AMD Radeon R7 M360 vs NVIDIA GeForce 930M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data splits the two mobile GPUs cleanly across the two tested workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce 930M posts a score of 5046, which is 8.1% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M360's 4638. That margin is meaningful for compute-focused tasks, and it places the 930M ahead of its own nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M, which averages 4411.

The Geekbench Vulkan test tells the opposite story. Here the AMD Radeon R7 M360 dominates with a score of 5223, a full 40.1% ahead of the GeForce 930M's 3729. This is the largest delta between the two parts in any measured metric, and it highlights a stark difference in API-level performance. The R7 M360's Vulkan result is also well above its own average benchmark score of 4931, suggesting the architecture handles this workload particularly well.

Looking at the composite picture, the average benchmark score for the AMD part is 4931, while the NVIDIA part averages 4388. That puts the R7 M360 roughly 12% higher overall, despite losing the OpenCL round. The AMD chip also sits at the 29th percentile among all GPUs, while the NVIDIA chip sits at the 26th percentile. Both are squarely in the lower half of the performance distribution, but the AMD part holds a consistent edge in the aggregate.

The win count is even: one benchmark win for each side. The NVIDIA GeForce 930M takes OpenCL, and the AMD Radeon R7 M360 takes Vulkan. What matters for a potential buyer is which workload dominates their usage, because the gap in Vulkan is five times larger than the gap in OpenCL.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 930M wins in OpenCL compute workloads. Its score of 5046 versus 4638 represents an 8.1% advantage, and that edge is consistent with its placement among rivals: it sits just 0.5% behind the GeForce GT 645M and 0.7% ahead of the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200. For users running OpenCL-based applications, such as certain media encoders or physics simulations, the 930M is the better choice.

The AMD Radeon R7 M360 wins decisively in Vulkan workloads. Its 5223 score is 40.1% above the NVIDIA part, and it also compares favorably to its own nearest rivals: it matches the R7 M265 (0% delta), sits 0.6% ahead of the FirePro W5130M, and 0.6% ahead of the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB. That last comparison is notable, as the R7 M360 outperforms a modern desktop GPU in this specific test, likely due to driver optimization or workload characteristics.

For gaming, the Vulkan advantage matters because many modern titles use Vulkan as a primary API. The 40.1% lead in that test suggests the R7 M360 could deliver smoother frame rates in Vulkan-based games, even though the raw compute numbers favor NVIDIA. Conversely, the OpenCL lead for the 930M is relevant for productivity apps that rely on OpenCL for GPU acceleration.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 M360 uses the Meso chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The die contains 1,550 million transistors across a 125 mm² area, giving a transistor density of 12.4 million per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce 930M uses the GM108S chip on Maxwell architecture, also fabricated on 28 nm at TSMC, but with 1,020 million transistors on a smaller 77 mm² die, resulting in a higher density of 13.2 million per mm².

Clock behavior differs substantially. The AMD part runs at a base clock of 1100 MHz and boosts to 1125 MHz. The NVIDIA part is locked at 549 MHz for both base and boost. That is roughly a 2x difference in clock speed, which explains why the AMD chip achieves 864.0 GFLOPS of FP32 throughput versus 421.6 GFLOPS for NVIDIA, despite both having 384 shading units.

Memory architecture is similar on paper: both use 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus. But the AMD part runs memory at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective, yielding 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA part runs memory at 800 MHz with 1600 Mbps effective, yielding 12.80 GB/s. The AMD part has an 11% bandwidth advantage.

The AMD chip also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, meaning 864.0 GFLOPS of half-precision throughput. The NVIDIA part lists no FP16 capability in the database. For workloads that use half-precision, the AMD architecture has a clear feature advantage.

The transistor counts tell a story of design philosophy. The AMD die packs 50% more transistors into a 62% larger area, which suggests more complex compute logic. The NVIDIA die is denser per mm² but simpler overall, relying on higher clocks per transistor to achieve performance.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ in several measurable specifications beyond the benchmark scores. The AMD Radeon R7 M360 uses the Meso chip with GCN 3.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930M uses GM108S with Maxwell architecture. The AMD part has a transistor count of 1,550 million on a 125 mm² die, versus 1,020 million on 77 mm² for NVIDIA.

Clock speeds diverge sharply: the AMD base clock is 1100 MHz with a boost of 1125 MHz, while the NVIDIA base and boost are both 549 MHz. Memory clocks also differ: AMD runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), NVIDIA at 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective). This produces a bandwidth gap of 14.40 GB/s versus 12.80 GB/s.

Pixel fill rate favors AMD at 9.000 GPixel/s versus 4.392 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture fill rate follows the same pattern: 27.00 GTexel/s for AMD versus 13.18 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 throughput is 864.0 GFLOPS for AMD versus 421.6 GFLOPS for NVIDIA. The AMD part also lists FP16 at 864.0 GFLOPS, while NVIDIA has no FP16 figure.

Power and physical specs show NVIDIA as the more modest part. The GeForce 930M has a TDP of 33 W, uses no power connectors, and is classified as an integrated graphics package (IGP). The AMD Radeon R7 M360 has no TDP listed in the database, which makes direct power comparison impossible from the recorded data.

API support differs in notable ways. AMD lists DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. NVIDIA lists DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Vulkan version difference is significant: NVIDIA supports a much newer spec, yet the AMD part scores far higher in the Vulkan benchmark. This suggests that hardware design matters more than API version support in this comparison.

The bus interface is identical: PCIe 3.0 x8 for both. Display outputs differ only in that NVIDIA's are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," while AMD's are not specified. Both parts are end-of-life, with the AMD releasing on May 4, 2015, and the NVIDIA on March 12, 2015.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M360 averages 4931 across its recorded benchmarks, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930M averages 4388. That is a 12% advantage for the AMD part.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M360 scores 5223 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 40.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 930M's 3729. This is the widest margin in any recorded test.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce 930M win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA part wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 5046, beating the AMD Radeon R7 M360's 4638 by 8.1%.

Q: What memory bandwidth does each GPU provide?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M360 provides 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth from its DDR3 memory running at 900 MHz. The NVIDIA GeForce 930M provides 12.80 GB/s from DDR3 running at 800 MHz.

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare?

A: Both GPUs have 384 shading units and 24 texture mapping units and 8 ROPs. The difference in performance comes from clock speeds, not core counts.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930M supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. Despite this, the AMD part scores 40.1% higher in the Vulkan benchmark.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload. For users who prioritize OpenCL compute tasks, the NVIDIA GeForce 930M is the better option, with an 8.1% lead in that specific benchmark. Its average score of 4388 sits just 0.5% below the GeForce GT 645M, making it a competitive choice within its immediate peer group.

For users who run Vulkan-based applications or games, the AMD Radeon R7 M360 is the stronger pick. Its 40.1% lead in Vulkan is decisive, and its average score of 4931 places it ahead of several rivals, including the R7 M265 and FirePro W5130M. The AMD part also holds advantages in raw throughput metrics: higher pixel rate, higher texture rate, and more than double the FP32 throughput.

The overall average benchmark score favors the AMD part by roughly 12%, and its 29th percentile ranking versus the NVIDIA's 26th percentile confirms that edge in the broader GPU landscape. The NVIDIA part's lower power draw of 33 W may matter for thin-and-light laptops, but the database does not record a TDP for the AMD part, so no direct power comparison is possible.

Ultimately, the choice hinges on the intended software environment. Vulkan-centric users should choose the AMD Radeon R7 M360. OpenCL-centric users should choose the NVIDIA GeForce 930M. For a balanced mix of both workloads, the AMD part's larger average score and its massive Vulkan advantage make it the safer all-around pick, despite losing the OpenCL round.