AMD Radeon HD 8970M vs NVIDIA P106-100 Comparison

The NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon HD 8970M represent two distinct approaches to GPU design, separated by four years of architectural evolution. The P106-100 is a desktop-oriented mining card built on the 16 nm Pascal architecture, while the HD 8970M is a mobile module based on the older 28 nm GCN 1.0 design. The benchmark data shows a decisive overall victory for the NVIDIA part, which posts an average benchmark score of 23,249 compared to 21,237 for the AMD card, placing them at the 68th and 66th percentiles of all GPUs respectively. This guide breaks down the technical specifications, architectural differences, and performance data to explain where each card excels.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23,249 on average, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21,237. This gives the NVIDIA card a roughly 9.5% advantage in overall average performance.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 35,951 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 69.3% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8970M's score of 21,237. This is the only head-to-head benchmark available for both cards.

Q: What are the process node differences between the two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA P106-100 is fabricated on a 16 nm TSMC process, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M uses a 28 nm TSMC process. The smaller node allows the NVIDIA chip to pack 4,400 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, compared to 2,800 million transistors in a 212 mm² die for AMD.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA P106-100 achieves 192.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth through a 192-bit bus with 8 Gbps effective GDDR5 memory. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M has a wider 256-bit bus but slower 4.8 Gbps effective memory, resulting in 153.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12, but with different feature levels. The NVIDIA P106-100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The NVIDIA card also supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the AMD card supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The NVIDIA P106-100 has a transistor density of 22.0 million transistors per mm², significantly higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8970M's 13.2 million per mm². This reflects the newer 16 nm process technology used by NVIDIA.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA P106-100 is built on the Pascal architecture using the GP106 chip, fabricated on a 16 nm TSMC process. This modern node enables a transistor count of 4,400 million within a 200 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 22.0M per mm². The AMD Radeon HD 8970M, in contrast, uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture with the Neptune chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process. This larger node limits the AMD chip to 2,800 million transistors across a 212 mm² die, giving a lower density of 13.2M per mm².

Clock speeds differ substantially due to these architectural and process differences. The NVIDIA P106-100 runs at a base clock of 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1709 MHz, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M operates at just 850 MHz base and 900 MHz boost. This clock advantage directly contributes to the NVIDIA card's higher compute throughput. The NVIDIA card delivers 4.375 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, nearly double the AMD card's 2.304 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA GPU also offers FP16 capability at 68.36 GFLOPS (with a 1:64 ratio), while the AMD card has no listed FP16 support.

Memory subsystems are configured differently. The NVIDIA P106-100 features 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, running at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) for a bandwidth of 192.2 GB/s. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 256-bit bus, but the memory clock of 1200 MHz (4.8 Gbps effective) yields a lower bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the NVIDIA card achieves higher bandwidth due to faster memory clocks.

Shader and rendering resources show both similarities and differences. Both cards feature 1280 shading units and 80 texture mapping units. However, the NVIDIA P106-100 has 48 ROPs, while the AMD card has only 32. This leads to a pixel rate of 82.03 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 28.80 GPixel/s for AMD. The texture rate also favors NVIDIA at 136.7 GTexel/s compared to AMD's 72.00 GTexel/s. These differences are driven by the massive clock speed advantage of the NVIDIA chip.

The physical and interface specifications also differ. The NVIDIA P106-100 is a dual-slot desktop card with a 250 mm (9.8 inches) length, using a PCIe 1.0 x16 interface and requiring a 300 W suggested PSU with a single 6-pin power connector. It has no display outputs, reflecting its mining-oriented design. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M is an MXM module for portable devices, using PCIe 3.0 x16, with display outputs that are portable device dependent. The NVIDIA card has a higher TDP of 120 W compared to 100 W for the AMD part.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the NVIDIA P106-100 across every measurable performance metric. Its average benchmark score of 23,249 is 9.5% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8970M's 21,237. In the only direct head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA card achieves a 69.3% higher score, which is a substantial margin. The NVIDIA GPU also holds the 68th percentile of all GPUs, two points higher than AMD's 66th percentile. For users prioritizing raw compute performance, the P106-100 is the unequivocal choice.

However, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is not without its merits. It consumes 20 W less power (100 W versus 120 W), which could be relevant in thermally constrained environments. The AMD card also uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, which is a newer generation than the PCIe 1.0 x16 found on the NVIDIA card, potentially offering better system integration in modern platforms. The AMD card's MXM form factor makes it suitable for portable devices, whereas the NVIDIA card is a desktop-only solution with no display outputs.

For users who need a GPU for general compute workloads and have a desktop system with adequate power delivery, the NVIDIA P106-100 is the superior option based on benchmark results. The AMD card may be preferable for mobile applications or systems where the lower power draw and PCIe 3.0 interface are more important than raw performance. Ultimately, the benchmark data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the appropriate choice depends on the specific use case and system constraints.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every major specification category. The NVIDIA P106-100 uses a 16 nm process node, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M uses 28 nm. Transistor counts are 4,400 million versus 2,800 million, with die sizes of 200 mm² and 212 mm² respectively. Transistor density is 22.0M per mm² for NVIDIA and 13.2M per mm² for AMD.

Clock speeds show a significant gap: the NVIDIA card has a 1506 MHz base and 1709 MHz boost, while the AMD card runs at 850 MHz base and 900 MHz boost. Memory configurations differ in size (6 GB versus 4 GB), bus width (192-bit versus 256-bit), and effective speed (8 Gbps versus 4.8 Gbps). The resulting memory bandwidth is 192.2 GB/s for NVIDIA and 153.6 GB/s for AMD.

Compute resources differ in ROP count (48 versus 32) but match in shading units (1280) and TMUs (80). Pixel rate is 82.03 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 28.80 GPixel/s for AMD, and texture rate is 136.7 GTexel/s versus 72.00 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.375 TFLOPS for NVIDIA and 2.304 TFLOPS for AMD. The NVIDIA card has FP16 capability at 68.36 GFLOPS, while the AMD card has no listed FP16 support.

Power and physical specifications also differ: TDP is 120 W for NVIDIA and 100 W for AMD. The NVIDIA card is dual-slot with a 250 mm length, while the AMD card is an MXM module. Bus interfaces are PCIe 1.0 x16 for NVIDIA and PCIe 3.0 x16 for AMD. Display outputs are absent on the NVIDIA card but portable device dependent on the AMD card. Vulkan support differs (1.4 versus 1.2.170), and DirectX feature levels are 12_1 for NVIDIA and 11_1 for AMD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 35,951, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21,237. The NVIDIA card wins with a delta of 69.3%. This is a decisive margin that reflects the substantial architectural and clock speed advantages of the Pascal-based part.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the NVIDIA P106-100 also has additional benchmark scores that the AMD card lacks. The NVIDIA GPU scores 899 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test and 32,897 in Geekbench Vulkan. These additional data points contribute to its higher average benchmark score of 23,249. The AMD card's average score of 21,237 is based solely on its single Geekbench OpenCL result.

The average score difference places the NVIDIA card at the 68th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD card sits at the 66th percentile. The NVIDIA card's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (score 23,250, delta 0%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (score 23,273, delta -0.1%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (score 23,276, delta -0.1%). The AMD card's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (score 21,153, delta 0.4%), the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (score 21,379, delta -0.7%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 (score 21,035, delta 1%). This competitive landscape shows that both cards are positioned in the mid-range of GPU performance, but the NVIDIA part sits in a slightly higher performance tier.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA P106-100 wins decisively in raw compute performance. It delivers 69.3% higher Geekbench OpenCL scores, which is the most significant single benchmark advantage in this comparison. The card also offers higher FP32 throughput at 4.375 TFLOPS, more than double the AMD card's 2.304 TFLOPS. This makes the NVIDIA card the clear choice for compute-intensive workloads such as general-purpose GPU computing, data processing, or any application that leverages OpenCL or Vulkan APIs. The NVIDIA card's additional benchmark scores in 3DMark Steel Nomad and Geekbench Vulkan further demonstrate its versatility across different test scenarios.

The AMD Radeon HD 8970M wins in specific system-level attributes. It has a lower TDP of 100 W, which is 20 W less than the NVIDIA card, making it more suitable for power-constrained environments or mobile platforms. The AMD card also uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, which is a newer standard than the PCIe 1.0 x16 found on the NVIDIA card. This could provide better compatibility with modern motherboards, although the actual performance impact is not quantified in the benchmark data. The AMD card's MXM module form factor is designed for portable devices, whereas the NVIDIA card is a desktop-only solution with no display outputs.

For users building a desktop system focused on compute performance, the NVIDIA P106-100 is the obvious winner based on the benchmark data. For users with a portable device or a system with strict power limitations, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M offers a lower-power alternative with a more modern bus interface. The benchmark data shows the NVIDIA card as the performance leader, but the AMD card retains advantages in power efficiency and system integration that could be decisive for specific use cases.