AMD Radeon R7 M340 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M takes the only direct head-to-head test recorded, winning Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 8,552 against 4,932 for the AMD Radeon R7 M340. That is a 73.4% advantage, a decisive margin in compute workloads.

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 does not win any recorded benchmark category. Its strongest showing comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 5,193, but the GTX 770M has no Vulkan result in the database for direct comparison. The AMD card also posts a Geekbench OpenCL score of 4,932, which sits well below the NVIDIA part. When looking at average benchmark scores, the GTX 770M reaches 6,000, while the R7 M340 averages 5,063. That places the NVIDIA GPU in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, five percentile points higher than the AMD part's 30th percentile.

For users prioritizing raw compute throughput, OpenCL performance, or general GPU acceleration, the data points squarely at the GTX 770M. The AMD card offers Vulkan compatibility that the NVIDIA part does not record, but no benchmark win accompanies that feature in the database. The use-case split favors NVIDIA for compute-heavy tasks, while AMD's only differentiator is API support rather than measured performance.

Architecture Differences

These two chips come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M uses the GK106 chip built on Kepler architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 uses the Meso chip based on GCN 3.0 architecture, also on TSMC's 28 nm node. Both are end-of-life products, so the comparison is between mature designs.

Transistor counts differ substantially. The GK106 packs 2,540 million transistors into a 221 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 11.5 million per square millimeter. AMD's Meso integrates 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, achieving a slightly higher density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip is physically larger but carries more silicon resources.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The GTX 770M features 960 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operations pipelines. The R7 M340 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. That is a 3:1 ratio in shading units and TMUs, and a 3:1 ratio in ROPs as well. Clock speeds partially compensate: AMD runs at 943 MHz base and 1,021 MHz boost, while NVIDIA runs at 706 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. Despite the lower clocks, the NVIDIA part's wider configuration produces 1.530 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput versus 653.4 GFLOPS for AMD.

Memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The GTX 770M uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 96.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M340 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, producing only 16.00 GB/s. Memory clock rates are similar in base frequency around 1,000 MHz, but effective data rates differ: 4 Gbps for GDDR5 versus 2 Gbps for DDR3. The bus width difference is the dominant factor, creating a 6:1 bandwidth gap.

Render output rates reflect the hardware disparity. NVIDIA achieves 15.94 GPixel/s pixel fill and 63.76 GTexel/s texture fill. AMD delivers 8.168 GPixel/s and 20.42 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part is roughly twice as fast in pixel throughput and three times faster in texture throughput.

API support shows a generational split. The GTX 770M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The R7 M340 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. AMD's DirectX 12 feature level is higher (12_0 versus 11_0), while NVIDIA's Vulkan version is marginally newer. Both support OpenGL 4.6, and neither has ray tracing or tensor cores.

The GTX 770M uses an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface and is rated at 75 W TDP with no power connectors. The R7 M340 uses PCIe 3.0 x8 but has no recorded TDP or power connector information. Display outputs for NVIDIA are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," while AMD's are not recorded. Release dates place NVIDIA in May 2013 and AMD in May 2015.

The Verdict

The recorded data gives a clear overall winner. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M leads the AMD Radeon R7 M340 in every measured benchmark category where both have results. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 8,552 versus 4,932 represents a 73.4% advantage, and the average benchmark score of 6,000 versus 5,063 shows a 18.5% lead. The NVIDIA part also holds higher percentile placement among all GPUs, 35th versus 30th.

Users should choose the GTX 770M if compute performance, memory bandwidth, or texture throughput matter most. The 3 GB GDDR5 memory with 96.19 GB/s bandwidth dwarfs the R7 M340's 2 GB DDR3 with 16.00 GB/s. The shading unit count of 960 versus 320 gives NVIDIA a structural advantage that clock speed cannot overcome.

Users should consider the R7 M340 only if they specifically need DirectX 12 (12_0) feature level support or Vulkan compatibility with a recorded score. The AMD card's Vulkan result of 5,193 is its best benchmark, though no direct NVIDIA comparison exists. For general purpose mobile graphics, the data consistently favors NVIDIA.

The R7 M340 is a smaller, lower-power chip by transistor count and die size, but that does not translate into a performance win in the database. Its higher clock speeds and newer architecture generation do not close the gap created by fewer cores and narrower memory. The verdict from measurements: NVIDIA wins decisively on compute, and AMD trails across all recorded workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M scores 8,552 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R7 M340 scores 4,932. NVIDIA leads by 73.4%.

Q: What memory configuration does each GPU use?

A: The GTX 770M uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 96.19 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 M340 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 16.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare?

A: The GTX 770M has 960 shading units, while the R7 M340 has 320 shading units. This is a 3:1 ratio in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: Which GPU has a higher DirectX feature level?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M340 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). AMD's feature level is newer.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for both GPUs?

A: The GTX 770M averages 6,000 across its recorded benchmarks, placing it in the 35th percentile. The R7 M340 averages 5,063, placing it in the 30th percentile.

Q: Does the AMD card have any benchmark win over NVIDIA?

A: No. The recorded head-to-head benchmarks show the GTX 770M winning the only shared test, Geekbench OpenCL. The R7 M340 has zero wins in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single direct comparison in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. NVIDIA's GTX 770M posts 8,552 points against AMD's 4,932 points. The 73.4% delta is substantial, indicating a significant compute performance gap. This test exercises general GPU compute through the OpenCL API, and the NVIDIA part dominates.

Looking at the surrounding context, the GTX 770M's nearest rivals in average score are the AMD Radeon RX 6400 at 6,001 (0% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server at 5,996 (0.1% delta), the AMD FirePro W4100 at 5,987 (0.2% delta), and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M at 5,986 (0.2% delta). The GTX 770M's average score of 6,000 places it in a tight cluster where performance differences are negligible. This suggests the GPU performs at a level comparable to several desktop and workstation parts from later generations.

The R7 M340's nearest rivals cluster lower. The AMD Radeon R7 240 matches it exactly at 5,063 (0% delta), followed by the AMD FirePro W4170M at 5,034 (0.6% delta), the AMD Radeon R5 M430 at 5,018 (0.9% delta), and the AMD Radeon R7 Graphics at 4,998 (1.3% delta). This places the R7 M340 at the bottom of its comparison group, with the integrated R7 Graphics nearly matching it.

The pixel and texture rate differences reinforce the benchmark result. NVIDIA's 15.94 GPixel/s and 63.76 GTexel/s are roughly double and triple AMD's 8.168 GPixel/s and 20.42 GTexel/s, respectively. These fill rates directly affect rasterization workloads, and the Geekbench OpenCL score reflects similar compute advantages.

The memory bandwidth gap of 96.19 GB/s versus 16.00 GB/s is the largest relative difference in the specification sheet. This 6:1 ratio likely contributes heavily to the OpenCL score disparity, as memory-bound kernels run much faster on the NVIDIA part. The GDDR5 versus DDR3 distinction, combined with the 192-bit versus 64-bit bus, creates an insurmountable bandwidth deficit for AMD.

In the broader average score context, the GTX 770M sits at the 35th percentile of all GPUs, while the R7 M340 sits at the 30th. The five-percentile difference understates the performance gap, as the OpenCL delta of 73.4% shows a much larger real-world difference in compute tasks. The benchmark database records one clear winner with no AMD victories.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measurable specification. Process node is identical at 28 nm from TSMC, but transistor integration diverges: NVIDIA uses 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, while AMD uses 1,550 million on a 125 mm² die. Transistor density slightly favors AMD at 12.4M per mm² versus 11.5M per mm².

Clock specifications show AMD running faster. The R7 M340 has a 943 MHz base and 1,021 MHz boost, compared to NVIDIA's 706 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. Memory clocks are nearly equal at 1,002 MHz for NVIDIA and 1,000 MHz for AMD, but effective data rates differ at 4 Gbps for GDDR5 and 2 Gbps for DDR3.

Memory capacity, type, bus width, and bandwidth all differ. NVIDIA offers 3 GB GDDR5, 192-bit, 96.19 GB/s. AMD offers 2 GB DDR3, 64-bit, 16.00 GB/s. Shading units, TMUs, and ROPs all favor NVIDIA by a 3:1 margin: 960/80/24 versus 320/20/8.

Pixel rate is 15.94 GPixel/s versus 8.168 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 63.76 GTexel/s versus 20.42 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 1.530 TFLOPS versus 653.4 GFLOPS. AMD lists FP16 at 653.4 GFLOPS with 1:1 ratio, while NVIDIA has no recorded FP16 figure.

Power and interface specifications differ. NVIDIA uses an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface with a 75 W TDP and no power connectors. AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x8 with no recorded TDP or connector details. NVIDIA's display outputs are portable device dependent; AMD's are unrecorded.

API support differs in DirectX version and Vulkan revision. NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6, and neither has ray tracing or tensor cores.

Release timing shows a two-year gap: NVIDIA launched May 2013, AMD launched May 2015. NVIDIA's predecessor is GeForce 600M and successor is GeForce 800M. AMD's predecessor is Solar System and successor is Polaris Mobile. Both are marked end-of-life in the database.