AMD Radeon R5 M320 vs AMD Radeon R7 Graphics Comparison

AMD Radeon R7 Graphics and AMD Radeon R5 M320 are two end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from AMD that take fundamentally different approaches to the same problem: delivering discrete-class graphics performance in a laptop. The R7 Graphics is an integrated GPU built into the Kaveri APU, while the R5 M320 is a dedicated mobile graphics chip. Benchmark data shows a fascinating split: the R5 M320 wins decisively in OpenCL compute workloads, while the R7 Graphics dominates in Vulkan graphics performance, making the choice between them highly dependent on the specific application.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench results reveal a stark contrast in workload preferences between these two GPUs. In the OpenCL compute test, the AMD Radeon R5 M320 scores 5,051 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics manages only 4,015 points. This represents a 20.5% advantage for the R5 M320, a substantial margin that indicates its dedicated memory subsystem and higher clock speeds provide a significant edge in general-purpose compute tasks. The R5 M320's 4 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth clearly helps in memory-intensive OpenCL workloads, whereas the R7 Graphics must rely on system shared memory with bandwidth that is "System Dependent."

However, the tables turn dramatically in the Vulkan graphics benchmark. Here, the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics posts a score of 5,980, while the AMD Radeon R5 M320 trails far behind at 4,262 points. This is a 40.3% lead for the R7 Graphics, which is a commanding victory in graphics API performance. The R7 Graphics' newer GCN 2.0 architecture, compared to the R5 M320's GCN 1.0, likely contributes to this substantial advantage in modern graphics workloads. The R7 Graphics also benefits from higher raw specifications in certain areas: it has 384 shading units versus 320, and 24 texture mapping units versus 20, providing more parallel execution resources for graphics rendering.

When looking at the average benchmark scores across both tests, the R7 Graphics comes out slightly ahead with 4,998 points compared to the R5 M320's 4,657 points. This places the R7 Graphics at the 29th percentile among all GPUs, while the R5 M320 sits at the 27th percentile. The R7 Graphics' nearest rivals in terms of average score include the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 (4,979, only 0.4% difference) and the AMD Radeon R5 M430 (5,018, -0.4% difference). The R5 M320, meanwhile, matches the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB exactly at 4,657 points, showing that its average performance is competitive with a much newer part in synthetic benchmarks.

The Verdict

From the data, the choice between these two GPUs depends almost entirely on the primary use case. For users running Vulkan-based games or graphics applications, the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics is the clear winner with its 40.3% performance advantage in that specific benchmark. This makes it the better option for modern gaming workloads that leverage Vulkan's low-level API capabilities. The R7 Graphics also offers slightly higher average performance overall, with a 7.3% lead in average benchmark score (4,998 vs 4,657).

Conversely, for users whose workloads are dominated by OpenCL compute tasks — such as video encoding, physics simulations, or scientific computing — the AMD Radeon R5 M320 is the superior choice. Its 20.5% lead in OpenCL performance, combined with dedicated 4 GB of video memory, makes it better suited for memory-intensive compute workloads that don't benefit from the R7 Graphics' newer architecture.

The R7 Graphics does have a notable advantage in its transistor budget: it packs 2,410 million transistors across a 245 mm² die, compared to the R5 M320's 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die. This larger die size and higher transistor count, combined with GCN 2.0 architecture, gives the R7 Graphics more headroom for graphics-heavy tasks. However, the R5 M320 compensates with higher clock speeds, running at a base of 780 MHz and boost of 855 MHz, whereas the R7 Graphics' clocks are not specified in the data.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is significant and explains much of their performance disparity. The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics is built on the GCN 2.0 architecture, specifically the Spectre Lite chip, and belongs to the "GCN 2.0 IGP (Kaveri)" generation. It is manufactured on a 28 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with a substantial 2,410 million transistors on a 245 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 9.8 million transistors per square millimeter.

In contrast, the AMD Radeon R5 M320 uses the older GCN 1.0 architecture with the Jet chip, part of the "Gem System (R5 M300)" generation. It is also built on a 28 nm process but at TSMC, with only 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die. Interestingly, the R5 M320 achieves a higher transistor density of 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter, despite being an older architecture, due to its much smaller die size.

The R7 Graphics supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the R5 M320 only supports DirectX 12 (11_1), reflecting the newer architecture's better compliance with modern graphics API standards. Both GPUs support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170, ensuring compatibility with current software stacks. The R7 Graphics also has a clear generational lineage, with its predecessor being TeraScale 3 IGP and successor being GCN 3.0 IGP, while the R5 M320's predecessor is Solar System and successor is Polaris Mobile.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal several key differences beyond the architecture. The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics has a clear advantage in compute resources: 384 shading units versus 320, and 24 texture mapping units versus 20. Both GPUs have 8 ROPs, but the R7 Graphics achieves a pixel rate of 5.760 GPixel/s and texture rate of 17.28 GTexel/s, while the R5 M320 posts 6.840 GPixel/s and 17.10 GTexel/s respectively. The R5 M320 actually has a higher pixel rate due to its higher clock speeds, but the R7 Graphics edges out in texture rate.

FP32 performance is nearly identical: 553.0 GFLOPS for the R7 Graphics versus 547.2 GFLOPS for the R5 M320. Memory configuration differs dramatically, with the R7 Graphics using system shared memory (size, type, and bus width all "System Shared") and bandwidth rated as "System Dependent," while the R5 M320 features 4 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth, running at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective).

The R7 Graphics has a TDP of 25 W, while the R5 M320's TDP is not specified. Both use an IGP slot width, but the R7 Graphics uses an IGP bus interface while the R5 M320 uses PCIe 3.0 x8. Display outputs differ as well: the R7 Graphics is "Motherboard Dependent" while the R5 M320 is "Portable Device Dependent." The R7 Graphics was released on 2014-02-16, while the R5 M320 came later on 2015-05-04.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics is significantly faster in Vulkan, scoring 5,980 compared to the R5 M320's 4,262, a 40.3% advantage.

Q: Which GPU wins in OpenCL compute tasks?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M320 leads in OpenCL, scoring 5,051 versus 4,015 for the R7 Graphics, representing a 20.5% performance lead.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The R7 Graphics has a higher average score of 4,998, while the R5 M320 averages 4,657. This places them at the 29th and 27th percentiles among all GPUs, respectively.

Q: What are the key architectural differences?

A: The R7 Graphics uses GCN 2.0 architecture with a Spectre Lite chip, while the R5 M320 uses GCN 1.0 with a Jet chip. The R7 Graphics has 384 shading units and 24 TMUs, versus 320 shading units and 20 TMUs for the R5 M320.

Q: How does memory configuration differ between the two?

A: The R7 Graphics relies on system shared memory with dependent bandwidth, while the R5 M320 has 4 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the DirectX support levels?

A: The R7 Graphics supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the R5 M320 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170.