AMD Radeon R5 M435 vs AMD Radeon R7 M445 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R5 M435 and AMD Radeon R7 M445 are both end-of-life mobile GPUs from the Gem System generation, released on the same date. They are built for different tiers of the M400 lineup, yet they share several core specifications. The data shows a clear split in capabilities, with the R5 M435 winning the only recorded benchmark while the R7 M445 counters with a larger memory pool and a more modern feature set. The decision between them depends entirely on whether raw compute performance or memory capacity and API support matter more for the intended workload.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R5 M435 takes the compute crown. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5859 places it 9.4% ahead of the R7 M445’s 5358 in the head-to-head measurement. This advantage comes from higher clock speeds and a higher peak throughput. The R5 M435 boosts to 1030 MHz compared to the R7 M445’s 920 MHz, and it delivers 659.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance against 588.8 GFLOPS for the R7 M445. The pixel rate of 8.240 GPixel/s and texture rate of 20.60 GTexel/s are also higher than the R7 M445’s 7.360 GPixel/s and 18.40 GTexel/s. For tasks that are compute-bound, such as OpenCL acceleration in productivity applications, the R5 M435 is the stronger choice. Its percentile ranking of 33 against all GPUs is modest, but it sits ahead of the R7 M445’s 31st percentile.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 wins on memory and architectural maturity. It comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, double the 2 GB found on the R5 M435. That larger frame buffer matters for workloads that hold more data in video memory, such as higher-resolution textures or larger datasets in compute tasks. The R7 M445 is built on GCN 3.0 architecture, while the R5 M435 uses the older GCN 1.0. GCN 3.0 brings support for DirectX 12 (12_0), whereas the R5 M435 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1). The R7 M445 also provides FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, listed as 588.8 GFLOPS, while the R5 M435 has no recorded FP16 figure. For applications that can leverage half-precision math or newer DirectX 12 features, the R7 M445 has the edge.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs share the same 28 nm TSMC process node and are both integrated graphics parts with a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface. The chip designs diverge significantly. The R5 M435 uses the Jet chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, while the R7 M445 uses the Meso chip with GCN 3.0. The transistor counts reflect this difference: the R7 M445 packs 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, whereas the R5 M435 has 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die. Transistor density is nearly identical at 12.3M per mm² for the R5 M435 and 12.4M per mm² for the R7 M445, showing that the larger chip simply scales up the design.

Both GPUs have 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The core count parity means the performance difference comes from clock speeds and architecture efficiency rather than raw unit counts. The R5 M435 runs its base clock at 780 MHz, same as the R7 M445, but boosts higher to 1030 MHz versus 920 MHz. The memory clocks also differ: the R5 M435 runs at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective, while the R7 M445 runs at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective. Despite the R7 M445’s larger memory capacity, its bandwidth is lower at 32.00 GB/s compared to the R5 M435’s 36.00 GB/s, because both use a 64 bit bus and the R5 M435 has faster memory clocks.

API support is another differentiator. The R5 M435 offers DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The R7 M445 matches OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170 but steps up to DirectX 12 (12_0). Both are end-of-life parts, and both have no listed TDP, power connectors, or suggested PSU, as they are designed for portable devices with display outputs marked as portable device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one recorded head-to-head benchmark for this pair: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 wins this test with a score of 5859 against 5358 for the AMD Radeon R7 M445, a delta of 9.4%. This is a substantial margin for two GPUs with identical shading unit and TMU counts. The R5 M435’s higher boost clock and memory clock translate directly into a measurable compute advantage.

Looking at the nearest rivals provides context for each score. The R5 M435’s 5859 puts it just 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M465 (5841), and 1.2% behind the Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5929). It trails the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955) by 1.6% and the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5957) by 1.6%. The R5 M435 is therefore competitive with mid-range mobile GPUs from its era, sitting in a narrow band around the 5900 score mark.

The R7 M445’s 5358 is 0.2% behind the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (5370), but 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (5322). It leads the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317) by 0.8% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (5308) by 0.9%. The R7 M445 sits in a lower performance band than the R5 M435, roughly 500 points lower in the OpenCL test. The 9.4% gap between the two AMD parts is larger than any of the gaps to their respective nearest rivals, which are all within 1.6% of their scores. This suggests the R5 M435 and R7 M445 occupy clearly different performance tiers despite sharing the same generation and release date.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 scores 5859 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 9.4% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M445’s 5358.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the AMD Radeon R5 M435 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. Both use a 64 bit bus.

Q: Do these GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The AMD Radeon R7 M445 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the AMD Radeon R5 M435 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Actually, the R5 M435 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), which is a lower feature level than the R7 M445’s DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: Which GPU has faster memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 has a bandwidth of 36.00 GB/s, compared to 32.00 GB/s for the AMD Radeon R7 M445, despite the R7 M445 having double the memory capacity.

Q: Are the core counts the same?

A: Yes, both GPUs have 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The performance difference comes from clock speeds and architecture, not core counts.

Q: What architecture does each GPU use?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 uses GCN 1.0 with the Jet chip, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 uses GCN 3.0 with the Meso chip. Both are built on a 28 nm TSMC process.

Specification Differences

The key differences between the two GPUs are as follows. The chip is Jet on the R5 M435 and Meso on the R7 M445. The architecture is GCN 1.0 on the R5 M435 and GCN 3.0 on the R7 M445. The transistor count is 690 million on the R5 M435 versus 1,550 million on the R7 M445. The die size is 56 mm² on the R5 M435 and 125 mm² on the R7 M445. Transistor density is 12.3M per mm² on the R5 M435 and 12.4M per mm² on the R7 M445.

The boost clock is 1030 MHz on the R5 M435 and 920 MHz on the R7 M445. The base clock is 780 MHz on both. Memory clock is 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective on the R5 M435, and 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective on the R7 M445. Memory size is 2 GB on the R5 M435 and 4 GB on the R7 M445. Memory bandwidth is 36.00 GB/s on the R5 M435 and 32.00 GB/s on the R7 M445. Pixel rate is 8.240 GPixel/s on the R5 M435 and 7.360 GPixel/s on the R7 M445. Texture rate is 20.60 GTexel/s on the R5 M435 and 18.40 GTexel/s on the R7 M445. FP32 performance is 659.2 GFLOPS on the R5 M435 and 588.8 GFLOPS on the R7 M445. The R7 M445 also lists FP16 at 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1), while the R5 M435 has no FP16 listing. DirectX support is 12 (11_1) on the R5 M435 and 12 (12_0) on the R7 M445. The R5 M435 has a percentile of 33 versus 31 for the R7 M445. The R5 M435 has one benchmark win, while the R7 M445 has zero.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple choice. If the priority is raw OpenCL compute performance, the AMD Radeon R5 M435 is the clear winner. It leads by 9.4% in the head-to-head benchmark, offers 659.2 GFLOPS against 588.8 GFLOPS, and has higher pixel and texture rates. Its nearest rivals are all within 1.6%, placing it in a competitive band around the 5859 score. The R5 M435 is the stronger part for compute-heavy tasks that rely on FP32 throughput, faster memory clocks, and higher boost frequencies.

If the priority is memory capacity and modern API support, the AMD Radeon R7 M445 is the better pick. Its 4 GB frame buffer is double the R5 M435’s 2 GB, which benefits workloads with larger memory footprints. The GCN 3.0 architecture brings DirectX 12 (12_0) support, while the R5 M435 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1). The R7 M445 also offers FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, which can accelerate certain half-precision workloads. The tradeoff is a 9.4% lower OpenCL score and lower peak rates across the board.

For a system where compute performance is the bottleneck, the R5 M435 wins outright. For a system where memory capacity or newer DirectX 12 features are required, the R7 M445 provides capabilities the R5 M435 cannot match. The benchmark data favors the R5 M435, but the architectural and memory advantages of the R7 M445 make it the more versatile part for specific use cases. Both are end-of-life parts with no launch MSRP recorded, so the choice comes down to the workload rather than pricing. The R5 M435 is the faster chip in the only measured test; the R7 M445 is the one with more memory and a newer feature set.