AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M and AMD Radeon HD 8850M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but they represent different generations of design philosophy. The data shows a clear overall winner in the GTX 950M, which secures a 30.9% lead over the HD 8850M in the single head-to-head benchmark available, while the older AMD part holds its own in specific architectural areas. This analysis breaks down where each chip excels, based strictly on the benchmark and specification data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 9,745 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M manages 7,447 points. That translates to a 30.9% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial margin that places the GTX 950M in a different performance tier.

Context from the nearest rival lists reinforces this gap. The GTX 950M’s average benchmark score across all tests is 8,135, placing it at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitors in that dataset are the AMD Radeon R9 M360 (8,129, just 0.1% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (8,167, 0.4% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce 945M (8,099, 0.4% behind). The GTX 950M sits comfortably in that cluster, trading blows with much larger desktop parts like the GTX 980.

By contrast, the HD 8850M’s average score is 7,447, putting it at the 40th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7,441, 0.1% behind) and the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7,425, 0.3% behind), but also the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7,472, 0.3% ahead) and Intel Arc A310 (7,550, 1.4% ahead). The HD 8850M is essentially neck-and-neck with integrated graphics and low-end desktop cards, whereas the GTX 950M is competing with far more powerful discrete options.

In the OpenCL test specifically, the GTX 950M's 9,745 is not just a win; it is a statement. The HD 8850M would need a 30.9% improvement just to tie. This single benchmark result dominates the head-to-head comparison, making the NVIDIA part the unequivocal choice for compute-heavy workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, with an average score of 8,135 compared to the AMD Radeon HD 8850M's 7,447.

Q: How much faster is the GTX 950M in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The GTX 950M scores 9,745 versus 7,447 for the HD 8850M, a delta of 30.9%.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The GTX 950M uses 4 GB of DDR3 memory with a 128-bit bus and 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 8850M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory with the same 128-bit bus but higher bandwidth at 64.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The GTX 950M has a density of 12.6M transistors per mm², slightly higher than the HD 8850M's 12.2M per mm².

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but at different feature levels. The GTX 950M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the HD 8850M supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: What is the release date gap between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M was released on 2013-03-31, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M followed on 2015-03-12.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on entirely different architectures, which explains their divergent performance profiles. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M uses the GM107 chip based on the Maxwell architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,870 million transistors into a 148 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The AMD Radeon HD 8850M, in contrast, uses the Venus chip based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture, also on a 28 nm TSMC process. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a smaller 123 mm² die, giving a density of 12.2M per mm².

Both GPUs share the same core counts: 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. This means the fundamental execution resources are identical. The performance difference must therefore come from clock speeds and architectural efficiency. The GTX 950M operates at a base clock of 993 MHz with a boost up to 1,124 MHz, while the HD 8850M runs at a much lower 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. That clock advantage alone gives the NVIDIA part a massive theoretical throughput edge.

The memory subsystems also diverge significantly. The GTX 950M pairs its 4 GB frame buffer with DDR3 memory running at an effective 1,800 Mbps, resulting in 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth over a 128-bit bus. The HD 8850M uses only 2 GB but opts for GDDR5 memory at an effective 4 Gbps, doubling the bandwidth to 64.00 GB/s over the same 128-bit interface. This is a classic trade-off: NVIDIA chose capacity, AMD chose speed.

API support also differs. The GTX 950M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 8850M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The NVIDIA part’s newer architecture also enables higher pixel and texture rates: 17.98 GPixel/s and 44.96 GTexel/s for the GTX 950M versus 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s for the HD 8850M. The FP32 compute is equally lopsided, with the GTX 950M delivering 1,438.7 GFLOPS against the HD 8850M's 800.0 GFLOPS.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The GTX 950M has a 4 GB DDR3 frame buffer, while the HD 8850M has 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth heavily favors the AMD part: 64.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s. Clock speeds are dramatically different: the GTX 950M runs at 993 MHz base and 1,124 MHz boost, while the HD 8850M is limited to 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost.

The GTX 950M’s power envelope is rated at a 75 W TDP, whereas the HD 8850M has no TDP listed in the data. The bus interface also differs: the GTX 950M uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the HD 8850M uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The NVIDIA part has a slot width of "IGP" and no power connectors, indicating it is designed for integration into a laptop motherboard, while the AMD part lacks any slot width or connector data.

Transistor counts and die sizes are distinct: 1,870 million transistors on 148 mm² for the GTX 950M versus 1,500 million on 123 mm² for the HD 8850M. Pixel and texture rates favor NVIDIA by wide margins, as do FP32 compute figures. The GTX 950M also has a higher transistor density at 12.6M per mm² versus 12.2M per mm². Release dates are nearly two years apart, with the HD 8850M launching on 2013-03-31 and the GTX 950M on 2015-03-12. Their API support also differs, with the GTX 950M offering Vulkan 1.4 and the HD 8850M offering Vulkan 1.2.170, plus the DirectX feature-level difference noted earlier.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M wins outright in raw performance. It is 30.9% faster in OpenCL, has a higher average benchmark score (8,135 vs 7,447), and ranks at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs compared to the HD 8850M's 40th. The GTX 950M also offers double the memory capacity at 4 GB, which is valuable for modern textures and larger datasets. Its higher clock speeds and compute rates make it the superior choice for any GPU-accelerated workload, from gaming to content creation. The data shows it competes with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 in average score, a desktop flagship, which speaks volumes about its efficiency.

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M has one clear advantage: memory bandwidth. Its GDDR5 memory delivers 64.00 GB/s, more than double the GTX 950M's 28.80 GB/s. In scenarios where bandwidth is the bottleneck—such as certain compute kernels or high-resolution texture streaming—the HD 8850M could theoretically hold its own despite the lower clocks. It also has a wider PCIe 3.0 x16 interface versus the GTX 950M's x8, which could reduce transfer bottlenecks in some workloads. However, the benchmark data does not reflect any such advantage in the OpenCL test, where it loses decisively.

For practical use, the GTX 950M is the clear winner. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark, has the higher average score, and offers more memory. The HD 8850M’s higher bandwidth is an interesting architectural note but does not translate to a benchmark victory. Users seeking maximum performance from these two mobile parts should choose the GTX 950M without hesitation. The HD 8850M remains a competent part for its era, but the data shows it is outclassed by the newer NVIDIA solution in every measurable way.