AMD Radeon HD 8870M vs NVIDIA T600 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single head-to-head benchmark between the AMD Radeon HD 8870M and the NVIDIA T600: Geekbench OpenCL. This is a decisive result. The NVIDIA T600 scores 27,875 points, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8,462 points. The delta is -69.6%, meaning the AMD part trails by nearly three-quarters of the T600's output. In raw terms, the T600 delivers roughly 3.3 times the OpenCL score of the older AMD chip. This is not a marginal difference; it is a generational gap expressed in compute throughput.

The T600's advantage is further contextualized by its full benchmark suite. Beyond OpenCL, it posts 25,580 in Geekbench Vulkan, 6,479 in Passmark G3D, and 2,402 in Passmark GPU Compute. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M, by contrast, has only the single OpenCL result in the database. When comparing average benchmark scores, the T600 sits at 7,035, while the HD 8870M averages 8,462. That reversal is notable: the AMD card's average is higher than the T600's average, yet the T600 obliterates it in the OpenCL test. This indicates the AMD part benefits from a narrower benchmark profile, while the T600's broader suite pulls its average down with lower DirectX and 2D scores.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each card clarifies where each sits in the broader landscape. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, with an average score of 8,458 and a delta of 0.1%. The AMD card is effectively tied with that chip. It also sits within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436) and 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427). The only rival it loses to is the Intel Arc A380, which scores 8,558, a -1.1% delta. The HD 8870M is a mid-pack performer, hovering near parity with several older and entry-level discrete GPUs.

The NVIDIA T600's nearest rivals paint a different picture. It is nearly tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M (7,023, delta 0.2%) and the AMD Radeon R5 M240 (6,975, delta 0.9%), and it sits 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M (6,946). The only rival it loses to is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, which scores 7,157, a -1.7% delta. The T600's average of 7,035 places it in a cluster of mobile and older desktop parts, but its OpenCL score of 27,875 is far outside that cluster. The average is dragged down by weak Passmark DirectX 9 (114), DirectX 10 (32), DirectX 11 (49), and DirectX 12 (25) scores, as well as a modest Passmark G2D of 756. These low scores are typical of workstation-oriented drivers prioritizing compute over game-specific paths.

In percentile terms, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M ranks at the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA T600 ranks at the 39th percentile. Despite the T600's massive OpenCL lead, its overall percentile is slightly lower due to the breadth of tests included. The HD 8870M's single test score keeps its percentile artificially high relative to its actual capabilities. The data suggests that if the HD 8870M were subjected to the same battery of DirectX and 2D tests, its percentile would likely fall below the T600's.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear split: the NVIDIA T600 is the superior compute and modern API performer, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M holds a slight edge in average score only because of its limited test exposure. For any workload that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan, the T600 is the only rational choice. Its OpenCL score of 27,875 versus 8,462 is not a close contest. The T600 also supports DirectX 12 (12_1), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6, while the HD 8870M caps at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The T600's newer feature set aligns with modern applications.

The HD 8870M, however, is not without merit in the database. Its average benchmark score of 8,462 exceeds the T600's 7,035, and its 43rd percentile rank is above the T600's 39th. But this is a statistical artifact of having a single benchmark. The only head-to-head result, Geekbench OpenCL, favors the T600 by 69.6%. There is no recorded test where the HD 8870M wins. The wins tally is 0 for the AMD part and 1 for the NVIDIA part.

For a user prioritizing compute throughput, modern API support, or memory bandwidth, the T600 is the pick. Its 4 GB GDDR6 memory at 160.0 GB/s is more than double the HD 8870M's 2 GB GDDR5 at 72.00 GB/s. The T600 also has double the ROPs (32 versus 16) and a much higher pixel rate (42.72 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s). The T600's texture rate of 53.40 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s further cements its lead in fill-rate-bound tasks.

For a user constrained to the HD 8870M's era or form factor, the data shows it is competitive with its immediate peers. It ties the MX330, edges the Radeon 880M and GTX 675MX, and only loses to the Arc A380. But none of those rivals approach the T600's OpenCL result. The verdict is unambiguous: the T600 wins the head-to-head, and the HD 8870M's higher average is a quirk of incomplete data, not a real performance advantage.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA T600 wins in every recorded head-to-head metric. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 69.6%. It also wins on raw specifications that drive compute and rendering: FP32 performance of 1.709 TFLOPS versus 992.0 GFLOPS, pixel rate of 42.72 GPixel/s versus 12.40 GPixel/s, and texture rate of 53.40 GTexel/s versus 31.00 GTexel/s. The T600's boost clock of 1335 MHz is substantially higher than the HD 8870M's 775 MHz, and its memory runs at 10 Gbps effective versus 4.5 Gbps. These are not subtle differences.

The T600 also wins on API support. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the HD 8870M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1). Vulkan support is 1.4 on the T600 versus 1.2.170 on the AMD part. OpenGL is equal at 4.6. For any workload relying on newer feature levels, the T600 has the advantage.

The AMD Radeon HD 8870M wins only in the narrow sense of its average benchmark score (8,462 versus 7,035) and its percentile rank (43rd versus 39th). It also has a slightly higher transistor density in its architecture (12.2M per mm² versus 23.5M per mm², though that is a geometric fact, not a performance metric). The HD 8870M's single test result, 8,462 in OpenCL, is higher than the T600's average of 7,035, but that average includes the T600's low DirectX scores. The HD 8870M has no recorded wins in any direct comparison.

Use-case-wise, the T600 is the choice for OpenCL compute, Vulkan rendering, high-bandwidth memory workloads, and any task requiring modern DirectX 12 features. The HD 8870M is best suited to legacy environments where its API set (DirectX 11_1, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.2.170) is sufficient, and where its 2 GB GDDR5 memory is not a bottleneck. For 3D gaming at low resolutions and older titles, the HD 8870M's 640 shading units and 40 TMUs can still perform, but the T600's 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 32 ROPs will handle higher fill rates.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA T600 scores 27,875 in Geekbench OpenCL, compared to the AMD Radeon HD 8870M's 8,462. The T600 leads by 69.6%.

Q: How does the average benchmark score compare?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M has an average benchmark score of 8,462, while the NVIDIA T600 averages 7,035. The HD 8870M's average is higher because it has only one recorded benchmark, whereas the T600 has nine, including lower DirectX and 2D scores.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8870M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA T600 has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card supports newer DirectX and Vulkan versions?

A: The NVIDIA T600 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the T600's percentile rank compared to the HD 8870M?

A: The NVIDIA T600 ranks at the 39th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon HD 8870M ranks at the 43rd percentile. The HD 8870M's higher rank is due to its single high OpenCL score not being offset by other tests.

Q: How does the T600 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The T600's average score of 7,035 is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M, 0.9% of the AMD Radeon R5 M240, and 1.3% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 by 1.7%.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M is built on GCN 1.0, using the Venus chip, and belongs to the Solar System generation (HD 8800M). It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The transistor density is 12.2 million per mm². The NVIDIA T600 uses the Turing architecture with the TU117 chip, part of the Quadro Turing (Tx000) generation. It is built on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC, with 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. The transistor density is 23.5 million per mm². The T600 packs more than three times the transistors onto a die that is only 1.6 times larger.

Clock behavior differs sharply. The HD 8870M has a base clock of 725 MHz and a boost clock of 775 MHz, a modest 50 MHz uplift. The T600 has a base clock of 735 MHz and a boost clock of 1335 MHz, a 600 MHz uplift. The T600's boost is 72% higher than the HD 8870M's, which directly contributes to its compute advantage. Memory clocks also diverge: the HD 8870M runs at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective, while the T600 runs at 1250 MHz with 10 Gbps effective. The T600's GDDR6 memory provides 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus 72.00 GB/s for the HD 8870M's GDDR5.

Core counts are identical in shading units (640) and TMUs (40), but the ROP count differs: 16 on the AMD part versus 32 on the NVIDIA part. This doubles the T600's pixel rate to 42.72 GPixel/s, while the HD 8870M manages 12.40 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 53.40 GTexel/s on the T600 versus 31.00 GTexel/s on the HD 8870M. FP32 compute is 1.709 TFLOPS on the T600 versus 992.0 GFLOPS on the AMD part. The T600 also lists FP16 performance at 3.418 TFLOPS (2:1), while the HD 8870M has no recorded FP16 figure.

The T600 is a single-slot card with no power connectors and a 40 W TDP, with a suggested PSU of 200 W. The HD 8870M has no recorded TDP, slot width, or power connector data. The T600 offers four mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the HD 8870M has no recorded display outputs. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16 interfaces. The T600's API set is newer: DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, versus the HD 8870M's DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Release dates are separated by eight years: the HD 8870M launched on 2013-03-31, and the T600 on 2021-04-11. Both are end-of-life products. The HD 8870M's predecessor is London and its successor is Gem System. The T600's predecessor is Quadro Volta and its successor is Workstation Ampere. The architectural gap, from GCN 1.0 to Turing, explains the performance chasm despite identical shader and TMU counts. The T600's newer process node, higher clocks, double ROPs, and faster memory are the measurable differences that produce its 69.6% OpenCL lead.