AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs AMD Radeon R7 M460 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and it clearly favors the AMD Radeon HD 8850M. The HD 8850M scores 7447 points, while the R7 M460 scores 6612 points. That is a 12.6% advantage for the older part. In practical terms, a 12.6% gap in an OpenCL compute workload is meaningful, often translating to faster physics simulations, image processing, or any task that leverages the GPU's parallel compute units.

The HD 8850M's score of 7447 places it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in the database are the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 7441 points (0.1% faster) and the AMD Radeon R7 350 at 7425 points (0.3% faster). The HD 8850M is essentially tied with these two, but it is 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, which scores 7472 points, and 1.4% behind the Intel Arc A310 at 7550 points. This positions the HD 8850M as a mid-pack performer in compute tasks, not a top-tier part but far from the bottom.

The R7 M460, with its 6612 points, sits in the 38th percentile, two points lower than the HD 8850M. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7730M at 6581 points (0.5% slower), the Intel UHD Graphics P750 at 6554 points (0.9% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M at 6513 points (1.5% slower). The only rival that beats it is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 at 6698 points, which is 1.3% faster. So the R7 M460 is clustered with a group of older or lower-end parts, and it trails the HD 8850M by a clear margin.

The data shows one win for the HD 8850M and zero for the R7 M460 in the head-to-head comparison. That is a decisive, if narrow, dataset. The 12.6% delta is not a rounding error; it is a consistent edge that appears across the entire compute workload measured. For any user relying on OpenCL performance, the HD 8850M is the better choice based purely on this measurement.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture. The HD 8850M uses GCN 1.0 and is built on the Venus chip, while the R7 M460 uses GCN 3.0 and is built on the Meso chip. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process, so the fabrication node is identical. The transistor counts are very close: 1,500 million for the HD 8850M and 1,550 million for the R7 M460, a difference of only 50 million. Die sizes are also similar, 123 mm² versus 125 mm², which gives a transistor density of 12.2M per mm² for the HD 8850M and 12.4M per mm² for the R7 M460.

The compute configuration diverges significantly. The HD 8850M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The R7 M460 has only 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. That is a 40% reduction in shading units and a 50% reduction in ROPs. Despite this, the R7 M460 has higher clock speeds: a base clock of 730 MHz and a boost clock of 1024 MHz, compared to the HD 8850M's 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. The boost clock difference is stark, 1024 MHz versus 625 MHz, which partially compensates for the fewer cores.

Memory configurations also differ. Both have 2 GB of GDDR5, but the bus width is 128-bit on the HD 8850M and only 64-bit on the R7 M460. Memory bandwidth reflects this, 64.00 GB/s for the HD 8850M versus 36.00 GB/s for the R7 M460. The memory clock is 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) on the HD 8850M and 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) on the R7 M460. The R7 M460 has a slightly faster memory clock, but the narrow bus width cripples effective bandwidth.

Pixel rate is 10.00 GPixel/s for the HD 8850M and 8.192 GPixel/s for the R7 M460. Texture rate is 25.00 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s, nearly identical for the latter. FP32 compute is 800.0 GFLOPS for the HD 8850M and 786.4 GFLOPS for the R7 M460, a small difference of 1.7%. The R7 M460 also supports FP16 at 786.4 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, whereas the HD 8850M has no FP16 support listed.

The bus interface differs as well: PCIe 3.0 x16 for the HD 8850M and PCIe 3.0 x8 for the R7 M460, a difference in lane count. Both support DirectX 12 (11_1) for the HD 8850M and DirectX 12 (12_0) for the R7 M460. OpenGL 4.0 and Vulkan 1.2.170 are identical on both. The R7 M460 belongs to the Gem System generation (R7 M400), while the HD 8850M belongs to the Solar System (HD 8800M) generation. The HD 8850M's predecessor is London, and its successor in the database is the Gem System. The R7 M460's predecessor is Solar System and its successor is Polaris Mobile. Release dates are also different, with the HD 8850M released in March 2013 and the R7 M460 in May 2016.

The Verdict

The HD 8850M wins the only recorded benchmark by 12.6%. That is the single most important fact in this comparison. If the task is measured by Geekbench OpenCL, the HD 8850M is the superior part. The R7 M460 has a higher boost clock and newer architecture, but those advantages do not translate into a higher score. The data says the HD 8850M is faster in compute performance.

For users who prioritize OpenCL compute, the HD 8850M is the clear pick. It also has a wider memory bus (128-bit versus 64-bit), which often helps in bandwidth-sensitive tasks, though no benchmark in the database directly tests that. The R7 M460, despite its lower score, has a higher boost clock of 1024 MHz, which could help in lightly threaded or latency-sensitive workloads, but the database does not include a test that shows this.

The percentile ranks are close, 40th for the HD 8850M and 38th for the R7 M460, but the absolute scores differ by 835 points. The R7 M460 is surrounded by lower-end rivals like the HD 7730M and GTX 670M, while the HD 8850M is surrounded by the UHD 750 and R7 350. This suggests the HD 8850M competes in a slightly higher tier.

The verdict is straightforward: from the recorded data, the AMD Radeon HD 8850M is the faster GPU in OpenCL compute, and the R7 M460, despite its newer GCN 3.0 architecture, cannot match it. Users who need the best compute performance from these two options should choose the HD 8850M.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, while the AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612, a difference of 12.6% in favor of the HD 8850M.

Q: What are the closest rivals to the HD 8850M in the database?

A: The nearest rivals are the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441 points, 0.1% behind), the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7425 points, 0.3% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472 points, 0.3% ahead), and the Intel Arc A310 (7550 points, 1.4% ahead).

Q: Does the R7 M460 have a higher boost clock than the HD 8850M?

A: Yes, the R7 M460 has a boost clock of 1024 MHz, compared to 625 MHz for the HD 8850M, despite the HD 8850M having a higher benchmark score.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of each GPU?

A: The HD 8850M has a memory bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s with a 128-bit bus, while the R7 M460 has 36.00 GB/s with a 64-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_0)?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the HD 8850M supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: How many shading units does each GPU have?

A: The HD 8850M has 640 shading units, while the R7 M460 has 384 shading units.

Where Each One Wins

The HD 8850M wins in raw compute performance, as shown by the 12.6% higher Geekbench OpenCL score. It also has a wider memory bus (128-bit versus 64-bit) and nearly double the memory bandwidth (64.00 GB/s versus 36.00 GB/s), which makes it better suited for bandwidth-intensive workloads like high-resolution texture streaming or large data transfers. Its higher pixel rate (10.00 GPixel/s versus 8.192 GPixel/s) and slightly higher texture rate (25.00 GTexel/s versus 24.58 GTexel/s) reinforce its edge in fill-rate-dependent tasks.

The R7 M460 wins in clock speed. Its boost clock of 1024 MHz is significantly higher than the HD 8850M's 625 MHz, which could benefit workloads that are sensitive to clock frequency rather than raw core count. It also has a slightly higher transistor count (1,550 million versus 1,500 million) and a newer GCN 3.0 architecture, which may include instruction-level improvements not captured by the single benchmark. Its DirectX 12 (12_0) support is more modern than the HD 8850M's DirectX 12 (11_1), so games or applications that require 12_0 features will only run on the R7 M460.

The R7 M460 also has a lower memory clock frequency of 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) compared to 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) on the HD 8850M, but that does not overcome the bus width disadvantage. In terms of the database's recorded metrics, the HD 8850M has one clear win, and the R7 M460 has no benchmark wins. The R7 M460's advantages are architectural (newer GCN version, higher clocks, FP16 support) rather than performance-based in the recorded test.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specification fields. The chip is Venus for the HD 8850M and Meso for the R7 M460. The architecture is GCN 1.0 versus GCN 3.0. The generation is Solar System (HD 8800M) versus Gem System (R7 M400). Transistor count is 1,500 million versus 1,550 million, and die size is 123 mm² versus 125 mm². Transistor density is 12.2M per mm² versus 12.4M per mm².

Clock speeds differ: base clock is 575 MHz versus 730 MHz, boost clock is 625 MHz versus 1024 MHz, and memory clock is 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) versus 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). Memory bus width is 128-bit versus 64-bit. Memory bandwidth is 64.00 GB/s versus 36.00 GB/s. Shading units are 640 versus 384, TMUs are 40 versus 24, and ROPs are 16 versus 8. Pixel rate is 10.00 GPixel/s versus 8.192 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 25.00 GTexel/s versus 24.58 GTexel/s. FP32 is 800.0 GFLOPS versus 786.4 GFLOPS. FP16 is not listed for the HD 8850M, but the R7 M460 has 786.4 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x8. DirectX support is 12 (11_1) versus 12 (12_0). OpenGL is 4.6 on both, and Vulkan is 1.2.170 on both. Production status is End-of-life for both. Release date is March 2013 for the HD 8850M and May 2016 for the R7 M460. The predecessor is London for the HD 8850M and Solar System for the R7 M460. The successor is Gem System for the HD 8850M and Polaris Mobile for the R7 M460. Both have 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, and neither has a launch MSRP listed in the database.