AMD Radeon R5 M240 vs AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile Comparison

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile and AMD Radeon R5 M240 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from AMD, but they belong to different eras and design philosophies. The Vega 8 is a modern integrated graphics processor (IGP) built into a Raven Ridge-M APU, while the R5 M240 is a dedicated entry-level discrete GPU from the older Gem System generation. Benchmark data shows a single head-to-head comparison, with the Vega 8 Mobile taking the win in Geekbench OpenCL by a margin of 6.6%. The following analysis breaks down the specifications, architecture, and performance implications of these two GPUs based strictly on the provided data.

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile and the AMD Radeon R5 M240?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 7203, while the AMD Radeon R5 M240 scores 6975. This places the Vega 8 Mobile ahead by 228 points, or approximately 3.3%.

Q: In the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, what was the exact performance delta?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scored 7435, while the AMD Radeon R5 M240 scored 6975. The Vega 8 Mobile won this test with a deltaPct of 6.6%.

Q: How does each GPU rank against its nearest rivals in terms of average score?

A: The Vega 8 Mobile's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750, which has an average score of 7222, making the Vega 8 Mobile 0.3% slower. The R5 M240 sits closest to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M, which scores 6946, with the R5 M240 being 0.4% faster.

Q: What are the respective process nodes for these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile is manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The AMD Radeon R5 M240 uses a larger 28 nm process node fabricated by TSMC.

Q: What is the difference in shading unit count between the two cards?

A: The Vega 8 Mobile offers 512 shading units, while the R5 M240 has 320 shading units. This gives the Vega 8 Mobile a 60% higher shader count.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M240 has a boost clock of 1030 MHz, which is slightly lower than the Vega 8 Mobile's boost clock of 1101 MHz. However, the R5 M240's base clock of 1000 MHz is significantly higher than the Vega 8 Mobile's 300 MHz base clock.

The Verdict

Based on the data, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile is the clear winner in raw compute performance. It outperforms the R5 M240 in the only available head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL) by 6.6%, and it also holds a higher average benchmark score across all tests (7203 vs 6975). The Vega 8 Mobile also boasts a significantly more modern architecture (GCN 5.0 vs GCN 1.0), a smaller manufacturing process (14 nm vs 28 nm), and substantially more shading units (512 vs 320). For any workload relying on general-purpose compute or modern API support, the Vega 8 Mobile is the superior choice.

The R5 M240, however, is a dedicated GPU with its own 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus. This means it does not consume system memory for its frame buffer, which could be an advantage in systems with limited RAM. For users who require a discrete GPU form factor or who need to free up system memory, the R5 M240 remains a functional option, but its older architecture and lower compute throughput make it a less capable performer overall. The data suggests that the Vega 8 Mobile is the better pick for most users, while the R5 M240 only makes sense in specific legacy or memory-constrained scenarios.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this benchmark, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scored 7435, while the AMD Radeon R5 M240 scored 6975. This results in a deltaPct of 6.6% in favor of the Vega 8 Mobile. This is a meaningful margin in synthetic compute workloads, indicating that the Vega 8 Mobile's newer architecture and higher shader count translate directly into better raw number-crunching performance.

The 6.6% lead is consistent with the other data points. The Vega 8 Mobile has a peak FP32 throughput of 1,127.4 GFLOPS, compared to just 659.2 GFLOPS for the R5 M240. That is a 71% theoretical advantage, though the actual benchmark gap is smaller, likely due to memory bandwidth limitations and driver overhead. The R5 M240's dedicated 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth is a fixed resource, while the Vega 8 Mobile relies on "System Dependent" bandwidth, which can be a bottleneck in some configurations.

It is also importantly the R5 M240 only has a single benchmark result (6975) in its record, whereas the Vega 8 Mobile has two (7435 OpenCL and 6970 Vulkan). The R5 M240 lacks a Vulkan benchmark score entirely, which limits the scope of comparison. The data shows that in the one test where both cards were measured, the Vega 8 Mobile was consistently faster.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ fundamentally in their memory architecture. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile uses "System Shared" memory for both size, type, and bus width, meaning it draws from the host system's RAM. The AMD Radeon R5 M240, in contrast, has a fixed 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a critical distinction: the Vega 8 Mobile's performance is dependent on system memory speed and capacity, while the R5 M240 has a dedicated, consistent memory pool.

Clock speeds also differ markedly. The Vega 8 Mobile has a very low base clock of 300 MHz but boosts to 1101 MHz. The R5 M240 has a much higher base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost of 1030 MHz. This suggests the Vega 8 Mobile aggressively scales its clock based on thermal and power headroom, while the R5 M240 runs closer to a fixed speed. The Vega 8 Mobile also has a TDP of 25 W, while the R5 M240's TDP is not listed.

Other key differences include the bus interface: the Vega 8 Mobile is an IGP (integrated), while the R5 M240 is a PCIe 3.0 x8 discrete card. The Vega 8 Mobile has a pixel rate of 8.808 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 35.23 GTexel/s, compared to 8.240 GPixel/s and 20.60 GTexel/s for the R5 M240. The Vega 8 Mobile's FP16 performance is listed at 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1), while the R5 M240 has no FP16 data. Both cards support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but the Vega 8 Mobile supports Vulkan 1.3, while the R5 M240 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile is built on GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5M / mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon R5 M240 uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with just 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, for a density of 12.3M / mm². The Vega 8 Mobile is a substantially more complex and modern chip.

The Vega 8 Mobile features 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 8 raster output units (ROPs). The R5 M240 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. This means the Vega 8 Mobile has 60% more shaders and 60% more TMUs, with an identical ROP count. The Vega 8 Mobile also belongs to the "Raven Ridge-M" generation, succeeding GCN 3.0 IGP and preceding Navi II IGP. The R5 M240 is part of the "Gem System (R5 M200)" generation, succeeding Solar System and preceding Polaris Mobile.

The release dates highlight the generational leap: the Vega 8 Mobile launched on 2019-01-07, while the R5 M240 launched much earlier on 2014-09-17. The newer architecture of the Vega 8 Mobile brings support for Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_1), while the R5 M240 is limited to Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1). The Vega 8 Mobile also supports FP16 compute at a 2:1 ratio, which the R5 M240 does not list.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile wins in every measurable performance category. It has higher FP32 throughput (1,127.4 GFLOPS vs 659.2 GFLOPS), higher pixel rate (8.808 GPixel/s vs 8.240 GPixel/s), and higher texture rate (35.23 GTexel/s vs 20.60 GTexel/s). It also wins the only head-to-head benchmark and has a higher average score. For users running compute-heavy applications, modern game APIs, or any workload that benefits from shader count, the Vega 8 Mobile is the preferred choice.

The AMD Radeon R5 M240's wins are more situational. It has a dedicated memory bus and 1024 MB of dedicated VRAM, which means it does not compete with the CPU for system memory bandwidth. In a system with limited or slow system RAM, the R5 M240 could potentially offer more consistent performance in memory-bound scenarios, as its 14.40 GB/s bandwidth is fixed and not dependent on the host system. Its higher base clock (1000 MHz vs 300 MHz) also means it may respond faster in short bursts of activity, though its lower boost clock and older architecture limit sustained performance.

The R5 M240 also has a higher base clock, which could translate to lower latency in certain workloads that do not require sustained boost. However, given the Vega 8 Mobile's overwhelming advantages in architecture, transistor count, and raw compute, the R5 M240's only real edge is its discrete memory pool. For modern gaming or general-purpose compute, the data clearly favors the Vega 8 Mobile. For legacy applications or systems with insufficient RAM, the R5 M240 might still serve a niche purpose, but it is the weaker choice in the vast majority of scenarios.