AMD Radeon R5 M420 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M compare to the AMD Radeon R5 M420 in the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The GTX 970M scores 18,946 while the R5 M420 scores 3,956. This gives the GTX 970M a 378.9% advantage, making it the clear winner in this test.

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

A: The GTX 970M has an average benchmark score of 4,628 across all its tested workloads, while the R5 M420 has an average score of 3,956 based on its single recorded benchmark.

Q: How does each GPU rank against all other GPUs in the database?

A: The GTX 970M sits in the 27th percentile of all GPUs, while the R5 M420 sits in the 23rd percentile. Both are positioned in the lower half of the performance spectrum.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card based on average score?

A: The GTX 970M's closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M3000M, which scores 4,621 and is just 0.2% slower. The R5 M420's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce 830M, which scores 3,957 and is essentially tied with a 0% delta.

Q: What memory configurations do these two GPUs use?

A: The GTX 970M uses 6 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 120.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The R5 M420 uses 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing only 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher clock speeds?

A: The GTX 970M has a base clock of 924 MHz and a boost clock of 1,038 MHz. The R5 M420 has a base clock of 780 MHz and a boost clock of 850 MHz. The GTX 970M also has a higher effective memory clock at 5 Gbps versus 2 Gbps.

The Verdict

The data presents a one-sided matchup. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M dominates the AMD Radeon R5 M420 in every measurable aspect, from raw compute to memory subsystem specifications.

For users who need actual graphics performance, the GTX 970M is the only defensible choice. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 18,946 is nearly five times higher than the R5 M420's 3,956, a gap that translates into playable frame rates versus a chip that struggles with modern workloads. The 970M's percentile ranking of 27 versus 23 for the R5 M420, while both are low, still places the NVIDIA part meaningfully higher in the overall distribution.

The R5 M420 is best suited for basic display output and light, non-demanding tasks. Its 320 shading units, 8 ROPs, and DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus classify it as an entry-level part. The data shows no scenario where the R5 M420 wins a benchmark against the GTX 970M; the head-to-head record is 1 win for NVIDIA and 0 for AMD.

However, there is a context that matters: the GTX 970M is an MXM module, meaning it was designed for larger, high-performance laptops where it could be replaced or upgraded. The R5 M420 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor), soldered into the platform and sharing system resources. For a user with a fixed, lightweight laptop that only needs basic graphics, the R5 M420 may suffice. For anyone who wants to play games or run GPU-accelerated applications, the GTX 970M is the clear pick, provided the laptop chassis can accommodate it.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the GTX 970M scores 18,946, while the R5 M420 scores 3,956. The delta is 378.9% in favor of the NVIDIA part. This is not a marginal victory; it is a generational and architectural gap made visible by the numbers.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite for the GTX 970M alone, its performance profile shows a wide range of capabilities. In Passmark G3D, it scores 5,704, which is a strong result for a mobile GPU of its era. Its Passmark GPU Compute score is 2,289, indicating decent compute throughput. In DirectX 9, it scores 99, while in DirectX 10 it drops to 28, and in DirectX 11 it is 42. These numbers show that the 970M is more efficient in older DirectX workloads, which aligns with its Maxwell 2.0 architecture.

The R5 M420 has no other recorded benchmarks beyond Geekbench OpenCL, so its performance in DirectX, Vulkan, or compute workloads cannot be directly compared from the database. What is available suggests a part that is roughly on par with the NVIDIA GeForce 830M, which scores 3,957 (a 0% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M, which scores 3,953 (a 0.1% delta). The R5 M420 is also slightly behind the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2, which scores 3,977 (a -0.5% delta).

For the GTX 970M, its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M3000M at 4,621 (0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon R5 M320 at 4,657 (-0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB at 4,657 (-0.6% delta). The presence of these rivals shows that the 970M, despite its age, is still competitive within its average score bracket.

Specification Differences

The GTX 970M and R5 M420 differ in nearly every specification category. The NVIDIA chip is built on the GM204 die with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die. The AMD chip uses the Jet die with 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die. The transistor density is similar (13.1M per mm² versus 12.3M per mm²), but the sheer scale of the NVIDIA die is vastly larger.

Memory is another major differentiator. The GTX 970M has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 120.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The R5 M420 has 4 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 16.00 GB/s. That is a 7.5x difference in memory bandwidth, which directly impacts texture-heavy and high-resolution workloads.

The compute units tell the same story. The GTX 970M has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The R5 M420 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The pixel rate is 49.82 GPixel/s for the GTX 970M versus 6.800 GPixel/s for the R5 M420. The texture rate is 83.04 GTexel/s versus 17.00 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance (FP32) is 2.657 TFLOPS versus 544.0 GFLOPS.

Clock speeds also favor NVIDIA: base 924 MHz versus 780 MHz, boost 1,038 MHz versus 850 MHz, and memory 1,253 MHz versus 1,000 MHz.

The bus interface differs as well: the GTX 970M uses MXM-B (3.0) and is a removable module, while the R5 M420 uses PCIe 3.0 x8 and is an IGP. The GTX 970M reports no power connectors and is listed as an MXM Module, while the R5 M420 has null power connector data and is listed as an IGP.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 970M is built on NVIDIA's Maxwell 2.0 architecture, using the GM204 chip. It belongs to the GeForce 900M generation and supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its predecessor is the GeForce 800M and its successor is the GeForce 10 Mobile. It was released in October 2014 and is now end-of-life.

The R5 M420 is built on AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Jet chip. It belongs to the Gem System (R5 M400) generation and supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Its predecessor is the Solar System and its successor is the Polaris Mobile. It was released in May 2016 and is also end-of-life.

The architectural gap is significant. Maxwell 2.0 is a mature, efficient design that was NVIDIA's high-performance mobile offering at the time. GCN 1.0 is AMD's first-generation Graphics Core Next, which was designed for desktop parts and scaled down for mobile. The GTX 970M supports a higher DirectX feature level (12_1 versus 11_1), which means it can handle more advanced rendering features in modern games.

Both are manufactured on the same 28 nm process at TSMC, so the node itself is not a differentiator. The difference lies in the scale and design philosophy: the GTX 970M is a large, powerful discrete GPU, while the R5 M420 is a small, low-power integrated part. The transistor count difference (5,200 million versus 690 million) is the clearest indicator of their respective performance classes.

The GTX 970M's Vulkan support (1.4) is newer than the R5 M420's (1.2.170), which may affect compatibility with future Vulkan-based titles. However, both parts are end-of-life and no longer receive driver optimizations, so this is a minor consideration for anyone looking at these parts today.