AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs AMD Radeon R9 M375 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it tells a clear story. The AMD Radeon R9 M375 scores 10457 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462 points. That is a 23.6% advantage for the R9 M375, a significant gap in compute workloads.

This single benchmark win defines the head-to-head record: the R9 M375 takes 1 win, the HD 8870M takes 0. The margin is not a minor edge; it is a substantial performance separation. For context, the R9 M375 sits at the 48th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the HD 8870M sits at the 43rd percentile. That five-point percentile gap aligns with the measured score difference.

Looking at the R9 M375's nearest rivals, its average benchmark score of 10070 places it just ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M (10043, 0.3% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M (10013, 0.6% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (9959, 1.1% ahead). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A (10273) by 2%. These are tight margins, meaning the R9 M375 sits in a competitive cluster where small score differences separate cards.

The HD 8870M's average score of 8462 puts it in a similar tight grouping. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8458), 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (8436), and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8427). It trails the Intel Arc A380 (8558) by 1.1%. So while the HD 8870M is slower than the R9 M375, it is not an outlier in its own performance class; it trades blows with other mobile GPUs from its era.

The OpenCL result is the only recorded benchmark, so the analysis rests on that single data point. The R9 M375 is clearly the faster part in compute tasks. The 23.6% delta is large enough that it would likely translate to visible real-world differences in OpenCL-accelerated applications, though the database does not include gaming or other workload tests to confirm.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs use the same GCN 1.0 architecture, and both are built on TSMC's 28 nm process node. The chip designations differ: the R9 M375 uses the Tropo chip, while the HD 8870M uses the Venus chip. Despite the different names, the underlying silicon is identical in scale. Both have exactly 1,500 million transistors and a die size of 123 mm², resulting in the same transistor density of 12.2M per mm².

The core configurations are also identical. Each GPU has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. Neither has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores. The compute capacities differ only because of clock speeds, not because of core counts.

The R9 M375 runs at a base clock of 1000 MHz with a boost clock of 1015 MHz. The HD 8870M runs at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. That clock difference drives the performance gap. The R9 M375's pixel rate is 16.24 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s for the HD 8870M. Texture rate is 40.60 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 1,299.2 GFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS. In every throughput metric, the R9 M375 is ahead by roughly 28 to 31%, consistent with the clock advantage.

Memory is where the two parts diverge more sharply. The R9 M375 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, running at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective. That yields 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8870M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, running at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective. That yields 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 2.5 times higher than the R9 M375. This is a critical distinction: the R9 M375 has the compute advantage, but the HD 8870M has the memory bandwidth advantage.

Both GPUs support the same API set: DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16. Both are end-of-life products. The R9 M375 was released in May 2015, while the HD 8870M was released in March 2013. The R9 M375's generation is listed as "Gem System (R9 M300)" with a predecessor of "Solar System" and successor of "Polaris Mobile." The HD 8870M's generation is "Solar System (HD 8800M)" with a predecessor of "London" and successor of "Gem System." This confirms the HD 8870M is the older part, and the R9 M375 is its direct replacement in AMD's mobile lineup.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute tasks?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 scores 10457 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 23.6% higher than the HD 8870M's 8462. The R9 M375 wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark.

Q: Do these GPUs have the same core configuration?

A: Yes. Both have 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The difference in performance comes from clock speeds, not core counts.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The HD 8870M, with 72.00 GB/s from GDDR5 memory, versus 28.80 GB/s from the R9 M375's DDR3 memory. Both use a 128-bit bus and 2 GB capacity.

Q: Are these GPUs from the same architecture generation?

A: Both use GCN 1.0 architecture and the same 28 nm TSMC process node. They also have identical transistor counts (1,500 million) and die size (123 mm²). The R9 M375 is the newer product, released in May 2015 versus March 2013 for the HD 8870M.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The R9 M375's average score of 10070 is within 2% of several competitors, including the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M (0.3% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro 5300M (0.6% ahead), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (1.1% ahead), while trailing the GTX 950A by 2%. The HD 8870M's average of 8462 is within 1.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, AMD Radeon 880M, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX, while trailing the Intel Arc A380 by 1.1%.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: Both are identical in this regard. Each supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 M375 | AMD Radeon HD 8870M |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | Tropo | Venus |

| Generation | Gem System (R9 M300) | Solar System (HD 8800M) |

| Release Date | May 2015 | March 2013 |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 725 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1015 MHz | 775 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective | 1125 MHz, 4.5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | 72.00 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 16.24 GPixel/s | 12.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 40.60 GTexel/s | 31.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1,299.2 GFLOPS | 992.0 GFLOPS |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 10457 | 8462 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 10070 | 8462 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 48 | 43 |

| Predecessor | Solar System | London |

| Successor | Polaris Mobile | Gem System |

The two GPUs share identical specs in several areas: both have 1,500 million transistors, 123 mm² die size, 12.2M/mm² transistor density, 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 2 GB memory, 128-bit bus, PCIe 3.0 x16, and the same API support. The differences are concentrated in clocks, memory type, and resulting throughput metrics.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for compute workloads: the AMD Radeon R9 M375. It is 23.6% faster in the only recorded benchmark, has a higher average score (10070 versus 8462), and sits five percentile points higher in the overall GPU ranking. The clock advantage (1000 MHz base versus 725 MHz base) drives higher pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 throughput.

However, the HD 8870M is not without merit. Its GDDR5 memory provides 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 2.5 times the R9 M375's 28.80 GB/s. For memory-bound workloads, the HD 8870M could potentially be competitive or even superior, though no benchmark in the database directly tests this. The database only records OpenCL results, which favor the R9 M375.

For a buyer choosing between these two end-of-life mobile GPUs today, the R9 M375 is the safer pick for general compute and likely most gaming scenarios, given its substantial compute lead. The HD 8870M should only be considered if the specific application relies heavily on memory bandwidth and is known to be bandwidth-limited rather than compute-limited. The R9 M375's higher percentile ranking (48 versus 43) reinforces its overall superiority in the database's measurements.

Where Each One Wins

AMD Radeon R9 M375 wins in:

• Compute-heavy workloads: 23.6% faster in OpenCL, with 1,299.2 GFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS
• Pixel throughput: 16.24 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s
• Texture throughput: 40.60 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s
• Overall benchmark standing: 48th percentile versus 43rd, with a higher average score (10070 versus 8462)
• Modern software compatibility: released in May 2015 versus March 2013, with a newer generation designation (Gem System versus Solar System)

AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins in:

• Memory bandwidth: 72.00 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s, a 2.5x advantage from GDDR5 versus DDR3
• Memory clock speed: 1125 MHz versus 900 MHz
• Bandwidth-sensitive applications: tasks that are limited by memory throughput rather than compute throughput would favor the HD 8870M, though no benchmark in the database confirms this advantage

The R9 M375 wins the only recorded head-to-head test, but the HD 8870M's memory subsystem is a legitimate counterpoint. In practice, the R9 M375's compute lead of roughly 30% in raw throughput metrics is likely to dominate most real workloads, since few mobile applications are purely bandwidth-bound. The HD 8870M's bandwidth edge would matter most in specific scenarios like high-resolution texture streaming or certain compute kernels that access memory heavily, but the database does not provide data to quantify that advantage.