AMD Radeon R5 M330 vs AMD Radeon Vega 3 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Vega 3 and AMD Radeon R5 M330 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but they represent vastly different design philosophies and eras. The Vega 3 is a modern IGP built into a 12 nm Picasso APU, while the R5 M330 is a 28 nm discrete-class part from the GCN 1.0 era. Benchmark data shows the R5 M330 holds a lead in the two shared tests, but the margin is narrow and the architectural context is critical. The Vega 3's average benchmark score of 4268 places it in the 25th percentile of all GPUs, while the R5 M330's average of 4170 lands in the same 25th percentile. The head-to-head results are close, but the underlying specifications reveal two very different approaches to mobile graphics.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head tests both go to the AMD Radeon R5 M330, though the margins are far from decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the R5 M330 scores 4302 against the Vega 3's 3963, a delta of -7.9% from the Vega 3's perspective. This means the R5 M330 is roughly 8.6% faster in that workload. The Vulkan test is much tighter: the R5 M330 posts 4037 versus the Vega 3's 3961, a delta of only -1.9%, making the R5 M330 about 1.9% faster. The Vega 3 has no wins in the head-to-head set, but its Geekbench Metal score of 4880 is a notable outlier, though no comparable Metal score exists for the R5 M330.

Looking at the broader benchmark averages, the Vega 3 actually has a higher average score of 4268 compared to the R5 M330's 4170. This is an interesting inversion: the R5 M330 wins both direct comparisons, but the Vega 3's overall average is higher, driven by its strong Metal showing. The nearest rivals for the Vega 3 include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M at 4282 (delta -0.3%), the AMD FirePro W2100 at 4295 (delta -0.6%), and the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M at 4241 (delta +0.6%). The R5 M330's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M at 4151 (delta +0.4%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti at 4193 (delta -0.5%), and the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M at 4241 (delta -1.7%). These figures suggest both GPUs sit in a tightly packed performance band where single-digit percentage differences separate them from much newer and older hardware.

The OpenCL gap is the more significant of the two head-to-head results. A 7.9% delta in compute-oriented workloads indicates the R5 M330's higher shading unit count and dedicated memory subsystem give it a real advantage in raw parallel compute. The Vulkan gap, at only 1.9%, is nearly within noise, suggesting the Vega 3's newer architecture and higher clock boost close most of the gap in modern graphics APIs. The data does not include a DirectX or gaming benchmark, so the Vulkan result is the best proxy for contemporary gaming performance, and it shows the two are effectively peers in that context.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R5 M330 wins in OpenCL and Vulkan, making it the stronger choice for compute-heavy applications and modern API-based rendering. Its 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs provide a wider execution width than the Vega 3's 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and 4 ROPs. The R5 M330 also has dedicated 2 GB DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth, which eliminates the system memory contention that plagues shared-memory IGPs. For users running OpenCL acceleration in productivity software or Vulkan-based games, the R5 M330's wins in both head-to-head tests are the relevant data points.

The AMD Radeon Vega 3 wins in the broader metric of average benchmark score, thanks to its Geekbench Metal result of 4880. The R5 M330 has no Metal benchmark in the data, so this is not a direct comparison, but it indicates the Vega 3's GCN 5.0 architecture has superior Metal performance where available. The Vega 3 also benefits from a higher boost clock of 1100 MHz versus the R5 M330's 1030 MHz, and it supports DirectX 12 (12_1) versus the R5 M330's DirectX 12 (11_1) feature level. For macOS or Metal-centric workloads, the Vega 3 is the clear winner. Additionally, the Vega 3's FP16 throughput of 844.8 GFLOPS (2:1) gives it a compute advantage in mixed-precision tasks, though the R5 M330 has no listed FP16 capability.

In practical terms, the R5 M330 is the better choice for legacy OpenCL compute and Vulkan titles where its dedicated memory and wider shader array pay off. The Vega 3 is the better choice for Metal-based applications and any workload that leverages its newer feature set, including DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.3 support versus the R5 M330's Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vega 3's system-shared memory is a disadvantage in bandwidth-sensitive tasks, but its modern architecture mitigates this in API-level efficiency.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are separated by four years of process and architecture evolution. The Vega 3 uses a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the R5 M330 uses a 28 nm process at TSMC. This has a dramatic impact on transistor density: the Vega 3 packs 4,940 million transistors into a 210 mm² die, yielding 23.5M transistors per mm². The R5 M330 has only 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, a density of 12.3M per mm². The Vega 3's die is nearly four times larger and holds over seven times as many transistors, though this includes the CPU cores of the Picasso APU.

The Vega 3 is based on GCN 5.0, while the R5 M330 uses the original GCN 1.0. This is a generational leap in instruction set and execution efficiency. The Vega 3 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1100 MHz, while the R5 M330 runs at 955 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost. Despite the lower base clock, the Vega 3's boost clock is higher, and its newer architecture delivers more work per clock. The R5 M330 compensates with a raw resource advantage: 320 shading units versus 192, 20 TMUs versus 12, and 8 ROPs versus 4. This translates to a pixel rate of 8.240 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 20.60 GTexel/s for the R5 M330, versus 4.400 GPixel/s and 13.20 GTexel/s for the Vega 3. The R5 M330's FP32 throughput of 659.2 GFLOPS is also higher than the Vega 3's 422.4 GFLOPS.

Memory architecture is the most fundamental difference. The R5 M330 has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 3 has system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, meaning its performance scales with the host system's RAM speed and configuration. The R5 M330's dedicated memory eliminates this variable and provides consistent bandwidth. The Vega 3 also has no dedicated memory clock; its memory is listed as "System Shared" with a type of "System Shared." The R5 M330's memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective).

Power and interface differ as well. The Vega 3 has a TDP of 15 W, while the R5 M330 is rated at 18 W. Both are IGP-class in slot width with no power connectors, but the R5 M330 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the Vega 3's bus interface is listed as IGP. The Vega 3 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The R5 M330 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vega 3's release date is November 2019, while the R5 M330 was released in May 2015. The Vega 3's predecessor is GCN 3.0 IGP and its successor is Vega II IGP, while the R5 M330's predecessor is Solar System and its successor is Polaris Mobile.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M330 scores 4302 in Geekbench OpenCL, compared to the AMD Radeon Vega 3's 3963, a 7.9% advantage for the R5 M330.

Q: How close are the two in Vulkan performance?

A: The R5 M330 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with 4037 against the Vega 3's 3961, a margin of only 1.9%.

Q: Does the Vega 3 have any benchmark where it outperforms the R5 M330?

A: The Vega 3 has a Geekbench Metal score of 4880, but the R5 M330 has no Metal benchmark data, so no direct comparison exists. The Vega 3's average benchmark score of 4268 is higher than the R5 M330's 4170.

Q: Why does the R5 M330 have a higher average benchmark score despite losing the average?

A: The R5 M330 wins both head-to-head tests, but the Vega 3's Metal score of 4880 inflates its average. The R5 M330's average of 4170 is based on OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 4302 and 4037, respectively.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M330 has 320 shading units, while the AMD Radeon Vega 3 has 192.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The R5 M330 has 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 3 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Vega 3 | AMD Radeon R5 M330 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 4,940 million | 690 million |

| Die Size | 210 mm² | 56 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 300 MHz | 955 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1100 MHz | 1030 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 14.40 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 192 | 320 |

| TMUs | 12 | 20 |

| ROPs | 4 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 4.400 GPixel/s | 8.240 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 13.20 GTexel/s | 20.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 422.4 GFLOPS | 659.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 844.8 GFLOPS (2:1) | — |

| TDP | 15 W | 18 W |

| Bus Interface | IGP | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2019-11-19 | 2015-05-04 |

| Predecessor | GCN 3.0 IGP | Solar System |

| Successor | Vega II IGP | Polaris Mobile |

| Display Outputs | Motherboard Dependent | Portable Device Dependent |