AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains a single head-to-head benchmark comparison between the AMD Radeon HD 8870M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this measurement, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M posts a score of 8462, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE scores 7171. The delta is 18%, meaning the AMD part finishes ahead by nearly a fifth of the NVIDIA card's output.

This is a decisive margin in the only direct comparison available. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M's score of 8462 places it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE sits at the 39th percentile. The gap between the two in percentile terms is modest, but the raw score difference is substantial enough to establish a clear hierarchy in compute workloads.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces this result. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, which averages 8458, a delta of just 0.1% behind. The AMD Radeon 880M scores 8436, a 0.3% gap. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX trails at 8427, a 0.4% difference. The only rival that beats the HD 8870M in this cluster is the Intel Arc A380, which scores 8558, a delta of -1.1% from the AMD part's perspective.

On the NVIDIA side, the GeForce GTX 560 SE's nearest rivals cluster tightly around its 7171 result. The Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 matches it at 7170, a 0% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 posts 7157, a 0.2% gap. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scores 7203, which is 0.4% ahead of the GTX 560 SE, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 reaches 7222, a 0.7% lead.

The data shows that the AMD Radeon HD 8870M does not just beat the GTX 560 SE; it does so by a margin that separates it from the entire rival cluster surrounding the NVIDIA card. The 18% delta is larger than any of the differences observed among the nearest rivals of either card, indicating that the two GPUs belong to different performance tiers in OpenCL compute.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only head-to-head benchmark in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 8462 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE's 7171, a delta of 18%.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon HD 8870M compare to its closest rival?

A: The AMD part scores 8462, which is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8458) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (8436). The only nearest rival that beats it is the Intel Arc A380 at 8558, a 1.1% lead.

Q: What is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE's position among its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 560 SE scores 7171, statistically tied with the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170, 0% delta). It trails the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203, -0.4%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222, -0.7%), while staying ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7157, 0.2% from the GTX 560 SE's perspective).

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: No. The database records zero wins for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M holds all recorded wins (1 out of 1).

Q: What are the percentile rankings of these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M ranks in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE ranks in the 39th percentile.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No, both are marked as end-of-life in the database. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M was released on 2013-03-31, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE was released on 2012-02-19.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M uses the Venus chip built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip based on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC.

The transistor counts tell a story of process efficiency. The AMD chip packs 1,500 million transistors into a die size of 123 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.2 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip holds 1,950 million transistors on a much larger 332 mm² die, giving it a density of just 5.9 million per square millimeter. The 28 nm process allows the AMD part to nearly double the transistor density despite having fewer total transistors.

Memory architecture also differs. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M uses a 128-bit memory bus, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE uses a 192-bit bus. Both use GDDR5 memory, but the bus width difference affects how memory bandwidth is delivered. The AMD part's memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA card's memory runs at 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective). The resulting bandwidth figures are 72.00 GB/s for AMD and 91.87 GB/s for NVIDIA, meaning the GTX 560 SE has the higher raw memory bandwidth.

Compute resource allocation differs significantly. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has more TMUs and ROPs but far fewer shaders. This leads to different rate limits: the AMD part achieves 12.40 GPixel/s pixel rate and 31.00 GTexel/s texture rate, while the NVIDIA card posts 8.832 GPixel/s and 35.33 GTexel/s. The AMD card wins pixel throughput, and the NVIDIA card wins texture throughput.

API support has notable gaps. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (feature level 11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE supports DirectX 12 (feature level 11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded in the database.

Specification Differences

The recorded specifications show several differences beyond the architecture. The manufacturing process differs: 28 nm for AMD versus 40 nm for NVIDIA. Transistor counts differ (1,500 million versus 1,950 million), as do die sizes (123 mm² versus 332 mm²) and transistor density (12.2M versus 5.9M per mm²).

Clock speeds are not directly comparable because the NVIDIA card has no base or boost clock recorded. The AMD part has a base clock of 725 MHz and a boost clock of 775 MHz. Memory clocks differ: 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) for AMD versus 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA.

Memory configuration differs in size and bus width: the AMD card has 2 GB on a 128-bit bus, the NVIDIA card has 1024 MB on a 192-bit bus. Bandwidth is higher on the NVIDIA card at 91.87 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s.

Compute unit counts differ across all categories. The AMD card has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Pixel rates are 12.40 GPixel/s for AMD and 8.832 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rates are 31.00 GTexel/s for AMD and 35.33 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 performance is 992.0 GFLOPS for AMD and 847.9 GFLOPS for NVIDIA.

Power and physical specifications are only recorded for the NVIDIA card. It has a TDP of 150 W, a dual-slot form factor, 2x 6-pin power connectors, a suggested PSU of 450 W, and a length of 210 mm (8.3 inches). The AMD card has no TDP, slot width, power connector, or dimension data in the database. The bus interface differs: PCIe 3.0 x16 for AMD versus PCIe 2.0 x16 for NVIDIA. Display outputs are recorded only for NVIDIA: 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins the only head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by 18%. It also leads in shading units (640 versus 288), pixel rate (12.40 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s), FP32 compute (992.0 GFLOPS versus 847.9 GFLOPS), memory capacity (2 GB versus 1024 MB), and API support (Vulkan 1.2.170 present, DirectX feature level 11_1 versus 11_0).

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE holds advantages in areas not covered by the single benchmark. It has a wider memory bus (192-bit versus 128-bit), higher memory bandwidth (91.87 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s), more TMUs (48 versus 40), more ROPs (24 versus 16), and a higher texture rate (35.33 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s). Its pixel rate is lower, but its texture throughput is higher.

For compute workloads measured by OpenCL, the AMD card is the clear choice. Its 18% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL score, combined with 992.0 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput, indicates stronger general-purpose compute capability. The higher shading unit count and newer architecture likely contribute to this result.

For scenarios that depend on memory bandwidth and texture throughput, the NVIDIA card has theoretical advantages. The 91.87 GB/s bandwidth and 35.33 GTexel/s texture rate suggest it could handle memory-heavy or texture-heavy workloads better, but no benchmark in the database confirms this.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon HD 8870M as the stronger GPU in the measured workload. Its 8462 Geekbench OpenCL score beats the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE's 7171 by 18%, and it holds the only recorded benchmark win. The 43rd percentile ranking versus the 39th percentile for NVIDIA reinforces the gap, though both cards sit in the lower-middle range of the database.

The AMD card's advantages are structural: 640 shading units against 288, 992.0 GFLOPS against 847.9 GFLOPS, 2 GB of memory against 1024 MB, and a more modern 28 nm process with transistor density of 12.2M per mm². It also supports Vulkan 1.2.170, which the NVIDIA card lacks entirely, and reaches DirectX feature level 11_1 versus 11_0.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE is not without merit. Its 192-bit bus and 91.87 GB/s bandwidth outclass the AMD card's 128-bit bus and 72.00 GB/s. Its 48 TMUs and 24 ROPs give it higher texture rate (35.33 GTexel/s) and a lower pixel rate disadvantage is less severe than the compute gap. For users whose workloads are memory-bandwidth-bound, the NVIDIA card's specification sheet looks better on paper.

However, the benchmark result is what matters in a database comparison. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins the only recorded test, and it wins by a large margin. The nearest rival cluster around the NVIDIA card (7170 to 7222) sits far below the nearest rival cluster around the AMD card (8427 to 8558). This separation indicates that the AMD part is in a different performance tier.

A buyer choosing between these two end-of-life GPUs should select the AMD Radeon HD 8870M if the workload is compute-oriented, as measured by OpenCL. The 18% score advantage and the higher FP32 throughput make it the safer choice for general-purpose tasks. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE should only be considered if memory bandwidth or texture throughput is the primary requirement, and even then, the lack of a confirming benchmark makes that a speculative pick. The recorded data supports the AMD card without qualification.