GPU Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M and NVIDIA T600 occupy vastly different eras of GPU design, yet their aggregate benchmark scores place them within striking distance of one another. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, where the NVIDIA T600 delivers a Geekbench OpenCL score of 27875 against the AMD Radeon HD 8850M’s 7447, a decisive delta of -73.3% favoring the T600. This massive gap in raw compute performance is the defining statistical relationship between these two parts. However, the average benchmark scores tell a more nuanced story, with the AMD card averaging 7447 and the NVIDIA card averaging 7035, meaning the T600’s average is dragged down by its lower-scoring DirectX and compute tests despite its OpenCL dominance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is not close. The NVIDIA T600 scores 27875, which is roughly 3.7 times higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8850M’s 7447. The deltaPct of -73.3% indicates the AMD card trails by nearly three-quarters of the performance in this specific workload. This suggests that for general-purpose GPU compute tasks leveraging OpenCL, the T600 is in a completely different performance class, likely due to its newer architecture and significantly higher clock speeds. The AMD card’s 7447 points place it near the 40th percentile of all GPUs, while the T600’s 27875 OpenCL result is not reflected in its overall percentile of 39, which is based on its average score.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides context for their respective standings. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M’s closest competitor is the Intel UHD Graphics 750, which scores 7441, a mere 0.1% difference. This indicates the AMD card is positioned at a performance tier where integrated graphics are competitive. Conversely, the NVIDIA T600’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M, scoring 7023, with the T600 leading by just 0.2%. This clustering suggests that despite its OpenCL prowess, the T600’s average performance aligns it with older mobile gaming GPUs. The T600 also edges out the AMD Radeon R5 M240 (6975) by 0.9% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M (6946) by 1.3%, while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7157) by 1.7%. These narrow margins around the 7000-point mark highlight that the T600’s overall profile is mid-pack, even though its OpenCL score is exceptional.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs is stark. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Venus chip, and fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a die size of 123 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.2M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA T600 uses the Turing architecture with the TU117 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. The T600 packs 4,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, achieving a density of 23.5M per mm². This nearly threefold increase in transistor count and nearly double the density reflects the generational leap in manufacturing and design complexity. The T600’s architecture supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the AMD card is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1), indicating a lower feature level for modern graphics APIs. Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the T600’s Vulkan support is 1.4 compared to the AMD card’s 1.2.170.

Clock speeds further illustrate the architectural divide. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M operates at a base clock of 575 MHz with a boost of 625 MHz, while the NVIDIA T600 runs at 735 MHz base and 1335 MHz boost. This means the T600’s boost clock is more than double the AMD card’s, directly contributing to its higher throughput. Memory technology also differs fundamentally: the AMD card uses 2 GB of GDDR5 at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) delivering 64.00 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the T600 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 at 1250 MHz (10 Gbps effective) for 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The T600’s memory bandwidth is 2.5 times higher, which is critical for compute-heavy tasks and high-resolution textures. Shading units and TMUs are identical at 640 and 40, respectively, but the T600 doubles the ROP count to 32 versus the AMD card’s 16. This leads to a pixel rate of 42.72 GPixel/s for the T600 versus 10.00 GPixel/s for the AMD card, and a texture rate of 53.40 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the available benchmark data, the NVIDIA T600 wins the sole head-to-head test categorically, but its broader benchmark suite reveals specific strengths and weaknesses. In Geekbench Vulkan, the T600 scores 25580, demonstrating strong cross-API compute performance. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M has no Vulkan score recorded, so the T600 wins by default in that domain. For DirectX workloads, the T600 shows variable results: it scores 114 in Passmark DirectX 9, 49 in DirectX 11, 32 in DirectX 10, and 25 in DirectX 12. These scores suggest that the T600 is relatively stronger in legacy DirectX 9 applications, where it achieves its highest Passmark score, while its DirectX 12 performance is comparatively weak. This pattern implies that the T600’s Turing architecture excels in older API paths but does not scale as well in modern DirectX 12 titles, possibly due to driver optimization or architectural priorities. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M has no recorded Passmark scores, so no direct comparison is possible for those tests. In Passmark G3D, the T600 scores 6479, and in Passmark G2D it scores 756, with a GPU compute score of 2402. These results indicate the T600 is a competent 2D and 3D performer, but its compute score is modest relative to its OpenCL output.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet reveals several key differences beyond architecture. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M has a TDP that is not listed, while the NVIDIA T600 is rated at 40 W. The T600 is a single-slot card with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 200 W, whereas the AMD card’s slot width and power requirements are unspecified. The T600 features 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the AMD card’s display outputs are not listed. Both use a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, so that is not a differentiator. The T600 has a base clock of 735 MHz and boost of 1335 MHz, versus 575 MHz and 625 MHz for the AMD card. Memory size differs: 4 GB GDDR6 for the T600 versus 2 GB GDDR5 for the AMD card, with bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s. The T600’s FP32 performance is 1.709 TFLOPS, while the AMD card is 800.0 GFLOPS; the T600 also lists FP16 at 3.418 TFLOPS (2:1), which the AMD card does not specify. The T600 has a pixel rate of 42.72 GPixel/s and texture rate of 53.40 GTexel/s, while the AMD card is at 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s. The T600’s transistor density is 23.5M / mm² versus 12.2M / mm² for the AMD card, with die sizes of 200 mm² versus 123 mm². The T600 has 4,700 million transistors versus 1,500 million. The AMD card’s shading units, TMUs, and ROPs are 640, 40, and 16, respectively; the T600 has 640, 40, and 32. Both are end-of-life, but the AMD card was released in 2013, while the T600 was released in 2021.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA T600 scores 27875, while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, giving the T600 a 73.3% advantage in that benchmark.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M averages 7447, while the NVIDIA T600 averages 7035, meaning the AMD card has a slightly higher average despite losing the head-to-head OpenCL test.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The AMD card has 2 GB of GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the T600 has 4 GB of GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus and 160.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are there any DirectX benchmark scores for the AMD card?

A: No, the AMD Radeon HD 8850M has no recorded Passmark DirectX scores, whereas the T600 has scores for DirectX 9 (114), 10 (32), 11 (49), and 12 (25).

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The NVIDIA T600 contains 4,700 million transistors, while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M has 1,500 million transistors.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The NVIDIA T600 supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the AMD Radeon HD 8850M supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the NVIDIA T600 for anyone prioritizing compute performance, as its Geekbench OpenCL score of 27875 dwarfs the AMD Radeon HD 8850M’s 7447. The T600 also offers superior memory bandwidth (160.0 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s), double the ROPs (32 versus 16), and a more advanced architecture with higher clock speeds. For tasks like OpenCL-based acceleration, the T600 is categorically superior. However, the AMD Radeon HD 8850M holds a slight edge in average benchmark score (7447 versus 7035), which suggests that in a broad mix of workloads, the older card performs comparably to the T600’s average, despite the T600’s peak compute advantage. The T600’s Passmark scores are mixed, with strong DirectX 9 performance (114) but weaker DirectX 12 (25), indicating that modern gaming workloads may not exploit its full potential. The AMD card lacks recorded DirectX and Vulkan scores, so its performance in those areas is unknown from the data. For a user needing raw compute and modern API support, the T600 is the choice. For someone relying on the average benchmark profile, the AMD card is statistically competitive, though its 2013 release and lower specifications suggest it is a legacy option. Ultimately, the T600 wins the head-to-head decisively, but the aggregate data warns against dismissing the AMD card entirely, as its average score keeps it within 5.9% of the T600’s average.