AMD Radeon HD 8950M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly along workload type, and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M takes the lead in both recorded OpenCL and Vulkan tests. In OpenCL, the AMD card scores 13,772 against NVIDIA’s 12,769, a 7.9% advantage. That margin is meaningful for compute-style workloads that scale with shading unit throughput and memory bandwidth efficiency. The AMD part also wins in Vulkan, scoring 12,979 versus 12,696, a smaller 2.2% edge, but still a consistent victory in API-level performance.

NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 780M does not win any of the head-to-head benchmarks recorded in the database. However, it has its own strengths that the raw scores do not capture directly. The GTX 780M carries 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth, nearly double the AMD card’s 88.00 GB/s. In scenarios where large textures or high-resolution framebuffers matter, that extra memory capacity and bandwidth can reduce stuttering or texture thrashing, even if the synthetic benchmark scores do not reflect it. The NVIDIA card also supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175, both newer or comparable to AMD’s DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, which may matter for driver-level feature support in specific titles.

The AMD Radeon HD 8950M wins on raw compute throughput in the recorded tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M wins on memory subsystem capacity and bandwidth. For a builder choosing between two used MXM modules, the AMD card is the better pick for OpenCL and Vulkan workloads, while the NVIDIA card offers a larger framebuffer for memory-hungry games.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear recommendation for most users: the AMD Radeon HD 8950M is the faster card in the two benchmark tests that both cards share. It leads by 7.9% in OpenCL and 2.2% in Vulkan. The AMD card also sits at the 54th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the NVIDIA card sits at the 50th percentile. Its average benchmark score of 13,376 is well above NVIDIA’s 11,261, an 18.8% gap in favor of AMD.

Who should pick the AMD card: anyone running OpenCL-accelerated applications, Vulkan-based games, or compute workloads. The 7.9% OpenCL win is not trivial, and the Vulkan lead, while smaller, is still consistent. The AMD card also has a higher transistor density (13.0M per mm² versus 12.0M per mm²) and a newer GCN 2.0 architecture, which may offer better feature support in modern drivers.

Who should pick the NVIDIA card: users who specifically need 4 GB of VRAM on a 256-bit bus. The GTX 780M’s 160.0 GB/s bandwidth is 81.8% higher than the AMD card’s 88.00 GB/s. If you are playing modded games, using high-resolution texture packs, or running multi-monitor setups that exceed 2 GB of framebuffer usage, the NVIDIA card is the safer choice despite its lower raw compute scores. The GTX 780M also has more shading units (1,536 versus 768), more texture mapping units (128 versus 48), and more ROPs (32 versus 16), which could help in geometry-heavy or fill-rate-bound scenarios.

No price data exists in the database, so the verdict is purely performance-based. For raw speed in the tested APIs, choose AMD. For memory capacity and bandwidth, choose NVIDIA.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two cards were tested in Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. In OpenCL, the AMD Radeon HD 8950M scored 13,772, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scored 12,769. That is a 7.9% delta in favor of AMD. This is the larger of the two wins, and it reflects the AMD card’s compute-oriented GCN 2.0 design. The AMD card’s FP32 throughput is 1.651 TFLOPS, which is lower than NVIDIA’s 2.448 TFLOPS, yet the AMD card still wins in OpenCL. This suggests that the benchmark rewards memory latency, driver efficiency, or other architectural factors beyond raw floating-point rate.

In Vulkan, the AMD card scored 12,979, and the NVIDIA card scored 12,696. The delta is 2.2% in favor of AMD. This is a narrower margin, indicating that NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture is more competitive in Vulkan than in OpenCL. Still, the AMD card wins outright, giving it a 2-0 record in the head-to-head comparisons.

The average benchmark score tells a similar story. The AMD card averages 13,376 across its recorded tests, while the NVIDIA card averages 11,261. That is an 18.8% gap, driven largely by the NVIDIA card’s additional Geekbench Metal score of 8,319, which is much lower than its OpenCL and Vulkan scores. If you exclude Metal, NVIDIA’s average would be around 12,733, still below AMD’s 13,376, but the gap narrows to about 5%. The AMD card has no Metal score recorded, so cross-API comparisons on Apple platforms are not possible from this data.

The closest rivals in the database reinforce the positioning. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 555, which scores 13,407, a 0.2% delta against the HD 8950M. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200, which scores 11,228, a 0.3% delta. These figures show that both cards perform near the middle of their respective peer groups, but the AMD card’s peer group sits roughly 19% higher in average score.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13,772 in Geekbench OpenCL, beating the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M’s 12,769 by 7.9%.

Q: Which card wins in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 12,979 in Geekbench Vulkan, beating the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M’s 12,696 by 2.2%.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card have any advantage in memory capacity?

A: Yes. The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the HD 8950M has 2 GB on a 128-bit bus with 88.00 GB/s. NVIDIA’s bandwidth is 81.8% higher.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M averages 13,376 across its recorded tests, versus 11,261 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M. That is an 18.8% advantage.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but with different feature levels. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2, with NVIDIA’s Vulkan version being 1.2.175 versus AMD’s 1.2.170.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M has 1,536 shading units, double the AMD Radeon HD 8950M’s 768. However, the AMD card still wins in both recorded benchmark tests.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon HD 8950M uses the Saturn chip based on GCN 2.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M uses the GK104 chip based on Kepler architecture. Both are built on TSMC’s 28 nm process, but the dies differ significantly. AMD’s Saturn has 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.0M per mm². NVIDIA’s GK104 has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a density of 12.0M per mm². The AMD chip is smaller and denser, while the NVIDIA chip is larger and packs more total transistors.

The AMD card’s GCN 2.0 architecture is compute-oriented, with 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card’s Kepler architecture is also compute-capable but emphasizes parallelism with 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Despite having half the shading units, the AMD card wins the recorded benchmarks, which suggests that GCN 2.0’s scheduler or memory access patterns are more efficient in these specific workloads.

The API support differs as well. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), which is the higher feature level, while the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6. For Vulkan, the NVIDIA card supports version 1.2.175, slightly newer than AMD’s 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card also has a recorded Metal benchmark score (8,319), while the AMD card does not, indicating that NVIDIA’s driver stack includes Metal support in the database.

Memory architecture is a major differentiator. The AMD card uses a 128-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5 and 88.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card uses a 256-bit bus with 4 GB of GDDR5 and 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. That is double the bus width and 81.8% more bandwidth. The AMD card’s memory clock is 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA card’s is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The AMD card runs its memory at a higher effective speed, but the narrower bus limits total bandwidth.

Power and physical design are also distinct. The AMD card has a TDP of 100 W, while the NVIDIA card has a TDP of 122 W. Both are MXM modules, but the NVIDIA card lists no power connectors, while the AMD card’s power connector field is null. The NVIDIA card uses an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, while the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16, which is a notable difference for compatibility in certain laptops.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification except process node and foundry. Both use 28 nm TSMC manufacturing, but beyond that the list diverges.

• Chip: AMD uses Saturn, NVIDIA uses GK104.
• Transistors: AMD has 2,080 million, NVIDIA has 3,540 million.
• Die Size: AMD is 160 mm², NVIDIA is 294 mm².
• Transistor Density: AMD is 13.0M per mm², NVIDIA is 12.0M per mm².
• Base Clock: AMD has no listed base clock, NVIDIA is 771 MHz.
• Boost Clock: AMD has no listed boost clock, NVIDIA is 797 MHz.
• Memory Clock: AMD is 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective), NVIDIA is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: AMD has 2 GB, NVIDIA has 4 GB.
• Memory Bus Width: AMD is 128-bit, NVIDIA is 256-bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: AMD is 88.00 GB/s, NVIDIA is 160.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: AMD has 768, NVIDIA has 1,536.
• TMUs: AMD has 48, NVIDIA has 128.
• ROPs: AMD has 16, NVIDIA has 32.
• Pixel Rate: AMD is 17.20 GPixel/s, NVIDIA is 25.50 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: AMD is 51.60 GTexel/s, NVIDIA is 102.0 GTexel/s.
• FP32: AMD is 1.651 TFLOPS, NVIDIA is 2.448 TFLOPS.
• TDP: AMD is 100 W, NVIDIA is 122 W.
• Bus Interface: AMD is PCIe 3.0 x16, NVIDIA is MXM-B (3.0).
• DirectX Support: AMD is 12 (12_0), NVIDIA is 12 (11_0).
• Vulkan Support: AMD is 1.2.170, NVIDIA is 1.2.175.
• Release Date: AMD is 2013-05-13, NVIDIA is 2013-05-10.
• Predecessor: AMD is London, NVIDIA is GeForce 600M.
• Successor: AMD is Gem System, NVIDIA is GeForce 800M.

The NVIDIA card dominates the raw specification sheet: more shading units, more texture units, more ROPs, double the memory, and higher pixel and texture rates. The AMD card counters with a higher memory clock, a smaller die, lower TDP, and better benchmark results in the recorded tests. For a builder, the spec sheet favors NVIDIA on paper, but the benchmark data favors AMD in practice.