GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A and AMD Radeon R7 M360 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from 2015, targeting thin-and-light laptops. The data shows two discrete GPUs with similar core configurations but divergent memory clocks and architectural generations. Benchmark results indicate a clear, though not overwhelming, winner in raw compute, with the NVIDIA part leveraging higher effective memory speed and a more mature driver stack to secure a decisive lead in the only shared test.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it decisively favors the NVIDIA GeForce 930A. The 930A scores 5,317 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 trails at 4,638 points. This translates to a 14.6% performance advantage for the NVIDIA part in this compute-heavy workload. This is a substantial margin for two GPUs with identical shading unit counts (384), TMUs (24), and ROPs (8), highlighting that architectural efficiency and memory throughput play a larger role than raw core counts in this specific benchmark.

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A’s win is further contextualized by its nearest rivals. Its score sits just 0.1% below the GeForce 840M (5,322) and 0.2% above the GeForce GTX 980M (5,308), placing it in a tight performance cluster with those older NVIDIA parts. The data shows it is also 0.6% ahead of the GeForce 940M (5,284) and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5,358). This suggests the 930A is a well-tuned entry-level part that punches slightly above its weight class in OpenCL compute.

The AMD Radeon R7 M360, by contrast, is anchored to a lower performance tier. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R7 M265, with an identical average score of 4,929 (0% delta). It also sits 0.6% above the AMD FirePro W5130M (4,904) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4,901), and 0.8% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (4,893). The inclusion of the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB in this list is an anomaly of the database’s averaging, but it underscores that the R7 M360 is competing with much older or lower-tier hardware in overall benchmark standings.

When comparing the two directly, the 14.6% delta is the headline number. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A does not just win; it wins by a wide enough margin to be considered in a different performance class for this workload. The AMD Radeon R7 M360’s higher base clock (1,100 MHz vs. 928 MHz) and boost clock (1,125 MHz vs. 941 MHz) are not enough to overcome its lower memory bandwidth (14.40 GB/s vs. 16.02 GB/s) and lower effective memory speed (1,800 Mbps vs. 2 Gbps). Clock speed alone does not dictate performance; the data suggests that memory subsystem efficiency and compute architecture are more critical factors in this comparison.

The Verdict

From the data, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is the superior part for general compute and likely all GPU-accelerated tasks. Its 14.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is a significant, quantifiable advantage that cannot be dismissed. The 930A also holds a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs, sitting at the 31st percentile versus the R7 M360’s 29th percentile. For any user prioritizing raw performance in applications that leverage OpenCL, such as video encoding, image processing, or light 3D rendering, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is the clear choice.

The AMD Radeon R7 M360 is not without merit, but its strengths are less visible in the benchmark data. It offers a higher theoretical pixel rate (9.000 GPixel/s vs. 7.528 GPixel/s) and texture rate (27.00 GTexel/s vs. 22.58 GTexel/s), alongside higher FP32 compute (864.0 GFLOPS vs. 722.7 GFLOPS). These numbers suggest the R7 M360 could be faster in specific fill-rate-bound or raw-shader-bound scenarios. However, the Geekbench OpenCL result, which is the only head-to-head data point, contradicts this theoretical advantage, indicating that real-world performance is influenced by factors beyond peak throughput specs.

For a laptop buyer, the GeForce 930A is the safer bet based on the benchmark evidence. It is also the older release (March 2015 vs. May 2015), suggesting NVIDIA had more time to mature its drivers. The R7 M360’s higher clock speeds and theoretical peak rates are tempting on paper, but the actual compute score tells a different story. The verdict is straightforward: the NVIDIA GeForce 930A wins the only benchmark where both are tested, and it wins convincingly.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 930A wins in the only direct benchmark tested, but the AMD Radeon R7 M360 claims theoretical victories in several specification categories. The 930A’s win is in OpenCL compute, a broad test that exercises general GPU throughput. This suggests the 930A is better suited for applications that rely on OpenCL acceleration, such as Adobe Premiere Pro effects, Blender’s Cycles renderer (in OpenCL mode), or various scientific computing tools. Its higher memory bandwidth (16.02 GB/s) is likely a key contributor to this success, as compute workloads often saturate memory.

The AMD Radeon R7 M360 wins on paper in peak fillrate and shader throughput. Its pixel rate of 9.000 GPixel/s is 19.6% higher than the 930A’s 7.528 GPixel/s. Similarly, its texture rate of 27.00 GTexel/s is 19.6% higher than the 930A’s 22.58 GTexel/s. Its FP32 compute of 864.0 GFLOPS is also 19.6% higher than the 930A’s 722.7 GFLOPS. These numbers are all derived from the higher clock speeds, but they do not translate into a benchmark win. This indicates that the R7 M360 might perform better in specific, lightweight scenarios that are purely fillrate-bound, such as older games with simple pixel shaders, but the lack of a winning benchmark makes this speculative.

The R7 M360 also has a newer DirectX feature level, supporting DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the 930A’s DirectX 12 (11_0). This means the AMD part is technically compliant with more modern graphics API features, though the practical impact on a 2015-era mobile GPU is likely minimal. The R7 M360 also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio (864.0 GFLOPS), while the 930A has no listed FP16 capability. This could be an advantage in emerging workloads that use half-precision arithmetic, but again, no benchmark data supports this advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A, with a score of 5,317, which is 14.6% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M360’s score of 4,638.

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

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

Q: What is the average benchmark score for the AMD Radeon R7 M360?

A: The R7 M360 has an average benchmark score of 4,931, based on its Geekbench OpenCL score of 4,638 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 5,223.

Q: Which GPU has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A has a higher memory bandwidth of 16.02 GB/s, compared to the AMD Radeon R7 M360’s 14.40 GB/s.

Q: What is the DirectX feature level of each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), giving the AMD part a newer feature level.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A ranks in the 31st percentile, while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 ranks in the 29th percentile.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A uses the GM108 chip, based on the Maxwell architecture, and is part of the GeForce 900A generation. The AMD Radeon R7 M360 uses the Meso chip, based on the GCN 3.0 architecture, and is part of the Gem System (R7 M300) generation. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the die sizes differ significantly. The NVIDIA chip is 77 mm² with 1,020 million transistors, while the AMD chip is 125 mm² with 1,550 million transistors. This means the AMD chip has a larger physical footprint and more transistors, but a slightly lower transistor density (12.4M / mm² vs. 13.2M / mm²).

The core configurations are identical in count: both have 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. However, the clock speeds differ. The NVIDIA 930A runs at a base clock of 928 MHz and a boost clock of 941 MHz, while the AMD R7 M360 runs at a base clock of 1,100 MHz and a boost clock of 1,125 MHz. The AMD part is clocked significantly higher, which contributes to its higher theoretical peak rates. In terms of memory, both use 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, but the NVIDIA part runs its memory at 2 Gbps effective, yielding 16.02 GB/s of bandwidth, while the AMD part runs at 1,800 Mbps effective, yielding 14.40 GB/s.

API support also differs. The NVIDIA 930A supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD R7 M360 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD part has a newer DirectX feature level, but NVIDIA has a newer Vulkan version. The AMD part also explicitly lists FP16 compute at 864.0 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio), whereas the NVIDIA part does not list FP16 support. Both use a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, and the NVIDIA part is designated as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and a 33 W TDP; the AMD part does not list a TDP, slot width, or power connector details.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights the fields where the two GPUs differ, based strictly on the the benchmark database data:

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce 930A | AMD Radeon R7 M360 |

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

| Chip | GM108 | Meso |

| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 3.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 900A | Gem System (R7 M300) |

| Transistors | 1,020 million | 1,550 million |

| Die Size | 77 mm² | 125 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.2M / mm² | 12.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 928 MHz | 1100 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 941 MHz | 1125 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1001 MHz, 2 Gbps effective | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective |

| Memory Bandwidth | 16.02 GB/s | 14.40 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 7.528 GPixel/s | 9.000 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 22.58 GTexel/s | 27.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 722.7 GFLOPS | 864.0 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | Not listed | 864.0 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 33 W | Not listed |

| Slot Width | IGP | Not listed |

| Power Connectors | None | Not listed |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2015-03-12 | 2015-05-04 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 800A | Solar System |

| Successor | Not listed | Polaris Mobile |

| Geekbench OpenCL Score | 5317 | 4638 |

| Geekbench Vulkan Score | Not listed | 5223 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 5317 | 4931 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 31 | 29 |

These differences paint a clear picture: the AMD part has higher clocks and peak theoretical throughput, but the NVIDIA part has higher memory bandwidth and a superior benchmark result. The specification sheet alone does not predict the OpenCL outcome, reinforcing the importance of real-world testing.