AMD Radeon R7 Graphics vs AMD Radeon R7 M440 Comparison

AMD Radeon R7 M440 and AMD Radeon R7 Graphics are two end-of-life mobile/IGP solutions from AMD, separated by roughly two years of architectural evolution. The data shows a fascinating split: the discrete M440 wins decisively in OpenCL compute workloads, while the integrated R7 Graphics counters with a victory in Vulkan performance. Their average benchmark scores differ by only 9.7% (5483 vs 4998), placing both in the low-to-mid 30th percentile among all GPUs, yet the nature of their wins tells a more complex story about memory architecture and driver maturity than raw averages suggest.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL result is a blowout in favor of the Radeon R7 M440. It scores 5214 against 4015 for the Radeon R7 Graphics, a 29.9% advantage. This is a massive margin for two GPUs with similar shader counts, and it points directly to the M440’s dedicated memory subsystem. The M440 has 4 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus delivering 14.40 GB/s, while the R7 Graphics relies on system-shared memory with bandwidth described as “System Dependent.” In compute-heavy OpenCL workloads, that dedicated bandwidth eliminates contention with the CPU and other system processes, allowing the M440’s 320 shading units to feed at a steadier rate. The M440’s pixel rate of 7.128 GPixel/s and texture rate of 17.82 GTexel/s also outpace the R7 Graphics’ 5.760 GPixel/s and 17.28 GTexel/s, reinforcing that the discrete part simply has more effective throughput per clock.

The Vulkan benchmark flips the script. Here, the Radeon R7 Graphics scores 5980, edging out the M440’s 5751 by 3.8%. That is a narrow but consistent win, and it is intriguing given the R7 Graphics’ lower raw fill rates. Vulkan is a lower-overhead API that favors efficient command processing and memory access patterns. The R7 Graphics’ 384 shading units — 20% more than the M440’s 320 — likely help in draw-call-heavy scenarios, but the shared memory architecture usually hurts in bandwidth-bound tasks. The fact that the IGP wins here hints at either better driver optimization for the Kaveri generation in Vulkan, or that the M440’s older GCN 3.0 architecture does not translate its compute strengths into graphics workloads as effectively. The delta is small enough that frame pacing or thermal states could influence it, but the data stands: each GPU wins one test, and the margins are asymmetric — 29.9% versus 3.8%.

Comparing to their nearest rivals, the M440’s average score of 5483 sits within 0.3% of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (5467) and just 0.5% below the GeForce MX130 (5508). The R7 Graphics, with a 4998 average, lands 0.4% above the Quadro 4000 (4979) and 0.7% below the FirePro W4170M (5034). Notably, the R7 Graphics’ nearest rival list includes the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB (4970), a modern card with far higher specs — the R7 Graphics actually edges it by 0.6%, which suggests the Geekbench average is heavily weighted toward the OpenCL score where the IGP underperforms.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split decision. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 is the choice for users who prioritize compute performance, particularly in OpenCL-based applications like video encoding, physics simulation, or data-parallel tasks. Its 29.9% lead in OpenCL is decisive, and its dedicated 4 GB DDR3 frame buffer means it will not steal bandwidth from the system RAM, a critical factor in laptops with limited memory channels. The M440 also holds a slight edge in pixel and texture throughput, making it marginally better for traditional rasterization at low resolutions where fill rate matters.

The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics wins the Vulkan test by 3.8%, which makes it the better pick for modern gaming APIs and any software that leverages Vulkan’s explicit multi-threading. Its 384 shading units provide more parallel execution resources, and the 25 W TDP figure suggests it is efficient enough for thin-and-light designs. However, the IGP’s system-shared memory is a liability in memory-intensive scenarios — the M440’s 14.40 GB/s dedicated bandwidth is a concrete advantage that the R7 Graphics cannot match without fast system RAM.

For general users, the average benchmark scores (5483 vs 4998) favor the M440 by 9.7%, but that margin is almost entirely driven by the OpenCL result. Gamers using Vulkan should lean toward the R7 Graphics, while compute-focused users should pick the M440. Neither GPU is competitive in the modern landscape — both sit at the 29th and 32nd percentiles — but between the two, the M440 offers more consistent performance across a broader range of workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M440 averages 5483 across its benchmarks, which is 9.7% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics’ 4998 average.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap between the two?

A: The R7 M440 scores 5214 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the R7 Graphics scores 4015 — a 29.9% advantage for the discrete M440.

Q: Does the Radeon R7 Graphics beat the M440 in any benchmark?

A: Yes, the R7 Graphics wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 5980 against 5751 for the M440, a 3.8% margin.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The M440 has 4 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 Graphics uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth and no dedicated VRAM.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The Radeon R7 Graphics has 384 shading units, while the Radeon R7 M440 has 320 — a 20% higher count for the integrated part.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to the NVIDIA Quadro M4000?

A: The M440’s average score of 5483 is 0.3% above the Quadro M4000 (5467). The R7 Graphics is not directly compared to the Quadro M4000 in the nearestRivals data.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification except for their 28 nm process node and 8 ROPs. The M440 uses a 125 mm² die with 1,550 million transistors, while the R7 Graphics uses a much larger 245 mm² die with 2,410 million transistors. Transistor density favors the M440 at 12.4M / mm² versus 9.8M / mm² for the R7 Graphics. The M440 has 4 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), whereas the R7 Graphics relies entirely on system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. The M440 packs 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs, while the R7 Graphics has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and the same 8 ROPs. Pixel rate is 7.128 GPixel/s for the M440 versus 5.760 GPixel/s for the R7 Graphics, and texture rate is 17.82 GTexel/s versus 17.28 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 570.2 GFLOPS for the M440 and 553.0 GFLOPS for the R7 Graphics. The M440 supports FP16 at 570.2 GFLOPS (1:1), while the R7 Graphics has no listed FP16 capability. The R7 Graphics has a 25 W TDP, while the M440 has no TDP listed. The M440 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface; the R7 Graphics is an IGP with no external bus. Display outputs are portable-device-dependent for the M440 and motherboard-dependent for the R7 Graphics.

Architecture Differences

The M440 is built on GCN 3.0 architecture with the Meso chip, while the R7 Graphics uses GCN 2.0 with the Spectre Lite chip. This generation gap is significant: GCN 3.0 introduced improvements in memory compression and geometry processing that GCN 2.0 lacks. The M440’s foundry is TSMC, whereas the R7 Graphics comes from GlobalFoundries. The M440’s generation is listed as “Gem System (R7 M400),” while the R7 Graphics belongs to the “GCN 2.0 IGP (Kaveri)” generation. The M440’s predecessor is “Solar System” and its successor is “Polaris Mobile”; the R7 Graphics’ predecessor is “TeraScale 3 IGP” and its successor is “GCN 3.0 IGP.” Both support DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, but the M440’s 320 shading units versus 384 for the R7 Graphics reflects the different architectural balance — the discrete part favors higher clocks and dedicated memory, while the IGP relies on more execution units to compensate for shared bandwidth. The M440’s FP16 support at 1:1 ratio is a notable feature absent from the R7 Graphics, suggesting better compute versatility for mixed-precision workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M440 wins in OpenCL compute tasks, pixel fill rate (7.128 GPixel/s), texture fill rate (17.82 GTexel/s), FP32 throughput (570.2 GFLOPS), and overall average benchmark score (5483 vs 4998). It is the better choice for applications that leverage OpenCL for general-purpose GPU computing, such as video transcoding, image processing, or scientific simulations. The dedicated 14.40 GB/s memory bandwidth is a decisive advantage for any workload that repeatedly accesses data, as it avoids the contention and latency of system-shared memory. The M440’s PCIe 3.0 x8 interface also allows for more predictable data transfers in a discrete configuration.

The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics wins in Vulkan performance (5980 vs 5751) and has a higher shading unit count (384 vs 320) plus 24 TMUs versus 20. This makes it the stronger option for Vulkan-based games and applications that benefit from more parallel shader processors, even with shared memory. The 25 W TDP is a listed specification, indicating a power-efficient design suitable for ultraportable systems. Its larger 245 mm² die and 2,410 million transistors suggest more complex geometry handling capability, which may contribute to its Vulkan advantage. For users running modern Linux or Windows games that default to Vulkan, the R7 Graphics offers a slight but measurable edge, while the M440 dominates in OpenCL-centric workflows.