AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single direct comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M and the AMD Radeon HD 8870M: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this workload, the GTX 850M scores 9,821 points against 8,462 points for the HD 8870M. That is a 16.1% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial margin in a compute-oriented benchmark that stresses raw shader throughput and memory subsystem efficiency.

Contextualizing the GTX 850M's score against its nearest rivals clarifies its standing. The 850M sits within 0.3% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9,273) and within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (9,294), while trailing the AMD Radeon R7 M380 (9,313) by 0.1%. Its average benchmark score of 9,302 places it in the 46th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The 850M's OpenCL result is clearly not an outlier; it aligns tightly with a cluster of desktop-class parts from a generation prior.

The HD 8870M, by contrast, posts a single recorded Geekbench OpenCL score of 8,462, which is also its average benchmark score. This places it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals bracket it closely: the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458) is 0.1% slower, the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436) is 0.3% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427) is 0.4% slower. The Intel Arc A380 (8,558) sits 1.1% ahead. The HD 8870M's position among these parts shows it performing at a level consistent with entry-level discrete GPUs from several years later, but it does not reach the performance tier occupied by the GTX 850M.

The 16.1% delta in the head-to-head OpenCL test is the only direct benchmark comparison available. It is decisive in favor of the GTX 850M, and the surrounding percentile data reinforces that the gap is not a measurement anomaly. The 850M's average score is 840 points higher than the HD 8870M's average, a difference that corresponds to roughly 9.9% of the AMD part's score. While the two GPUs share identical shader core counts and texture unit counts, the NVIDIA part converts that hardware into higher measured performance.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 850M wins the only recorded benchmark comparison, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by 16.1%. Given that OpenCL exercises general-purpose compute workloads, the NVIDIA part demonstrates a clear advantage in tasks that rely on parallel floating-point execution. Its FP32 throughput is rated at 1,154.6 GFLOPS, compared to 992.0 GFLOPS for the AMD part, a difference of roughly 16.4% that tracks closely with the observed benchmark delta. The 850M also achieves a higher pixel rate (14.43 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s) and texture rate (36.08 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s), which suggests it should also hold an edge in rasterization-bound scenarios, even though no direct gaming benchmark is recorded.

The HD 8870M's advantages are structural rather than performance-based. It uses GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus, yielding 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, more than double the GTX 850M's 32.03 GB/s from DDR3. In bandwidth-sensitive workloads, such as high-resolution texturing or certain compute kernels with large data sets, the AMD part could theoretically narrow the gap. However, the recorded OpenCL data shows no such scenario; the GTX 850M wins outright. The HD 8870M's higher memory clock (1,125 MHz base, 4.5 Gbps effective) does not translate into a benchmark victory in the available data.

For users prioritizing compute throughput and overall rasterization rates, the GTX 850M is the stronger choice based on the recorded measurements. For those who value memory bandwidth as a specification, the HD 8870M offers a more capable memory subsystem, but the benchmark evidence does not show that advantage producing a win in any tested workload.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M is built on Maxwell, using the GM107 chip, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M uses GCN 1.0 with the Venus chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, so the process node is identical. The transistor counts differ meaningfully: the GM107 packs 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, for a transistor density of 12.6 million per mm². The Venus chip contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 12.2 million per mm². NVIDIA's chip is both larger and denser, which contributes to its higher compute throughput.

Both GPUs share the same core configuration in terms of raw counts: 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The internal organization differs, however. Maxwell's shader architecture is known for higher per-clock efficiency compared to GCN 1.0, and the clock speeds reflect different design philosophies. The HD 8870M lists a base clock of 725 MHz and a boost clock of 775 MHz, while the GTX 850M does not report base or boost clocks in the database. The GTX 850M's memory operates at 1,001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) with DDR3, whereas the HD 8870M's memory runs at 1,125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) with GDDR5. Both use a 128-bit memory bus.

Feature support also diverges. The GTX 850M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part has a higher Vulkan version, while the AMD part has a slightly higher DirectX feature level. Neither GPU includes ray tracing or tensor cores, as both predate those technologies.

Power characteristics differ as well. The GTX 850M has a TDP of 45 W and is listed as an integrated graphics package (IGP) with no power connectors required. The HD 8870M has no TDP listed in the database. The GTX 850M's lower power envelope, combined with its higher performance, indicates a more efficient design.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across several recorded specifications. The GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip with Maxwell architecture, while the HD 8870M uses the Venus chip with GCN 1.0. Transistor count is 1,870 million for NVIDIA versus 1,500 million for AMD. Die size is 148 mm² versus 123 mm². Transistor density is 12.6 million per mm² versus 12.2 million per mm².

Clock specifications are only partially recorded. The GTX 850M has no base or boost clock listed, while the HD 8870M lists 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. Memory clocks differ: the GTX 850M runs at 1,001 MHz (2 Gbps effective), and the HD 8870M runs at 1,125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). Memory type is DDR3 for NVIDIA and GDDR5 for AMD. Memory bandwidth is 32.03 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s, a 2.25x advantage for the AMD part.

Both have 2 GB of memory and a 128-bit bus. Both have 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Pixel rate is 14.43 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 12.40 GPixel/s for AMD. Texture rate is 36.08 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 1,154.6 GFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS.

The GTX 850M has a TDP of 45 W, while the HD 8870M has no TDP recorded. The GTX 850M is listed as an IGP slot width with no power connectors; the HD 8870M has no slot width or power connector data. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are listed as portable device dependent for NVIDIA, with no listing for AMD.

API support differs: DirectX 12 (11_0) for NVIDIA versus 12 (11_1) for AMD, Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.2.170, and OpenGL 4.6 for both. Release dates differ: the GTX 850M launched on 2014-03-11, while the HD 8870M launched on 2013-03-31. The GTX 850M's predecessor is GeForce 700M and its successor is GeForce 900M. The HD 8870M's predecessor is London and its successor is Gem System. Both are end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M has an average benchmark score of 9,302, versus 8,462 for the AMD Radeon HD 8870M.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the recorded OpenCL test?

A: The GTX 850M scores 9,821 to the HD 8870M's 8,462 in Geekbench OpenCL, a 16.1% advantage.

Q: Does the HD 8870M have any specification advantage?

A: Yes, it uses GDDR5 memory with 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, more than double the GTX 850M's 32.03 GB/s from DDR3. It also has higher memory clocks at 1,125 MHz versus 1,001 MHz.

Q: Do the two GPUs have the same core configuration?

A: Yes, both have 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs, with a 128-bit memory bus and 2 GB of memory.

Q: What are the architecture differences between the two?

A: The GTX 850M uses NVIDIA's Maxwell architecture on the GM107 chip, while the HD 8870M uses AMD's GCN 1.0 on the Venus chip. Both are 28 nm parts from TSMC, but the GM107 has 1,870 million transistors versus 1,500 million for Venus.

Q: Which GPU has higher compute throughput?

A: The GTX 850M has FP32 throughput of 1,154.6 GFLOPS, compared to 992.0 GFLOPS for the HD 8870M. Its pixel rate is 14.43 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 36.08 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s.