AMD Radeon Pro 555 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the recorded data is the Geekbench Metal score, where the AMD Radeon Pro 555 posts 16236 points against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M's 8319 points. That is a 95.2% advantage for the AMD part, a near doubling of performance in this specific API test. This is the single largest delta in the comparison, and it suggests the Radeon Pro 555 has a pronounced strength in Metal workloads, likely due to its newer architecture and driver optimizations for Apple's API.

The NVIDIA GPU, however, strikes back in the other two recorded benchmarks. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 780M scores 12769 against the Radeon Pro 555's 11682, a delta of -8.5% from the AMD card's perspective, meaning the NVIDIA part is 8.5% faster. The Vulkan test is closer: the GTX 780M scores 12696, while the Radeon Pro 555 scores 12303, a 3.1% margin in favor of NVIDIA. These are not overwhelming victories, but they are consistent across two different compute APIs, indicating that the older Kepler architecture still holds its own in general-purpose compute tasks.

Looking at the aggregate average benchmark score, the AMD Radeon Pro 555 lands at 13407, while the GTX 780M averages 11261. That places the AMD part roughly 19% higher on average across all recorded tests. The percentile rankings reflect this: the Radeon Pro 555 sits at the 54th percentile against all GPUs in the database, while the GTX 780M sits at the 50th percentile. The AMD card's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon HD 8950M (avg score 13376, delta 0.2%), the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (13356, 0.4%), and the AMD FirePro M6100 (13354, 0.4%). The NVIDIA P106-090 is slightly ahead at 13470, a -0.5% delta from the Radeon Pro 555. For the GTX 780M, its closest competitors are the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (11228, 0.3%), the AMD FirePro W4300 (11225, 0.3%), and two NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q variants, both scoring 11088 (1.6% delta).

The pattern is clear: the Radeon Pro 555 dominates in Metal, while the GTX 780M edges ahead in OpenCL and Vulkan. The question is whether the Metal win is more meaningful than the two narrower compute victories. Given that the Metal score difference is an order of magnitude larger than the others, it carries significant weight in the overall average.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturing eras and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro 555 uses the Polaris 21 chip, built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated at a 14 nm process node by GlobalFoundries. The die size is 123 mm² with 3,000 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 24.4M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M, on the other hand, uses the GK104 chip, based on the Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC at a 28 nm process node. Its die is substantially larger at 294 mm², with 3,540 million transistors, but the density is lower at 12.0M per mm² due to the older process.

The memory configurations differ markedly. The Radeon Pro 555 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 81.60 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 780M doubles this to 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 160.0 GB/s. The memory clock is similar, with the AMD part running at 1275 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective) and the NVIDIA part at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), but the wider bus gives NVIDIA the bandwidth advantage.

Compute resources also diverge significantly. The Radeon Pro 555 has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 780M has 1536 shading units (exactly double), 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This explains the NVIDIA part's higher theoretical pixel rate (25.50 GPixel/s vs 13.60 GPixel/s) and texture rate (102.0 GTexel/s vs 40.80 GTexel/s). In raw FP32 throughput, the GTX 780M reaches 2.448 TFLOPS, while the Radeon Pro 555 delivers 1,305.6 GFLOPS. Interestingly, the AMD card matches its FP32 rate in FP16 (1,305.6 GFLOPS with 1:1 ratio), while the NVIDIA part has no recorded FP16 capability.

Clock speeds are another differentiator. The GTX 780M has a base clock of 771 MHz and a boost clock of 797 MHz. The Radeon Pro 555 has no recorded base or boost clock in the database, only the memory clock. This absence of clock data for the AMD part is notable, though the benchmark results speak for themselves.

Power and form factor differences are stark. The Radeon Pro 555 is rated at 75 W TDP and uses an IGP (integrated graphics processor) slot width, meaning it is designed to be soldered onto a motherboard, with no power connectors. The GTX 780M is rated at 122 W TDP and uses an MXM Module form factor, also with no power connectors, but it is a removable module. The bus interface differs as well: the AMD part uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the NVIDIA part uses MXM-B (3.0).

API support shows generational progress. The Radeon Pro 555 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 780M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The newer AMD architecture has a higher Vulkan version and a more complete DirectX 12 feature level.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 555 has an average benchmark score of 13407, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M's 11261. That puts the AMD part roughly 19% higher overall.

Q: In which benchmark does the AMD Radeon Pro 555 win?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 555 wins the Geekbench Metal test with a score of 16236 against the GTX 780M's 8319, a 95.2% advantage. This is its only head-to-head win.

Q: In which benchmarks does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M win?

A: The GTX 780M wins two tests: Geekbench OpenCL (12769 vs 11682, an 8.5% margin) and Geekbench Vulkan (12696 vs 12303, a 3.1% margin).

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The NVIDIA GTX 780M has a 256-bit memory bus with 4 GB of GDDR5, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro 555 has a 128-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5, delivering 81.60 GB/s. The NVIDIA part has exactly double the bandwidth.

Q: What are the transistor counts and process nodes?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 555 uses a 14 nm process with 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The NVIDIA GTX 780M uses a 28 nm process with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The AMD part has a higher transistor density at 24.4M per mm² versus 12.0M per mm².

Q: What API versions does each GPU support?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 555 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA GTX 780M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification category. Here are the key differentiators:

• Process Node: The AMD Radeon Pro 555 uses a 14 nm process, while the NVIDIA GTX 780M uses a 28 nm process.
• Die Size: The AMD chip measures 123 mm²; the NVIDIA chip measures 294 mm².
• Transistor Density: The AMD part achieves 24.4M transistors per mm²; the NVIDIA part achieves 12.0M per mm².
• Memory Size: The AMD card has 2 GB of GDDR5; the NVIDIA card has 4 GB of GDDR5.
• Memory Bus Width: The AMD card uses a 128-bit bus; the NVIDIA card uses a 256-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: The AMD card delivers 81.60 GB/s; the NVIDIA card delivers 160.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The AMD card has 768; the NVIDIA card has 1536.
• Texture Mapping Units: The AMD card has 48; the NVIDIA card has 128.
• ROP Units: The AMD card has 16; the NVIDIA card has 32.
• Pixel Rate: The AMD card achieves 13.60 GPixel/s; the NVIDIA card achieves 25.50 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: The AMD card achieves 40.80 GTexel/s; the NVIDIA card achieves 102.0 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: The AMD card reaches 1,305.6 GFLOPS; the NVIDIA card reaches 2.448 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: The AMD card has 1,305.6 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio); the NVIDIA card has no recorded FP16 capability.
• TDP: The AMD card is rated at 75 W; the NVIDIA card at 122 W.
• Form Factor: The AMD card uses IGP; the NVIDIA card uses MXM Module.
• Bus Interface: The AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x8; the NVIDIA card uses MXM-B (3.0).
• DirectX Support: The AMD card supports 12 (12_0); the NVIDIA card supports 12 (11_0).
• Vulkan Support: The AMD card supports Vulkan 1.3; the NVIDIA card supports Vulkan 1.2.175.
• Release Date: The AMD card was released on June 4, 2017; the NVIDIA card on May 10, 2013.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 555 is the clear winner in Metal-based workloads. Its Geekbench Metal score of 16236 dwarfs the GTX 780M's 8319, a 95.2% improvement. This suggests that for applications that leverage Apple's Metal API, the Radeon Pro 555 is the superior choice. Its newer GCN 4.0 architecture, 14 nm process, and higher transistor density likely contribute to this efficiency in modern API environments. The AMD card also holds the overall average benchmark advantage (13407 vs 11261), meaning it is the better all-round performer in the database's aggregate metrics.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M wins in raw compute throughput. Its OpenCL score of 12769 beats the AMD card by 8.5%, and its Vulkan score of 12696 beats it by 3.1%. The GTX 780M also has overwhelming advantages in theoretical specifications: double the shading units, double the TMUs, double the ROPs, double the memory bandwidth, and nearly double the FP32 throughput (2.448 TFLOPS vs 1,305.6 GFLOPS). For workloads that are heavily parallel and can utilize the full compute resources, the Kepler architecture still demonstrates competence despite being four years older.

The form factor difference is also a deciding factor for certain systems. The Radeon Pro 555's IGP design with a 75 W TDP makes it suitable for thin, power-constrained laptops where the GPU is soldered to the motherboard. The GTX 780M's MXM Module form factor with a 122 W TDP suggests it was designed for larger, more upgradeable gaming laptops where the higher power draw is acceptable.

The Verdict

The data points to a split decision based on workload and platform. For users who prioritize Metal performance, the AMD Radeon Pro 555 is the definitive choice. Its 95.2% lead in Geekbench Metal is not a marginal difference; it is a transformative advantage that would be immediately noticeable in Metal-based rendering or compute tasks. The AMD card also has the higher average benchmark score (13407 vs 11261) and better API support (Vulkan 1.3, DirectX 12_0), making it the more future-proof option.

For users who need maximum compute throughput in OpenCL or Vulkan, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M remains competitive. Its 8.5% lead in OpenCL and 3.1% lead in Vulkan, combined with its massive theoretical compute advantage (2.448 TFLOPS vs 1,305.6 GFLOPS) and double the memory bandwidth (160.0 GB/s vs 81.60 GB/s), make it a strong choice for general-purpose GPU computing. The GTX 780M also offers double the VRAM (4 GB vs 2 GB), which could matter for large datasets or textures.

The production status of both is end-of-life, and neither has a recorded launch MSRP. The AMD card is newer by four years (June 2017 vs May 2013), which explains its architectural advantages. The GTX 780M has a larger die (294 mm² vs 123 mm²) and more transistors (3,540 million vs 3,000 million), but at a much lower density.

The final recommendation depends on the specific use case. The Radeon Pro 555 is the better choice for Metal-centric workflows, lower power consumption (75 W vs 122 W), and modern API support. The GTX 780M is the better choice for pure compute throughput, larger memory capacity, and applications that favor OpenCL or Vulkan. The recorded data does not support a single universal winner; it supports two distinct winners for two distinct sets of priorities.