AMD Radeon R7 M260X vs NVIDIA GeForce 930A Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A and AMD Radeon R7 M260X are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions aimed at thin-and-light laptops, but the benchmark data shows they are not interchangeable. The single head-to-head benchmark result, Geekbench OpenCL, declares a clear winner: the AMD Radeon R7 M260X scores 5690, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930A trails with 5317. That is a 6.6% margin in AMD’s favor, which is a meaningful gap for two GPUs that otherwise share a similar 384 shading units and 24 texture mapping units. However, the average benchmark scores and the surrounding rival comparisons tell a more nuanced story about positioning, sustained performance, and API compatibility.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is unambiguous. The AMD Radeon R7 M260X posts 5690 points, beating the NVIDIA GeForce 930A’s 5317 by 6.6%. For a pair of mobile GPUs aimed at the same segment, a 373-point difference is not trivial — it translates to perceptibly faster compute workloads in OpenCL-accelerated applications. The NVIDIA card’s nearest rivals in the database include the GeForce 840M at 5322 (0.1% ahead), the GeForce GTX 980M at 5308 (0.2% behind), and the GeForce 940M at 5284 (0.6% behind). This places the 930A in a tight cluster where a few points separate it from far more expensive or differently positioned parts. Notably, the 930A sits within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon R7 M445, showing that the NVIDIA part is not dramatically outclassed by other AMD offerings.

On the AMD side, the R7 M260X’s 5690 OpenCL score is not its only data point. It also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 4631, which the 930A does not have in its benchmark list. The R7 M260X’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K3100M at 5154 (0.1% behind), the Quadro 4000M at 5211 (1% behind), and the GeForce GTX 760M at 5236 (1.4% behind). The AMD card’s average benchmark score across all tests is 5161, which is actually lower than its OpenCL score due to the inclusion of the Vulkan result. That average places it at the 30th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA 930A sits at the 31st percentile with an average of 5317. The percentile difference is a single point, but the OpenCL win for AMD is consistent and measurable.

The biggest takeaway from the head-to-head is that AMD wins the only shared test, but the margin is modest. The 930A’s average score is higher than the R7 M260X’s average because the NVIDIA card lacks a lower Vulkan score to drag it down. In practical terms, if your workload relies solely on OpenCL, the R7 M260X is the faster card. If you factor in Vulkan performance, the R7 M260X still has a dedicated score of 4631, which is lower than its OpenCL result but still places it in the same general performance envelope as the NVIDIA card.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations, and that shows in their feature sets and efficiency metrics. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A uses the GM108 chip built on the Maxwell architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 1,020 million transistors into a 77 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon R7 M260X uses the Opal chip, based on the older GCN 1.0 architecture, also on TSMC’s 28 nm process. AMD’s chip has 950 million transistors in the same 77 mm² die size, resulting in a lower density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA parts are more transistor-dense, which typically indicates more complex logic per area, but the AMD card compensates with a different memory subsystem.

Clock speeds diverge sharply. The 930A runs at a base clock of 928 MHz and boosts to 941 MHz, while the R7 M260X starts at a much lower 620 MHz base and boosts to 715 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, the AMD card achieves a higher OpenCL score, which points to architectural efficiency in compute tasks. The NVIDIA card’s higher clocks give it a pixel rate of 7.528 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 22.58 GTexel/s, versus AMD’s 5.720 GPixel/s and 17.16 GTexel/s. The 930A also delivers 722.7 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the R7 M260X manages 549.1 GFLOPS. On paper, the NVIDIA GPU is the raw throughput winner, yet the AMD card wins the benchmark — a reminder that theoretical rates do not always dictate real-world OpenCL performance.

Memory is another major divergence. The 930A uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 16.02 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M260X uses 1 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s — exactly four times the bandwidth. The AMD card’s memory clock is 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA card’s memory runs at 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective). The wider bus and faster memory type give the R7 M260X a massive bandwidth advantage, which likely explains its OpenCL win despite lower compute clocks. In terms of API support, the 930A supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the R7 M260X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card has a newer Vulkan version, but AMD’s DirectX 12 feature level is higher.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A has higher theoretical FP32 performance at 722.7 GFLOPS and higher texture and pixel rates (22.58 GTexel/s and 7.528 GPixel/s) than the AMD Radeon R7 M260X’s 549.1 GFLOPS, 17.16 GTexel/s, and 5.720 GPixel/s.

Q: Why does the AMD card win the OpenCL benchmark despite lower clocks?

A: The R7 M260X has a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface providing 64.00 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the 930A’s 64-bit DDR3 at 16.02 GB/s. That fourfold bandwidth advantage likely compensates for the AMD card’s lower core clocks.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260X supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same number of shading units?

A: Yes, both the NVIDIA GeForce 930A and AMD Radeon R7 M260X have 384 shading units and 24 texture mapping units, with 8 ROPs each.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A has 2 GB of DDR3, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260X has 1 GB of GDDR5.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A has an average benchmark score of 5317, while the AMD Radeon R7 M260X averages 5161 across its two benchmark tests.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification except for a few shared traits. Both are built on a 28 nm TSMC process, both use a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, and both have 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Beyond those commonalities, the differences are stark:

• Transistor count: NVIDIA has 1,020 million, AMD has 950 million.
• Die size: Both are 77 mm², but NVIDIA’s density is 13.2M / mm² versus AMD’s 12.3M / mm².
• Base clock: NVIDIA at 928 MHz, AMD at 620 MHz.
• Boost clock: NVIDIA at 941 MHz, AMD at 715 MHz.
• Memory size: NVIDIA has 2 GB, AMD has 1 GB.
• Memory type: NVIDIA uses DDR3, AMD uses GDDR5.
• Memory bus: NVIDIA uses 64-bit, AMD uses 128-bit.
• Memory bandwidth: NVIDIA at 16.02 GB/s, AMD at 64.00 GB/s.
• FP32 performance: NVIDIA at 722.7 GFLOPS, AMD at 549.1 GFLOPS.
• Pixel rate: NVIDIA at 7.528 GPixel/s, AMD at 5.720 GPixel/s.
• Texture rate: NVIDIA at 22.58 GTexel/s, AMD at 17.16 GTexel/s.
• TDP: NVIDIA rated at 33 W, AMD has no listed TDP.
• DirectX support: NVIDIA at 12 (11_0), AMD at 12 (11_1).
• Vulkan support: NVIDIA at 1.4, AMD at 1.2.170.
• Release date: NVIDIA on March 12, 2015, AMD on December 5, 2015.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A wins on raw compute metrics and memory capacity. Its 722.7 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, 7.528 GPixel/s pixel fill rate, and 22.58 GTexel/s texture rate are all higher than the AMD R7 M260X. It also offers 2 GB of memory versus 1 GB, which matters for larger textures or datasets that exceed the AMD card’s capacity. The 930A’s higher transistor density and newer Vulkan 1.4 support give it a software-side edge for Vulkan-based applications, and its 33 W TDP is officially listed, which is useful for system builders estimating power budgets.

The AMD Radeon R7 M260X wins the only direct benchmark comparison. Its 5690 OpenCL score beats the 930A’s 5317 by 6.6%, and its Vulkan score of 4631 provides a second data point that the NVIDIA card does not have. The AMD card’s 64.00 GB/s memory bandwidth is four times that of the 930A, which gives it a decisive advantage in bandwidth-bound workloads such as texture streaming or large-buffer compute. The R7 M260X also supports DirectX 12 (11_1), a slightly higher feature level than the NVIDIA card’s DirectX 12 (11_0). For users who prioritize OpenCL compute performance or prefer a wider memory bus, the AMD card is the stronger choice.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split. If you rely on OpenCL compute — for example, in video encoding, physics simulation, or general-purpose GPU tasks — the AMD Radeon R7 M260X is the better performer, delivering 6.6% more score in the Geekbench OpenCL test. Its GDDR5 memory and 128-bit interface provide 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a decisive advantage over the NVIDIA card’s DDR3 and 64-bit bus. The R7 M260X also offers a Vulkan benchmark score, which the 930A lacks, giving it a more complete performance profile for modern APIs.

On the other hand, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is the better choice for users who need more memory (2 GB versus 1 GB) or who value higher theoretical throughput rates. Its FP32, pixel, and texture rates are all higher, and its Vulkan 1.4 support is newer than AMD’s 1.2.170. The 930A also has a higher average benchmark score (5317 versus 5161) and a slightly better percentile ranking (31st versus 30th). For a laptop GPU that may run older DirectX 11 titles or lighter workloads, the NVIDIA card’s higher clocks and larger memory buffer could prove more flexible.

Ultimately, the AMD R7 M260X wins the only head-to-head test, and that is the most direct evidence available. The NVIDIA 930A is not without merits — its compute throughput numbers are superior — but benchmarks matter more than theoretical specs. Choose the R7 M260X for OpenCL-heavy tasks or bandwidth-sensitive applications. Choose the 930A if you need the extra gigabyte of memory, prefer a newer Vulkan implementation, or want the higher average score across the database. The two cards are close in the rankings, but the AMD part has the benchmark win to back its claim.