AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded benchmark in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is a clear win for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A. It scores 10,273 points against the AMD Radeon HD 8870M's 8,462 points, a delta of 21.4 percent. This is a substantial margin, putting the NVIDIA part nearly a quarter ahead of the AMD mobile GPU in raw compute throughput as measured by OpenCL.

To frame that 10,273 score, the GTX 950A sits just below the AMD Radeon RX 6500M (10,362, a 0.9 percent gap) and the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 (10,400, a 1.2 percent gap). It also sits above the AMD Radeon R9 M375 (10,070, a 2 percent lead). The GTX 950A's percentile rank among all GPUs is 48, meaning it lands in the middle of the pack historically.

The HD 8870M, with its 8,462 points, is nearly tied with the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8,458, a 0.1 percent gap) and the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436, a 0.3 percent gap). It is slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427, a 0.4 percent lead) but trails the Intel Arc A380 (8,558, a 1.1 percent gap). Its percentile rank is 43, a few points lower than the GTX 950A, confirming the latter's edge in the database's distribution.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design philosophies and eras. The GTX 950A is built on NVIDIA's Maxwell architecture, using the GM107 chip, and belongs to the GeForce 900A generation. The HD 8870M is based on AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Venus chip, and is part of the Solar System (HD 8800M) generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, so the node is identical, but the transistor counts differ: the GTX 950A packs 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, while the HD 8870M has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The resulting transistor density is close, 12.6M per mm² for the NVIDIA part versus 12.2M per mm² for the AMD part.

The memory subsystems are a major point of divergence. The GTX 950A uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 32.03 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 8870M also has 2 GB, but it uses GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, delivering 72.00 GB/s, more than double the NVIDIA part's bandwidth. This is a classic trade-off: the GTX 950A compensates with higher compute clocks, while the HD 8870M relies on faster memory to feed its shaders.

The clock speeds reinforce this. The GTX 950A runs at a base of 993 MHz and boosts to 1124 MHz, with memory at 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective). The HD 8870M is slower in core clocks, at 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost, but its memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The shading unit count is identical at 640, as are the texture units (40) and ROPs (16). However, the GTX 950A's higher clocks give it a significant edge in pixel rate (17.98 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s), texture rate (44.96 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s), and FP32 compute (1,438.7 GFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS).

API support differs as well. The GTX 950A 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 newer Vulkan version, while the AMD part has a slightly higher DirectX feature level. The GTX 950A uses an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface and is a slot-width MXM Module, while the HD 8870M uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 950A wins decisively in every compute-oriented metric recorded. Its FP32 throughput of 1,438.7 GFLOPS is 45 percent higher than the HD 8870M's 992.0 GFLOPS. This translates directly to the 21.4 percent OpenCL score advantage. The NVIDIA part also leads in pixel rate (17.98 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s) and texture rate (44.96 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s), meaning it should handle fill-rate-bound workloads, such as early rasterization or simple post-processing effects, with more headroom.

The HD 8870M's sole advantage in the raw specs is memory bandwidth. At 72.00 GB/s, it offers 124 percent more bandwidth than the GTX 950A's 32.03 GB/s. In workloads that are heavily memory-bound, such as large data transfers or certain compute kernels that stream data rather than reuse it, the AMD part could potentially narrow the gap. However, the benchmark data does not show this: the HD 8870M loses the OpenCL test by a wide margin, suggesting that the GTX 950A's compute advantage outweighs the bandwidth deficit in the measured workload.

For gaming, the picture is less clear from the database alone. The GTX 950A's higher clocks and shader throughput suggest it would excel in shader-heavy scenes, while the HD 8870M's bandwidth advantage could help at higher resolutions or with high-resolution textures, where memory bandwidth often becomes a bottleneck. But the recorded benchmark only covers OpenCL, so any gaming conclusion is speculative beyond the compute results.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ in several key specifications. The GTX 950A has a base clock of 993 MHz versus the HD 8870M's 725 MHz, and a boost clock of 1124 MHz versus 775 MHz. Memory clock differs as well: 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for the NVIDIA part, 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) for the AMD part. Memory type is DDR3 for the GTX 950A and GDDR5 for the HD 8870M. Bandwidth is 32.03 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s.

The GTX 950A has a larger die (148 mm² versus 123 mm²) and more transistors (1,870 million versus 1,500 million). Its TDP is listed as 75 W, while the HD 8870M has no TDP recorded. The bus interface differs: MXM-B (3.0) for the GTX 950A, PCIe 3.0 x16 for the HD 8870M. The GTX 950A is a slot-width MXM Module with no power connectors, and its display outputs are portable device dependent. The HD 8870M does not list slot width, power connectors, or display outputs.

Release dates are far apart: the GTX 950A came out on 2015-03-12, while the HD 8870M arrived on 2013-03-31. Both are end-of-life. The GTX 950A's predecessor is the GeForce 800A, while the HD 8870M's predecessor is London and its successor is Gem System. The GTX 950A has no listed successor. DirectX support: the GTX 950A is 12 (11_0), the HD 8870M is 12 (11_1). Vulkan support: the GTX 950A is 1.4, the HD 8870M is 1.2.170.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The GTX 950A, with FP32 of 1,438.7 GFLOPS versus the HD 8870M's 992.0 GFLOPS, a 45 percent advantage. This is reflected in the OpenCL benchmark, where the GTX 950A scores 10,273 versus 8,462.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The HD 8870M has much higher bandwidth at 72.00 GB/s, using GDDR5, while the GTX 950A manages 32.03 GB/s with DDR3. Both use a 128-bit bus and 2 GB of memory.

Q: Are the shading unit counts the same?

A: Yes, both GPUs have 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The performance difference comes from clock speeds and memory architecture, not unit counts.

Q: Which GPU supports newer APIs?

A: The GTX 950A supports Vulkan 1.4, while the HD 8870M supports Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support DirectX 12, but the HD 8870M has a slightly higher feature level (11_1 versus 11_0) and both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What are the physical differences?

A: The GTX 950A uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface and is a slot-width MXM Module with no power connectors, while the HD 8870M uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The GTX 950A has a 148 mm² die with 1,870 million transistors; the HD 8870M has a 123 mm² die with 1,500 million transistors. Both are 28 nm TSMC parts.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?

A: The GTX 950A, at 17.98 GPixel/s versus the HD 8870M's 12.40 GPixel/s, and it also leads in texture rate at 44.96 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for most users: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A. It wins the only recorded benchmark by 21.4 percent, has significantly higher compute throughput (1,438.7 GFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS), and leads in pixel and texture rates. It also supports a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.170). If you need raw OpenCL compute or expect shader-heavy workloads, the GTX 950A is the stronger part.

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is not without merit. Its GDDR5 memory and 72.00 GB/s bandwidth are more than double the GTX 950A's, which could matter in bandwidth-sensitive scenarios. It also has a slightly higher DirectX feature level (12 (11_1) versus 12 (11_0)). However, the benchmark results do not show this translating into a win, and its lower clocks (725 MHz base, 775 MHz boost) hold back its compute potential.

For someone choosing between these two in a laptop or portable device, the GTX 950A is the better bet based on the recorded data. The HD 8870M only makes sense if the workload is explicitly memory-bandwidth-bound and the application cannot leverage the GTX 950A's higher shader and texture throughput. Otherwise, the GTX 950A's 21.4 percent benchmark lead and its superior fill rates make it the practical recommendation.