AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs AMD Radeon R7 M380 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data records a single decisive comparison between these two AMD mobile graphics processors. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9313 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462 points. This gives the R7 M380 a clear 10.1% advantage in raw compute performance, a margin that separates the two parts meaningfully in the database's rankings.

The R7 M380 sits at the 46th percentile among all GPUs, while the HD 8870M sits at the 43rd percentile. That three-point percentile gap reflects the performance delta: the newer part is not just marginally faster, it occupies a distinctly higher tier in the overall distribution. The R7 M380's average benchmark score of 9313 places it within a tight cluster of competitors. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, scores 9302, a difference of only 0.1%. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 trails by 0.2% at 9294, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is 0.4% behind at 9273. Even the AMD Radeon Vega 8, an integrated solution, comes within 1% of the R7 M380's score at 9221.

The HD 8870M, by contrast, finds itself in a slightly lower neighborhood. Its score of 8462 puts it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 at 8458 and 0.3% of the AMD Radeon 880M at 8436. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX is 0.4% behind at 8427. Notably, the Intel Arc A380 scores 8558, which is 1.1% higher than the HD 8870M, making it the only rival in the recorded data that beats this AMD part. The R7 M380, on the other hand, beats all four of its listed rivals.

In direct head-to-head terms, the R7 M380 wins the only benchmark test recorded, and the delta of 10.1% is substantial for two GPUs that share the same architecture generation and the same core counts. The performance gap stems from clock speeds and memory configuration, which the specification data makes clear.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9313 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 10.1% higher than the HD 8870M's 8462. The R7 M380 also holds a higher overall percentile rank at 46 versus 43.

Q: Do both GPUs use the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use GCN 1.0 architecture. They are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process, both contain 1,500 million transistors, and both have a die size of 123 mm².

Q: How do their memory configurations differ?

A: The R7 M380 comes with 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 32.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8870M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on the same 128-bit bus, delivering 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8870M has more than double the memory bandwidth.

Q: What clock speeds do the two GPUs run at?

A: The R7 M380 has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 915 MHz. The HD 8870M runs at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. The R7 M380's clocks are roughly 19% higher at base and 18% higher at boost.

Q: Do they support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. This means software compatibility is identical at the API level.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel and texture fill rate?

A: The R7 M380 achieves 14.64 GPixel/s and 36.60 GTexel/s. The HD 8870M achieves 12.40 GPixel/s and 31.00 GTexel/s. The R7 M380 leads by roughly 18% in pixel rate and 18% in texture rate.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on GCN 1.0 architecture, which means they share fundamental design principles. They are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process node, and both integrate 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The transistor density is identical at 12.2M per mm². This makes the two chips close relatives, with the key differences arising from implementation choices rather than architectural generation.

The R7 M380 uses the Tropo chip, while the HD 8870M uses the Venus chip. Despite the different chip names, the core configuration is identical: both have 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. This means the raw compute pipeline is the same width, and the performance difference comes entirely from clock speeds and memory subsystem characteristics.

The R7 M380 belongs to the Gem System generation (R7 M300 series), while the HD 8870M belongs to the Solar System generation (HD 8800M series). The R7 M380's successor is listed as Polaris Mobile, and the HD 8870M's successor is Gem System, which is the same generation family that contains the R7 M380. This places the two GPUs in a direct lineage: the HD 8870M is effectively the predecessor tier, and the R7 M380 is the refined follow-up.

Neither GPU features any ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Both rely on traditional GCN shader hardware, which keeps their feature sets aligned. The API support is identical as well, with both parts exposing DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. There is no compatibility advantage to either part in terms of software support.

Specification Differences

The specification table shows several clear differences between the R7 M380 and the HD 8870M. The most impactful difference is memory: the R7 M380 ships with 4 GB of DDR3, while the HD 8870M ships with 2 GB of GDDR5. Both use a 128-bit bus, but the memory type and speed create a massive bandwidth gap. The HD 8870M's memory runs at 1125 MHz with a 4.5 Gbps effective rate, yielding 72.00 GB/s. The R7 M380's memory runs at 1000 MHz with a 2 Gbps effective rate, yielding only 32.00 GB/s. The HD 8870M has 125% more bandwidth.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. The R7 M380 runs at 900 MHz base and 915 MHz boost, while the HD 8870M runs at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. This gives the R7 M380 a 175 MHz advantage at base and a 140 MHz advantage at boost. The higher clocks directly translate into higher fill rates: the R7 M380 produces 14.64 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s for the HD 8870M, and 36.60 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s.

The floating-point throughput follows the same pattern. The R7 M380 delivers 1,171.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the HD 8870M delivers 992.0 GFLOPS. That is an 18% advantage for the R7 M380, matching the clock speed delta. Both GPUs lack FP16 support, so all compute is done in single precision.

The R7 M380 was released on May 4, 2015, while the HD 8870M was released on March 31, 2013. That two-year gap explains the specification refinements. Both parts are now marked as end-of-life in the database. Neither has a recorded launch MSRP, so no pricing data is available for comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The R7 M380 wins in every recorded benchmark category. It has a higher OpenCL score, higher pixel rate, higher texture rate, higher FP32 throughput, and higher clock speeds. It also offers double the memory capacity at 4 GB versus 2 GB, which can be beneficial for workloads that exceed 2 GB of VRAM usage.

The HD 8870M does have one clear technical advantage: memory bandwidth. With 72.00 GB/s versus 32.00 GB/s, the HD 8870M can move data through its memory subsystem much faster. This could favor bandwidth-sensitive workloads, such as certain compute tasks that stream large datasets or games at high resolutions with heavy texture fetching. However, the benchmark data does not include any test that isolates memory bandwidth effects, and the overall OpenCL score still favors the R7 M380 by 10.1%.

The R7 M380 also wins on release timing. It launched two years after the HD 8870M, which means it benefits from driver maturity and a newer production generation. The R7 M380's successor is listed as Polaris Mobile, indicating that it represents the final refinement of the GCN 1.0 mobile line before a major architecture shift.

For users prioritizing raw compute performance, the R7 M380 is the clear choice. For users who specifically need higher memory bandwidth and are willing to accept lower compute throughput, the HD 8870M has a theoretical edge in that single metric. But the recorded benchmark data shows that the R7 M380's advantages in clock speed and compute outweigh the HD 8870M's bandwidth lead in the only test that matters for overall performance.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Radeon R7 M380 is the stronger GPU. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark recorded, with a 10.1% higher OpenCL score. It also holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs, at 46 versus 43. Its nearest rivals are all slightly weaker, while the HD 8870M's nearest rivals include one GPU that beats it.

The R7 M380's advantages are systemic. Higher clocks, higher fill rates, higher compute throughput, and double the memory capacity all favor the newer part. The HD 8870M's sole advantage is memory bandwidth, where its GDDR5 memory delivers 72.00 GB/s versus 32.00 GB/s for the R7 M380's DDR3. But that advantage does not translate into a benchmark win.

For anyone choosing between these two GPUs for a laptop or small-form-factor system, the R7 M380 is the recommended pick. It is faster in the recorded compute test, has more VRAM, and belongs to a newer generation with the same API support. The HD 8870M remains a capable part for its era, and its bandwidth advantage may help in specific memory-bound scenarios, but the overall performance profile favors the R7 M380 without qualification.

The R7 M380's 10.1% lead in OpenCL is consistent across the recorded metrics: pixel rate is 18% higher, texture rate is 18% higher, and FP32 throughput is 18% higher. These are not marginal differences. They represent a meaningful generational step within the same architecture family. The HD 8870M's GDDR5 memory gives it a bandwidth edge, but the R7 M380's clock speed advantage compensates in practice, as the benchmark score confirms.

In the database's ranking context, the R7 M380 sits just ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, GTX 465, and GTX 960, while the HD 8870M sits near the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 and GTX 675MX. That places the R7 M380 in a higher performance bracket overall. The verdict is clear: choose the R7 M380 for better compute performance, more memory, and a more modern implementation of the same GCN 1.0 architecture.