AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA GeForce MX330 Comparison

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M and NVIDIA GeForce MX330 are effectively tied in average benchmark performance, with the AMD part scoring 8462 and the NVIDIA part scoring 8458, a delta of just 0.1% in favor of AMD. However, the data reveals a more nuanced picture: the MX330 counters a slight OpenCL deficit with a substantial Vulkan win, making the choice dependent on the workload and API. The HD 8870M is the pick for raw compute in legacy OpenCL scenarios, while the MX330 is the superior choice for modern Vulkan-based applications and offers significantly better energy efficiency, despite its narrower memory bus.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a near-statistical dead heat between these two mobile GPUs. With an average score of 8462 versus 8458, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M leads by only 0.1%, placing both in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. This means neither card offers a decisive performance advantage in aggregate; the real differentiators are architectural, generational, and efficiency-related.

For a user prioritizing raw OpenCL compute performance, the HD 8870M wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 7.2%, scoring 8462 against the MX330's 7896. This is a clear, if narrow, victory for the older AMD part. However, the MX330 has a significant counterpoint: it scores 9019 in Geekbench Vulkan, a test the HD 8870M does not have data for, indicating a likely advantage in modern graphics APIs.

The verdict is straightforward. If your software relies on OpenCL and you have a workload that is compute-bound, the Radeon HD 8870M is the safer bet. If you are playing games or using applications that leverage Vulkan, the GeForce MX330 is the clear winner, despite its lower OpenCL score. Furthermore, the MX330's 10 W TDP versus the HD 8870M's unspecified (but likely higher) power draw makes it the only rational choice for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermals are paramount. The HD 8870M is an end-of-life product from 2013, while the MX330, though also end-of-life, is from 2020 and represents a much more modern, efficient design.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are separated by seven years of architectural evolution. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Venus chip, and fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.2M / mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 uses the Pascal architecture with the GP108B chip, manufactured by Samsung on a more advanced 14 nm process. It contains 1,800 million transistors on a much smaller 74 mm² die, achieving a far higher density of 24.3M / mm².

These architectural foundations lead to different resource allocations. The HD 8870M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). The MX330, despite its newer architecture, has fewer of these: 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This is a classic trade-off between many older, slower cores (AMD) and fewer, faster cores (NVIDIA). The clock speeds reflect this, with the MX330 running at a base of 1531 MHz and boost of 1594 MHz, compared to the HD 8870M's much lower 725 MHz base and 775 MHz boost.

The memory subsystems also diverge significantly. The HD 8870M uses a 128-bit memory bus with 2 GB of GDDR5 at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective), yielding a bandwidth of 72.00 GB/s. The MX330 has the same 2 GB of GDDR5 but on a 64-bit bus at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective), resulting in a lower bandwidth of 56.06 GB/s. The newer NVIDIA part compensates for its narrower bus with much higher effective memory clocks. Feature support also differs: the HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the MX330 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and the newer Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it favors the AMD Radeon HD 8870M. The AMD card scores 8462, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 scores 7896. This represents a 7.2% lead for the HD 8870M, a meaningful margin that suggests the older card's wider 128-bit memory bus and higher raw shading unit count provide a tangible advantage in compute tasks that are not heavily optimized for NVIDIA's architecture.

However, this single data point does not tell the full story. The MX330 has a separate Geekbench Vulkan score of 9019, a test that the HD 8870M does not have a result for. This is a significant omission, as a score above 9000 in Vulkan indicates that the MX330 is substantially faster in this modern, low-overhead API than it is in OpenCL. Given that the HD 8870M has no Vulkan benchmark result, it is reasonable to infer that its Vulkan performance, if it were measured, would be inferior to its own OpenCL score, placing it well below the MX330's 9019.

The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals underscore the close competition. The HD 8870M is 0.1% faster than the MX330 on average, but the MX330 is 0.3% faster than the AMD Radeon 880M and 0.4% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX. The Intel Arc A380 is the outlier, being 1.1% faster than the HD 8870M and 1.2% faster than the MX330, showing that both cards are at the edge of a performance tier, with the A380 just above them.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs highlight their distinct design philosophies. The most glaring difference is in power consumption: the MX330 has a TDP of just 10 W, while the HD 8870M's TDP is not listed in the data, but its older architecture and higher transistor count suggest it draws considerably more power. This makes the MX330 an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) class part, while the HD 8870M is a more traditional discrete mobile GPU.

Other key differences include:

• Process Node: 28 nm (TSMC) for AMD vs. 14 nm (Samsung) for NVIDIA.
• Transistor Count: 1,500 million (AMD) vs. 1,800 million (NVIDIA).
• Die Size: 123 mm² (AMD) vs. 74 mm² (NVIDIA).
• Transistor Density: 12.2M / mm² (AMD) vs. 24.3M / mm² (NVIDIA).
• Base Clock: 725 MHz (AMD) vs. 1531 MHz (NVIDIA).
• Boost Clock: 775 MHz (AMD) vs. 1594 MHz (NVIDIA).
• Memory Clock: 1125 MHz (AMD) vs. 1752 MHz (NVIDIA).
• Memory Bus Width: 128 bit (AMD) vs. 64 bit (NVIDIA).
• Memory Bandwidth: 72.00 GB/s (AMD) vs. 56.06 GB/s (NVIDIA).
• Shading Units: 640 (AMD) vs. 384 (NVIDIA).
• TMUs: 40 (AMD) vs. 24 (NVIDIA).
• Pixel Rate: 12.40 GPixel/s (AMD) vs. 25.50 GPixel/s (NVIDIA).
• Texture Rate: 31.00 GTexel/s (AMD) vs. 38.26 GTexel/s (NVIDIA).
• FP32 Performance: 992.0 GFLOPS (AMD) vs. 1,224.2 GFLOPS (NVIDIA).
• FP16 Performance: N/A (AMD) vs. 19.13 GFLOPS (1:64) (NVIDIA).
• Bus Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 (AMD) vs. PCIe 3.0 x4 (NVIDIA).
• DirectX Support: 12 (11_1) (AMD) vs. 12 (12_1) (NVIDIA).
• Vulkan Support: 1.2.170 (AMD) vs. 1.4 (NVIDIA).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is faster in OpenCL, scoring 8462 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce MX330's 7896, a 7.2% advantage.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 have any performance advantage?

A: Yes, the MX330 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9019, which is significantly higher than its own OpenCL score and represents a likely major performance lead in Vulkan applications, a test the HD 8870M does not have a result for.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX330 is dramatically more power-efficient, with a TDP of just 10 W, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M has no listed TDP, indicating it likely consumes far more power.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth differences?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M has a higher memory bandwidth of 72.00 GB/s thanks to its 128-bit bus, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 has a lower 56.06 GB/s due to its 64-bit bus, despite running at a higher effective clock speed.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 uses a more advanced 14 nm process at Samsung.

Q: Do these GPUs support modern APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12, but the MX330 supports version 12_1, while the HD 8870M supports the older 11_1. The MX330 also supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version than the HD 8870M's 1.2.170.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins in scenarios that are heavily dependent on raw OpenCL compute and memory bandwidth. Its 72.00 GB/s of bandwidth, provided by the 128-bit bus, is 28% higher than the MX330's 56.06 GB/s. This, combined with its higher shading unit count (640 vs. 384), makes it the better choice for OpenCL-based tasks like certain physics simulations, video encoding, or compute-heavy productivity apps that do not use Vulkan. The 7.2% OpenCL benchmark victory confirms this.

The NVIDIA GeForce MX330 wins in every other category. Its 10 W TDP makes it the only viable option for ultraportable laptops where power draw is critical. Its FP32 performance of 1,224.2 GFLOPS is 23% higher than the HD 8870M's 992.0 GFLOPS, indicating superior raw compute throughput when clocks are taken into account. Its pixel rate of 25.50 GPixel/s is more than double the HD 8870M's 12.40 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 38.26 GTexel/s is also higher. Most importantly, its Vulkan score of 9019 suggests it is the clear winner for modern gaming and applications that utilize this API. The MX330's higher boost clock of 1594 MHz and superior transistor density (24.3M / mm²) point to a more efficient design that is better suited to the demands of contemporary software. In short, the HD 8870M is a legacy compute specialist, while the MX330 is a modern, efficient generalist.