AMD Radeon R5 M435 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single direct head-to-head comparison between these two mobile graphics processors: the Geekbench OpenCL compute test. In that test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M scores 23,832 points, while the AMD Radeon R5 M435 scores 5,859 points. The delta of -75.4% for the AMD part is stark. The GTX 980M delivers roughly four times the raw OpenCL throughput of the R5 M435.

This is not a close contest. A -75.4% delta means the AMD part trails by three-quarters of the NVIDIA score. In practical terms, any OpenCL-accelerated workload, whether compute or certain rendering tasks, will see a massive advantage on the NVIDIA side. The GeForce GTX 980M's score of 23,832 places it in a completely different performance class than the Radeon R5 M435's 5,859.

Looking at the broader benchmark picture, the Radeon R5 M435 has only one recorded benchmark score in the database, that same Geekbench OpenCL result. The GeForce GTX 980M has ten recorded scores, spanning DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests, plus 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench Vulkan, PassMark G2D, G3D, and GPU compute. The GTX 980M's PassMark G3D score of 7,338 and its Geekbench Vulkan score of 17,703 further illustrate its dominance in graphics-heavy tasks.

The AMD Radeon R5 M435's percentile ranking of 33 versus the GTX 980M's 31 is interesting. Despite the GTX 980M's overwhelming win in the head-to-head OpenCL test, its average benchmark score across all ten tests is 5,308, which is actually lower than the R5 M435's single-score average of 5,859. This happens because the GTX 980M's PassMark DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 scores are quite low (125, 35, 57, and 31 respectively), dragging down its overall average. The PassMark scores likely reflect specific driver or test conditions rather than raw capability, since the same GPU scores 7,338 in PassMark G3D.

The nearest rivals in the database also tell a story. The R5 M435 sits within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5,955), the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5,957), and the Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5,929). Its 0.3% lead over the AMD Radeon R7 M465 (5,841) is negligible. The GTX 980M's nearest rivals are all far weaker parts: the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5,317), GeForce 840M (5,322), GeForce 940M (5,284), and AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5,358). The GTX 980M's average score sits within 0.9% of these parts, which is curious. The average is heavily influenced by the low DirectX PassMark scores, so the average does not represent the GPU's peak capability.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the direct head-to-head benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M wins the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 23,832 versus 5,859 for the AMD Radeon R5 M435. The delta is -75.4% for the AMD part.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon R5 M435 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The R5 M435 scores 5,859, which is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M465 (5,841), 1.2% behind the Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5,929), 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5,955), and 1.6% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K620M (5,957).

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 980M has an average benchmark score of 5,308. It is 0.2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5,317), 0.3% behind the GeForce 840M (5,322), 0.5% ahead of the GeForce 940M (5,284), and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5,358).

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 36.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the API support differences?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: How many benchmark scores exist for each GPU in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M435 has one recorded benchmark score, the Geekbench OpenCL result of 5,859. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M has ten recorded scores, including multiple PassMark tests, 3DMark, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 is built on GCN 1.0, using the Jet chip. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M uses Maxwell 2.0, built around the GM204 chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts differ enormously. The AMD chip packs 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip contains 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, with a density of 13.1 million per mm². The GTX 980M's die is roughly seven times larger and holds about seven and a half times more transistors.

The compute resources reflect this gap. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 has 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M has 1,536 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. That is 4.8 times the shading units, 4.8 times the TMUs, and 8 times the ROPs. Pixel rate for the GTX 980M is 72.13 GPixel/s versus 8.240 GPixel/s for the AMD part. Texture rate is 108.2 GTexel/s versus 20.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 3.462 TFLOPS versus 659.2 GFLOPS, a 5.25 times difference.

Clock speeds also favor the NVIDIA part. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 runs at 780 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost. The GTX 980M runs at 1038 MHz base and 1127 MHz boost. Memory clocks differ as well: the AMD part uses 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA part uses 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

The bus interfaces differ in nature. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M is an MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) interface. The slot width for the AMD part is listed as IGP, while the NVIDIA part is listed as MXM Module. Neither uses external power connectors, though the GTX 980M's power connectors field lists "None."

Specification Differences

The memory subsystems are dramatically different. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 36.00 GB/s. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.4 GB/s. The NVIDIA part has four times the memory capacity and more than four times the bandwidth.

Shader resources differ by a factor of 4.8: 320 shading units on the AMD part versus 1,536 on the NVIDIA part. TMU count is 20 versus 96, and ROP count is 8 versus 64. The pixel rate is 8.240 GPixel/s versus 72.13 GPixel/s. The texture rate is 20.60 GTexel/s versus 108.2 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 659.2 GFLOPS versus 3.462 TFLOPS.

Clock speeds: the AMD Radeon R5 M435 has a base clock of 780 MHz and boost of 1030 MHz, while the GTX 980M has a base of 1038 MHz and boost of 1127 MHz. Memory clock is 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) for AMD and 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA.

The release dates differ by about 19 months. The AMD Radeon R5 M435 was released in May 2016, part of the Gem System (R5 M400) generation. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M was released in October 2014, part of the GeForce 900M generation. The AMD part's predecessor is Solar System and its successor is Polaris Mobile. The NVIDIA part's predecessor is GeForce 800M and its successor is GeForce 10 Mobile. Both are end-of-life.

DirectX support differs: the AMD part supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the NVIDIA part supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Vulkan support also differs: the AMD part supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA part supports Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Neither has ray tracing cores or tensor cores listed.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M wins the only direct comparison in the database, the Geekbench OpenCL test. It also demonstrates strength across a wider range of workloads, with ten recorded benchmark scores. Its PassMark G3D score of 7,338 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 17,703 indicate strong graphics and compute performance for its era. The GTX 980M is clearly the pick for any application that leverages OpenCL, Vulkan, or DirectX 12 (12_1) features. Its 8 GB memory and 160.4 GB/s bandwidth make it suited for larger textures and higher-resolution workloads.

The AMD Radeon R5 M435 does not win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. Its single recorded score of 5,859 in Geekbench OpenCL places it in the lower third of all GPUs (33rd percentile). However, its average benchmark score of 5,859 is actually higher than the GTX 980M's average of 5,308 across ten tests. This is because the GTX 980M's PassMark DirectX scores are unusually low (125 in DX9, 35 in DX10, 57 in DX11, 31 in DX12), which drags down its average. The AMD part's percentile ranking of 33 is also slightly higher than the GTX 980M's 31.

For systems where the GPU is an integrated part with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, the Radeon R5 M435 fits a specific niche. It is a low-power, small-die solution (56 mm², 690 million transistors) intended for portable devices with dependent display outputs. The GTX 980M, as an MXM module, targets larger laptops with replaceable graphics.

The GTX 980M's nearest rivals are all lower-tier NVIDIA parts and a low-end AMD part, indicating that its average score places it in a crowded mid-low segment. The R5 M435's nearest rivals include an Intel integrated GPU and a workstation Quadro part, showing that its performance level is comparable to entry-level integrated and discrete solutions.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous on raw performance: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M is the dominant part. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 23,832 is 75.4% higher than the AMD Radeon R5 M435's 5,859. The GTX 980M also offers far more memory (8 GB versus 2 GB), much higher bandwidth (160.4 GB/s versus 36.00 GB/s), more shading units (1,536 versus 320), more ROPs (64 versus 8), and higher clock speeds. For any user choosing between these two for graphics or compute work, the GTX 980M is the clear choice.

The AMD Radeon R5 M435's advantage is not in performance but in its integrated nature. As an IGP with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, it is suited for ultraportable designs where space and power are constrained. Its 56 mm² die and 690 million transistors make it a compact solution. The GTX 980M, by contrast, is an MXM module with a 398 mm² die and 5,200 million transistors, designed for larger gaming laptops.

The percentile rankings are close (33 for AMD, 31 for NVIDIA), but this is misleading. The AMD part has a single score, while the NVIDIA part's average is pulled down by low DirectX PassMark scores. The GTX 980M's peak scores, such as 23,832 in OpenCL and 7,338 in PassMark G3D, reflect its true capability. The R5 M435 has no such peaks.

For a user with a laptop that accepts MXM modules and needs gaming or compute performance, the GTX 980M is the only rational choice. For a user with an ultraportable that has an integrated R5 M435, the GPU is what it is: an entry-level part that sits within 1.6% of parts like the Intel UHD Graphics 730 and the NVIDIA Quadro K620M. The GTX 980M is a discrete-class GPU from 2014, while the R5 M435 is a 2016 integrated solution. The performance gap is exactly what the architecture and resource differences suggest: the GTX 980M is in a different league entirely. Anyone prioritizing graphics performance should choose the GTX 980M. Anyone constrained to an integrated form factor has no choice but the R5 M435, but they should expect entry-level performance only.