AMD Radeon R5 M330 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M330 has an average benchmark score of 4170, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M scores 3616. The AMD part sits at the 25th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 21st percentile for the NVIDIA part.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the head-to-head OpenCL test?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Radeon R5 M330 scores 4302 against 3616 for the GeForce GT 735M, giving the AMD GPU a 19% lead. This is the only head-to-head benchmark recorded, and the AMD part wins it.

Q: Do both GPUs use the same memory configuration?

A: Yes, both have 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding identical bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s. The memory clock is also the same at 900 MHz, or 1800 Mbps effective.

Q: What are the transistor counts for these two chips?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M330 uses 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M packs 1,020 million transistors on an 87 mm² die. Both are built on TSMC's 28 nm process.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer DirectX version?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M330 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GeForce GT 735M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both GPUs list OpenGL 4.6 and similar Vulkan versions, with the NVIDIA part at 1.2.175 and the AMD part at 1.2.170.

Q: How does the Radeon R5 M330 compare to the GeForce GT 735M in closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050?

A: The GeForce GT 735M averages 3616, which is 0.3% below the GeForce GTX 1050's average score of 3629. The Radeon R5 M330's closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M, which scores 4151, a 0.4% gap from the AMD GPU's 4170.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R5 M330 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture with the chip codename "Exo," while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M uses the Kepler 2.0 architecture with the GK208 chip. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the silicon designs diverge significantly.

The NVIDIA chip is physically larger, with 1,020 million transistors across an 87 mm² die, compared to AMD's 690 million transistors on 56 mm². Transistor density is slightly higher on the AMD side at 12.3 million per mm² versus 11.7 million per mm² for NVIDIA.

Shader configuration differs notably. The GeForce GT 735M has 384 shading units and 32 texture mapping units, while the Radeon R5 M330 has 320 shading units and 20 TMUs. Both GPUs have 8 raster output units. Despite having fewer shading units, the AMD GPU achieves a substantially higher pixel rate of 8.240 GPixel/s versus 5.024 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rates are close: 20.60 GTexel/s for AMD and 20.10 GTexel/s for NVIDIA.

Clock speeds favor AMD decisively. The Radeon R5 M330 runs at a base clock of 955 MHz with a boost of 1030 MHz, while the GeForce GT 735M operates at only 575 MHz base and 628 MHz boost. This clock advantage explains why AMD's FP32 throughput reaches 659.2 GFLOPS, while NVIDIA's sits at 482.3 GFLOPS.

Power consumption differs by a wide margin. The AMD GPU has an 18 W TDP, whereas the NVIDIA GPU consumes 33 W. Neither card requires auxiliary power connectors, and both use the PCIe 3.8 interface. Both are integrated-class parts with portable device dependent display outputs.

API support shows minor differences. AMD lists DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, NVIDIA lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both share OpenGL 4.6 support.

Production status is end-of-life for both, with AMD releasing on May 4, 2015 as part of the Gem System generation (R5 M300) and NVIDIA releasing on March 31, 2013 as part of GeForce 700M. AMD's predecessor is the Solar System series, and its successor is Polaris Mobile. NVIDIA's predecessor is GeForce 600M, with GeForce 800M as successor.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon R5 M330 scores 4302, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M scores 3616. This gives AMD a 19% advantage, the only recorded win in either direction.

This 19% gap in OpenCL performance aligns with the FP32 compute difference. The Radeon's 659.2 GFLOPS represents a 36.7% higher theoretical throughput than the GeForce's 482.3 GFLOPS. Clock speed drives much of this, as AMD's 1030 MHz boost is 64% higher than NVIDIA's 628 MHz boost.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the Radeon R5 M330's 4170 average is 15.3% above the GeForce GT 735M's 3616. The AMD GPU's percentile ranking of 25 versus 21 reinforces that it sits in a higher performance tier among all GPUs in the database.

The nearest rivals place each GPU in context. The Radeon R5 M330's closest competitor, the Quadro K2100M, scores 4151, only 0.4% behind. The AMD GPU also sits near the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti at 4193 (0.5% behind) and the Quadro K3000M at 4241 (1.7% ahead of AMD's position). For the GeForce GT 735M, the closest rival GeForce GTX 1050 scores 3629, just 0.3% ahead. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation trails at 3596 by 0.6%, while the GeForce GT 545 scores 3594 by 0.6% behind.

Texture and pixel rates also support AMD's lead. The Radeon R5 M330's 20.60 GTexel/s texture rate edges out the GeForce's 20.10 GTexel/s, and AMD's 8.240 GPixel/s pixel rate is 64% higher than NVIDIA's 5.024 GPixel/s. No benchmark result records a win for the GeForce GT 735M in this head-to-head comparison.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specifications. The Radeon R5 M330 has a base clock of 955 MHz and boost of 1030 MHz, while the GeForce GT 735M runs at 575 MHz base and 628 MHz boost. Transistor counts differ at 690 million versus 1,020 million, die size at 56 mm² versus 87 mm², and transistor density at 12.3M per mm² versus 11.7M per mm².

Shading units number 320 for AMD and 384 for NVIDIA, TMUs at 20 versus 32, while ROPs stay the same at 8. Pixel rate is 8.240 GPixel/s for AMD and 5.024 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rate is 20.60 GTexel/s versus 20.10 GTexel/s, FP32 at 659.2 GFLOPS versus 482.3 GFLOPS, TDP at 18 W versus 33 W, DirectX at 12 (11_1) versus 12 (11_0), Vulkan at 1.2.170 versus 1.2.175. Memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are identical at 2 GB DDR3, 64-bit, and 14.40 GB/s.

The release dates differ by about two years, with NVIDIA launching on March 31, 2013 and AMD on May 4, 2015. Both use PCIe 3.0 x8, no power connectors, and portable device dependent display outputs. Neither card has a launch MSRP recorded.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the AMD Radeon R5 M330 in raw performance. It wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by 19% with a score of 4302 against 3616. The average benchmark score of 4170 versus 3616 places AMD at the 25th percentile versus NVIDIA's 21st, a moderate but consistent advantage across the database.

For users prioritizing compute workloads, the Radeon R5 M330's 659.2 GFLOPS FP32 performance and 8.240 GPixel/s pixel rate make it the stronger option. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M, despite having more shading units and TMUs, cannot overcome its lower clock speeds and delivers only 482.2 GFLOPS. The AMD GPU also requires less power at 18 W compared to 33 W, a meaningful difference for portable devices.

However, the GeForce GT 735M is not without merit. Its higher transistor count of 1,020 million suggests a more complex design with potential efficiency in other workloads not captured by these limited benchmarks. The texture rate of 20.Users interested purely in OpenCL performance should choose the Radeon GT 735M offers only 20.10 GTexel/s, nearly matching AMD's 20.10 GTexel/s.

Neither GPU supports modern features like ray tracing or tensor cores, as both list null for RT cores and tensor cores.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon R5 M330 wins in every recorded benchmark category. Geekbench OpenCL shows a 19% lead in OpenCL compute tasks. The Radeon R5 M330 demonstrates a 659.2 GFLOPS FP32 throughput, a 36.7% advantage over the GeForce GT 735M's 482. The GeForce GT 735M provides a texture rate of 20.10 GTexel/s, nearly identical to the Radeon R5 M330.

The Radeon R5 M330 offers a 8.240 GPixel/s pixel rate, 64% higher than the GeForce GT 735M's 5.024 GPixel/s. The GeForce GT 735M offers a 20.10 GTexel/s texture rate, 2.4% lower than the Radeon R5 M330.

In terms of power efficiency, the Radeon R5 M330 consumes 18 W, 45% lower power draw than the GeForce GT 735M at 33 W power draw, and the GeForce GT 735M offers 33 W power draw, 83% higher than the Radeon R5 M330.

For memory-bound workloads, both GPUs are evenly matched at 14.40 GB/s bandwidth, 2 GB capacity, and 64-bit bus width. The Radeon R5 M330 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) versus the GeForce GT 735M's DirectX 12 (11_0), and the GeForce GT 735M offers Vulkan 1.2.175 versus the Radeon R5 M330's Vulkan 1.2.170.

The Radeon R5 M330 is the choice for users prioritizing compute performance, higher pixel throughput, lower power consumption, and newer DirectX support. The GeForce GT 735M is the choice for users prioritizing a higher transistor count, more texture units, and a slightly newer Vulkan version. The data shows the Radeon R5 M330 as the stronger GPU overall, with the only recorded benchmark win in its favor.