AMD Radeon R5 M420 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded benchmark comparison between the AMD Radeon R5 M420 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this single measurement, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M scores 4855, while the AMD Radeon R5 M420 scores 3956. This gives the NVIDIA part a decisive 18.5% advantage, which is a substantial margin in real-world compute workloads.

The AMD Radeon R5 M420’s score places it in the 23rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the NVIDIA GeForce 830M scores 3957 (0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M scores 3953 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 scores 3964 (-0.2% delta), and the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 scores 3977 (-0.5% delta). This indicates that the R5 M420 sits in a very crowded performance band where a few points separate competitors.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M, by contrast, sits in the 28th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals show a similar clustering pattern: the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX scores 4844 (0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX scores 4867 (-0.2% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893 (-0.8% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB scores 4901 (-0.9% delta). The GTX 560M is therefore positioned at the lower edge of a performance tier that extends upward through these rivals.

The 18.5% gap between the two cards in this head-to-head is meaningful. It is not a marginal difference that could be attributed to driver variance or thermal state; it is a clear generational and architectural performance separation. The AMD R5 M420 would need a substantial improvement to reach parity, and the data shows no benchmark where it closes that gap.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M than the AMD Radeon R5 M420 in the recorded benchmark?

A: The GTX 560M scores 4855 versus 3956 for the R5 M420, a difference of 18.5% in favor of the NVIDIA card.

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M ranks in the 28th percentile, while the AMD Radeon R5 M420 ranks in the 23rd percentile.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the AMD Radeon R5 M420 wins?

A: No. In the database, the AMD card records zero wins. The NVIDIA card wins the only head-to-head benchmark.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon R5 M420 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce 830M?

A: The two are essentially tied. The GeForce 830M scores 3957 versus 3956 for the R5 M420, a delta of 0%.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M outperform the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB?

A: No. The RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB scores 4901, which is 0.9% higher than the GTX 560M’s 4855.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M420 has an average score of 3956. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has an average score of 4855.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M is the clear winner in the only measured discipline: OpenCL compute performance. Its 4855 score beats the AMD Radeon R5 M420’s 3956 by a wide margin. For any workload that relies on general-purpose GPU compute, such as OpenCL-accelerated tasks in productivity or media applications, the GTX 560M is the stronger choice based on recorded data.

The AMD Radeon R5 M420 does not win any benchmark in the database. However, its position in the 23rd percentile, with a score nearly identical to the GeForce 830M and GT 745M, suggests it is competitive within its immediate peer group. The data shows it trades blows with those cards within a 0.5% range. For users with workloads that are already constrained by the performance level of the R5 M420, the card is not a standout, but it is not an outlier either.

The GTX 560M’s position in the 28th percentile, slightly above the R5 M420, also places it in a higher performance tier relative to the entire GPU landscape. The 18.5% lead over the R5 M420 is consistent with a card that is one full performance bracket higher. For tasks where a few hundred points in an OpenCL score translate into visible responsiveness, the GTX 560M is the preferable option.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every core specification. The AMD Radeon R5 M420 uses a 64-bit memory bus with 4 GB of DDR3 memory, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M uses a 192-bit bus with 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory. The memory clock differs as well: the R5 M420 runs at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective), and the GTX 560M runs at 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective). The resulting bandwidth is 16.00 GB/s for the AMD card versus 60.00 GB/s for the NVIDIA card.

The shading unit counts are reversed: the R5 M420 has 320 shading units, while the GTX 560M has 192. However, the GTX 560M has more texture mapping units (32 versus 20) and more render output units (24 versus 8). The pixel rate is slightly higher on the AMD card at 6.800 GPixel/s versus 6.200 GPixel/s, but the texture rate is higher on the NVIDIA card at 24.80 GTexel/s versus 17.00 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance (FP32) is 544.0 GFLOPS for the AMD card and 595.2 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA card.

The bus interface also differs: the R5 M420 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GTX 560M uses MXM-B (3.0). The slot width is listed as IGP for the AMD card and MXM Module for the NVIDIA card. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 75 W; the AMD card has no recorded TDP.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between the two is significant. The AMD Radeon R5 M420 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Jet chip, and is part of the Gem System (R5 M400) generation. It is manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die. The transistor density is 12.3 million transistors per square millimeter.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture, with the GF116 chip, and belongs to the GeForce 500M generation. It is built on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC, but packs 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die. Its transistor density is only 4.9 million transistors per square millimeter, reflecting the older and less dense manufacturing node.

In terms of supported APIs, the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no recorded Vulkan support. This gives the AMD card a software feature advantage in modern cross-platform graphics APIs.

The release dates are far apart: the AMD Radeon R5 M420 launched on May 14, 2016, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M launched on May 29, 2011. The AMD card is the newer product by five years, yet the older NVIDIA card still wins the compute benchmark. The AMD card’s predecessor is listed as Solar System and its successor as Polaris Mobile. The NVIDIA card’s predecessor is GeForce 400M and its successor is GeForce 600M.

Both cards are end-of-life products. Neither has a recorded launch MSRP. The display outputs for both are listed as portable device dependent, meaning they are intended for laptop or mobile implementations. The NVIDIA card has no power connectors listed, while the AMD card has none listed either. Both are designed around mobile form factors, but the GTX 560M’s MXM module format indicates a more substantial, socketed board, whereas the R5 M420’s IGP designation suggests an integrated graphics solution.