32 TMUs for the R7 250. Both have 16 ROPs. However, the R7 250’s higher clocks push its FP32 throughput to 947.2 GFLOPS, exceeding the HD 8850M’s 800.0 GFLOPS. This inversion — more hardware but lower throughput — is the defining architectural difference. Memory is another major split: the R7 250 uses 1 GB DDR3 with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 8850M uses 2 GB GDDR5 with 64.00 GB/s bandwidth. The bus width is identical at 128 bits, but the memory type and capacity favor the HD 8850M for bandwidth-intensive tasks.

Physical and power characteristics also differ. The R7 250 is a single-slot card with no power connectors and a 55 W TDP, requiring a 250 W suggested PSU. Its length is 168 mm (6.6 inches), and it offers display outputs of 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The HD 8850M has no published TDP, slot width, power connector, or display output data, indicating its mobile design. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16, ensuring compatibility with modern motherboards and laptops. The R7 250’s desktop form factor and the HD 8850M’s mobile orientation are the final architectural distinctions, with the former prioritizing ease of integration and the latter focusing on memory capacity for laptop usage.