AMD Radeon R7 Graphics vs NVIDIA GeForce 930M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database pits AMD's integrated Radeon R7 Graphics against NVIDIA's discrete GeForce 930M, and the results show a complete split based on the API tested. In the OpenCL workload, the GeForce 930M posts a score of 5046, which is 20.4% ahead of the Radeon R7's 4015. That is a substantial margin, indicating NVIDIA's Maxwell-based part holds a clear computational advantage in this particular legacy compute test. The GeForce 930M's victory is not marginal; it is a decisive one, placing it firmly ahead in the OpenCL category.

However, the Vulkan benchmark tells a completely different story. Here, the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics absolutely dominates, scoring 5980 against the GeForce 930M's 3729. This represents a massive 60.4% lead for the AMD part. The shift is dramatic, and it highlights how API choice can completely invert the performance ranking between these two mobile graphics solutions. The Radeon R7's Vulkan score is not just a win; it is a rout, nearly two-thirds higher than the NVIDIA part's result.

Looking at the average benchmark score across both tests, the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics lands at 4998, while the GeForce 930M averages 4388. This puts the AMD part ahead by roughly 610 points, or about 13.9%, in the overall composite. The Radeon R7's strong Vulkan showing outweighs its OpenCL deficit when averaging the two results. This suggests that for modern workloads leveraging Vulkan, the integrated AMD solution is the more capable performer, despite being an IGP rather than a discrete GPU.

The head-to-head data records one win for each side, making the overall contest a 1-1 tie. The GeForce 930M takes the OpenCL title, while the Radeon R7 Graphics takes Vulkan. The delta percentages are stark: a 20.4% gap in one direction and a 60.4% gap in the other. These are not subtle differences; they are fundamental architectural responses to different compute APIs.

Where Each One Wins

The GeForce 930M is the clear winner for OpenCL-based applications. Its score of 5046 versus the Radeon R7's 4015 shows a 20.4% advantage. This makes it the better choice for any workload that relies on OpenCL compute, which historically includes certain legacy applications, some productivity suites, and older game engines that used OpenCL for physics or post-processing effects. The NVIDIA part's architecture appears better optimized for this API, delivering consistent performance in that specific test environment.

The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics is the definitive victor in Vulkan scenarios. Its score of 5980 crushes the GeForce 930M's 3729, a 60.4% lead. For modern games and applications that use the Vulkan API, the Radeon R7 is substantially faster. This makes the AMD IGP the more future-proof option for contemporary titles, as Vulkan adoption has grown steadily. The data indicates that the Radeon R7's GCN 2.0 architecture handles Vulkan's low-level overhead more efficiently, translating to significantly higher frame rates and smoother performance in Vulkan-based titles.

For users primarily running legacy OpenCL software, the GeForce 930M is the safer bet. For those focused on modern Vulkan titles, the Radeon R7 Graphics is the superior choice. The average benchmark score, however, favors the AMD part. With an average of 4998 versus 4388, the Radeon R7 holds a composite lead of about 13.9%. This suggests that, on balance, the integrated AMD solution offers better overall performance across the measured tests, thanks to its overwhelming Vulkan advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in the OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930M wins decisively, scoring 5046 compared to the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics' 4015. This gives NVIDIA a 20.4% advantage in this test.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics perform in Vulkan?

A: The AMD part scores 5980 in the Vulkan benchmark, which is a massive 60.4% higher than the GeForce 930M's score of 3729. The Radeon R7 is the clear winner in this API.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each graphics solution?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics has an average benchmark score of 4998, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930M averages 4388. The AMD part holds a lead of approximately 610 points in the composite score.

Q: How does each part rank among all GPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics sits in the 29th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930M is in the 26th percentile. Both are relatively low in the overall rankings, but the AMD part ranks slightly higher.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics has a pixel rate of 5.760 GPixel/s, which is higher than the GeForce 930M's 4.392 GPixel/s. The AMD part also leads in texture rate with 17.28 GTexel/s versus 13.18 GTexel/s.

Q: Is the Vulkan API support different between the two?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930M supports Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA part has a newer Vulkan version, but the AMD part still achieves a far higher Vulkan benchmark score.

Specification Differences

The two graphics solutions differ across nearly every core specification, despite sharing some commonalities. Both have 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operations pipelines. However, their clock speeds and resulting throughput rates diverge significantly. The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics operates with a memory clock listed as "System Shared," while the GeForce 930M has a base and boost clock of 549 MHz, with memory running at 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective).

The GeForce 930M has a fixed 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 12.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon R7 Graphics, as an integrated part, uses System Shared memory, with its bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This is a fundamental difference: one is a discrete GPU with dedicated VRAM, the other is an IGP that relies on the system's main memory.

In terms of raw throughput, the AMD part leads. Its pixel rate is 5.760 GPixel/s and texture rate is 17.28 GTexel/s, compared to the GeForce 930M's 4.392 GPixel/s and 13.18 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance also favors AMD at 553.0 GFLOPS versus NVIDIA's 421.6 GFLOPS. The power draw differs as well, with the Radeon R7 rated at 25 W and the GeForce 930M at 33 W.

The bus interface is another key differentiator. The Radeon R7 uses an IGP interface, while the GeForce 930M uses PCIe 3.0 x8. Display outputs are "Motherboard Dependent" for the AMD part and "Portable Device Dependent" for the NVIDIA part, reflecting their intended deployment in desktops versus laptops.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two is significant. The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics is based on the GCN 2.0 architecture, specifically the Spectre Lite chip, and belongs to the GCN 2.0 IGP generation (Kaveri). It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with a die size of 245 mm² and 2,410 million transistors. The transistor density is 9.8 million per mm².

The NVIDIA GeForce 930M uses the Maxwell architecture, built around the GM108S chip, and belongs to the GeForce 900M generation. It is also on a 28 nm process, but fabricated at TSMC. Its die is significantly smaller at 77 mm², with 1,020 million transistors, yielding a higher transistor density of 13.2 million per mm². This highlights a key difference: NVIDIA packed more transistors per area, while AMD used a much larger die.

The AMD part supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX feature level differs, with AMD supporting the higher 12_0 feature set. Neither has dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

The Radeon R7 Graphics is the predecessor to the TeraScale 3 IGP and was succeeded by GCN 3.0 IGP. The GeForce 930M's predecessor is the GeForce 800M, and its successor is the GeForce 10 Mobile. Both are end-of-life products, with the AMD part released on February 16, 2014, and the NVIDIA part on March 12, 2015. The AMD IGP is built for integration into a motherboard, while the GeForce 930M is a discrete mobile chip, though both are noted as IGP in slot width, with the NVIDIA part using a PCIe 3.0 x8 connection.