AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs AMD Radeon R9 M360 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M and the AMD Radeon R9 M360 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions built on the same foundational GCN 1.0 architecture and 28 nm TSMC process. Despite sharing a common lineage and identical transistor counts, the benchmark data reveals a narrow but clear performance hierarchy, with the older HD 8870M edging out its successor in compute workloads. This analysis breaks down the measurable differences, contextualizes the scores against their nearest rivals, and determines which GPU is better suited for specific use cases based strictly on the provided facts.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, which measures general-purpose compute performance. Here, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462, while the AMD Radeon R9 M360 scores 8211. This gives the HD 8870M a 3.1% lead in this specific workload. While a 3.1% delta is not a massive margin, it is a consistent and measurable advantage for the older part. The HD 8870M’s victory in this single head-to-head contest is reflected in the win tally, which shows the HD 8870M with 1 win and the R9 M360 with 0.

It is notably the R9 M360 has an additional benchmark entry — a Geekbench Vulkan score of 8047 — which is not present for the HD 8870M. This means the R9 M360 has been validated in a modern graphics API, whereas the HD 8870M’s data only includes OpenCL. However, for the purpose of a direct comparison, the OpenCL result is the sole common metric. In that test, the HD 8870M’s higher shading unit count and texture unit count appear to outweigh the R9 M360’s higher clock speeds.

Looking at the relative positioning of each card among its peers, the HD 8870M sits at the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, while the R9 M360 sits at the 42nd percentile. This is a razor-thin difference in overall standing, but it aligns with the head-to-head result. The HD 8870M’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, which scores 8458, a delta of just 0.1%. This puts the HD 8870M in very close competition with a modern entry-level discrete GPU. The R9 M360, on the other hand, is virtually tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, which scores 8135, a delta of -0.1%. This suggests that while the two AMD cards are close to each other, they are competing in slightly different performance tiers relative to NVIDIA’s lineup.

The data also shows that the HD 8870M is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (score 8436) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (score 8427). Conversely, it trails the Intel Arc A380 (score 8558) by 1.1%. For the R9 M360, it is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 945M (score 8099) and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GRID K2 (score 8080), but it falls 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (score 8167). These figures illustrate that both cards are firmly entrenched in the entry-level to mid-range mobile segment, with the HD 8870M holding a slight edge in raw compute throughput.

The Verdict

From the data, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M is the faster GPU in OpenCL compute tasks, outperforming the R9 M360 by 3.1%. If the primary use case is general-purpose compute or any workload that leverages OpenCL, the HD 8870M is the clear choice. Its higher shading unit count (640 vs 512) and texture units (40 vs 32) provide a structural advantage that its lower base and boost clocks (725 MHz and 775 MHz vs 900 MHz and 925 MHz) cannot fully overcome. The HD 8870M also holds a higher percentile ranking (43rd vs 42nd) and a higher average benchmark score (8462 vs 8129), reinforcing its status as the more capable compute part.

However, the R9 M360 is not without its merits. It offers double the memory capacity at 4 GB compared to the HD 8870M’s 2 GB, both using GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with identical 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. For applications that are memory-capacity sensitive, such as larger texture datasets or certain compute buffers, the R9 M360’s extra memory could be a deciding factor. Additionally, the R9 M360 has a Vulkan benchmark score of 8047, indicating that it has been tested and validated in a modern graphics API, which may suggest better compatibility with newer software titles that rely on Vulkan. The R9 M360 also has a higher pixel rate (14.80 GPixel/s vs 12.40 GPixel/s) due to its higher clocks, which could benefit fill-rate-bound scenarios.

Who should pick which? Users prioritizing raw OpenCL compute throughput and a slightly higher overall benchmark standing should choose the AMD Radeon HD 8870M. Users who need more video memory or who plan to run applications that utilize the Vulkan API should lean toward the AMD Radeon R9 M360. The R9 M360’s placement in the Gem System generation and its later release date (2015-05-04 vs 2013-03-31) might also appeal to those who prefer a more recent product cycle, though the performance data does not show a generational improvement. In fact, the data suggests a regression in compute performance for the newer part, making the HD 8870M the better performer in this specific head-to-head.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462, which is 3.1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M360’s score of 8211.

Q: Does the Radeon R9 M360 have a benchmark that the HD 8870M lacks?

A: Yes, the R9 M360 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 8047. The HD 8870M’s benchmark data only includes the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of memory capacity?

A: The Radeon R9 M360 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the Radeon HD 8870M has 2 GB. Both use a 128-bit bus and have the same 72.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU among all GPUs?

A: The HD 8870M is at the 43rd percentile, while the R9 M360 is at the 42nd percentile.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card?

A: The HD 8870M’s closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, with a delta of 0.1%. The R9 M360’s closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, with a delta of -0.1%.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The Radeon R9 M360 has a boost clock of 925 MHz, which is higher than the HD 8870M’s boost clock of 775 MHz.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specification fields. The most prominent difference is memory size, where the R9 M360 offers 4 GB compared to the HD 8870M’s 2 GB. The shading unit count also differs significantly: the HD 8870M has 640 shading units, while the R9 M360 has 512. This is a 128-unit advantage for the HD 8870M. Similarly, the texture unit count is 40 on the HD 8870M versus 32 on the R9 M360. The ROP count is identical on both at 16.

Clock speeds are another area of divergence. The R9 M360 has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 925 MHz, while the HD 8870M operates at a base clock of 725 MHz and a boost clock of 775 MHz. This gives the R9 M360 a 175 MHz advantage at base and a 150 MHz advantage at boost. The memory clock is the same at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) for both.

The derived performance rates reflect these differences. The HD 8870M achieves a texture rate of 31.00 GTexel/s, slightly higher than the R9 M360’s 29.60 GTexel/s. However, the R9 M360 achieves a higher pixel rate of 14.80 GPixel/s versus the HD 8870M’s 12.40 GPixel/s. In terms of raw floating-point compute, the HD 8870M delivers 992.0 GFLOPS compared to the R9 M360’s 947.2 GFLOPS.

Other differences include the chip name (Venus for the HD 8870M, Tropo for the R9 M360), the generation (Solar System (HD 8800M) for the HD 8870M, Gem System (R9 M300) for the R9 M360), and the release date (2013-03-31 for the HD 8870M, 2015-05-04 for the R9 M360). The predecessor and successor fields also differ: the HD 8870M’s predecessor is London and its successor is Gem System, while the R9 M360’s predecessor is Solar System and its successor is Polaris Mobile.

Architecture Differences

Both the AMD Radeon HD 8870M and the AMD Radeon R9 M360 are built on the same GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process node. They share identical transistor counts of 1,500 million and the same die size of 123 mm², resulting in the same transistor density of 12.2M per mm². The foundry, process node, and basic architecture are therefore completely identical between the two.

The core configurable units are where the architectural differences manifest. The HD 8870M utilizes a larger compute configuration with 640 shading units and 40 texture mapping units, whereas the R9 M360 uses a more modest configuration of 512 shading units and 32 texture mapping units. Both have 16 ROPs. This means the HD 8870M has 25% more shading units and 25% more TMUs than the R9 M360, which explains its higher texture rate and FP32 throughput despite lower clock speeds.

The memory subsystem is architecturally similar: both use GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with a memory clock of 1125 MHz and a bandwidth of 72.00 GB/s. The only difference is capacity, with the R9 M360 doubling the HD 8870M’s 2 GB to 4 GB. Neither GPU features ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as indicated by the null values in the data.

Both GPUs support the same API levels: DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. They also share the same PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface. The R9 M360’s inclusion of a Vulkan benchmark score suggests that it has been validated for Vulkan workloads, but the API support itself is identical. In summary, the architectural differences are limited to the number of active compute units and memory capacity; the underlying process, die, and API feature set are unchanged.