AMD Radeon R5 M330 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison recorded in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and it favors the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M by a decisive margin. The GTX 560M scores 4855 points, while the AMD Radeon R5 M330 scores 4302 points, producing a 12.9% delta in favor of the NVIDIA part. That is not a marginal gap; it is a substantial performance chasm for a single compute workload, suggesting that the older Fermi architecture still holds a meaningful edge in raw OpenCL execution.

Contextualizing the GTX 560M further, its average benchmark score of 4855 places it at the 28th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX sits at 4844 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX at 4867 (0.2% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 at 4893 (0.8% ahead). Even the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, a far more modern part, scores 4901, which is only 0.9% higher than the GTX 560M in this specific benchmark. The data implies the GTX 560M is remarkably competitive for its age, at least in OpenCL compute tasks.

The R5 M330, by contrast, sits at the 25th percentile with an average score of 4170. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M at 4151 (0.4% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti at 4193 (0.5% ahead). The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB scores 4093, which is 1.9% behind the R5 M330. What stands out here is that the R5 M330, despite being a much newer chip, cannot match the GTX 560M's raw OpenCL output. The 12.9% delta in the head-to-head test is larger than any delta between the GTX 560M and its own nearest rivals, which underscores how significant the NVIDIA advantage is in this single metric.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M uses the GF116 chip, built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, and is manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,170 million transistors into a 238 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 4.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon R5 M330 uses the Exo chip, based on GCN 1.0, and is built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It has 690 million transistors on a much smaller 56 mm² die, giving it a significantly higher transistor density of 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter.

The process node difference is stark: 40 nm versus 28 nm. This explains why the R5 M330 can fit fewer transistors into a much smaller die while still achieving a higher density. The R5 M330 also has a dramatically lower thermal design power of 18 W, whereas the GTX 560M is rated at 75 W. That 57 W gap reflects both the newer process and the more modest performance ambitions of the AMD part.

Shading unit counts tell a different story. The R5 M330 has 320 shading units, while the GTX 560M has only 192. Yet the GTX 560M still wins the OpenCL benchmark. The R5 M330 also has fewer texture mapping units (20 versus 32) and far fewer raster operation units (8 versus 24). The GTX 560M's pixel rate is 6.200 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 24.80 GTexel/s. The R5 M330 counters with a pixel rate of 8.240 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 20.60 GTexel/s. So the AMD part has a higher pixel throughput but a lower texture throughput, and its FP32 compute is 659.2 GFLOPS versus 595.2 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA part. Despite higher theoretical compute, the R5 M330 loses in practice.

Memory subsystems are also radically different. The GTX 560M uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 60.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The R5 M330 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering only 14.40 GB/s. That is a 75% reduction in memory bandwidth, a crippling handicap for a modern GPU trying to feed 320 shading units. The R5 M330's memory clock is 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), while the GTX 560M's memory runs at 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective). The GTX 560M's wider bus compensates for its lower clock speed and produces far superior bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M scores 4855 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R5 M330 scores 4302, a 12.9% difference in favor of the NVIDIA part.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R5 M330 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the R5 M330 supports Vulkan version 1.2.170, while the GTX 560M's Vulkan support is listed as null in the database.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 560M has 60.00 GB/s of bandwidth using GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, while the R5 M330 has 14.40 GB/s using DDR3 on a 64-bit bus.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in thermal design power?

A: The GTX 560M is rated at 75 W, while the R5 M330 is rated at 18 W, making the AMD part significantly more power-efficient on paper.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between the two chips?

A: The GTX 560M has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, while the R5 M330 has 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The GTX 560M sits at the 28th percentile, while the R5 M330 sits at the 25th percentile, meaning the NVIDIA part ranks slightly higher overall.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification. The GTX 560M uses the GF116 chip with Fermi 2.0 architecture, while the R5 M330 uses the Exo chip with GCN 1.0. The GTX 560M is built on a 40 nm process, the R5 M330 on 28 nm. Transistor counts are 1,170 million versus 690 million, and die sizes are 238 mm² versus 56 mm². Transistor density is 4.9M per mm² for NVIDIA and 12.3M per mm² for AMD.

Memory configurations are entirely different: the GTX 560M has 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 60.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the R5 M330 has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 560M has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The R5 M330 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Pixel rates are 6.200 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 8.240 GPixel/s for AMD; texture rates are 24.80 GTexel/s versus 20.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 595.2 GFLOPS versus 659.2 GFLOPS.

Clock behavior also differs. The R5 M330 has a base clock of 955 MHz and a boost clock of 1030 MHz, while the GTX 560M has no base or boost clocks listed in the database. Memory clocks are 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA and 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) for AMD. The GTX 560M is an MXM module with an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, while the R5 M330 is an IGP with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. Neither uses power connectors. The GTX 560M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, while the R5 M330 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 560M's predecessor is GeForce 400M and successor is GeForce 600M; the R5 M330's predecessor is Solar System and successor is Polaris Mobile.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for compute performance: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M. Its 12.9% OpenCL advantage over the R5 M330 is the single largest delta among all recorded comparisons, and its 28th percentile ranking beats the R5 M330's 25th percentile. The GTX 560M also has vastly superior memory bandwidth at 60.00 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s, which likely explains its ability to outperform a chip with 128 more shading units. In OpenCL, the GTX 560M is the better GPU.

The R5 M330 is not without its advantages. It consumes only 18 W versus 75 W, making it far more suitable for thin-and-light laptops. It has a smaller die (56 mm² versus 238 mm²), higher transistor density, and supports Vulkan 1.2.170, which the GTX 560M does not. Its pixel rate is higher (8.240 GPixel/s versus 6.200 GPixel/s), and it has more FP32 compute (659.2 GFLOPS versus 595.2 GFLOPS). For a low-power integrated part, those are meaningful wins.

However, the benchmark is the benchmark, and it favors NVIDIA decisively. The GTX 560M, despite being built on an older 40 nm process with fewer shading units, delivers better real-world OpenCL performance. The R5 M330's theoretical compute advantages do not translate into a benchmark victory. The verdict from the data is straightforward: if compute performance matters, choose the GTX 560M. If power efficiency and modern API support matter, the R5 M330 has the edge.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M wins in raw compute performance, as demonstrated by its 4855 OpenCL score versus 4302 for the R5 M330. It also wins in memory bandwidth (60.00 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s), texture rate (24.80 GTexel/s versus 20.60 GTexel/s), and ROP count (24 versus 8). Its 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory, while smaller in capacity, is far faster than the R5 M330's 2 GB of DDR3. The GTX 560M also has more TMUs (32 versus 20), which explains its higher texture throughput.

The AMD Radeon R5 M330 wins in power efficiency, with an 18 W TDP versus 75 W for the GTX 560M. It wins in pixel rate (8.240 GPixel/s versus 6.200 GPixel/s), FP32 compute (659.2 GFLOPS versus 595.2 GFLOPS), and shading unit count (320 versus 192). It has a smaller die, higher transistor density, and a newer process node. The R5 M330 also wins on API support, offering Vulkan 1.2.170, which is absent from the GTX 560M's specifications. Its 2 GB memory capacity is also larger, though the practical benefit is limited by the narrow 64-bit bus.

The use-case split is clear. The GTX 560M is for compute-heavy workloads where memory bandwidth and texture throughput matter more than power draw. The R5 M330 is for ultra-portable systems where the 18 W TDP and integrated form factor (IGP) are essential, and where Vulkan support might be needed. The data does not suggest the R5 M330 can match the GTX 560M in OpenCL, but it does show a GPU designed for a different set of priorities: efficiency and modern features over peak compute.