GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A and AMD Radeon R7 M265 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from the 2014-2015 era, built on the same 28 nm TSMC process. While they share a similar transistor budget and die size, their underlying architectures and memory subsystems create a measurable performance gap. The data shows a clear, though modest, victory for the NVIDIA part in the sole benchmark recorded.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisive. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A scores 5,317 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M265 scores 4,929 points. This gives the NVIDIA part a 7.9% performance advantage. In the context of this benchmark, that margin is significant enough to separate the two into different performance tiers.

The 930A’s nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce 840M at 5,322 (only 0.1% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M at 5,308 (0.2% slower). This places the 930A in a remarkably tight cluster where it trades blows with much more prestigious parts. The AMD R7 M265, by contrast, sits alongside the AMD Radeon R7 M360 at 4,931 (0% difference) and the AMD FirePro W5130M at 4,904 (0.5% slower). The R7 M265’s score of 4,929 is essentially identical to the R7 M360, suggesting these two AMD parts are performance twins.

Looking at the percentile rankings, the 930A falls in the 31st percentile of all GPUs, while the R7 M265 sits at the 29th percentile. This 2-percentile gap is consistent with the 7.9% raw score difference. The deltaPct figures against rivals reinforce the picture: the 930A is only 0.6% behind the GeForce 940M, while the R7 M265 is 0.7% ahead of the GeForce GTS 450, a desktop part from a much older generation. The data suggests that the 930A is the faster mobile part, but neither card is a performance powerhouse by modern standards.

The NVIDIA card’s victory is not a landslide, but it is consistent across the metrics available. The 7.9% delta in OpenCL is a real, measurable edge that would translate to smoother frame rates in compute-heavy workloads or GPU-accelerated applications. For the R7 M265 to close that gap, it would need architectural advantages that the benchmark data does not support.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs take fundamentally different design approaches. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A is built on the Maxwell architecture with the GM108 chip, while the AMD Radeon R7 M265 uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Opal chip. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, and both have a die size of 77 mm². The transistor counts are close but not identical: NVIDIA packs 1,020 million transistors, while AMD has 950 million. This gives the NVIDIA chip a higher transistor density of 13.2M per mm² versus AMD’s 12.3M per mm².

Clock speeds favor the NVIDIA part significantly. The 930A runs at a base clock of 928 MHz with a boost up to 941 MHz. The R7 M265 is much more conservative, with a base of 725 MHz and a boost of 825 MHz. This 200 MHz gap at base clocks is substantial and directly contributes to the performance difference. The NVIDIA card’s higher clocks mean its 384 shading units are working at a faster rate than the AMD part’s same 384 shading units.

Memory is where the AMD card has a theoretical advantage. The R7 M265 uses a 128-bit memory bus, double the width of the 930A’s 64-bit bus. This gives AMD a memory bandwidth of 28.80 GB/s, compared to NVIDIA’s 16.02 GB/s. However, both use DDR3 memory, with the 930A running at 1,001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) and the R7 M265 at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). Despite having 80% more bandwidth, the AMD card still loses the OpenCL benchmark, suggesting that raw memory throughput is not the limiting factor here, or that the NVIDIA architecture utilizes its narrower bus more efficiently.

The feature sets also diverge. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), a slightly more complete implementation. Both support OpenGL 4.6. In Vulkan, the NVIDIA part supports version 1.4, while the AMD part only reaches 1.2.170. This is a notable difference for modern compatibility, as the NVIDIA card has a more up-to-date Vulkan driver path. The 930A is listed as having an IGP slot width with no power connectors, while the R7 M265’s slot width and power connector details are not specified. The bus interface is identical: PCIe 3.0 x8 for both.

The Verdict

From the data alone, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is the superior part. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark with a 7.9% margin, has a higher base clock by over 200 MHz, and offers more modern Vulkan support. Its transistor density advantage suggests a more efficient design. The AMD R7 M265’s wider memory bus and higher bandwidth do not overcome its lower clocks and older GCN architecture in this test.

The 930A’s nearest rival cluster is telling. It sits within 0.6% of the GeForce 940M and within 0.2% of the GeForce GTX 980M, a high-end part from the same era. This indicates that the 930A is a well-balanced mobile GPU that punches above its apparent class in compute workloads. The R7 M265, on the other hand, is grouped with the R7 M360 and FirePro W5130M, all hovering around the 4,900-4,930 score range. It is a mid-pack performer that does not distinguish itself.

For a user choosing between these two in a used or legacy laptop, the data clearly points to the NVIDIA 930A. It delivers a measurable performance lead in OpenCL, which is a proxy for general GPU compute capability. The higher clock speeds and newer architecture give it an edge that the AMD card cannot counter, despite its memory bandwidth advantage. The AMD card’s only redeeming feature in the specifications is its DirectX 12 (11_1) support, which is a minor incremental improvement over NVIDIA’s (11_0). However, for real-world gaming and compute, the 930A’s raw score advantage is the more important factor.

The R7 M265 is not a bad part; it is simply outclassed. Its 29th percentile ranking and 4,929 score put it in the same league as a GeForce GTS 450, a desktop card from 2010. The 930A, at the 31st percentile, is closer to the GeForce 840M and 940M, which were respectable mainstream mobile parts. The verdict is straightforward: pick the NVIDIA GeForce 930A if performance is the priority. Pick the AMD R7 M265 only if specific driver or feature compatibility with GCN 1.0 is required, as the data shows no performance reason to prefer it.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two parts:

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce 930A | AMD Radeon R7 M265 |

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

| Chip | GM108 | Opal |

| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 1.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 900A | Gem System (R7 M200) |

| Transistors | 1,020 million | 950 million |

| Transistor Density | 13.2M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 928 MHz | 725 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 941 MHz | 825 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) | 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 16.02 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 7.528 GPixel/s | 6.600 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 22.58 GTexel/s | 19.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 722.7 GFLOPS | 633.6 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 33 W | Not specified |

| Slot Width | IGP | Not specified |

| Power Connectors | None | Not specified |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Not specified |

| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2015-03-12 | 2014-01-08 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 800A | Solar System |

| Successor | Not specified | Polaris Mobile |

| Geekbench OpenCL Score | 5,317 | 4,929 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 31 | 29 |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A scores 5,317 points, which is 7.9% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M265’s score of 4,929 points.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce 930A compare to its nearest rival, the GeForce 840M?

A: The 930A scores 5,317, which is 0.1% lower than the GeForce 840M’s average score of 5,322. They are effectively tied in performance.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R7 M265 have any memory advantage over the NVIDIA card?

A: Yes, the R7 M265 has a 128-bit memory bus and 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the 930A’s 64-bit bus and 16.02 GB/s. Despite this, the AMD card still loses the OpenCL benchmark.

Q: What is the difference in shading units between the two?

A: There is no difference. Both the NVIDIA GeForce 930A and the AMD Radeon R7 M265 have 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs.

Q: Which card has better Vulkan API support?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon R7 M265 only supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Are both GPUs based on the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. However, the NVIDIA chip has a higher transistor density at 13.2M / mm² versus AMD’s 12.3M / mm².