AMD Radeon R7 M340 vs NVIDIA Quadro 4000M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score, the NVIDIA Quadro 4000M or the AMD Radeon R7 M340?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M has a higher average benchmark score of 5211, compared to the AMD Radeon R7 M340's 5063 average. This places the Quadro 4000M 5.7% ahead in the Geekbench OpenCL test, the only head-to-head benchmark available.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon R7 M340's Vulkan score compare to its OpenCL score?

A: The Radeon R7 M340 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5193, which is notably higher than its Geekbench OpenCL score of 4932. The Vulkan result is actually closer to the Quadro 4000M's OpenCL score of 5211 than to its own OpenCL result.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between these two mobile GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M340 has a transistor density of 12.4 million transistors per mm², while the NVIDIA Quadro 4000M has a much lower density of 5.9 million per mm². This reflects the R7 M340's smaller 125 mm² die size on a 28 nm process, versus the Quadro 4000M's 332 mm² die on 40 nm.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer DirectX version?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M340 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the NVIDIA Quadro 4000M only supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both GPUs support OpenGL 4.6, but the R7 M340 additionally supports Vulkan 1.2.170, a feature the Quadro 4000M lacks.

Q: How do the memory types and bandwidths differ between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 80.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 also has 2 GB, but it is DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, providing only 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth — a fivefold difference in memory bandwidth.

Q: What is the production status and release timing for each GPU?

A: Both GPUs are end-of-life. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M was released on 2011-02-21, while the AMD Radeon R7 M340 came later on 2015-05-04. The Quadro 4000M is part of the Quadro Fermi-M generation, and the R7 M340 belongs to the Gem System (R7 M300) generation.

The Verdict

The data clearly separates these two mobile GPUs into different use cases despite their similar overall benchmark percentiles — both sit at the 30th percentile versus all GPUs. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M wins the only head-to-head benchmark, posting a 5211 Geekbench OpenCL score against the AMD Radeon R7 M340's 4932, a 5.7% advantage. If raw compute throughput in OpenCL is the priority, the Quadro 4000M is the stronger pick.

However, the AMD Radeon R7 M340 offers a more modern feature set. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the Quadro 4000M's 11_0, and it includes Vulkan 1.2.170 support, which the NVIDIA card lacks entirely. The R7 M340's Vulkan score of 5193 nearly matches the Quadro 4000M's OpenCL score, suggesting that in Vulkan-based workloads, the AMD card is competitive despite its lower OpenCL result.

For a professional workstation context, the Quadro 4000M's pedigree as a Quadro-class card with 80.00 GB/s of memory bandwidth makes it a compelling choice for bandwidth-sensitive tasks, even if it is older. The R7 M340, with its 28 nm process and higher transistor density (12.4M / mm² versus 5.9M / mm²), is a more efficient design that belongs to a newer generation. The choice ultimately hinges on whether you prioritize the Quadro 4000M's OpenCL leadership or the R7 M340's modern API support and newer architecture.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and the NVIDIA Quadro 4000M takes it decisively with a score of 5211 versus 4932 for the AMD Radeon R7 M340. This 5.7% delta is meaningful, as it places the Quadro 4000M ahead of the R7 M340 by roughly 279 points — a margin that could translate to tangible performance differences in compute-heavy applications.

Looking at the nearest rivals for context, the Quadro 4000M's 5211 score sits just 0.5% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M (5236) and 1.4% below the GeForce 940M (5284), while it edges out the AMD Radeon R7 M260X (5161) by 1% and the Quadro K3100M (5154) by 1.1%. The R7 M340's 5063 average, by contrast, matches the AMD Radeon R7 240 exactly (5063, 0% delta), runs 0.6% ahead of the FirePro W4170M (5034), 0.9% ahead of the R5 M430 (5018), and 1.3% ahead of the Radeon R7 Graphics (4998).

The R7 M340's Vulkan score of 5193 is worth noting here — it is within 18 points of the Quadro 4000M's OpenCL score, indicating that the AMD card's closest performance parity comes through Vulkan, not OpenCL. In OpenCL, the Quadro 4000M is the clear winner, but the R7 M340's alternative API path narrows the gap substantially.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs diverge sharply on memory architecture. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M features 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 80.00 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective). The AMD Radeon R7 M340 also has 2 GB, but it is DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, yielding just 16.00 GB/s bandwidth with a 1000 MHz memory clock (2 Gbps effective). This is a 64 GB/s difference — the Quadro 4000M has five times the memory bandwidth.

Compute unit counts also differ. The Quadro 4000M has 336 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the R7 M340 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and just 8 ROPs. The pixel rate favors the R7 M340 at 8.168 GPixel/s versus 6.650 GPixel/s for the Quadro 4000M, but the texture rate goes the other way: 26.60 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA card versus 20.42 GTexel/s for the AMD card. FP32 throughput is nearly identical — 638.4 GFLOPS for the Quadro 4000M and 653.4 GFLOPS for the R7 M340 — though the R7 M340 also lists FP16 at 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1), a capability the Quadro 4000M does not report.

The bus interface differs as well: the Quadro 4000M uses MXM-B (3.0), while the R7 M340 uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The Quadro 4000M carries a 100 W TDP and an MXM Module slot width with no power connectors, while the R7 M340's TDP and slot width are not specified in the data. Display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent" for the NVIDIA card, and unspecified for the AMD card.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is generational. The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M is built on the Fermi architecture with the GF104 chip, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die. The AMD Radeon R7 M340 uses the GCN 3.0 architecture with the Meso chip, also from TSMC but on a 28 nm process, packing 1,550 million transistors into a much smaller 125 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: 5.9M / mm² for the Fermi chip versus 12.4M / mm² for GCN 3.0.

The Fermi architecture in the Quadro 4000M is older, dating to the Quadro Fermi-M generation, and its predecessor is the Quadro FX Mobile, with the Quadro Kepler-M as its successor. The R7 M340 belongs to the Gem System (R7 M300) generation, with the predecessor listed as "Solar System" and the successor as "Polaris Mobile." The R7 M340's GCN 3.0 architecture brings native support for DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the Fermi-based Quadro 4000M tops out at DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed.

Cache hierarchies and shader organization are not detailed in the data, but the core counts hint at the design philosophy: the Quadro 4000M leans on a wider memory interface and higher TMU/ROP counts, while the R7 M340 compensates with a denser, more modern process node and higher clock speeds (943 MHz base, 1021 MHz boost versus unspecified base/boost for the NVIDIA card). The R7 M340's FP16 capability at a 1:1 ratio with FP32 is a notable architectural feature absent from the Fermi part.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro 4000M wins in OpenCL compute, as evidenced by its 5211 score versus 4932 for the R7 M340 — a 5.7% margin. It also dominates memory bandwidth with 80.00 GB/s versus 16.00 GB/s, which is critical for workloads that stream large datasets, such as professional rendering or scientific simulations. The Quadro 4000M's higher texture rate (26.60 GTexel/s) and larger ROP count (32 versus 8) further support its case for texture-heavy and fill-rate-sensitive tasks. Its 100 W TDP, while higher, is a known quantity for system integrators.

The AMD Radeon R7 M340 wins on architectural modernity. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, making it compatible with newer graphics APIs that the Quadro 4000M cannot use. Its Vulkan score of 5193 demonstrates that in Vulkan-based applications, it can nearly match the Quadro 4000M's OpenCL performance. The R7 M340 also has a higher pixel rate (8.168 GPixel/s versus 6.650 GPixel/s) and slightly higher FP32 throughput (653.4 GFLOPS versus 638.4 GFLOPS), plus FP16 support at a 1:1 ratio. The 28 nm process and higher transistor density (12.4M / mm²) suggest better power efficiency, though TDP is not specified for the AMD card.

For a builder choosing between these two end-of-life mobile GPUs, the decision comes down to workload. If the target applications are OpenCL-heavy and bandwidth-sensitive, the Quadro 4000M is the data-backed winner. If the priority is modern API support, Vulkan compatibility, or a newer architecture with better density, the R7 M340 is the more future-proof choice despite its OpenCL deficit.