AMD Radeon R5 M230 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single direct comparison between the AMD Radeon R5 M230 and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M: the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark. In this test, the AMD part scores 4577, while the NVIDIA part scores 3580. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 wins this head-to-head matchup with a 27.8% advantage over the GeForce GT 745M.

This is a substantial margin. A 27.8% lead in OpenCL compute performance places the AMD Radeon R5 M230 in a distinctly higher performance tier, at least for this workload. To put this in context, the AMD Radeon R5 M230’s score of 4577 positions it near the AMD Radeon RX 560, which averages 4569, a delta of just 0.2%. It also edges out the Intel HD Graphics P530, which scores 4560, by 0.4%. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M, with its score of 3580, sits near the AMD Radeon R5 M420, which averages 3956, though the GT 745M trails that part by 0.1%. The GT 745M is also 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce 830M, which scores 3957.

Looking at the broader database, the AMD Radeon R5 M230 achieves a 27th percentile ranking among all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M lands at the 23rd percentile. While both are firmly in the entry-level segment, the AMD part’s higher percentile and superior OpenCL score indicate a measurable performance advantage in compute-heavy tasks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M does have additional benchmark entries in the database, including Geekbench Metal and Geekbench Vulkan tests. Its Metal score is 2777, and its Vulkan score is 5502. However, the AMD Radeon R5 M230 has no recorded results for those APIs, so no direct comparison can be made for those specific workloads. The only head-to-head data point remains the OpenCL test, which the AMD part wins decisively.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R5 M230 wins the only directly comparable benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a 27.8% margin. This suggests that for general-purpose compute tasks, OpenCL-accelerated applications, and workloads that leverage the GPU for non-graphics processing, the AMD part is the stronger choice. The data shows a clear advantage in this specific metric.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M, however, has a more diverse benchmark profile. It records scores in Metal and Vulkan, two modern graphics and compute APIs. Its Vulkan score of 5502 is notably higher than its OpenCL score of 3580, indicating that the Kepler architecture may perform relatively better under Vulkan. The Metal score of 2777 is lower than its OpenCL score, suggesting API-specific performance variations.

For users or applications that rely on OpenCL, the AMD Radeon R5 M230 is the clear winner. For scenarios where Vulkan or Metal is the primary API, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has recorded data, but no comparable AMD measurements exist in the database. Therefore, the AMD part wins in the only measurable head-to-head category, while the NVIDIA part offers broader API coverage in the recorded benchmarks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M also has a TDP of 45 W, whereas the AMD Radeon R5 M230 has no TDP listed in the database. This means power consumption data is incomplete for the AMD part, so no power efficiency comparison can be made. The NVIDIA part’s recorded power draw may be relevant for laptop design considerations, but the AMD part’s lack of data prevents a direct comparison.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and utilize fundamentally different architectures. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, featuring the Jet chip. It is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die. The transistor density calculates to 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter.

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M uses the Kepler architecture with the GK107 chip. It is also manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but packs 1,270 million transistors on a 118 mm² die. The transistor density is 10.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip has nearly double the transistor count and a substantially larger die area, but a slightly lower transistor density, indicating a different design philosophy.

In terms of compute resources, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has more shading units (384 versus 320), more texture mapping units (32 versus 20), and more render output units (16 versus 8). Despite having more of these units, the AMD part achieves a higher pixel rate at 4.880 GPixel/s compared to the NVIDIA part’s 4.392 GPixel/s. However, the NVIDIA part has a higher texture rate at 17.57 GTexel/s versus 12.20 GTexel/s, and a higher FP32 throughput at 421.6 GFLOPS versus 390.4 GFLOPS.

Memory configurations differ significantly. The AMD Radeon R5 M230 uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a fourfold difference in memory bandwidth, which is a major architectural differentiator.

The memory clock is 1000 MHz for both parts, but the effective data rate differs: 2 Gbps effective for the AMD part versus 4 Gbps effective for the NVIDIA part. The bus interface also differs: the AMD part uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the NVIDIA part uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

The AMD Radeon R5 M230 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The NVIDIA part has a slightly newer Vulkan version. The AMD part is from the Gem System (R5 M200) generation, while the NVIDIA part is from the GeForce 700M generation. The AMD predecessor is Solar System and successor is Polaris Mobile. The NVIDIA predecessor is GeForce 600M and successor is GeForce 800M.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M230 scores 4577, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M scores 3580. The AMD part wins with a 27.8% margin.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon R5 M230 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD part scores 0.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 560 (4569), 0.4% above the Intel HD Graphics P530 (4560), 0.9% below the NVIDIA Quadro M3000M (4621), and 1.1% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (4628).

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M230 has an average benchmark score of 4577. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M has an average benchmark score of 3953, which includes its Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan results.

Q: What are the memory specifications of the AMD Radeon R5 M230?

A: It has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s and a memory clock of 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective).

Q: What are the memory specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M?

A: It has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s and a memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

Q: What is the manufacturing process for both chips?

A: Both the AMD Radeon R5 M230 (GCN 1.0, Jet) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M (Kepler, GK107) are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the AMD Radeon R5 M230 in the only directly comparable benchmark. Its 27.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is a decisive margin, and its 27th percentile ranking versus the NVIDIA part’s 23rd percentile reinforces that advantage. For users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, the AMD Radeon R5 M230 is the better choice.

However, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M should not be dismissed. It offers recorded performance in Vulkan and Metal, which the AMD part lacks entirely. Its Vulkan score of 5502 is its strongest recorded result, and the architecture’s higher texture rate (17.57 GTexel/s), FP32 throughput (421.6 GFLOPS), and significantly higher memory bandwidth (64.00 GB/s versus 16.00 GB/s) suggest it may be better suited for certain graphics-heavy tasks, even if the OpenCL data does not reflect that.

The NVIDIA part also has a recorded TDP of 45 W, giving it a defined power envelope. The AMD part has no TDP listed, so thermal comparisons are impossible. The NVIDIA part’s larger die (118 mm² vs 56 mm²) and higher transistor count (1,270 million vs 690 million) indicate a more complex chip, though the AMD part achieves a higher transistor density (12.3M / mm² vs 10.8M / mm²).

Ultimately, the choice depends on the target workload. If the application relies on OpenCL, the AMD Radeon R5 M230 is the superior option based on the recorded data. If Vulkan or Metal compatibility is required, or if the higher memory bandwidth and raw shader count are priorities, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M may be more appropriate, despite its lower OpenCL score. The database contains only one direct comparison, and it favors AMD by a wide margin.