AMD Radeon R5 M335 vs AMD Radeon R6 M255DX Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the data pack is Geekbench Vulkan. In that test, the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX scores 4867, while the AMD Radeon R5 M335 scores 4758. This gives the R6 M255DX a 2.3% lead, a narrow but measurable victory in the single available head-to-head comparison.

The R6 M255DX’s Vulkan score places it in the 28th percentile of all GPUs, a position it shares exactly with the R5 M335, which also sits in the 28th percentile. Despite the near-identical percentile ranking, the R6 M255DX’s 4867 score edges out the R5 M335’s 4758 by 109 points. In relative terms, this is a slim margin—one that could easily be attributed to driver or system-level variation, but it is nevertheless a win for the R6 M255DX.

Looking at the R6 M255DX’s nearest rivals in the database, its 4867 Vulkan score lands between the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4893, 0.5% ahead of the R6) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M (4855, 0.2% behind). The R6 M255DX also trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901) by 0.7%, which is a notable comparison given the generational gap—the RTX 5060 Ti is clearly a far more modern part, yet the R6 M255DX’s legacy Vulkan performance is within 1% of it in this specific benchmark.

For the R5 M335, its 4758 Vulkan score sits close to its OpenCL score of 4745, suggesting consistent performance across different compute APIs. The R5 M335’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R5 M255 (4788, 0.7% ahead), the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX (4727, 0.5% behind), and the NVIDIA Quadro P400 (4684, 1.5% behind). The R5 M335’s average benchmark score across both OpenCL and Vulkan is 4752, which is lower than the R6 M255DX’s single-score average of 4867—a 2.4% difference in favor of the R6 M255DX.

The data shows that in the only head-to-head test available, the R6 M255DX wins outright. The 2.3% delta is not overwhelming, but it is consistent with the R6 M255DX’s higher average score (4867 vs. 4752) when comparing the two parts’ overall benchmark profiles.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on GCN 1.0 architecture and use a 28 nm process node fabricated by TSMC. The transistor count is identical at 690 million, and the die size is also the same at 56 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter for both.

The R6 M255DX uses the "Jet" chip, while the R5 M335 uses the "Exo" chip. Despite the different chip names, the underlying compute resources are the same: 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation pipelines for both parts. This means the raw shader and texture-processing hardware is identical on paper.

The key architectural divergence lies in memory handling. The R6 M255DX uses system-shared memory for its frame buffer, with the memory type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent." This is typical of an integrated graphics processor (IGP), and indeed the R6 M255DX is classified as an IGP with a bus interface of "IGP." The R5 M335, by contrast, has dedicated memory: 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The R5 M335’s memory clock is listed as 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), and it connects via a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.

Clock speeds also differ. The R6 M255DX has an explicit base clock of 780 MHz and a boost clock of 855 MHz. The R5 M335’s base and boost clocks are not listed, but its memory clock is specified. The R5 M335’s pixel rate is 8.240 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 20.60 GTexel/s, both higher than the R6 M255DX’s 6.840 GPixel/s and 17.10 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance follows the same pattern: 659.2 GFLOPS for the R5 M335 versus 547.2 GFLOPS for the R6 M255DX.

The generation labels differ: the R6 M255DX belongs to "Gem System Hybrid (Rx M200)," while the R5 M335 belongs to "Gem System (R5 M300)." The R5 M335 lists a predecessor ("Solar System") and a successor ("Polaris Mobile"), while the R6 M255DX lists neither. Both support DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent" for both, reflecting their mobile origins.

Where Each One Wins

The R6 M255DX wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench Vulkan test, by 2.3%. Its average benchmark score of 4867 is also higher than the R5 M335’s 4752. If the workload is Vulkan-based, the R6 M255DX is the better choice according to the data.

The R5 M335, however, wins on raw compute throughput metrics. Its FP32 performance of 659.2 GFLOPS is 20.5% higher than the R6 M255DX’s 547.2 GFLOPS. Its pixel rate (8.240 GPixel/s) is 20.5% higher, and its texture rate (20.60 GTexel/s) is also 20.5% higher. These are theoretical peak numbers, but they indicate that the R5 M335’s shader and texture units are clocked higher, even though the R6 M255DX has an explicit boost clock listed.

The R5 M335 also wins on memory configuration. Having 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth is structurally superior to system-shared memory, where bandwidth is "System Dependent." Dedicated memory avoids the contention and latency of shared system memory, which can be a significant factor in real-world gaming and compute tasks. The R6 M255DX’s memory bandwidth is not quantified in the data pack, but the "System Dependent" label suggests it varies with the host system’s memory configuration.

In terms of hardware features, both parts are identical in shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. Neither has ray tracing or tensor cores. The R6 M255DX’s IGP nature means it relies entirely on the host system’s memory, while the R5 M335’s dedicated memory gives it a structural advantage in scenarios where memory bandwidth is a bottleneck.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two parts:

• Chip: R6 M255DX uses "Jet"; R5 M335 uses "Exo"
• Generation: R6 M255DX is "Gem System Hybrid (Rx M200)"; R5 M335 is "Gem System (R5 M300)"
• Base Clock: R6 M255DX has 780 MHz; R5 M335 has none listed
• Boost Clock: R6 M255DX has 855 MHz; R5 M335 has none listed
• Memory Clock: R6 M255DX lists "System Shared"; R5 M335 lists 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective)
• Memory Size: R6 M255DX is "System Shared"; R5 M335 is 2 GB
• Memory Type: R6 M255DX is "System Shared"; R5 M335 is DDR3
• Memory Bus Width: R6 M255DX is "System Shared"; R5 M335 is 64 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: R6 M255DX is "System Dependent"; R5 M335 is 14.40 GB/s
• Pixel Rate: R6 M255DX is 6.840 GPixel/s; R5 M335 is 8.240 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: R6 M255DX is 17.10 GTexel/s; R5 M335 is 20.60 GTexel/s
• FP32: R6 M255DX is 547.2 GFLOPS; R5 M335 is 659.2 GFLOPS
• Slot Width: R6 M255DX is "IGP"; R5 M335 is not specified
• Power Connectors: R6 M255DX has none listed; R5 M335 has "None"
• Bus Interface: R6 M255DX is "IGP"; R5 M335 is PCIe 3.0 x8
• Release Date: R6 M255DX is 2014-01-06; R5 M335 is 2015-10-20
• Predecessor: R6 M255DX has none; R5 M335 has "Solar System"
• Successor: R6 M255DX has none; R5 M335 has "Polaris Mobile"
• Benchmark Scores: R6 M255DX has only Vulkan (4867); R5 M335 has OpenCL (4745) and Vulkan (4758)
• Average Benchmark Score: R6 M255DX is 4867; R5 M335 is 4752

Identical specifications include process node (28 nm), foundry (TSMC), transistors (690 million), die size (56 mm²), transistor density (12.3M / mm²), shading units (320), TMUs (20), ROPs (8), DirectX (12 (11_1)), OpenGL (4.6), Vulkan (1.2.170), and display outputs (Portable Device Dependent). Both are end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Vulkan benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R6 M255DX scores 4867 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the AMD Radeon R5 M335 scores 4758. The R6 M255DX leads by 2.3%.

Q: Do the two GPUs have the same number of shading units?

A: Yes, both the R6 M255DX and the R5 M335 feature 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation pipelines.

Q: How does the R5 M335’s FP32 performance compare to the R6 M255DX?

A: The R5 M335 delivers 659.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is 20.5% higher than the R6 M255DX’s 547.2 GFLOPS.

Q: What type of memory does each GPU use?

A: The R6 M255DX uses system-shared memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." The R5 M335 uses 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same architecture?

A: Yes, both are built on GCN 1.0 architecture, use a 28 nm TSMC process, and have 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The R6 M255DX has an average benchmark score of 4867, while the R5 M335’s average is 4752. The R6 M255DX’s average is 2.4% higher.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX is the winner of the head-to-head benchmark. It takes the Geekbench Vulkan test by 2.3% and holds a higher average benchmark score (4867 vs. 4752). For users running Vulkan-based workloads, the R6 M255DX is the better performer.

However, the R5 M335 has clear structural advantages that the benchmark does not capture. Its dedicated 2 GB of DDR3 memory with 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth removes the dependency on system memory, which the R6 M255DX’s "System Dependent" bandwidth cannot match. The R5 M335 also posts higher theoretical peak rates: 20.5% more FP32 throughput, pixel rate, and texture rate. These figures suggest that in compute-heavy or memory-sensitive tasks, the R5 M335 could outperform the R6 M255DX despite losing the Vulkan test.

The R6 M255DX is an integrated part (IGP), while the R5 M335 is a discrete-class mobile GPU with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. The R5 M335 also has a defined release date of 2015-10-20, roughly 21 months after the R6 M255DX’s 2014-01-06 launch, and it has a documented successor (Polaris Mobile). The R6 M255DX has no successor listed.

The verdict depends on the use case. If the priority is a single benchmark score, the R6 M255DX is ahead. If the priority is consistent memory bandwidth and higher theoretical compute rates, the R5 M335 is the more robust choice on paper. Both parts are end-of-life, share the same GCN 1.0 architecture, and are in the 28th percentile of all GPUs. Neither is a high-flying performer; the differences are marginal. For Vulkan gaming, pick the R6 M255DX. For anything that stresses memory or raw FP32 throughput, the R5 M335’s dedicated memory and higher clock-derived rates give it the edge.