AMD Radeon R7 M340 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

# AMD Radeon R7 M340 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M in the only directly comparable benchmark, taking a 1.6% win in Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 4932 against 4855. However, this is a near-tie between two end-of-life mobile parts, and the real story lies in their architectural divergence: the R7 M340 is a 2015 GCN 3.0 part built on a 28 nm process, while the GTX 560M is a 2011 Fermi 2.0 chip on a 40 nm node. The R7 M340 lands at the 30th percentile of all GPUs, one point above the GTX 560M's 28th percentile, and its average benchmark score of 5063 is 4.3% higher than the GTX 560M's 4855. The GTX 560M retains meaningful advantages in memory bandwidth (60.00 GB/s vs 16.00 GB/s) and texture rate (24.80 GTexel/s vs 20.42 GTexel/s), making it the better choice for bandwidth-hungry workloads, while the R7 M340 wins on raw compute, pixel rate, and modern API support.

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 is the superior choice for users who prioritize compute throughput and modern software compatibility. Its FP32 performance of 653.4 GFLOPS exceeds the GTX 560M's 595.2 GFLOPS by 9.8%, and its pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s is 31.7% higher than the NVIDIA part's 6.200 GPixel/s. The R7 M340 also supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the GTX 560M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support listed.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M, however, is the pick for users who need memory throughput. Its 192-bit bus and GDDR5 memory deliver 60.00 GB/s bandwidth, which is 3.75 times the R7 M340's 16.00 GB/s from a 64-bit DDR3 interface. The GTX 560M also has a higher texture rate (24.80 GTexel/s vs 20.42 GTexel/s) and more texture mapping units (32 vs 20), making it better suited for texture-heavy rendering.

In the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, the R7 M340 wins by 1.6%, but the GTX 560M's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (0.2% behind) and the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (0.2% ahead), placing it in a very tight performance cluster. The R7 M340's rivals — the AMD Radeon R7 240 (0% delta), FirePro W4170M (0.6% ahead), and Radeon R5 M430 (0.9% ahead) — show similar parity. Neither card is a performance leader; both sit in the bottom third of all GPUs. Choose the R7 M340 for compute and API support, or the GTX 560M for bandwidth and texture throughput.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 is built on GCN 3.0 architecture using the Meso chip, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 1,550 million transistors into a 125 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.4 million per mm². The GTX 560M uses Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF116 chip, also from TSMC but on an older 40 nm node, with 1,170 million transistors spread across a much larger 238 mm² die, giving a density of just 4.9 million per mm². The R7 M340's smaller, denser design is a direct result of the process node advantage.

Core configurations differ significantly. The R7 M340 has 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation units. The GTX 560M has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. This explains the performance split: the R7 M340's higher shading unit count drives its FP32 lead, while the GTX 560M's TMU and ROP counts support its texture and pixel throughput advantages.

Memory subsystems are polar opposites. The R7 M340 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, with memory clocked at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for 16.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 560M uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, with memory at 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective) for 60.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 560M's memory bandwidth is a massive 275% higher, which is critical for high-resolution textures and large datasets.

API support favors the R7 M340. It lists DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 560M lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support. The R7 M340 also has a boost clock of 1021 MHz (base 943 MHz), while the GTX 560M has no listed base or boost clocks, only memory clock. The GTX 560M does have a listed TDP of 75 W and an MXM Module slot width, whereas the R7 M340's TDP and slot width are not specified.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, where the AMD Radeon R7 M340 scores 4932 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M's 4855. That is a 1.6% delta in favor of AMD — a narrow but consistent margin given the R7 M340's higher FP32 throughput.

Beyond that single test, the average benchmark scores tell a broader story. The R7 M340's average of 5063 is 4.3% higher than the GTX 560M's 4855. The R7 M340 also has a second benchmark result — Geekbench Vulkan at 5193 — which the GTX 560M cannot match because it has no Vulkan support listed. This is a decisive advantage for modern applications that leverage Vulkan.

The nearest rival data confirms the R7 M340's slight edge. The R7 M340's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon R7 240 at 5063 (0% delta), followed by the FirePro W4170M at 5034 (0.6% ahead) and the Radeon R5 M430 at 5018 (0.9% ahead). The GTX 560M's closest rival is the GeForce 940MX at 4844 (0.2% behind), with the Radeon R6 M255DX at 4867 (0.2% ahead) and the GeForce GTS 450 at 4893 (0.8% behind). Notably, the GTX 560M's rivals include the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB at 4901 (0.9% behind), which is surprising given the RTX 5060 Ti's modern positioning, but the data shows the GTX 560M scores within 1% of it in this benchmark.

In terms of wins, the R7 M340 takes 1 win (Geekbench OpenCL) and the GTX 560M takes 0 wins in head-to-head tests. The R7 M340 also holds a 2-point percentile advantage (30th vs 28th), reinforcing its status as the slightly faster card overall.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M340, with FP32 performance of 653.4 GFLOPS versus the GTX 560M's 595.2 GFLOPS — a 9.8% advantage.

Q: Which GPU offers better memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M, with 60.00 GB/s from a 192-bit GDDR5 interface, compared to the R7 M340's 16.00 GB/s from a 64-bit DDR3 interface.

Q: Does the GTX 560M support Vulkan?

A: No. The GTX 560M lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but no Vulkan support. The R7 M340 lists Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The R7 M340 averages 5063, which is 4.3% higher than the GTX 560M's 4855. The R7 M340 also scores 5193 in Geekbench Vulkan, a test the GTX 560M cannot run.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units and what does that mean?

A: The R7 M340 has 320 shading units versus the GTX 560M's 192. This drives the R7 M340's higher FP32 throughput and its 1.6% win in Geekbench OpenCL.

Q: How do their transistor densities compare?

A: The R7 M340 has a density of 12.4 million transistors per mm² (1,550 million total on 125 mm²), while the GTX 560M has 4.9 million per mm² (1,170 million total on 238 mm²). The R7 M340's 28 nm process enables this denser design versus the GTX 560M's 40 nm node.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 wins in compute-bound scenarios. Its FP32 output of 653.4 GFLOPS is nearly 10% higher than the GTX 560M's, and its pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s is 31.7% faster. This makes it the better choice for general-purpose GPU compute, OpenCL workloads, and any application that leverages its Vulkan 1.2.170 support. The R7 M340 also wins on API modernity, with DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan support that the GTX 560M lacks. Its higher shading unit count (320 vs 192) directly benefits shader-heavy tasks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M wins in memory-bound and texture-heavy workloads. Its 60.00 GB/s bandwidth is 275% higher than the R7 M340's 16.00 GB/s, which is critical for large textures, high resolutions, and data-intensive rendering. The GTX 560M also has a higher texture rate (24.80 GTexel/s vs 20.42 GTexel/s) and more TMUs (32 vs 20) and ROPs (24 vs 8), making it superior for fill-rate-limited scenes. The GTX 560M's GDDR5 memory type and wider 192-bit bus are clear advantages over the R7 M340's DDR3 and 64-bit bus.

The R7 M340 wins the overall benchmark war with a 1.6% OpenCL victory and a 4.3% higher average score, but the GTX 560M's memory subsystem is a compelling counterpoint for specific use cases. For users who need modern API support and compute throughput, the R7 M340 is the pick. For users who need memory bandwidth and texture throughput, the GTX 560M remains relevant.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 M340 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 1,550 million | 1,170 million |

| Die Size | 125 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.4M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 943 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 1021 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) | 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 1536 MB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 16.00 GB/s | 60.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 320 | 192 |

| TMUs | 20 | 32 |

| ROPs | 8 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 8.168 GPixel/s | 6.200 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 20.42 GTexel/s | 24.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 653.4 GFLOPS | 595.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1) | Not specified |

| TDP | Not specified | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Not specified | MXM Module |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | MXM-B (3.0) |

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

| OpenGL Support | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | Not specified |

| Release Date | 2015-05-04 | 2011-05-29 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |