AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 occupy vastly different tiers of the graphics hardware spectrum, as the benchmark data confirms. While the HD 8850M is a mobile-oriented chip from the Solar System generation, the GTX 970 is a desktop-class GPU from the GeForce 900 series. The single shared benchmark test in the data set, Geekbench OpenCL, reveals a massive performance gulf, with the GTX 970 scoring 29,982 compared to the HD 8850M's 7,447. This represents a delta of -75.2% for the AMD part, meaning the NVIDIA GPU delivers approximately four times the compute performance in this specific workload. The data tells a story of two entirely different performance classes, despite the fact that both cards hold similar overall percentile rankings among all GPUs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark result is Geekbench OpenCL, and the outcome is decisive. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 scores 29,982 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7,447 points. The deltaPct of -75.2% indicates the AMD card trails by over three-quarters of the NVIDIA card's performance. This is not a marginal difference; it is a categorical one. The GTX 970's score is roughly four times higher, which aligns with its significantly larger hardware resources, including 1,664 shading units versus 640, and 56 ROPs versus 16.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides additional context. The HD 8850M's score of 7,447 places it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7,441) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7,425). It is also only 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7,472). This indicates that the HD 8850M's raw compute performance is clustered tightly with entry-level integrated and discrete solutions from several years later. Its percentile rank of 40 among all GPUs suggests it sits in the lower half of the performance distribution.

In contrast, the GTX 970's Geekbench OpenCL score of 29,982 is not reflected in its nearest rivals list, which is based on its average benchmark score of 7,157. That average is pulled down by other test results, such as a Passmark G3D score of 9,638 and a Passmark GPU Compute score of 4,073. The discrepancy between its OpenCL score and its average score highlights the variability across different benchmark suites. The GTX 970's nearest rivals, based on average score, include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7,170), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE (7,171), and AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7,203), all within a narrow 0.9% band. This suggests that while the GTX 970 excels in OpenCL compute, its overall average performance profile is more moderate when other DirectX and 2D tests are considered.

The GTX 970 also holds the only win in the head-to-head comparison, taking 1 out of 1 tests. The AMD part wins none. This is a clean sweep in the available data, reinforcing the notion that the GTX 970 is the superior performer in the one metric where they overlap.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 than the AMD Radeon HD 8850M in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The GTX 970 scores 29,982, which is 75.2% higher than the HD 8850M's 7,447. In absolute terms, the NVIDIA card achieves roughly four times the score of the AMD card in this compute test.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU, and how do they compare?

A: The GTX 970 has an average benchmark score of 7,157, while the HD 8850M has an average of 7,447. Despite the GTX 970 winning the head-to-head OpenCL test decisively, its average score is actually 3.9% lower than the HD 8850M's, due to lower scores in other benchmark suites.

Q: Where does the AMD Radeon HD 8850M rank among its nearest competitors?

A: The HD 8850M's score of 7,447 places it 0.1% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7,441) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7,425). It is also only 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (7,472), showing it is competitive with these entry-level parts.

Q: What is the direct performance delta between the two GPUs in their only shared benchmark?

A: The deltaPct is -75.2% for the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, meaning it trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 by that percentage in the Geekbench OpenCL test. This is a substantial margin that indicates a different performance class.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of their overall percentile ranking?

A: The HD 8850M sits at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 970 sits at the 39th percentile. Despite the massive difference in OpenCL compute performance, both cards occupy a similar position in the overall distribution of GPU scores.

Q: What is the performance difference between the GTX 970 and its closest rival, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile?

A: The GTX 970's average score of 7,157 is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile's average of 7,203. This shows that in average terms, the GTX 970 is essentially on par with this integrated solution, despite its much higher peak performance in other tests.

The Verdict

The data unequivocally shows that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 is the faster GPU for compute-heavy workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 29,982 dwarfs the AMD Radeon HD 8850M's 7,447, making it the clear choice for any application that leverages this API. The GTX 970 also offers a broader feature set with a higher DirectX version support (12_1 versus 11_1) and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.170). For users running modern 3D applications or GPGPU tasks, the GTX 970's architecture and memory subsystem provide a substantial advantage.

However, the narrative is not entirely one-sided. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M actually holds a higher average benchmark score (7,447) compared to the GTX 970 (7,157). This is a counterintuitive result, as it suggests that in a mix of other tests, such as Passmark's DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 suites, the HD 8850M performs relatively better than the GTX 970. The HD 8850M also has a smaller die size (123 mm² versus 398 mm²) and lower transistor count (1,500 million versus 5,200 million), which could indicate lower power consumption, though no TDP is listed for the AMD part to confirm this.

For a user prioritizing raw compute performance in OpenCL, the GeForce GTX 970 is the only logical choice. Its performance in that specific test is in a different league. For a user who needs a low-profile, space-constrained solution, the HD 8850M's unspecified dimensions and lower resource count might be more fitting. The GTX 970 is a dual-slot card with a length of 267 mm, requiring a 300 W suggested power supply and 2x 6-pin power connectors, which is not a trivial installation. The HD 8850M, being a mobile chip, likely has no such requirements, but the data does not specify its physical characteristics. Ultimately, the GTX 970 wins on raw performance metrics, while the HD 8850M's value lies in its compact design and stronger showing in non-OpenCL benchmarks.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every core specification. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 features 1,664 shading units, 104 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 56 render output units (ROPs). The AMD Radeon HD 8850M is equipped with 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This translates to a pixel rate of 65.97 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 122.5 GTexel/s for the GTX 970, versus 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s for the HD 8850M. The clock speeds also differ significantly, with the GTX 970 running at a base of 1050 MHz and a boost of 1178 MHz, while the HD 8850M operates at 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost.

Memory configurations are also starkly different. The GTX 970 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8850M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 64.00 GB/s. The memory clock is 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) for the NVIDIA card, versus 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) for the AMD card. The GTX 970's floating-point performance is listed at 3.920 TFLOPS, while the HD 8850M is rated at 800.0 GFLOPS. The GTX 970 also has a TDP of 148 W, a dual-slot width, 2x 6-pin power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 300 W, none of which are specified for the AMD part.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M is built on the Graphics Core Next (GCN) 1.0 architecture, using the Venus chip. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 is based on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, using the GM204 chip. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the GTX 970 packs 5,200 million transistors into a 398 mm² die, while the HD 8850M has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The transistor density is slightly higher on the NVIDIA chip at 13.1M / mm² versus 12.2M / mm².

The API support reflects the newer architecture of the GTX 970. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 8850M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 970's display outputs are specified as 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.2, while the HD 8850M's display outputs are not listed. The generational lineage also differs, with the HD 8850M coming from the Solar System generation (HD 8800M) and the GTX 970 from the GeForce 900 series. The predecessor for the AMD card is listed as "London" and the successor as "Gem System," while the GTX 970's predecessor is "GeForce 700" and successor is "GeForce 10." These differences underscore that the GTX 970 is a newer, larger, and more feature-rich design aimed at high-performance desktop use, whereas the HD 8850M is a smaller, older mobile solution.