AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M Comparison

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon HD 8870M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M are closely matched in overall standing, but their performance profiles diverge sharply depending on the workload. The AMD card wins the only direct head-to-head comparison, yet the NVIDIA card’s hardware specifications suggest a very different story in raw compute potential. This analysis breaks down the numbers to determine which mobile GPU holds the edge where it matters.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and here the AMD Radeon HD 8870M delivers a decisive victory. The AMD card scores 8462, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M manages 5622. This translates to a 50.5% advantage for AMD in this specific test, a massive margin that dominates the head-to-head record. The data shows AMD winning this encounter with a single win and NVIDIA failing to register any.

This result is particularly striking when placed in context with each card’s nearest rivals. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M’s score of 8462 places it just 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8458) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (8436). It trails the Intel Arc A380 (8558) by 1.1%. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M’s OpenCL score of 5622 is its only benchmark result, but its average benchmark score of 8040 (which includes a separate Geekbench Metal score of 10458) tells a different tale. That average places it effectively tied with the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 (8039, 0% delta) and slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti (8053, -0.2%).

The gulf in OpenCL performance is not a minor statistical fluctuation. It is a 50.5% gap that suggests architectural differences play a huge role in how each chip handles compute tasks. The AMD card’s lead in this test is its single strongest piece of evidence, while the NVIDIA card’s higher Metal score hints that its strengths may lie elsewhere, particularly in graphics-oriented APIs rather than general-purpose compute. For a buyer prioritizing OpenCL-heavy workloads, the choice is clear; for other tasks, the data requires a closer look.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design philosophies, which explains their divergent benchmark behavior. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is built on GCN 1.0 architecture with the Venus chip, part of the Solar System (HD 8800M) generation. It uses a 28 nm process from TSMC, housing 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 12.2M / mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M uses the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, belonging to the GeForce 800M generation. It also uses a 28 nm TSMC process, but packs 3,540 million transistors onto a much larger 294 mm² die, yielding a slightly lower density of 12.0M / mm².

The NVIDIA card’s physical size advantage is enormous: it has more than double the transistors of the AMD part. This translates directly into a much larger execution engine. The GTX 880M features 1536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operation units (ROPs). The AMD Radeon HD 8870M, by comparison, offers only 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These are fundamental differences in raw hardware resources.

Clock speeds also favor NVIDIA. The GTX 880M runs at a base clock of 954 MHz with a boost up to 993 MHz, while the AMD card is slower at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost. This combination of more cores and higher clocks gives the NVIDIA chip a theoretical throughput that dwarfs the AMD card: the GTX 880M achieves 3.050 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, 127.1 GTexel/s texture fillrate, and 31.78 GPixel/s pixel rate. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M, by contrast, is limited to 992.0 GFLOPS, 31.00 GTexel/s, and 12.40 GPixel/s.

Memory configurations are equally lopsided. The NVIDIA card comes with 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card has just 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding only 72.00 GB/s. The memory clocks differ as well: NVIDIA runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while AMD runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). API support shows a notable split: AMD supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and a newer Vulkan 1.2.175. Both offer OpenGL 4.6.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is significantly faster, scoring 8462 versus the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M’s 5622, a 50.5% advantage.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card have more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, the GTX 880M has 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth from its 256-bit bus, while the Radeon HD 8870M has only 72.00 GB/s from a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M has 1536 shading units, far exceeding the AMD Radeon HD 8870M’s 640.

Q: What is the difference in FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA card reaches 3.050 TFLOPS, while the AMD card is limited to 992.0 GFLOPS, making NVIDIA over three times more powerful on paper.

Q: Are both GPUs on the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both use a 28 nm process from TSMC, though the NVIDIA die is much larger at 294 mm² versus 123 mm².

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M has an average benchmark score of 8462, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M averages 8040, despite the NVIDIA card’s higher peak Metal score.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification. The process node is identical (28 nm), but the transistor count differs dramatically: NVIDIA’s 3,540 million versus AMD’s 1,500 million. The die size follows suit, with NVIDIA at 294 mm² and AMD at 123 mm². Transistor density is nearly the same (12.0M / mm² vs 12.2M / mm²).

Clock speeds are higher on NVIDIA: base 954 MHz vs 725 MHz, boost 993 MHz vs 775 MHz, and memory 1250 MHz vs 1125 MHz. Memory capacity is 8 GB vs 2 GB, both GDDR5, but the bus width is 256-bit vs 128-bit. Bandwidth is 160.0 GB/s vs 72.00 GB/s.

Compute resources are starkly different: shading units (1536 vs 640), TMUs (128 vs 40), and ROPs (32 vs 16). Pixel rate is 31.78 GPixel/s vs 12.40 GPixel/s, texture rate is 127.1 GTexel/s vs 31.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 is 3.050 TFLOPS vs 992.0 GFLOPS.

Power and form factor also differ. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 122 W and uses an MXM Module slot with MXM-B (3.0) interface. The AMD card lists no TDP or slot width, but uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are Portable Device Dependent for NVIDIA, while AMD does not specify. The bus interface is the only place where AMD offers a conventional PCIe slot.

The Verdict

The data presents a paradox. In the only direct benchmark, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M crushes the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M. Yet every architectural metric suggests the NVIDIA card should be far superior. The resolution lies in what the tests measure. The AMD card’s average benchmark score of 8462 puts it at the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA card sits at the 42nd percentile with an average of 8040. These are nearly identical overall standings.

The NVIDIA card’s Geekbench Metal score of 10458 is its saving grace, indicating that in macOS or Metal-based workloads, it is substantially faster than its OpenCL results suggest. The AMD card has no Metal score, only OpenCL. Therefore, the verdict depends entirely on the API. For OpenCL-centric applications, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M is the clear choice, offering a 50.5% performance lead. For Metal-based or graphics-heavy tasks that leverage the NVIDIA card’s massive compute resources (1536 shading units, 8 GB VRAM, 160.0 GB/s bandwidth), the GTX 880M is the more capable hardware, even if its OpenCL score is low.

Users should not be misled by the single head-to-head loss. The NVIDIA card’s theoretical throughput is over three times higher (3.050 TFLOPS vs 992.0 GFLOPS). Its limitations appear to be software or driver-related in OpenCL, not fundamental hardware weaknesses.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins decisively in OpenCL compute benchmarks. Its 8462 score versus 5622 is a 50.5% margin that cannot be ignored. This makes it the better option for any workload explicitly using OpenCL, whether for general-purpose computing, certain scientific applications, or older game engines that rely on this API. Its smaller die (123 mm²) and lower transistor count (1,500 million) also suggest a more power-efficient part, though no TDP is listed for confirmation.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M wins in almost every other measurable category. Its 3.050 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 127.1 GTexel/s texture fillrate, and 31.78 GPixel/s pixel rate show raw horsepower that the AMD part cannot match. The 8 GB memory capacity and 256-bit bus are critical for high-resolution textures and demanding modern games. Its Geekbench Metal score of 10458 indicates strong performance in Apple's graphics API, making it the preferred choice for macOS gaming or Metal-based creative applications.

In terms of overall standing, the two are nearly tied: the AMD card holds a 43rd percentile rank, the NVIDIA card a 42nd. The data suggests that for users who know their software uses OpenCL, the AMD card is the superior value in performance. For everything else, the NVIDIA card’s superior hardware specifications and higher Metal score make it the more versatile and future-proof option. The choice is not about which is better overall, but which API and workload the user prioritizes.