AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs AMD Radeon R9 M375X Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains a single shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X takes it decisively. The R9 M375X scores 8,273 points against the HD 8850M’s 7,447, a 11.1% advantage. That margin is substantial for two mobile GPUs from the same vendor and same architecture generation.

Look at how each card sits among its nearest rivals to understand what that score means. The R9 M375X, with an average benchmark score of 8,325, lands within 0.7% of the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 (8,265) and only 1.2% behind the GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427). It also trails the AMD Radeon 880M by 1.3% and the GeForce MX330 by 1.6%. Those are tight, competitive numbers. The R9 M375X is effectively trading blows with a workstation card and a desktop-class mobile GPU from NVIDIA, which says its compute performance is respectable for its era.

The HD 8850M, by contrast, averages 7,447 and sits in a lower tier entirely. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7,441) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7,425). It trails the GeForce GTX 1650 by 0.3% and the Intel Arc A310 by 1.4%. The interesting detail here is that the HD 8850M’s closest rivals are a mix of integrated graphics and low-end discrete cards. It does not compete with the same field as the R9 M375X. The 11.1% gap in the direct comparison is therefore not just a narrow win; it represents a full performance tier of separation.

The percentile data reinforces the split. The R9 M375X sits at the 43rd percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 8850M sits at the 40th. That three-point gap in percentile rank may sound small, but in a database with thousands of GPUs, it reflects the R9 M375X outperforming a meaningful share of the field that the HD 8850M cannot reach.

There is only one head-to-head benchmark recorded, so no multi-core versus single-core split exists here, and no Vulkan result was recorded for the HD 8850M. The R9 M375X does have a Geekbench Vulkan score of 8,377, which is slightly higher than its own OpenCL score of 8,273, but without a corresponding HD 8850M Vulkan number, the comparison cannot be extended. What the data does show is a consistent, clear win for the newer part in the one test both cards share.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on GCN 1.0 and share the same 28 nm TSMC process, but they are not identical chips. The R9 M375X uses the Tropo chip, while the HD 8850M uses Venus. Both chips contain 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, giving both a transistor density of 12.2 million transistors per square millimeter. The silicon foundation is the same size and density, which means the architectural differences come down to how the hardware is clocked and configured rather than raw transistor counts.

The shading and texture hardware is identical in count. Both cards have 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The R9 M375X does not have more execution units; it makes each one run faster. Its base clock is 925 MHz with a boost of 1,015 MHz. The HD 8850M runs at a much lower 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. That is a 350 MHz gap at base and a 390 MHz gap at boost, roughly a 60% higher clock speed for the R9 M375X at boost. This clock advantage is the single largest architectural differentiator between the two.

The memory subsystem also differs, although both use 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The R9 M375X runs its memory at 1,125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective data rate, producing 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8850M runs memory at 1,000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective, yielding 64.00 GB/s. The R9 M375X therefore has 8 GB/s more bandwidth, a 12.5% advantage, which matters for texture-heavy workloads and any compute task that streams data.

Those clock differences show up directly in the throughput rates. The R9 M375X achieves 16.24 GPixel/s pixel rate and 40.60 GTexel/s texture rate. The HD 8850M manages 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s. The pixel rate advantage for the R9 M375X is about 62%, and the texture rate advantage is about 62% as well. FP32 compute tells the same story: 1,299.2 GFLOPS for the R9 M375X versus 800.0 GFLOPS for the HD 8850M, a 62.4% lead. Every throughput metric scales with the clock increase, confirming that the R9 M375X is the same architecture pushed much harder.

Both cards support the same API set: DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16. Neither has ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Neither lists a TDP, slot width, or power connector in the database. The production status for both is end-of-life. The R9 M375X was released in May 2015, while the HD 8850M came out in March 2013, so the R9 M375X is the newer part by more than two years. The HD 8850M belongs to the Solar System generation (HD 8800M series), and its successor is the Gem System, which is exactly the generation the R9 M375X belongs to (R9 M300 series). The R9 M375X’s own successor is Polaris Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The data records one benchmark win for the R9 M375X and zero for the HD 8850M. In OpenCL compute, the R9 M375X wins outright with 8,273 against 7,447. That is the only head-to-head result available, so the R9 M375X takes the compute crown by default and by margin.

The R9 M375X wins in every measurable performance category. Its FP32 throughput of 1,299.2 GFLOPS is far ahead of the HD 8850M’s 800.0 GFLOPS. Its pixel rate of 16.24 GPixel/s beats 10.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 40.60 GTexel/s beats 25.00 GTexel/s. Memory bandwidth goes to the R9 M375X at 72.00 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s. The R9 M375X also has higher clocks across the board, both core and memory.

For use cases, the R9 M375X is the pick for any workload that leans on raw compute, such as OpenCL-accelerated tasks, general GPGPU work, or games that stress fill rate and texture throughput. Its 62% lead in pixel and texture rates means it will push pixels and texels noticeably faster. The 12.5% memory bandwidth advantage helps in scenarios where data transfer becomes the bottleneck.

The HD 8850M still has a role, but it is a narrower one. It shares the same 2 GB GDDR5 frame buffer and 128-bit bus, so memory capacity and bus width are identical. For workloads that fit within 2 GB and do not need maximum throughput, the HD 8850M is functionally equivalent in capacity. Its lower clocks mean it will take longer to complete the same work, but it is not deficient in features. It supports the same DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170 APIs, so software compatibility is on par.

The HD 8850M’s closest rivals among its peers are the Intel UHD Graphics 750 and the AMD Radeon R7 350, both of which it edges out by 0.1% and 0.3% respectively. That places it at the low end of discrete mobile GPUs and roughly at the level of a modern integrated GPU. The R9 M375X, by contrast, sits alongside the GeForce GTX 675MX and the Quadro K1200, which are more serious performers. Any user choosing between these two cards for compute-heavy work should pick the R9 M375X without hesitation.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon R9 M375X than the AMD Radeon HD 8850M in the shared benchmark?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the R9 M375X scores 8,273 points against the HD 8850M’s 7,447, a 11.1% advantage.

Q: Do the two cards use the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use GCN 1.0. They are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process, with the same 1,500 million transistors and the same 123 mm² die size. The R9 M375X uses the Tropo chip, while the HD 8850M uses Venus.

Q: What is the main reason the R9 M375X performs better?

A: The R9 M375X runs at much higher clocks: 925 MHz base and 1,015 MHz boost versus 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost for the HD 8850M. It also has faster memory at 4.5 Gbps effective versus 4 Gbps effective.

Q: Which card has more shading units or texture units?

A: Neither. Both have 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The performance difference comes from clock speed, not unit counts.

Q: Do both cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes. Both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, and both use PCIe 3.0 x16.

Q: Is the HD 8850M competitive with the R9 M375X in any metric?

A: The HD 8850M matches the R9 M375X in memory capacity (2 GB GDDR5) and bus width (128 bit), but it loses in bandwidth, clock speed, pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 compute.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The AMD Radeon R9 M375X outperforms the AMD Radeon HD 8850M in every recorded metric. In the sole head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, the R9 M375X leads by 11.1%. Its average benchmark score of 8,325 places it at the 43rd percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 8850M’s 7,447 places it at the 40th.

The R9 M375X is the correct choice for anyone who needs compute performance. It delivers 1,299.2 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput, 16.24 GPixel/s pixel rate, 40.60 GTexel/s texture rate, and 72.00 GB/s memory bandwidth. Each of those figures is substantially higher than the HD 8850M’s 800.0 GFLOPS, 10.00 GPixel/s, 25.00 GTexel/s, and 64.00 GB/s. It also boosts to 1,015 MHz, which is 390 MHz higher than the HD 8850M’s 625 MHz boost.

The HD 8850M is not a bad card in absolute terms. It matches the R9 M375X in memory size, bus width, shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and API support. Its 2 GB GDDR5 frame buffer is identical. But it is a slower implementation of the same architecture, and every clock-sensitive workload will suffer. Its nearest rivals are integrated graphics and low-end discrete cards like the Intel UHD Graphics 750 and the AMD Radeon R7 350, which it beats by less than 1%. That is the performance neighborhood it lives in.

For a user with an existing HD 8850M system, the R9 M375X is the clear upgrade path within the same vendor and architecture. For a user choosing between the two, the R9 M375X is the only rational pick based on the recorded data. The HD 8850M makes sense only if the workload is so light that the performance gap does not matter, and even then, the R9 M375X does not cost anything in features or compatibility.

The verdict is simple: the R9 M375X wins the head-to-head, wins the compute comparison, wins the throughput comparison, and holds a higher percentile rank. The HD 8850M is the slower part in every measurable way.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the AMD Radeon R9 M375X and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M:

• Chip: Tropo versus Venus
• Generation: Gem System (R9 M300) versus Solar System (HD 8800M)
• Release date: May 2015 versus March 2013
• Base clock: 925 MHz versus 575 MHz
• Boost clock: 1,015 MHz versus 625 MHz
• Memory clock: 1,125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) versus 1,000 MHz (4 Gbps effective)
• Memory bandwidth: 72.00 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s
• Pixel rate: 16.24 GPixel/s versus 10.00 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 40.60 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s
• FP32 compute: 1,299.2 GFLOPS versus 800.0 GFLOPS
• Geekbench OpenCL score: 8,273 versus 7,447
• Average benchmark score: 8,325 versus 7,447
• Percentile vs all GPUs: 43 versus 40
• Predecessor: Solar System versus London
• Successor: Polaris Mobile versus Gem System

Identical specifications include the 28 nm process node, TSMC foundry, 1,500 million transistors, 123 mm² die size, 12.2M / mm² transistor density, 2 GB memory size, GDDR5 memory type, 128-bit memory bus, 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, 16 ROPs, PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.2.170, and end-of-life production status. Neither card has a recorded TDP, slot width, power connector, or launch MSRP in the database.