AMD Radeon R5 M435 vs AMD Radeon R7 Graphics Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in raw OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 scores 5,859 points in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics scores 4,015 points. This gives the R5 M435 a 45.9% advantage in that specific test.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The R5 M435 has an average benchmark score of 5,859, derived from its single OpenCL result. The R7 Graphics has an average of 4,998, which is the mean of its OpenCL score of 4,015 and its Vulkan score of 5,980.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU according to the database?

A: The R5 M435 sits near AMD Radeon R7 M465 (5,841, 0.3% ahead), Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5,929, 1.2% behind), AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5,955, 1.6% behind), and NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5,957, 1.6% behind). The R7 Graphics sits near NVIDIA Quadro 4000 (4,979, 0.4% ahead), AMD Radeon R5 M430 (5,018, 0.4% behind), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB (4,970, 0.6% ahead), and AMD FirePro W4170M (5,034, 0.7% behind).

Q: Which GPU supports more advanced DirectX features?

A: The R7 Graphics supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the R5 M435 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). The R7 Graphics has a higher feature level for DirectX 12.

Q: What are the process node and foundry details for each chip?

A: Both GPUs are built on a 28 nm process. The R5 M435 uses the Jet chip fabricated by TSMC, while the R7 Graphics uses the Spectre Lite chip fabricated by GlobalFoundries.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The R5 M435 has 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 36.00 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 Graphics uses System Shared memory, with its bus width and bandwidth also listed as System Shared and System Dependent, respectively.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split decision. For compute-heavy workloads measured by OpenCL, the AMD Radeon R5 M435 is the stronger option, delivering 5,859 points versus the R7 Graphics' 4,015 points. This 45.9% lead is substantial and places the R5 M435 in the 33rd percentile of all GPUs, above the R7 Graphics' 29th percentile.

However, the R7 Graphics counters with a notable Vulkan result. Its 5,980 score in Geekbench Vulkan exceeds the R5 M435's OpenCL score by 121 points. Since the R5 M435 has no recorded Vulkan benchmark, the R7 Graphics is the only one of the pair with proven performance in that API. For users targeting Vulkan-based applications, the R7 Graphics is the safer choice based on available measurements.

Architecturally, the R7 Graphics belongs to GCN 2.0 and supports DirectX 12 (12_0), a higher feature level than the R5 M435's GCN 1.0 with DirectX 12 (11_1). This makes the R7 Graphics more forward-looking for modern game titles that leverage DirectX 12 features.

The R5 M435 wins the head-to-head benchmark count 1 to 0, but that single test only covers OpenCL. The R7 Graphics also offers more shading units (384 versus 320) and more texture mapping units (24 versus 20), though its pixel rate and texture rate are lower due to clock differences.

In practical terms, the R5 M435 suits users who prioritize OpenCL compute tasks and need dedicated VRAM. The R7 Graphics suits users who need Vulkan support, higher DirectX feature levels, or who are building an IGP system where shared memory is acceptable. Neither GPU is current production; both are marked end-of-life.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the R5 M435 scores 5,859, and the R7 Graphics scores 4,015. The delta is 45.9%, a decisive margin that reflects the R5 M435's dedicated memory and higher clock rates.

To contextualize this gap, the R5 M435's score sits within 1.6% of the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5,957) and 1.2% of the Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5,929). The R7 Graphics' OpenCL result is closer to the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 (4,979), which trails it by 0.4%. This means the R5 M435 competes with a higher tier of mobile and entry-level discrete GPUs, while the R7 Graphics aligns with older workstation cards.

The R7 Graphics does have a significant Vulkan score of 5,980, which would place it above the R5 M435's OpenCL score. However, without a corresponding Vulkan result for the R5 M435, no direct comparison is possible. The database records only one head-to-head test, and the R5 M435 wins it.

Looking at the broader field, the R5 M435's average score of 5,859 puts it 861 points above the R7 Graphics' average of 4,998. That is a 17.2% difference in average performance, driven entirely by the OpenCL gap. The R7 Graphics' Vulkan score helps its average but cannot close the overall deficit.

For users who rely solely on OpenCL, the R5 M435 is the clear victor. For those who use Vulkan, the R7 Graphics offers a valid alternative, but its lower OpenCL result suggests it may struggle in compute-heavy scenarios outside its stronger API.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every hardware specification. The R5 M435 uses the Jet chip with 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3M per mm². The R7 Graphics uses the Spectre Lite chip with 2,410 million transistors on a 245 mm² die, yielding 9.8M per mm². The R7 Graphics has a much larger die and transistor count, but lower density.

Clock speeds differ sharply. The R5 M435 has a base clock of 780 MHz and a boost clock of 1030 MHz, with memory clocked at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The R7 Graphics has no listed base or boost clocks, and its memory clock is listed as System Shared.

Memory configurations are entirely different. The R5 M435 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 36.00 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 Graphics uses System Shared memory, with System Shared bus width and System Dependent bandwidth.

Compute unit counts favor the R7 Graphics: 384 shading units versus 320, and 24 TMUs versus 20. Both have 8 ROPs. Despite having more units, the R7 Graphics has lower throughput rates: 5.760 GPixel/s versus 8.240 GPixel/s, and 17.28 GTexel/s versus 20.60 GTexel/s. The R5 M435 also leads in FP32 performance with 659.2 GFLOPS versus 553.0 GFLOPS.

The R7 Graphics has a TDP of 25 W, while the R5 M435 has no TDP listed. Both are IGP slot width, but the R5 M435 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the R7 Graphics uses an IGP bus interface. Display outputs are Portable Device Dependent for the R5 M435 and Motherboard Dependent for the R7 Graphics.

Architecture Differences

The R5 M435 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, while the R7 Graphics uses GCN 2.0. This generation gap affects API support: the R5 M435 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), whereas the R7 Graphics supports DirectX 12 (12_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The R5 M435 belongs to the Gem System (R5 M400) generation, with a release date of May 2016. Its predecessor is Solar System, and its successor is Polaris Mobile. The R7 Graphics belongs to the GCN 2.0 IGP (Kaveri) generation, with a release date of February 2014. Its predecessor is TeraScale 3 IGP, and its successor is GCN 3.0 IGP.

The manufacturing processes differ by foundry. The R5 M435 uses TSMC, while the R7 Graphics uses GlobalFoundries. Both are 28 nm, but the R5 M435's smaller die (56 mm²) and lower transistor count (690 million) indicate a simpler, more compact design. The R7 Graphics' 245 mm² die and 2,410 million transistors reflect its integration into a larger APU-style package with shared memory.

The memory architecture is the most fundamental architectural divergence. The R5 M435 has dedicated GDDR5, which provides predictable bandwidth of 36.00 GB/s. The R7 Graphics relies on System Shared memory, making its performance dependent on the host system's memory configuration. This explains the R5 M435's higher pixel and texture rates despite fewer shading units: dedicated memory bandwidth allows higher clock-driven throughput.

Vulkan support is identical in version (1.2.170), but the R7 Graphics has a recorded Vulkan score of 5,980. The R5 M435 has no Vulkan benchmark in the database, so its Vulkan performance is unmeasured. The R7 Graphics' DirectX 12 feature level of 12_0 is also more capable than the R5 M435's 11_1, making it the better choice for modern DirectX 12 workloads.

In summary, the R5 M435 is a discrete-oriented GPU with dedicated memory and higher raw compute throughput, while the R7 Graphics is an integrated GPU with more shading units but shared memory and lower clock-derived rates. The architectural trade-off is clear: dedicated memory versus higher API feature support.