AMD Radeon R7 M340 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 and NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 are two end-of-life graphics cards from different generations, and the benchmark data shows a marginal overall victory for the AMD part. The R7 M340 wins the only available head-to-head test, the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark, by a slim 0.8% margin, scoring 4932 against the GTS 450's 4893. This near-tie in raw compute performance, however, masks significant architectural and specification differences that dictate where each card is better suited.

Where Each One Wins

The data indicates a clear split in strengths based on the benchmark results and underlying specifications. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 wins in the compute-centric OpenCL workload, which suggests its advantage lies in general-purpose GPU computing and tasks that leverage its modern GCN 3.0 architecture. Its higher FP32 performance of 653.4 GFLOPS, compared to the GTS 450's 601.3 GFLOPS, supports this, making it the better choice for compute tasks like OpenCL acceleration in content creation or scientific applications.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, despite losing the compute benchmark, wins in several key specification categories that point to its strength in traditional rasterized gaming workloads. It has a significantly higher texture fill rate of 25.06 GTexel/s versus the R7 M340's 20.42 GTexel/s, and a much larger memory bandwidth of 57.73 GB/s compared to just 16.00 GB/s. These numbers indicate that the GTS 450 can feed its shader units and texture mapping units faster, which is critical for frame rendering in games. The GTS 450 also has double the ROPs (16 vs 8) and a wider 128-bit memory bus versus the R7 M340's 64-bit bus, reinforcing its advantage in pixel-heavy and resolution-sensitive gaming scenarios.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures from different eras. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 is based on the GCN 3.0 architecture, specifically the Meso chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It is part of the "Gem System (R7 M300)" generation and was released on 2015-05-04. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 uses the Fermi architecture with the GF106 chip, built on an older 40 nm process, also at TSMC. It belongs to the GeForce 400 generation and was released much earlier on 2010-09-12.

The manufacturing process difference is stark: the R7 M340 packs 1,550 million transistors into a 125 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.4M transistors per mm². The GTS 450 has fewer transistors (1,170 million) but a much larger die size of 238 mm², resulting in a significantly lower density of 4.9M / mm². This makes the R7 M340 a far more efficient design in terms of transistor density. The R7 M340 also supports a newer PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the GTS 450 uses the older PCIe 2.0 x16 standard.

Feature support also differs. The R7 M340 lists Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (12_0) support, while the GTS 450 lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and no Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The R7 M340's FP16 performance matches its FP32 at 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1), whereas the GTS 450 has no listed FP16 capability.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon R7 M340 wins with a score of 4932 against the GTS 450's 4893, a delta of 0.8%. This is a narrow victory, but it is consistent with the R7 M340's higher FP32 compute rating.

Beyond this single test, the specification sheet provides other comparative data points. In pixel fill rate, the R7 M340 wins with 8.168 GPixel/s versus the GTS 450's 6.264 GPixel/s, a 30% advantage that aligns with its higher core clock speeds. However, the GTS 450 fights back with a 25.06 GTexel/s texture rate, which is 22.7% higher than the R7 M340's 20.42 GTexel/s. The memory bandwidth gap is the largest single difference: the GTS 450's 57.73 GB/s is a massive 260% higher than the R7 M340's 16.00 GB/s. These contrasting wins show a card optimized for compute and pixel throughput (AMD) versus one optimized for texture and memory bandwidth (NVIDIA).

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M340 is faster, scoring 4932 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450's 4893, a 0.8% difference.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card have any clear specification advantages?

A: Yes. The GTS 450 has a much higher memory bandwidth (57.73 GB/s vs 16.00 GB/s), a higher texture fill rate (25.06 GTexel/s vs 20.42 GTexel/s), and double the ROPs (16 vs 8) compared to the AMD R7 M340.

Q: What are the key architectural differences between the two?

A: The R7 M340 uses AMD's GCN 3.0 architecture on a 28 nm process with 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die. The GTS 450 uses NVIDIA's Fermi architecture on a 40 nm process with 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The AMD R7 M340 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and does not list Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How does the memory configuration differ?

A: The R7 M340 has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, while the GTS 450 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What is the power draw of the GTS 450?

A: The GTS 450 has a TDP of 106 W and requires a 300 W suggested power supply and a 1x 6-pin power connector. The R7 M340 has no TDP listed in the data.

Specification Differences

Process Node: The AMD R7 M340 uses a 28 nm process, while the NVIDIA GTS 450 uses a 40 nm process.

Transistor Count: The R7 M340 has 1,550 million transistors, while the GTS 450 has 1,170 million.

Die Size: The R7 M340's die is 125 mm², compared to the GTS 450's 238 mm².

Transistor Density: The R7 M340 has a density of 12.4M / mm², while the GTS 450 has 4.9M / mm².

Memory Size: The R7 M340 has 2 GB, the GTS 450 has 1024 MB.

Memory Type: The R7 M340 uses DDR3, the GTS 450 uses GDDR5.

Memory Bus Width: The R7 M340 has a 64-bit bus, the GTS 450 has a 128-bit bus.

Memory Bandwidth: The R7 M340 offers 16.00 GB/s, the GTS 450 offers 57.73 GB/s.

Shading Units: The R7 M340 has 320, the GTS 450 has 192.

TMUs: The R7 M340 has 20, the GTS 450 has 32.

ROPs: The R7 M340 has 8, the GTS 450 has 16.

Texture Rate: The R7 M340 is rated at 20.42 GTexel/s, the GTS 450 at 25.06 GTexel/s.

FP32 Performance: The R7 M340 is rated at 653.4 GFLOPS, the GTS 450 at 601.3 GFLOPS.

FP16 Performance: The R7 M340 is rated at 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1), while the GTS 450 has no listed FP16 rating.

Bus Interface: The R7 M340 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, the GTS 450 uses PCIe 2.0 x16.

DirectX Support: The R7 M340 supports 12 (12_0), the GTS 450 supports 12 (11_0).

Vulkan Support: The R7 M340 supports 1.2.170, the GTS 450 has no Vulkan support listed.

TDP: The R7 M340 has no listed TDP, the GTS 450 is rated at 106 W.

Slot Width: The R7 M340 has no listed slot width, the GTS 450 is Dual-slot.

Power Connectors: The R7 M340 has none listed, the GTS 450 requires 1x 6-pin.

Suggested PSU: The R7 M340 has none listed, the GTS 450 suggests a 300 W PSU.

Display Outputs: The R7 M340 has none listed, the GTS 450 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Dimensions: The R7 M340 has no listed dimensions, the GTS 450 is 210 mm (8.3 inches) long and 111 mm (4.4 inches) high.

Release Date: The R7 M340 was released on 2015-05-04, the GTS 450 on 2010-09-12.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear verdict for different use cases. For users prioritizing compute performance, modern API support, and energy-efficient design, the AMD Radeon R7 M340 is the superior choice. It wins the OpenCL benchmark, has a higher FP32 rating, supports Vulkan and DirectX 12 (12_0), and uses a much more modern and dense 28 nm process. Its 2 GB memory capacity is also double that of the GTS 450, which is beneficial for larger datasets.

However, for classic gaming workloads where texture and memory bandwidth are king, the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 holds a distinct advantage. Its 57.73 GB/s bandwidth is over 3.5 times higher, and its texture fill rate is nearly 23% higher. The GTS 450 also has twice the ROPs, which can improve fill-rate-bound performance in games. The GTS 450 does have a launch MSRP of 129 USD, but its older architecture and lack of Vulkan support make it a less future-proof option from a software perspective.

In essence, the R7 M340 is the better all-around compute and modern API card, while the GTS 450 is the stronger choice for memory-bandwidth-intensive and traditional rendering tasks. The 0.8% OpenCL win for the R7 M340, combined with its architectural advantages, makes it the default recommendation for general use, but the GTS 450's spec sheet shows it is not obsolete for specific gaming scenarios.