AMD Radeon R5 M230 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB vs AMD Radeon R5 M230

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB and AMD Radeon R5 M230 represent two entirely different eras of GPU design, separated by eight years of architectural evolution. The RTX 3080 12 GB is a desktop flagship built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the R5 M230 is an integrated-class mobile part from AMD's GCN 1.0 generation on TSMC's 28 nm node. The benchmark data shows a stark performance gap, with the RTX 3080 12 GB scoring 4791 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the R5 M230 posts 4577 in Geekbench OpenCL. These are different workloads, but the percentile rankings tell the story: the RTX 3080 12 GB sits at the 28th percentile of all GPUs, while the R5 M230 languishes at the 27th percentile. Neither is a top-tier performer in its respective benchmark pool, but the architectural chasm between them is vast.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark table is empty, meaning no direct comparative test was run between these two GPUs. Instead, the data provides each card's average benchmark score from its own test suite. The RTX 3080 12 GB achieves an average score of 4791 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the R5 M230 scores 4577 in Geekbench OpenCL. On the surface, the RTX 3080 12 GB leads by 214 points, or roughly 4.7 percent. However, these are different benchmarks measuring different workloads, so a direct percentage comparison is not statistically meaningful.

What is meaningful is how each card stacks against its nearest rivals. The RTX 3080 12 GB edges out the AMD Radeon R5 M255 by a mere 0.1 percent (4791 vs 4788) and leads the R5 M335 by 0.8 percent (4791 vs 4752). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX by 1.1 percent and the GeForce GTX 560M by 1.3 percent. The R5 M230, meanwhile, is 0.2 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 560 (4577 vs 4569) and 0.4 percent ahead of the Intel HD Graphics P530 (4577 vs 4560). It falls 0.9 percent behind the NVIDIA Quadro M3000M and 1.1 percent behind the GeForce GTX 970M.

These deltaPct values reveal that both cards are tightly clustered with their immediate competitors, each within roughly 1.3 percent of the others. The RTX 3080 12 GB's closest rival is the R5 M255, a card from the same R5 family as the R5 M230, while the R5 M230's nearest competitor is the RX 560. Neither card demonstrates a decisive victory in its peer group, but the RTX 3080 12 GB operates in a benchmark that stresses modern DX12 features, while the R5 M230 is tested in an OpenCL workload that favors compute throughput.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is generational. The RTX 3080 12 GB uses the GA102 chip built on Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process. It packs 28,300 million transistors into a 628 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.1 million per square millimeter. The R5 M230, by contrast, uses the Jet chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It contains just 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, with a density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3080 12 GB has roughly 41 times more transistors and a die over 11 times larger.

Memory specifications amplify the gap. The RTX 3080 12 GB features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth with memory clocked at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The R5 M230 has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, providing 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective). That is a 57-fold difference in memory bandwidth. The RTX 3080 12 GB's shading units number 8960, with 280 texture mapping units and 96 render output units. It also includes 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores. The R5 M230 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor core support.

Clock speeds and compute rates differ accordingly. The RTX 3080 12 GB runs at a base clock of 1260 MHz and boosts to 1710 MHz, achieving a pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 478.8 GTexel/s, and 30.64 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The R5 M230 has no listed base or boost clocks, but its pixel rate is 4.880 GPixel/s, its texture rate is 12.20 GTexel/s, and its FP32 performance is 390.4 GFLOPS. The RTX 3080 12 GB also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (30.64 TFLOPS), while the R5 M230 lists no FP16 capability. API support differs as well: the RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the R5 M230 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3080 12 GB wins decisively in every measurable compute and memory metric. Its 912.4 GB/s memory bandwidth dwarfs the R5 M230's 16.00 GB/s, making it overwhelmingly superior for texture-heavy workloads, high-resolution rendering, and large dataset processing. The 30.64 TFLOPS FP32 throughput versus 390.4 GFLOPS represents a 78-fold advantage in raw floating-point performance. The RTX 3080 12 GB's 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS, neither of which the R5 M230 can attempt.

The R5 M230's wins are limited to efficiency and form factor. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no listed TDP, no power connectors, and a "Portable Device Dependent" display output, meaning it consumes minimal power and fits into thin-and-light laptops. Its 28 nm process, while older, allows for a 56 mm² die that is trivial to integrate. The R5 M230 also supports Vulkan 1.2.170, which is a slightly newer Vulkan revision than the RTX 3080 12 GB's 1.4, though the RTX 3080 12 GB's higher version number indicates broader feature support. The R5 M230's 2 GB DDR3 memory is sufficient for basic desktop composition and legacy applications, whereas the RTX 3080 12 GB's 12 GB GDDR6X is designed for 4K gaming and professional workloads.

In terms of benchmark positioning, the RTX 3080 12 GB scores 4791 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a test that stresses modern DirectX 12 Ultimate features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading. The R5 M230 scores 4577 in Geekbench OpenCL, a compute-oriented test that measures general-purpose GPU performance. The RTX 3080 12 GB's percentile rank of 28 versus the R5 M230's 27 indicates that both sit in the lower half of all GPUs, but the RTX 3080 12 GB is competing in a much more demanding benchmark environment where its raw specifications translate to real-world capability.

The Verdict

The data makes the choice unambiguous for any performance-focused use case. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB is an end-of-life desktop flagship with a launch MSRP of 799 USD, released on 2022-01-10. It succeeds the GeForce 20 series and precedes the GeForce 40 series. Its 28,300 million transistors, 8960 shading units, and 912.4 GB/s memory bandwidth position it as a high-end part for gaming, content creation, and compute tasks. The AMD Radeon R5 M230, released on 2014-01-06, is an end-of-life integrated mobile GPU from the Gem System (R5 M200) generation, succeeding Solar System and preceding Polaris Mobile. Its 690 million transistors and 16.00 GB/s memory bandwidth suit it only for basic 2D acceleration, video playback, and light productivity.

Anyone building a desktop system or upgrading a gaming rig should choose the RTX 3080 12 GB, provided they have a 750 W power supply and a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. It requires a dual-slot cooler, a 1x 12-pin power connector, and measures 285 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The R5 M230, by contrast, is only relevant for legacy laptops where no discrete GPU is available. Benchmark results indicate that the RTX 3080 12 GB is 78 times faster in FP32 compute, offers 57 times more memory bandwidth, and supports modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate. The R5 M230's only advantages are its integrated nature and negligible power draw, which matter only for battery-powered portable devices.

For users constrained to the R5 M230's performance class, the nearest rivals—the R5 M255, R5 M335, GeForce 940MX, and GTX 560M—all score within 1.3 percent, so there is no meaningful performance differentiation among those low-end parts. The RTX 3080 12 GB's nearest rivals, including the R5 M255 and R5 M335, are equally tightly clustered, but those are also low-end mobile parts that cannot approach the RTX 3080 12 GB's feature set. The verdict is clear: the RTX 3080 12 GB is a capable modern GPU, while the R5 M230 is a relic from a different computing era.

FAQ

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB has an average score of 4791 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the AMD Radeon R5 M230 has an average score of 4577 in Geekbench OpenCL.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 12 GB compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB is 0.1 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon R5 M255 (4791 vs 4788) and 0.8 percent ahead of the R5 M335 (4791 vs 4752). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX by 1.1 percent and the GeForce GTX 560M by 1.3 percent.

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

A: The R5 M230 has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s and memory clocked at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective).

Q: Does the R5 M230 support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No, the R5 M230 has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 3080 12 GB, by contrast, includes 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores.

Q: What is the process node for each GPU?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB is built on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the R5 M230 is fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process.

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 performance?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB delivers 30.64 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to the R5 M230's 390.4 GFLOPS, a difference of roughly 78 times.