AMD Radeon R7 Graphics vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data splits this comparison cleanly by workload type. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX wins the OpenCL benchmark decisively, scoring 6,125 against 4,015 for the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics, a 52.6% advantage. However, the AMD part reverses the result in Vulkan, scoring 5,980 versus 5,316, an 11.1% margin in its favor. With one win each, neither GPU is a universal recommendation.

The GTX 670MX is the choice for users running OpenCL-accelerated tasks, where its raw compute throughput and dedicated GDDR5 memory provide a substantial edge. The Radeon R7 Graphics is the better option for Vulkan-based workloads, where its newer architecture and API support yield a clear, if smaller, lead. The GTX 670MX also sits slightly higher in the overall percentile ranking at 33 versus 29 for the AMD part, though the average benchmark scores, 5,721 and 4,998 respectively, reflect a 14.5% gap that is heavily influenced by that single OpenCL result.

For a laptop or portable device, the GTX 670MX offers discrete-class performance with a 75 W TDP and no external power connectors. The Radeon R7 Graphics is an integrated processor graphics solution with a 25 W TDP, meaning it draws far less power but relies on system memory for all graphics data. The choice comes down to whether the user needs the OpenCL throughput of the NVIDIA part or the Vulkan efficiency and lower power envelope of the AMD IGP.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX uses the GK104 chip built on Kepler architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It integrates 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics uses the Spectre Lite chip based on GCN 2.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries, also on 28 nm. Its die contains 2,410 million transistors across 245 mm², for a density of 9.8M per mm². The NVIDIA chip is both larger and denser, which correlates with its higher compute resource counts.

The GTX 670MX packs 960 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. The Radeon R7 Graphics has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. These numbers translate directly into throughput: the NVIDIA part reaches 12.02 GPixel/s pixel rate and 48.08 GTexel/s texture rate, while the AMD IGP manages 5.760 GPixel/s and 17.28 GTexel/s. In FP32 compute, the GTX 670MX delivers 1,153.9 GFLOPS versus 553.0 GFLOPS for the Radeon, almost exactly double.

Memory architecture is another major divider. The GTX 670MX has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, providing 67.20 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth at an effective 2.8 Gbps memory clock. The Radeon R7 Graphics, as an integrated part, uses System Shared memory with a System Dependent bandwidth figure. This means the AMD GPU must share the system memory controller and bus with the CPU, which can become a bottleneck in memory-intensive scenes. The NVIDIA part's dedicated frame buffer avoids that contention entirely.

Clock behavior also differs. The GTX 670MX runs at a fixed 601 MHz base and boost. The Radeon R7 Graphics has no listed base or boost clock in the database, reflecting its variable operation depending on the host processor and thermal budget. API support shows a subtle divergence: both support DirectX 12, but the NVIDIA part is rated at 12 (11_0) while the AMD part is rated at 12 (12_0). Vulkan support is nearly identical at 1.2.175 for NVIDIA and 1.2.170 for AMD, with both at OpenGL 4.6.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX records an average benchmark score of 5,721, compared to 4,998 for the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics, a difference of roughly 14.5%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics ever beat the GTX 670MX?

A: Yes. In the Vulkan benchmark, the AMD part scores 5,980 versus 5,316 for NVIDIA, an 11.1% lead. This is the only test where AMD comes out ahead.

Q: What is the performance gap in OpenCL?

A: The GTX 670MX scores 6,125 in OpenCL compared to 4,015 for the Radeon R7 Graphics, a 52.6% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The GTX 670MX has a 75 W TDP and requires no power connectors. The Radeon R7 Graphics has a 25 W TDP and is an integrated GPU (IGP), meaning it uses the motherboard's existing power delivery.

Q: What memory configurations do they use?

A: The GTX 670MX uses 3 GB of dedicated GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 67.20 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon R7 Graphics uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth, meaning it draws from the system's main RAM.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor count?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The AMD Radeon R7 Graphics has 2,410 million transistors on a 245 mm² die.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX | AMD Radeon R7 Graphics |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 2.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 2,410 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 245 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 9.8M / mm² |

| Shading Units | 960 | 384 |

| TMUs | 80 | 24 |

| ROPs | 24 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 12.02 GPixel/s | 5.760 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 48.08 GTexel/s | 17.28 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,153.9 GFLOPS | 553.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 75 W | 25 W |

| Slot Width | Not listed | IGP |

| Power Connectors | None | Not listed |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | IGP |

| Memory Size | 3 GB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 67.20 GB/s | System Dependent |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.175 | 1.2.170 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Motherboard Dependent |

| Release Date | 2012-09-30 | 2014-02-16 |

The table shows the GTX 670MX is a larger, more complex chip with roughly 2.5 times the shading units, 3.3 times the TMUs, and 3 times the ROPs. Its FP32 throughput is about 2.1 times that of the Radeon IGP. The AMD part counters with a newer architecture generation (GCN 2.0 versus Kepler), a later release date, and a TDP of only one-third of the NVIDIA part.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two benchmark tests for this pairing, and each GPU claims one decisive victory.

OpenCL: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX wins, 6,125 vs 4,015 (52.6% delta)

This is the largest margin in the comparison. The GTX 670MX's 1,153.9 GFLOPS of FP32 compute and dedicated 67.20 GB/s of GDDR5 bandwidth allow it to pull far ahead of the Radeon R7 Graphics in OpenCL workloads. The AMD part, with 553.0 GFLOPS and system-shared memory, cannot match the raw throughput. The 52.6% delta places this firmly in the category of a one-sided contest. For context, the GTX 670MX's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti (avg score 5,731, delta -0.2%) and the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P6300 (avg score 5,712, delta 0.2%), meaning the NVIDIA part sits at the top of a tightly clustered group. The Radeon R7 Graphics, by contrast, sits near the AMD Radeon R5 M430 (avg score 5,018, delta -0.4%) and the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 (avg score 4,979, delta 0.4%), a lower performance tier.

Vulkan: AMD Radeon R7 Graphics wins, 5,980 vs 5,316 (11.1% delta)

The AMD part rebounds strongly in Vulkan. Its score of 5,980 exceeds the GTX 670MX's 5,316 by 11.1%, a solid margin that suggests the GCN 2.0 architecture handles Vulkan's explicit API model more efficiently. This is notable because the NVIDIA part still holds the higher average benchmark score and percentile ranking overall, but in this specific API the newer AMD IGP demonstrates a clear advantage. The Radeon R7 Graphics' nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB (avg score 4,970, delta 0.6%) and the AMD FirePro W4170M (avg score 5,034, delta -0.7%), showing that its average score places it in a competitive mid-range cluster despite its IGP status.

The split result means any single-number summary would mislead. The GTX 670MX wins the compute-heavy OpenCL test by a landslide, while the Radeon R7 Graphics wins the graphics-API-heavy Vulkan test by a comfortable margin. Users should weigh which API matters more for their intended software. The GTX 670MX is the stronger choice for OpenCL compute tasks and legacy DirectX 11 workloads, while the Radeon R7 Graphics offers better Vulkan performance with far lower power consumption.