AMD Radeon R5 M230 vs NVIDIA GeForce 930A Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile graphics processors. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A wins the only recorded head-to-head test, the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, by a decisive margin. It scores 5317 points against the AMD Radeon R5 M230's 4577 points, a 16.2% advantage. This is not a narrow victory; it is a substantial gap that places the two chips in different performance tiers despite both being entry-level mobile parts from the same era.

The AMD Radeon R5 M230 has no wins in the recorded data. Across the single benchmark available, it trails the NVIDIA part in raw compute throughput. However, the AMD chip does hold its own in terms of API support. It lists DirectX 12 (11_1) support, which is a slightly higher feature level than the NVIDIA chip's DirectX 12 (11_0). For applications that specifically leverage the 11_1 feature set, the AMD part has a theoretical advantage, though the benchmark data does not capture this scenario.

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A also sits higher in the overall GPU percentile ranking. It falls in the 31st percentile among all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon R5 M230 sits in the 27th percentile. This four-point percentile gap reflects the compute performance difference and suggests the NVIDIA part is better positioned relative to the broader GPU landscape.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from fundamentally different architectural lineages. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A is built on the Maxwell architecture, using the GM108 chip. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Jet chip. Both are manufactured on the same 28 nm process node at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The NVIDIA chip packs 1,020 million transistors into a die size of 77 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 13.2 million transistors per square millimeter. The AMD chip is smaller in both absolute terms and density: 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, giving 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip has a 47.8% transistor count advantage and a 37.5% die size advantage, which translates into more compute resources overall.

The execution resources differ meaningfully. The GeForce 930A has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The Radeon R5 M230 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and also 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA part has 20% more shading units and 20% more TMUs, while matching the ROP count. This resource advantage directly feeds into the compute performance gap.

Clock speeds are another differentiator. The GeForce 930A runs at a base clock of 928 MHz with a boost clock of 941 MHz. The Radeon R5 M230 has no recorded base or boost clock in the database, so a direct clock comparison is not possible. However, the memory clocks are nearly identical: 1001 MHz for NVIDIA (2 Gbps effective) versus 1000 MHz for AMD (2 Gbps effective).

Both chips use 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus. The bandwidth difference is negligible: 16.02 GB/s for NVIDIA versus 16.00 GB/s for AMD. This means memory throughput is effectively a tie, and the compute advantage comes from the shading units and clock speeds, not memory bandwidth.

API support differs in one key area. The AMD chip supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the NVIDIA chip supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Vulkan versions differ: NVIDIA lists Vulkan 1.4, while AMD lists Vulkan 1.2.170.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A scores 5317 points, while the AMD Radeon R5 M230 scores 4577 points. The delta is 16.2% in favor of NVIDIA. This is the sole data point for direct comparison, and it favors NVIDIA across the board.

To contextualize this score, the nearest rivals in the database provide reference points. The GeForce 930A's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce 840M, which scores 5322 points, a delta of -0.1% relative to the 930A. The GeForce GTX 980M scores 5308 points (0.2% behind), and the GeForce 940M scores 5284 points (0.6% behind). The AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358 points, which is 0.8% ahead of the 930A. This means the 930A is essentially tied with a group of mid-range and high-end mobile GPUs from its own generation, despite being positioned as a lower-tier part.

The Radeon R5 M230's nearest rivals tell a different story. The AMD Radeon RX 560 scores 4569 points, just 0.2% behind the M230. The Intel HD Graphics P530 scores 4560 points (0.4% behind). The NVIDIA Quadro M3000M scores 4621 points (0.9% ahead), and the GeForce GTX 970M scores 4628 points (1.1% ahead). The M230 is clustered with a mix of integrated graphics and higher-end discrete parts, which suggests its performance level is comparable to capable integrated solutions rather than dedicated gaming GPUs.

The 16.2% gap between the two chips is larger than the gaps between either chip and its nearest rivals. This indicates that the GeForce 930A and Radeon R5 M230 are not in the same performance class, despite similar memory configurations and release timing.

Specification Differences

The key specification differences between the two chips are as follows:

• Architecture: NVIDIA Maxwell (GM108) versus AMD GCN 1.0 (Jet)
• Transistors: 1,020 million versus 690 million
• Die Size: 77 mm² versus 56 mm²
• Transistor Density: 13.2M / mm² versus 12.3M / mm²
• Shading Units: 384 versus 320
• Texture Mapping Units: 24 versus 20
• Base Clock: 928 MHz versus no recorded base clock
• Boost Clock: 941 MHz versus no recorded boost clock
• FP32 Performance: 722.7 GFLOPS versus 390.4 GFLOPS
• Pixel Rate: 7.528 GPixel/s versus 4.880 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 22.58 GTexel/s versus 12.20 GTexel/s
• DirectX Support: 12 (11_0) versus 12 (11_1)
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 versus 1.2.170
• TDP: 33 W versus no recorded TDP
• Release Date: 2015-03-12 versus 2014-01-06
• Predecessor: GeForce 800A versus Solar System
• Successor: none versus Polaris Mobile

The FP32 performance gap is striking: the NVIDIA chip delivers 722.7 GFLOPS, which is 85.1% higher than the AMD chip's 390.4 GFLOPS. The pixel rate is 54.2% higher on NVIDIA (7.528 GPixel/s versus 4.880 GPixel/s), and the texture rate is 85.1% higher (22.58 GTexel/s versus 12.20 GTexel/s). These are not marginal differences; they represent a full performance tier separation.

Both chips share identical memory size (2 GB), memory type (DDR3), bus width (64 bit), ROP count (8), process node (28 nm), foundry (TSMC), slot width (IGP), bus interface (PCIe 3.0 x8), and display outputs (portable device dependent). The memory bandwidth is effectively identical at 16.02 GB/s versus 16.00 GB/s.

The NVIDIA chip has a recorded TDP of 33 W, while the AMD chip has no TDP recorded. The NVIDIA chip also has a defined power connector status of "None," while the AMD chip has no power connector data.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A scores 5317 points in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 16.2% higher than the AMD Radeon R5 M230's 4577 points. The FP32 performance is 722.7 GFLOPS for NVIDIA versus 390.4 GFLOPS for AMD.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same memory configuration?

A: Yes, both use 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus. The bandwidth is nearly identical: 16.02 GB/s for the NVIDIA part and 16.00 GB/s for the AMD part.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A has 384 shading units, while the AMD Radeon R5 M230 has 320. This is a 20% advantage for NVIDIA. The NVIDIA chip also has 24 TMUs versus 20 on the AMD chip.

Q: Is there any API feature where the AMD chip has an advantage?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon R5 M230 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), which is one feature level higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 930A's DirectX 12 (11_0). However, the NVIDIA chip supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD chip supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: How does each GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GeForce 930A is nearly tied with the GeForce 840M (-0.1%), GeForce GTX 980M (+0.2%), and GeForce 940M (+0.6%), while trailing the Radeon R7 M445 by 0.8%. The Radeon R5 M230 is nearly tied with the Radeon RX 560 (+0.2%) and Intel HD Graphics P530 (+0.4%), while trailing the Quadro M3000M by 0.9% and the GeForce GTX 970M by 1.1%.

Q: Which GPU has a higher overall percentile ranking?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A is in the 31st percentile among all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon R5 M230 is in the 27th percentile. This four-point gap reflects the 16.2% benchmark score difference.

The Verdict

The data directs a clear choice for compute-heavy workloads. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A outperforms the AMD Radeon R5 M230 by 16.2% in the recorded OpenCL benchmark, with a correspondingly higher FP32 throughput (722.7 GFLOPS versus 390.4 GFLOPS), pixel rate (7.528 GPixel/s versus 4.880 GPixel/s), and texture rate (22.58 GTexel/s versus 12.20 GTexel/s). For any application that relies on general-purpose GPU compute, the NVIDIA part is the stronger option.

The GeForce 930A also holds a transistor and die size advantage (1,020 million transistors on 77 mm² versus 690 million on 56 mm²), which underpins its higher shading unit count (384 versus 320) and TMU count (24 versus 20). Its nearest rivals include the GeForce 840M, GTX 980M, and 940M, all within a 0.6% margin, meaning it competes with a broader range of mobile GPUs than its nominal tier suggests.

The AMD Radeon R5 M230 is not without merit. Its DirectX 12 (11_1) support is a genuine feature advantage over the NVIDIA chip's 11_0 level. For software that specifically uses 11_1 features, the AMD part may offer compatibility or feature benefits that the benchmark does not capture. Its nearest rivals include the Radeon RX 560 and Intel HD Graphics P530, which indicates it operates in a lower performance band, closer to capable integrated graphics than to dedicated gaming parts.

The choice depends on the workload. For pure compute performance, the GeForce 930A wins outright. For applications that require DirectX 11_1 features, the Radeon R5 M230 has a specific, albeit narrow, advantage. The GeForce 930A also has a recorded TDP of 33 W, which gives system designers a known power envelope, while the AMD chip has no TDP data in the database.

In terms of production status, both are end-of-life parts. The GeForce 930A was released in March 2015, succeeding the GeForce 800A. The Radeon R5 M230 was released in January 2014, succeeding the Solar System and later succeeded by Polaris Mobile. For legacy systems or projects requiring these specific form factors, the NVIDIA chip is the higher-performance choice, while the AMD chip offers the newer DirectX feature level. The 16.2% benchmark gap is decisive for most use cases.