AMD Radeon R5 M420 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and AMD Radeon R5 M420 represent two very different approaches to mobile graphics, and the benchmark data reflects a chasm in capability. The single shared benchmark result, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the GTX 1050 Ti scoring 18,129 against the R5 M420’s 3,956. This translates to a 358.3% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a margin so large it places the two cards in entirely different performance tiers rather than as direct competitors.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is a rout. The GTX 1050 Ti’s score of 18,129 is more than four and a half times higher than the R5 M420’s 3,956. The deltaPct of 358.3% means the NVIDIA card is nearly 4.6 times faster in this compute workload. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational leap. Looking at the broader context, the GTX 1050 Ti’s average benchmark score of 4,193 places it at the 25th percentile of all GPUs, while the R5 M420’s average of 3,956 places it at the 23rd percentile. While the percentile difference seems small, the absolute OpenCL score gap shows that the GTX 1050 Ti excels in compute-heavy tasks, whereas the R5 M420 struggles to keep pace even with its direct rivals. The R5 M420’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce 830M, scores 3,957, a 0% delta, meaning the R5 M420 is essentially tied with a much older entry-level chip. In contrast, the GTX 1050 Ti’s nearest rivals are all within a 1.8% band of its average score, indicating it sits in a stable, established performance tier.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The GTX 1050 Ti uses the GP107 chip built on a 14 nm Samsung process, packing 3,300 million transistors into a 132 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². The R5 M420 uses the Jet chip on a 28 nm TSMC process, with only 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, resulting in a density of 12.3M per mm². The GTX 1050 Ti’s newer, denser process allows for significantly more compute resources. It features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, compared to the R5 M420’s 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Clock speeds also favor NVIDIA: the GTX 1050 Ti runs at a base of 1291 MHz with a boost of 1392 MHz, while the R5 M420 sits at a 780 MHz base and 850 MHz boost. Memory configurations diverge completely. The GTX 1050 Ti uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The R5 M420 also has 4 GB, but it is DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, yielding only 16.00 GB/s. This eightfold bandwidth difference is critical for texture-heavy and high-resolution workloads. The GTX 1050 Ti’s pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s and texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s dwarf the R5 M420’s 6.800 GPixel/s and 17.00 GTexel/s. Furthermore, the GTX 1050 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the R5 M420 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, limiting its modern API feature set.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the data, the GTX 1050 Ti wins in every measurable category. Its compute advantage in OpenCL suggests it is suited for GPU-accelerated tasks like video encoding, machine learning inference, and general-purpose compute. The higher texture and pixel rates indicate better performance in traditional 3D rendering, especially at higher resolutions where fill rate matters. The 112.1 GB/s memory bandwidth vs. 16.00 GB/s means the GTX 1050 Ti can feed its shaders far more effectively, reducing stalls in complex scenes. The R5 M420, given its 4 GB of DDR3 memory, is likely intended for basic display output and light 2D workloads. Its 16.00 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for desktop composition and video playback but will bottleneck any serious 3D application. The R5 M420’s lack of a TDP rating and its IGP slot width suggest it is designed for low-power, thin-and-light laptops where any discrete GPU performance is a bonus, not a focus. The GTX 1050 Ti, with a 75 W TDP and dual-slot design, is a proper mobile gaming solution. Therefore, the R5 M420’s only "win" is in power efficiency by omission—it likely consumes far less power, but the pack does not provide TDP data for the AMD part, so that cannot be quantified.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti than the AMD Radeon R5 M420 in compute?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 1050 Ti scores 18,129 versus 3,956 for the R5 M420, a 358.3% higher score.

Q: Do both cards have the same amount of memory?

A: Yes, both have 4 GB, but the GTX 1050 Ti uses GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, while the R5 M420 uses DDR3 on a 64-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has a density of 25.0M transistors per mm² on a 14 nm process, while the R5 M420 has 12.3M per mm² on 28 nm.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti offers 112.1 GB/s, whereas the R5 M420 provides only 16.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti supports Vulkan 1.4, while the R5 M420 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 4,193, placing it at the 25th percentile, while the R5 M420 averages 3,956, at the 23rd percentile.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is categorically superior to the AMD Radeon R5 M420 in raw performance. Its 358.3% lead in OpenCL, combined with higher shader counts, faster clocks, and vastly superior memory bandwidth, makes it the only choice for any application requiring 3D acceleration or compute. The R5 M420’s average score of 3,956 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the GeForce 830M (3,957), indicating it is a rebadged or minimally improved entry-level part. The GTX 1050 Ti, with an average score of 4,193, sits in a higher performance class, rivaling the Quadro K3000M (4,241) and surpassing the Radeon Vega 3 (4,268). For a user, the GTX 1050 Ti is suitable for 1080p gaming at medium settings and light creative work. The R5 M420 is only adequate for basic productivity and video playback. The GTX 1050 Ti also has a defined launch MSRP of 139 USD, a fact that establishes it as a mainstream product, whereas the R5 M420 has no listed MSRP, suggesting it is an OEM-only part. The choice is clear: the GTX 1050 Ti is a real GPU, while the R5 M420 is a placeholder for laptops not designed for performance.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | AMD Radeon R5 M420 |

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

| Process Node | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |

| Transistors | 3,300 million | 690 million |

| Die Size | 132 mm² | 56 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.0M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1291 MHz | 780 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1392 MHz | 850 MHz |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 112.1 GB/s | 16.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 320 |

| TMUs | 48 | 20 |

| ROPs | 32 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 44.54 GPixel/s | 6.800 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 66.82 GTexel/s | 17.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 2.138 TFLOPS | 544.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 75 W | Not specified |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

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

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |