AMD Radeon R5 M320 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 and AMD Radeon R5 M320 are both end-of-life graphics processors, but they target fundamentally different use cases. The data shows the AMD Radeon R5 M320 wins the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 5051 against the GTS 450's 4893, a 3.1% advantage. However, the GTS 450 holds its own in architectural efficiency and raw throughput metrics. The R5 M320 is a 28 nm integrated-class part from 2015, while the GTS 450 is a 40 nm discrete card from 2010. Their performance profiles, memory subsystems, and feature sets diverge sharply, making them suitable for distinct workloads despite the close benchmark scores.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R5 M320 wins the only head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 5051 versus the GTS 450's 4893. This 3.1% lead is modest but consistent. The R5 M320 also shows better software API support, including Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1), whereas the GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and lacks Vulkan entirely. For applications that leverage Vulkan, the R5 M320 is the clear choice. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 4262 demonstrates functional capability in that modern API, something the GTS 450 cannot match at all.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 counters with superior raw throughput numbers in several categories. It delivers 601.3 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, exceeding the R5 M320's 547.2 GFLOPS by roughly 10%. The GTS 450 also has a higher texture rate at 25.06 GTexel/s versus 17.10 GTexel/s, a 46.5% advantage. Its pixel rate is 6.264 GPixel/s, slightly lower than the R5 M320's 6.840 GPixel/s, but the GTS 450 has more ROPs (16 versus 8). For tasks that are texture-bound or require high FP32 throughput, the older NVIDIA part is technically superior. The memory bandwidth gap is enormous: 57.73 GB/s on the GTS 450 versus 16.00 GB/s on the R5 M320, a 3.6x difference favoring NVIDIA.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two is generational and philosophical. The GTS 450 uses NVIDIA's Fermi architecture on a 40 nm TSMC process, packing 1,170 million transistors into a 238 mm² die. The R5 M320 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture on a 28 nm TSMC process, with 690 million transistors in just 56 mm². The transistor density tells the story: the R5 M320 achieves 12.3M transistors per mm² versus 4.9M for the GTS 450, reflecting the newer manufacturing node.

Core configurations differ significantly. The GTS 450 has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The R5 M320 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. AMD's part has 67% more shading units, which explains its OpenCL win despite lower clock speeds (780 MHz base / 855 MHz boost versus the GTS 450's unspecified core clock). However, the GTS 450's higher TMU and ROP counts give it an edge in fill-rate-limited scenarios. Memory subsystems are polar opposites: the GTS 450 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, while the R5 M320 uses 4 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus. The GTS 450's GDDR5 memory runs at 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) versus 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) on the R5 M320, but the 128-bit bus provides the massive bandwidth advantage.

Form factor and power delivery could not be more different. The GTS 450 is a dual-slot discrete card requiring a 1x 6-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU, with a TDP of 106 W. The R5 M320 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, no TDP listed, and no discrete dimensions — it is "Portable Device Dependent" for display outputs. The GTS 450 measures 210 mm in length and 111 mm in height, while the R5 M320 has no dimensions at all, confirming its integrated nature. Bus interfaces also differ: PCIe 2.0 x16 for NVIDIA versus PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD.

The Verdict

Pick the AMD Radeon R5 M320 if you need modern API support. It wins the only benchmark, offers Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1), and provides 4 GB of memory. Its 28 nm process and GCN 1.0 architecture make it a more recent design (2015 versus 2010). The R5 M320's 320 shading units at 780-855 MHz deliver competitive compute in a power-efficient integrated package. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 4262 proves it can handle contemporary workloads. Its 27th percentile ranking among all GPUs is essentially tied with the GTS 450's 28th percentile, but the software feature set gives AMD the edge for anything using Vulkan or newer DirectX features.

Pick the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 if you need raw throughput and don't care about modern APIs. It provides 601.3 GFLOPS (10% more than the R5 M320), 25.06 GTexel/s (46.5% more), and 57.73 GB/s of bandwidth (3.6x more). The 128-bit GDDR5 memory bus is vastly superior for bandwidth-sensitive tasks. Its 16 ROPs double the R5 M320's 8, improving pixel output efficiency despite a slightly lower pixel rate. The GTS 450 also has a 106 W TDP and requires a discrete power connection, making it a real desktop card. For legacy DirectX 11 workloads or OpenCL compute that is bandwidth-bound, the GTS 450 is the stronger performer. Its launch MSRP was 129 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M320 scores 5051, which is 3.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450's 4893.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 support Vulkan?

A: No. The GTS 450 has no Vulkan support listed, while the AMD Radeon R5 M320 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has 57.73 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 3.6 times the AMD Radeon R5 M320's 16.00 GB/s.

Q: What are the shading unit counts for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M320 has 320 shading units, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has 192 shading units.

Q: Which GPU has a smaller process node?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M320 uses a 28 nm process, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 uses a 40 nm process. Both are manufactured by TSMC.

Q: Which GPU is an integrated processor?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M320 is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 is a dual-slot discrete card requiring a 1x 6-pin power connector.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the AMD Radeon R5 M320 winning with 5051 points against the GTS 450's 4893, a 3.1% margin. This result is notable because the GTS 450 has higher FP32 compute (601.3 GFLOPS versus 547.2 GFLOPS) and far superior memory bandwidth (57.73 GB/s versus 16.00 GB/s). The R5 M320 compensates with its 320 shading units, which is 67% more than the GTS 450's 192. The benchmark likely favors the higher shader count and the newer GCN 1.0 architecture's scheduling efficiency. The R5 M320's base clock of 780 MHz and boost clock of 855 MHz, while lower than typical desktop parts, still allow its larger shader array to outperform the older Fermi design in this compute workload.

The GTS 450's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901, -0.2% delta) and the AMD FirePro W5130M (4904, -0.2% delta), showing it sits in a tight performance cluster. The R5 M320's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro P400 (4684, -0.6% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (4628, +0.6% delta), with an average score of 4657. Interestingly, the R5 M320's average benchmark score (4657) is lower than its OpenCL score (5051), pulled down by the Vulkan result at 4262. The GTS 450 has only one benchmark, so its average equals its OpenCL score.

Beyond the shared benchmark, the specification differences dictate real-world behavior. The GTS 450's texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s versus 17.10 GTexel/s means it can fill textured surfaces 46.5% faster, a decisive factor in games from its 2010 era. The pixel rate gap is smaller (6.264 GPixel/s versus 6.840 GPixel/s), with AMD holding a 9.2% lead despite having half the ROPs. The R5 M320's 4 GB of DDR3 memory allows larger data sets to reside in VRAM, but the 16.00 GB/s bandwidth will throttle any bandwidth-heavy operation. The GTS 450's 1024 MB of GDDR5, while smaller in capacity, offers 3.6x the bandwidth, making it the superior choice for high-resolution textures or compute kernels that stream data.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 | AMD Radeon R5 M320 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Fermi | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,170 million | 690 million |

| Die Size | 238 mm² | 56 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | None | 780 MHz |

| Boost Clock | None | 855 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 902 MHz / 3.6 Gbps effective | 1000 MHz / 2 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 57.73 GB/s | 16.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 192 | 320 |

| TMUs | 32 | 20 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 6.264 GPixel/s | 6.840 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.06 GTexel/s | 17.10 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 601.3 GFLOPS | 547.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 106 W | None |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| OpenGL Support | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan Support | None | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions | 210 mm / 8.3 inches length, 111 mm / 4.4 inches height | None |

| Release Date | 2010-09-12 | 2015-05-04 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 200 | Solar System |

| Successor | GeForce 500 | Polaris Mobile |

| Launch MSRP | 129 USD | None |