AMD Radeon R7 M260 vs NVIDIA GeForce 830M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data splits cleanly between the two benchmark workloads, with each GPU taking one decisive victory. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce 830M scores 4324 against the AMD Radeon R7 M260's 3708, a 14.2% advantage for NVIDIA. That is a substantial margin in a compute API that heavily exercises general-purpose shader throughput. The AMD part trails by more than 600 points, which places it clearly behind in raw OpenCL number crunching.

The Vulkan workload tells the opposite story. The AMD Radeon R7 M260 posts 5289, while the NVIDIA GeForce 830M manages only 3590. The delta is a massive 47.3% in AMD's favor, meaning the R7 M260 outperforms the 830M by nearly half again its own score in this API. This is not a marginal win; it is a dominant showing that flips the overall narrative. When averaging the two results, the AMD card reaches 4499 aggregate benchmark points versus 3957 for NVIDIA, giving AMD an effective 13.7% lead in the combined metric even though each unit won exactly one test.

Looking at the surrounding competitive field, the AMD Radeon R7 M260's average score of 4499 places it within 0.1% of the AMD FirePro W4190M (4505) and 1.3% behind the Intel HD Graphics P530 (4560). The NVIDIA GeForce 830M's 3957 average sits essentially tied with the AMD Radeon R5 M420 (3956) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M (3953), with a 0.2% gap to the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 (3964). These percentile positions confirm that the AMD part operates in a slightly higher performance tier overall, despite losing the OpenCL head-to-head.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural families built on the same manufacturing process. AMD uses the Topaz chip with GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm node. NVIDIA counters with the GM108 chip running Maxwell architecture, also on TSMC's 28 nm process. Both are end-of-life mobile parts released in 2014, with AMD arriving on June 10 and NVIDIA on March 11 of that year.

The transistor budgets differ meaningfully. AMD packs 1,550 million transistors into a 125 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.4 million transistors per square millimeter. NVIDIA's GM108 contains 1,020 million transistors on a smaller 77 mm² die, achieving a higher density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. This means NVIDIA crams more transistors into less silicon, though AMD's larger die provides more absolute hardware resources.

Shader configuration is where the architectures diverge most sharply. AMD fields 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation units. NVIDIA runs 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and the same 8 ROPs. The AMD chip therefore has 50% more shaders and 50% more TMUs, which explains its higher texture rate of 23.52 GTexel/s against NVIDIA's 18.40 GTexel/s. However, NVIDIA compensates with higher clock speeds: the 830M runs at 1082 MHz base and 1150 MHz boost, while the R7 M260 operates at 940 MHz base and 980 MHz boost. The clock advantage helps NVIDIA achieve a higher pixel rate of 9.200 GPixel/s versus 7.840 GPixel/s for AMD.

Memory subsystems are identical on paper. Both use 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 900 MHz memory clock and 1800 Mbps effective speed, delivering exactly 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The API support differs: AMD exposes DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, while NVIDIA lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but a newer Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX feature level difference is notable, with AMD supporting the full 12_0 feature set versus NVIDIA's 11_0 cap.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data suggests a clear split based on workload type. The NVIDIA GeForce 830M wins in OpenCL compute tasks, where its higher clock speed and Maxwell architecture's efficient scheduling deliver a 14.2% advantage. Applications that rely on OpenCL for general-purpose GPU computing, such as certain physics simulations, video encoding filters, or productivity accelerators, would favor the 830M based on this recorded performance.

The AMD Radeon R7 M260 wins decisively in Vulkan workloads, posting a 47.3% higher score. This indicates that the GCN 3.0 architecture handles Vulkan's explicit multi-threading model particularly well, likely leveraging its larger shader count to saturate the API's lower overhead path. Modern games using Vulkan, or any Vulkan-based compute workloads, would see substantially better performance on the AMD part.

For traditional graphics workloads not captured in these two benchmark tests, the pixel rate and texture rate data provide some guidance. NVIDIA's higher pixel rate of 9.200 GPixel/s suggests an advantage in fill-rate-bound scenarios at lower resolutions. AMD's higher texture rate of 23.52 GTexel/s points to better performance in texture-heavy scenes. The FP32 throughput also favors AMD at 752.6 GFLOPS versus 588.8 GFLOPS, a 27.8% advantage that aligns with its shader count lead.

The NVIDIA part carries a 33 W TDP rating, while the AMD card lists no TDP figure in the database. Both use PCIe 3.0 x8 interfaces and are classified as end-of-life products. NVIDIA's slot width is listed as IGP, indicating an integrated graphics package, while AMD's slot width is unspecified.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M260 records an average benchmark score of 4499, while the NVIDIA GeForce 830M averages 3957. AMD holds a 13.7% lead in the combined metric.

Q: How large is AMD's Vulkan advantage over NVIDIA?

A: In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the AMD Radeon R7 M260 scores 5289 against the NVIDIA GeForce 830M's 3590, a delta of 47.3% in AMD's favor.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA GeForce 830M wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with 4324 points versus AMD's 3708, a 14.2% margin for NVIDIA.

Q: What are the memory specifications for both GPUs?

A: Both cards use 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 900 MHz clock speed and 1800 Mbps effective rate, giving each exactly 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M260 has 384 shading units, while the NVIDIA GeForce 830M has 256. AMD also has 24 TMUs compared to NVIDIA's 16, though both have 8 ROPs.

Q: How do their clock speeds compare?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 830M runs at 1082 MHz base and 1150 MHz boost, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260 operates at 940 MHz base and 980 MHz boost, giving NVIDIA a 14-17% clock speed advantage depending on the state.

The Verdict

The data presents two distinct usage profiles rather than a single winner. If the workload centers on Vulkan rendering or compute, the AMD Radeon R7 M260 is the clear choice. Its 47.3% Vulkan benchmark lead is decisive, and its higher FP32 throughput of 752.6 GFLOPS supports better raw compute performance in that API. The R7 M260 also holds a 27.8% FP32 advantage, which matters for shader-heavy applications.

If the workload relies on OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce 830M is the stronger option. Its 14.2% OpenCL margin reflects a genuine architectural strength in that compute environment. The 830M also consumes a specified 33 W TDP, which may be preferable for thermal-constrained designs, though the R7 M260 does not list a comparable figure.

For general-purpose use without a specific API bias, the average benchmark score favors AMD. The 4499 aggregate versus 3957 represents a 13.7% overall advantage, and the AMD part sits in the 26th percentile of all GPUs compared to NVIDIA's 24th. The nearest rival comparisons confirm this positioning: AMD's closest competitor is the AMD FirePro W4190M with a 0.1% gap, while NVIDIA's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R5 M420 with a 0% delta.

Users who prioritize modern game compatibility should note the DirectX feature level difference. AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while NVIDIA is capped at DirectX 12 (11_0). This could affect titles using advanced DirectX 12 features. Conversely, NVIDIA's Vulkan 1.4 support is newer than AMD's 1.2.170, which may matter for Vulkan extensions in future software.

The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward: choose the AMD Radeon R7 M260 for Vulkan-centric workloads and higher average compute performance, choose the NVIDIA GeForce 830M for OpenCL-centric workloads and lower power consumption. Neither card dominates the other across all metrics, and the 1-1 split in head-to-head wins reflects a genuine trade-off.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Radeon R7 M260 | NVIDIA GeForce 830M |

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

| Chip | Topaz | GM108 |

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Maxwell |

| Generation | Gem System (R7 M200) | GeForce 800M |

| Transistors | 1,550 million | 1,020 million |

| Die Size | 125 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.4M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 940 MHz | 1082 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 980 MHz | 1150 MHz |

| Shading Units | 384 | 256 |

| TMUs | 24 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.840 GPixel/s | 9.200 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 23.52 GTexel/s | 18.40 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 752.6 GFLOPS | 588.8 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 752.6 GFLOPS (1:1) | Not specified |

| TDP | Not specified | 33 W |

| Slot Width | Not specified | IGP |

| Power Connectors | Not specified | None |

| Display Outputs | Not specified | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-06-10 | 2014-03-11 |

| Predecessor | Solar System | GeForce 700M |

| Successor | Polaris Mobile | GeForce 900M |

| OpenCL Score | 3708 | 4324 |

| Vulkan Score | 5289 | 3590 |

| Average Score | 4499 | 3957 |

| Percentile | 26 | 24 |

Fields not listed above are identical between the two products, including memory size (2 GB), memory type (DDR3), bus width (64 bit), memory clock (900 MHz), effective memory speed (1800 Mbps), bandwidth (14.40 GB/s), ROPs (8), bus interface (PCIe 3.0 x8), OpenGL version (4.6), foundry (TSMC), process node (28 nm), and production status (end-of-life).