AMD Radeon HD 8950M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single direct comparison between these two mobile graphics solutions, both in the Geekbench OpenCL workload. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M posts a score of 13772, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A records 11998. That gives the AMD part a 14.8% lead in this specific test. It is a decisive margin, not a narrow one, and it sets the tone for the rest of the analysis.

Looking at the broader database context, the AMD Radeon HD 8950M's average benchmark score sits at 13376. That places it in the 54th percentile of all GPUs tracked. Its nearest rivals in the database are all AMD parts: the Radeon Pro 555X trails by 0.4%, the RX 5500M is 0.2% behind, and the FirePro M6100 is 0.2% behind. The Radeon Pro 555 is 0.2% ahead. This cluster of scores, all within a fraction of a percent, shows the HD 8950M sits in a tightly contested mid-range tier.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A has an average benchmark score of 11998, which lands it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are a mix of much newer and ostensibly faster parts: the GeForce GTX 1080 scores 11960, which is 0.3% behind the GTX 960A. The Radeon RX 6500 XT scores 11842, 1.3% behind. The GeForce GTX 1660 scores 11680, 2.7% behind. The Radeon RX 7800 XT scores 11627, 3.2% behind. This is a strange grouping, but the data is what it is: the GTX 960A outperforms all of these in the recorded Geekbench OpenCL test, despite being an older, lower-tier mobile part.

When the two cards are compared directly, the AMD Radeon HD 8950M is the clear winner in the only head-to-head benchmark available. The 14.8% delta is substantial. For context, the difference between the HD 8950M and its closest database rival is only 0.2%, so the gap to the GTX 960A represents a meaningful performance tier separation. The GTX 960A, by contrast, is closer to its own rival group, with the largest delta to the RX 7800 XT being 3.2%. The AMD part's lead is more than four times larger than any delta within its own rival cluster.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon HD 8950M wins the only benchmark where both cards were tested: Geekbench OpenCL. That is a compute-oriented workload, and the AMD card's architecture appears to handle it well. Its score of 13772 versus 11998 is a 14.8% advantage. This suggests the HD 8950M is the stronger choice for OpenCL compute tasks, such as physics simulations, video encoding filters, or any application that offloads parallel processing to the GPU.

The AMD card also has a higher raw shading throughput on paper. Its FP32 output is 1.651 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA part delivers 1.505 TFLOPS. That is a difference of roughly 9.7% in raw floating-point capability. The AMD card also has more shading units (768 versus 640) and more texture mapping units (48 versus 40). Its texture rate is 51.60 GTexel/s, compared to 47.04 GTexel/s for the GTX 960A. These architectural advantages align with the benchmark result.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A does not win any recorded head-to-head benchmark. However, it does have a higher pixel rate: 18.82 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s for the AMD card. That is about a 9.4% advantage in pixel fill rate, which could translate to better performance in fill-rate-bound scenarios, such as high-resolution rendering with heavy overdraw. Both cards have 16 ROPs, so the NVIDIA advantage comes from its higher clock speed in this metric.

The GTX 960A also has a higher base clock of 1097 MHz and a boost clock of 1176 MHz. The AMD card's base and boost clocks are not recorded in the database, so a direct clock-to-clock comparison is not possible. But the NVIDIA card's memory runs at 1253 MHz, which translates to 5 Gbps effective, while the AMD card runs at 1375 MHz, or 5.5 Gbps effective. The AMD card therefore has a higher memory clock and a higher memory bandwidth: 88.00 GB/s versus 80.19 GB/s. That is a 9.7% bandwidth advantage for AMD.

In terms of power, the GTX 960A is rated at 75 W TDP, while the HD 8950M is rated at 100 W. That is a 25% difference in the other direction. The NVIDIA card draws less power, which could matter in thin laptops or systems with limited thermal headroom. The GTX 960A also lists no power connectors, suggesting it runs entirely off the MXM slot's power delivery, whereas the AMD card's power connector requirements are not recorded.

The Verdict

If the only metric that matters is raw benchmark performance, the AMD Radeon HD 8950M is the pick. It wins the Geekbench OpenCL test by 14.8%, and it has higher compute throughput, higher texture rate, and higher memory bandwidth. For users running OpenCL workloads or GPU-accelerated compute tasks, the data strongly favors AMD.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A is not without merit, but its strengths are in areas that do not show up in the recorded benchmark. Its higher pixel rate and lower power draw are real advantages, but they are not reflected in the single head-to-head score. If the workload is fill-rate-bound, such as certain rendering passes or post-processing effects, the NVIDIA card could potentially close the gap, but the database does not contain a test that proves that.

For gaming, the picture is less clear. Neither card has a recorded gaming benchmark in the database. The Geekbench OpenCL result is the only direct comparison, and it favors AMD. However, the GTX 960A's higher pixel rate and lower TDP could make it a better fit for certain gaming laptops, especially those with power constraints. The 75 W TDP versus 100 W means the NVIDIA card generates less heat and places less demand on the cooling system.

The production status for both cards is end-of-life. Neither is a current product, and both are MXM modules meant for laptops. The AMD card was released earlier, in May 2013, while the NVIDIA card came later, in March 2015. The NVIDIA card is the newer design by nearly two years, yet it still trails in the compute benchmark.

If you already own a laptop with one of these cards, the data suggests the AMD card is the better performer in compute tasks. If you are choosing between two used laptops with these GPUs, the AMD card's 14.8% lead in OpenCL is the single most important number in this comparison. The GTX 960A's lower power draw is a secondary consideration that might tip the scale for battery life or thermal reasons, but the performance gap is hard to ignore.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M scores 13772, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A scores 11998. The AMD card leads by 14.8%.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card win any head-to-head benchmark?

A: No. The only head-to-head test recorded is Geekbench OpenCL, and the AMD Radeon HD 8950M wins it.

Q: How do these cards compare in memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8950M has 88.00 GB/s of bandwidth, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A has 80.19 GB/s. The AMD card is ahead by about 9.7%.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A is rated at 75 W, while the AMD Radeon HD 8950M is rated at 100 W. The NVIDIA card draws less power.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A has a pixel rate of 18.82 GPixel/s, which is higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8950M's 17.20 GPixel/s.

Q: Are these cards still in production?

A: No. Both the AMD Radeon HD 8950M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A are listed as end-of-life products in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and manufacturers. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M uses the Saturn chip, built on the GCN 2.0 architecture. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A uses the GM107 chip, built on the Maxwell architecture. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts differ slightly. The AMD chip has 2,080 million transistors on a die size of 160 mm², giving a transistor density of 13.0 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip has 1,870 million transistors on a smaller die of 148 mm², for a density of 12.6 million per mm².

The AMD card has a wider compute configuration: 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The AMD card's texture rate is 51.60 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate is 17.20 GPixel/s. The NVIDIA card's texture rate is 47.04 GTexel/s, and its pixel rate is 18.82 GPixel/s. The higher pixel rate on the NVIDIA side comes from its higher clocks, despite having the same ROP count.

Memory configuration is similar on paper: both have 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. But the clocks differ. The AMD card runs its memory at 1375 MHz, or 5.5 Gbps effective, delivering 88.00 GB/s. The NVIDIA card runs at 1253 MHz, or 5 Gbps effective, delivering 80.19 GB/s. The AMD card has a clear bandwidth advantage.

API support also differs. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX feature level is notable: the AMD card supports 12_0, while the NVIDIA card is limited to 11_0. This could matter for games or applications that use DirectX 12 features at the 12_0 level.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specifications beyond their architectures. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M has a memory clock of 1375 MHz, resulting in 5.5 Gbps effective memory speed and 88.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A has a memory clock of 1253 MHz, resulting in 5 Gbps effective and 80.19 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card's memory is faster by a clear margin.

The NVIDIA card has recorded base and boost clocks of 1097 MHz and 1176 MHz, respectively. The AMD card's clocks are not recorded in the database, so no direct comparison is possible for core frequency. However, the resulting rates are known: the AMD card delivers 1.651 TFLOPS FP32, while the NVIDIA card delivers 1.505 TFLOPS. The AMD card is ahead by about 9.7% in raw compute throughput.

The pixel rate favors NVIDIA: 18.82 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s. The texture rate favors AMD: 51.60 GTexel/s versus 47.04 GTexel/s. The TDP also differs significantly: the NVIDIA card is rated at 75 W, while the AMD card is rated at 100 W. The NVIDIA card has no power connectors listed, while the AMD card's power connector requirements are not recorded.

Bus interfaces differ as well. The AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the NVIDIA card uses MXM-B (3.0). Both are MXM modules, but the bus interface reflects a different form factor specification. Display outputs are listed as portable device dependent for both cards, which is typical for mobile GPUs.

The release dates are far apart. The AMD card was released on May 13, 2013, while the NVIDIA card was released on March 12, 2015. The AMD card's predecessor is listed as London, and its successor is Gem System. The NVIDIA card's predecessor is GeForce 800A, and no successor is listed. Both cards are end-of-life in production status.