AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE are both end-of-life mobile graphics processors, but they represent distinctly different design philosophies and performance tiers. Based on the single available benchmark, the AMD part holds a narrow edge in raw compute scores, yet the specifications reveal a generational clash between AMD's GCN architecture and NVIDIA's older Fermi design.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M wins the only direct benchmark comparison in the data: the Geekbench OpenCL test. It scores 7447 against the GTX 560 SE's 7171, a delta of 3.8 percent. This places the AMD card at the 40th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA card sits at the 39th percentile. In practical terms, this means the HD 8850M is marginally better suited for general-purpose compute workloads that leverage OpenCL, such as video encoding or physics simulations.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE does not win any benchmark in the head-to-head data, but its specification sheet points to strengths in different areas. It has a higher texture fill rate at 35.33 GTexel/s compared to the AMD's 25.00 GTexel/s, which historically indicates better performance in texture-heavy scenes. It also has more ROPs (24 vs 16) and a wider memory bus (192-bit vs 128-bit), yielding 91.87 GB/s of memory bandwidth versus the AMD's 64.00 GB/s. These figures suggest the GTX 560 SE might excel in traditional rasterization workloads where fill rate and bandwidth are critical, even though the benchmark score does not reflect this advantage.

The AMD card wins on efficiency and modern feature support. Built on a 28 nm process versus the NVIDIA's 40 nm node, the HD 8850M achieves its performance with fewer transistors (1,500 million vs 1,950 million) and a much smaller die (123 mm² vs 332 mm²). It also supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the GTX 560 SE only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed.

Architecture Differences

The most fundamental difference lies in the GPU architectures. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M uses GCN 1.0, built on the Venus chip, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE uses Fermi 2.0, built on the GF114 chip. These are from different generations: the AMD belongs to the Solar System (HD 8800M) generation, while the NVIDIA belongs to the GeForce 500 series.

Manufacturing processes are starkly different. The AMD uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA uses a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. This translates directly to transistor density: the AMD packs 12.2 million transistors per square millimeter across its 1,500 million total, while the NVIDIA manages only 5.9 million per square millimeter across 1,950 million. The NVIDIA's larger die size of 332 mm² versus 123 mm² reflects this older, less dense process.

Compute unit configurations are also wildly different. The AMD has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Despite having fewer than half the shading units, the NVIDIA achieves comparable FP32 throughput at 847.9 GFLOPS versus the AMD's 800.0 GFLOPS, thanks to its higher clock architecture. The NVIDIA's pixel rate is lower at 8.832 GPixel/s versus 10.00 GPixel/s, but its texture rate is significantly higher at 35.33 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s.

Memory subsystems diverge completely. The AMD offers 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA offers 1 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus at 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA's wider bus gives it 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth, well ahead of the AMD's 64.00 GB/s.

Interface and power characteristics also differ. The AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the NVIDIA uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The NVIDIA is a dual-slot card requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU, with a 150 W TDP. The AMD's TDP is not listed. The NVIDIA measures 210 mm in length, while the AMD's dimensions are not provided.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M has a slightly higher Geekbench OpenCL score of 7447 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE's 7171, a 3.8 percent difference. The AMD's FP32 throughput is 800.0 GFLOPS, while the NVIDIA's is 847.9 GFLOPS.

Q: Why does the GTX 560 SE have higher memory bandwidth despite lower benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 560 SE uses a 192-bit memory bus with 91.87 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 8850M uses a 128-bit bus with 64.00 GB/s. However, the Geekbench OpenCL test shows the AMD part scoring higher, indicating that raw bandwidth alone does not determine compute performance.

Q: Are these GPUs comparable in terms of process technology?

A: No. The AMD uses a 28 nm process with a transistor density of 12.2M / mm², while the NVIDIA uses a 40 nm process with a density of 5.9M / mm². The AMD's die is 123 mm², while the NVIDIA's is 332 mm².

Q: Which GPU has better API support for modern games?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: How do these GPUs compare in their nearest rival groupings?

A: The AMD's closest rival is the Intel UHD Graphics 750, which scores 7441 with a 0.1 percent delta. The NVIDIA's closest rival is the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580, which scores 7170 with a 0 percent delta.

Q: What are the power requirements for the NVIDIA card?

A: The GTX 560 SE has a 150 W TDP, requires a 450 W suggested PSU, and uses 2x 6-pin power connectors. The AMD card's TDP is not specified in the data.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M uses the Venus chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip on Fermi 2.0. The AMD is built on a 28 nm process with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die; the NVIDIA uses a 40 nm process with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die. Transistor density favors the AMD at 12.2M / mm² versus 5.9M / mm².

Clock speeds vary: the AMD has a base clock of 575 MHz and a boost of 625 MHz, while the NVIDIA has no base or boost clocks listed. Memory clocks are similar in effective terms, with the AMD at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) and the NVIDIA at 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective). Memory capacity favors the AMD at 2 GB versus 1 GB, but bus width and bandwidth favor the NVIDIA at 192-bit and 91.87 GB/s versus 128-bit and 64.00 GB/s.

Shading units favor the AMD at 640 versus 288, but TMUs favor the NVIDIA at 48 versus 40, and ROPs favor the NVIDIA at 24 versus 16. Pixel rate favors the AMD at 10.00 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s, while texture rate favors the NVIDIA at 35.33 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is nearly identical, with the NVIDIA slightly ahead at 847.9 GFLOPS versus 800.0 GFLOPS.

The NVIDIA has a 150 W TDP, dual-slot width, 2x 6-pin power connectors, a 450 W suggested PSU, and a 210 mm length, none of which are specified for the AMD. Bus interface favors the AMD with PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are listed only for the NVIDIA (2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a). Release dates differ: the AMD launched on 2013-03-31, while the NVIDIA launched on 2012-02-19.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE scores 7171. This gives the AMD a 3.8 percent victory, marking it as the winner in the single benchmark category.

This 276-point margin is narrow in absolute terms. The AMD's score places it at the 40th percentile of all GPUs, just above the NVIDIA's 39th percentile. Both cards sit in a dense cluster of competitors: the AMD's nearest rivals include the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441, 0.1 percent delta), AMD Radeon R7 350 (7425, 0.3 percent), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7472, -0.3 percent), and Intel Arc A310 (7550, -1.4 percent). The NVIDIA's nearest rivals are the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170, 0 percent), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7157, 0.2 percent), AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203, -0.4 percent), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222, -0.7 percent).

The benchmark result aligns with the architectural differences. The AMD's GCN architecture with 640 shading units and modern process node delivers higher compute throughput in OpenCL, despite lower memory bandwidth. The NVIDIA's Fermi architecture, with fewer shading units but higher fill rates, was designed for a different era of graphics workloads. The 3.8 percent gap is consistent with the cards' adjacent performance percentiles. In this single test, the AMD Radeon HD 8850M is the clear winner, but the data shows that the GTX 560 SE remains competitive through its superior texture and memory subsystems.