AMD Radeon R5 M430 vs AMD Radeon R7 Graphics Comparison

The AMD Radeon R5 M430 and AMD Radeon R7 Graphics are two end-of-life integrated-class GPUs that land nearly on top of each other in aggregate performance, yet they achieve that parity through sharply different strengths. The R5 M430 is a discrete-style mobile part built on GCN 1.0, while the R7 Graphics is a GCN 2.0 IGP riding inside a Kaveri APU. Their average benchmark scores sit within 0.4% of each other — 5018 for the R5 M430 versus 4998 for the R7 Graphics — placing both in the 29th–30th percentile of all GPUs. The real story emerges in workload-specific tests, where each chip wins one of the two head-to-head benchmarks by a wide margin.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon R5 M430 dominates in OpenCL compute workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5152 crushes the R7 Graphics' 4015, a decisive 28.3% advantage. This makes the R5 M430 the clear choice for general-purpose GPU compute tasks that leverage OpenCL, such as video encoding acceleration, physics simulations, or any productivity application that offloads parallel math to the GPU. The R5 M430 also holds a slight edge in raw FP32 throughput, delivering 547.2 GFLOPS versus the R7 Graphics' 553.0 GFLOPS — a near tie, but the R5 M430's dedicated memory subsystem (4 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, 16.00 GB/s bandwidth) gives it more predictable performance in memory-bound compute scenarios compared to the R7 Graphics' system-shared memory.

The Radeon R7 Graphics wins the Vulkan graphics API battle outright. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 5980 surpasses the R5 M430's 4884 by 18.3%. This is the more relevant metric for modern gaming and graphical workloads, as Vulkan is increasingly the API of choice for new titles and emulators. The R7 Graphics also has a hardware advantage in shading resources, with 384 shading units and 24 texture mapping units versus the R5 M430's 320 shading units and 20 TMUs. Its texture rate of 17.28 GTexel/s edges out the R5 M430's 17.10 GTexel/s. For anyone running Vulkan-based games or applications, the R7 Graphics is the superior part despite its lower OpenCL showing.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M430 averages 5018, while the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics averages 4998. The difference is a mere 0.4%, making them statistically equivalent in aggregate performance.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The R5 M430 sits 0.3% behind the AMD FirePro W4170M (5034) and 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 (4979). The R7 Graphics is 0.4% ahead of the Quadro 4000 and 0.7% behind the FirePro W4170M. Both also trade blows with the AMD Radeon R7 M340 (5063), which beats the R5 M430 by 0.9%.

Q: Which GPU is better for Vulkan-based gaming?

A: The Radeon R7 Graphics wins decisively in Vulkan, scoring 5980 versus the R5 M430's 4884 — an 18.3% advantage. Its higher shading unit count (384 vs 320) and superior texture rate (17.28 vs 17.10 GTexel/s) support this result.

Q: Which GPU is better for OpenCL compute tasks?

A: The Radeon R5 M430 is the clear winner, posting 5152 in OpenCL versus the R7 Graphics' 4015, a 28.3% lead. Its dedicated 4 GB DDR3 memory with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth provides a stable foundation for compute workloads.

Q: What are the API compatibility differences?

A: Both support DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. However, the R5 M430 implements DirectX 12 at feature level 11_1, while the R7 Graphics supports the full DirectX 12 (12_0) feature set.

Q: How do their production statuses and release dates compare?

A: Both are end-of-life products. The R7 Graphics was released on 2014-02-16, while the R5 M430 has no listed release date. The R5 M430's predecessor is the Solar System generation and its successor is Polaris Mobile; the R7 Graphics' predecessor is TeraScale 3 IGP and its successor is GCN 3.0 IGP.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different GCN generations and are built by different foundries. The Radeon R5 M430 uses the Jet chip on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process by TSMC. It packs 690 million transistors into a 56 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². In contrast, the Radeon R7 Graphics uses the Spectre Lite chip on GCN 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process by GlobalFoundries. It contains 2,410 million transistors across a much larger 245 mm² die, with a lower transistor density of 9.8 million per mm². The R7 Graphics is part of the "GCN 2.0 IGP (Kaveri)" generation, while the R5 M430 belongs to the "Gem System (R5 M400)" generation.

Memory architecture diverges significantly. The R5 M430 has dedicated 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 Graphics uses system-shared memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent" — meaning performance scales with the host system's RAM configuration. This is a critical differentiator: the R5 M430 offers consistent, dedicated memory bandwidth, while the R7 Graphics is at the mercy of the APU's memory controller and available system RAM.

Compute resources also differ. The R7 Graphics fields 384 shading units and 24 TMUs against the R5 M430's 320 shading units and 20 TMUs. Both have 8 ROPs. Peak FP32 performance is nearly identical, with the R5 M430 at 547.2 GFLOPS and the R7 Graphics at 553.0 GFLOPS. Pixel rates differ slightly, with the R5 M430 at 6.840 GPixel/s versus 5.760 GPixel/s for the R7 Graphics. The R7 Graphics is the only one with a listed TDP of 25 W; the R5 M430's TDP is unlisted. Both are IGP-form-factor parts, with the R5 M430 using a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface and the R7 Graphics using a direct IGP connection.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two-way benchmark split could not be starker. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon R5 M430 scores 5152 against the R7 Graphics' 4015, winning by 28.3%. This is a substantial margin that reflects the R5 M430's dedicated memory and higher pixel rate (6.840 vs 5.760 GPixel/s). The R5 M430's 547.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute nearly matches the R7 Graphics' 553.0 GFLOPS, yet the OpenCL gap suggests the dedicated DDR3 memory provides a meaningful advantage in real compute workloads — system-shared memory on the R7 Graphics likely introduces latency and bandwidth bottlenecks that the discrete-style R5 M430 avoids.

The tables turn completely in Geekbench Vulkan. Here, the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics scores 5980, beating the R5 M430's 4884 by 18.3%. The R7 Graphics' architectural advantage in shading units (384 vs 320) and texture rate (17.28 vs 17.10 GTexel/s) pays dividends in graphics API workloads. Its GCN 2.0 architecture also natively supports DirectX 12 at feature level 12_0, whereas the R5 M430's GCN 1.0 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) — a generation gap that likely contributes to the Vulkan performance difference. The R7 Graphics also has a higher average benchmark score than its own OpenCL result would suggest, indicating that its Vulkan strength pulls its aggregate up to near-parity with the R5 M430.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture of two GPUs that are equals in aggregate but specialists in different domains. The AMD Radeon R5 M430 is the pick for OpenCL compute workloads. Its 28.3% lead in OpenCL, backed by dedicated 4 GB DDR3 memory and 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth, makes it the more capable part for productivity tasks that use GPU acceleration. Its higher pixel rate (6.840 vs 5.760 GPixel/s) also suggests better fill-rate-bound performance in certain rendering paths.

The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics is the pick for Vulkan-based graphics. Its 18.3% Vulkan advantage, combined with full DirectX 12 (12_0) support and superior shading resources (384 units vs 320), positions it as the better choice for modern gaming and Vulkan-native applications. Its system-shared memory is a liability, but the architecture compensates with more compute units and a newer GCN revision.

For users who must choose between these two end-of-life parts, the decision hinges entirely on workload. Compute-heavy users should favor the R5 M430. Graphics-centric users, especially those running Vulkan titles, should favor the R7 Graphics. In aggregate, they are indistinguishable — the 0.4% average score difference is negligible — but in their respective winning domains, each holds a commanding lead. The R7 Graphics also carries a listed 25 W TDP, while the R5 M430's power draw is unspecified, making the R7 Graphics the more documented option for power-sensitive builds. Both sit in the 29th–30th percentile of all GPUs, meaning neither is a performance champion by modern standards, but each remains relevant for specific legacy and low-power use cases.