AMD Radeon HD 8950M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only shared benchmark in the data?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 13,772 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570's 13,515, a delta of -1.9% from the NVIDIA card's perspective.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of overall benchmark percentile?

A: Both GPUs sit at the 54th percentile versus all GPUs, indicating they occupy essentially the same performance tier despite their architectural differences.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 has an average benchmark score of 13,515, while the AMD Radeon HD 8950M averages 13,376. Interestingly, the AMD card's average is lower than its OpenCL score because it also has a Vulkan score of 12,979.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M has a transistor density of 13.0M / mm², which is more than double the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570's 5.8M / mm², reflecting their different manufacturing nodes.

Q: Does the AMD card support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon HD 8950M supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 has no Vulkan support listed in the data.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 has a TDP of 219 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU with two 6-pin connectors. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M has a TDP of 100 W and lists no PSU requirement or power connectors, as it's an MXM module.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture using the GF110 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 40 nm process. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M uses the GCN 2.0 architecture with the Saturn chip, fabricated on a smaller 28 nm process from the same foundry.

The manufacturing node difference is stark: the NVIDIA GPU packs 3,000 million transistors into a 520 mm² die, yielding a density of 5.8M / mm². The AMD chip crams 2,080 million transistors into just 160 mm², achieving 13.0M / mm² — a density advantage that reflects the newer process technology.

The NVIDIA card draws its power from a dual-slot design with two 6-pin connectors and a 219 W TDP. The AMD card is an MXM module with a 100 W TDP, making it fundamentally a mobile-oriented part despite its desktop-class performance claims. The AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the NVIDIA card is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16.

Shading unit counts differ significantly: the AMD card has 768 shading units versus 480 on the NVIDIA card, a 60% advantage in raw shader count. However, the NVIDIA card counters with 60 TMUs versus 48, and 40 ROPs versus just 16 on the AMD side. This ROP disparity is substantial and impacts pixel throughput.

Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The NVIDIA card uses a 320-bit bus with 1280 MB of GDDR5 and achieves 152.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card has a 128-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5 but only 88.00 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card's memory clock is higher at 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) versus 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) on the NVIDIA card, but the narrower bus limits overall bandwidth.

In terms of API support, the AMD card is more modern: it supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA card only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The AMD card's newer feature set reflects its later release date in 2013, versus the NVIDIA card's late 2010 debut.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13,772 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570's 13,515. That's a 1.9% margin in favor of the AMD card — a narrow win that sits well within typical run-to-run variance for OpenCL workloads.

The AMD card's OpenCL score of 13,772 is its best benchmark result, while its Vulkan score drops to 12,979. The NVIDIA card's only recorded benchmark is the OpenCL test at 13,515, which also serves as its average. This means the AMD card's OpenCL advantage is real but modest, and the NVIDIA card actually has a higher average benchmark score (13,515 vs 13,376) because the AMD card's Vulkan result drags down its average.

Looking at nearest rivals provides additional context. The NVIDIA GTX 570's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon HD 7770M at 13,536 (a 0.2% delta), followed by the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT at 13,543 (also 0.2%), then the NVIDIA P106-090 at 13,470 (0.3% in NVIDIA's favor), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 at 13,407 (0.8% in NVIDIA's favor).

The AMD HD 8950M's nearest rivals cluster around its average: the AMD Radeon RX 5500M at 13,356 (0.2% lower), the AMD FirePro M6100 at 13,354 (0.2% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 555 at 13,407 (0.2% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555X at 13,321 (0.4% lower). This tight clustering suggests the HD 8950M sits in a crowded performance band.

The pixel rate comparison favors the NVIDIA card: 21.96 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s for the AMD card, a 27.7% advantage in NVIDIA's favor. However, the AMD card leads in texture rate at 51.60 GTexel/s versus 43.92 GTexel/s, a 17.5% advantage. The AMD card also leads in FP32 compute at 1.651 TFLOPS versus 1,405.4 GFLOPS, an 18% advantage.

These mixed results paint a picture of two cards optimized differently: the NVIDIA card excels at pixel-heavy work with its superior ROP count, while the AMD card's higher shader count and texture units give it an edge in compute and texturing workloads.

The Verdict

The data shows two cards that are remarkably close in overall performance, both sitting at the 54th percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M wins the only direct benchmark comparison by 1.9% in OpenCL, but the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 actually posts a higher average benchmark score (13,515 vs 13,376) because the AMD card's Vulkan result is significantly lower.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput, the AMD card's 1.651 TFLOPS FP32 performance represents an 18% advantage over the NVIDIA card's 1,405.4 GFLOPS. This makes the AMD card the stronger choice for general-purpose GPU compute workloads that leverage its higher shading unit count of 768 versus 480.

The NVIDIA card is the better option for pixel-bound rendering tasks. Its 40 ROPs versus 16 on the AMD card, combined with a 27.7% higher pixel rate (21.96 GPixel/s vs 17.20 GPixel/s), gives it a clear edge in fill-rate-limited scenarios. The NVIDIA card also offers superior memory bandwidth at 152.0 GB/s versus 88.00 GB/s, despite having less total memory (1280 MB vs 2 GB).

Architecturally, the AMD card is newer and more feature-complete, supporting DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the NVIDIA card only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support. For modern application compatibility, the AMD card is the safer bet. Its 100 W TDP also makes it dramatically more power-efficient than the NVIDIA card's 219 W TDP, a fourfold difference in power draw.

The choice ultimately depends on workload: the AMD Radeon HD 8950M suits compute-heavy or modern-API workloads where its shader count, Vulkan support, and power efficiency matter. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 suits pixel-pushing tasks where its ROP count, pixel rate, and memory bandwidth dominate. Both cards are end-of-life products, but the AMD card's later release date (2013 vs 2010) gives it a more contemporary feature set.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 | AMD Radeon HD 8950M |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | GCN 2.0 |

| Chip | GF110 | Saturn |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 3,000 million | 2,080 million |

| Die Size | 520 mm² | 160 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.8M / mm² | 13.0M / mm² |

| Memory Clock | 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) | 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 1280 MB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 320 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 152.0 GB/s | 88.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 480 | 768 |

| TMUs | 60 | 48 |

| ROPs | 40 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.96 GPixel/s | 17.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 43.92 GTexel/s | 51.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,405.4 GFLOPS | 1.651 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 219 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | None | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2010-12-06 | 2013-05-13 |

| Launch MSRP | 349 USD | None |