AMD Radeon R5 M255 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB Comparison

The benchmark data places the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB and the AMD Radeon R5 M255 in an unusually tight statistical tie, despite their vastly different underlying architectures. Both graphics cards hold the same 28th percentile ranking among all GPUs, and their average benchmark scores differ by a mere 0.1%, with the RTX 3080 12 GB scoring 4791 and the R5 M255 scoring 4788. This near-identical aggregate performance, however, masks the fact that these two products are from entirely different eras and target completely different use cases, with the RTX 3080 12 GB being a high-end desktop part from 2022 and the R5 M255 being a low-power mobile chip from 2014.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the choice between these two cards is a matter of context rather than raw performance, as their aggregate benchmark scores are statistically indistinguishable. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB is the clear pick for any scenario involving modern, demanding workloads, as it features dedicated ray tracing cores (70), tensor cores (280), and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. The AMD Radeon R5 M255, conversely, is a legacy mobile part with only 2 GB of DDR3 memory and no ray tracing or tensor core support. For a user constrained to a system that only accepts the R5 M255's form factor and PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, the data shows it delivers comparable aggregate scores to the RTX 3080 12 GB in the specific benchmarks recorded, but it cannot handle the feature set of modern titles. The RTX 3080 12 GB's 350 W TDP and dual-slot, 285 mm length make it a desktop-only solution, while the R5 M255 has no listed TDP or slot width, indicating its mobile integration. Ultimately, the RTX 3080 12 GB is the only viable option for contemporary gaming and compute, while the R5 M255's identical percentile ranking is a statistical artifact of its niche benchmark results, not a sign of competitive capability.

FAQ

Q: How do the average benchmark scores of the RTX 3080 12 GB and R5 M255 compare?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has an average benchmark score of 4791, while the R5 M255 has an average score of 4788. This represents a delta of 0.1%, placing them in a statistical dead heat, with both cards occupying the 28th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Which card has more memory and what type?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. The AMD Radeon R5 M255 has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 32.00 GB/s.

Q: What are the key architectural differences in compute features?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB is based on the Ampere architecture with 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores, while the R5 M255 is based on GCN 3.0 and has no ray tracing or tensor cores listed. The RTX 3080 12 GB also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the R5 M255 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: How do their shading unit counts and compute rates differ?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB has 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, delivering 30.64 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The R5 M255 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, delivering 721.9 GFLOPS of FP32 compute.

Q: What is the difference in their process nodes and transistor counts?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB is built on Samsung's 8 nm process with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The R5 M255 is built on TSMC's 28 nm process with 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die.

Q: What is the release timeframe for each product?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M255 was released on 2014-10-11, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB was released on 2022-01-10. Both products are currently marked as end-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is profound, reflecting their different release dates and target markets. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB utilizes the GA102 chip built on the Ampere architecture, manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process node. This chip integrates 28,300 million transistors across a 628 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.1M per mm². The AMD Radeon R5 M255, in contrast, uses the Topaz chip based on the older GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. Its die is a mere 125 mm² and contains 1,550 million transistors, resulting in a density of 12.4M per mm².

The compute core configurations are starkly different. The RTX 3080 12 GB is equipped with 8960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, alongside 70 dedicated ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores. The R5 M255 has only 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor core hardware present. This means the RTX 3080 12 GB can accelerate real-time ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS, while the R5 M255 relies entirely on traditional rasterization.

Memory architecture also separates these two. The RTX 3080 12 GB features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective), producing a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. The R5 M255 uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective), for a bandwidth of just 32.00 GB/s. The API support further highlights the generation gap: the RTX 3080 12 GB supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the R5 M255 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Specification Differences

The specification tables reveal a series of decisive differences, with the RTX 3080 12 GB dominating in nearly every measurable category. The process node differs significantly: the RTX 3080 12 GB uses an 8 nm Samsung process, whereas the R5 M255 uses a 28 nm TSMC process. Transistor counts are 28,300 million versus 1,550 million, and die sizes are 628 mm² versus 125 mm², respectively. The clock speeds also vary, with the RTX 3080 12 GB having a base clock of 1260 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz, while the R5 M255 operates at a base of 925 MHz and a boost of 940 MHz.

Memory specifications are vastly different, with the RTX 3080 12 GB featuring 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, versus 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus for the R5 M255. The bandwidth figures of 912.4 GB/s and 32.00 GB/s underscore the performance gulf. The RTX 3080 12 GB has 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, while the R5 M255 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The RTX 3080 12 GB also has 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores, which are absent from the R5 M255.

Pixel and texture rates reflect the compute disparity: the RTX 3080 12 GB achieves 164.2 GPixel/s and 478.8 GTexel/s, whereas the R5 M255 manages 7.520 GPixel/s and 22.56 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 30.64 TFLOPS for the RTX 3080 12 GB versus 721.9 GFLOPS for the R5 M255. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a listed TDP of 350 W, a dual-slot form factor, a 1x 12-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 750 W, while the R5 M255 has no listed TDP, slot width, power connectors, or PSU recommendation. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 3080 12 GB versus PCIe 3.0 x8 for the R5 M255.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark comparison is unusual because there are no direct tests where both GPUs ran the same workload. Instead, the data provides separate benchmark results for each card, which are then aggregated into an average score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB has a single benchmark entry: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scored 4791. The AMD Radeon R5 M255 has two entries: Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 4650, and Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 4925.

These individual scores produce an average of 4791 for the RTX 3080 12 GB and 4788 for the R5 M255. The nearest rival data confirms the closeness of this comparison. For the RTX 3080 12 GB, the R5 M255 is listed as the closest rival with a deltaPct of 0.1%, meaning the RTX 3080 12 GB's score is 0.1% higher. For the R5 M255, the RTX 3080 12 GB is the closest rival with a deltaPct of -0.1%, meaning the R5 M255's score is 0.1% lower. Other rivals for the RTX 3080 12 GB include the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (deltaPct 0.8%), NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (deltaPct -1.1%), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M (deltaPct -1.3%). For the R5 M255, the other rivals are the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (deltaPct 0.8%), NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (deltaPct -1.2%), and AMD Radeon R8 M445DX (deltaPct 1.3%).

The wins are balanced at zero for each card in the head-to-head section, as no common benchmark tests were run. The data suggests that in the aggregate, these two cards perform identically within the margin of error, despite the RTX 3080 12 GB's massive theoretical compute advantage.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the data, the strengths of each card are defined less by raw score and more by the context of the workload and the available features. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB wins decisively in scenarios that leverage its modern feature set. Its 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-driven upscaling, which the R5 M255 cannot perform. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with 912.4 GB/s bandwidth is suited for high-resolution textures and large datasets, whereas the R5 M255's 2 GB of DDR3 at 32.00 GB/s would be a bottleneck. The RTX 3080 12 GB's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with the latest graphics APIs, while the R5 M255 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Its PCIe 4.0 x16 interface also provides double the bandwidth of the R5 M255's PCIe 3.0 x8 connection.

The AMD Radeon R5 M255 wins in the specific niche of legacy mobile systems. Its lack of a listed TDP, slot width, and power connectors indicates it is a low-power integrated or discrete mobile solution, making it the only choice for systems that cannot physically or electrically accommodate the RTX 3080 12 GB's 350 W TDP, dual-slot cooler, and 285 mm length. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the R5 M255 scored 4925, which is higher than the RTX 3080 12 GB's single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4791, although this is not a direct comparison. For a user with a 2014-era laptop, the R5 M255's aggregate score of 4788 in the 28th percentile is functionally equivalent to the RTX 3080 12 GB's 4791, meaning it can run similarly in that specific, limited benchmark context. However, this parity does not extend to modern gaming or professional applications, where the RTX 3080 12 GB's architectural advantages make it the definitive winner.