AMD Radeon R7 M360 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX130 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear split between the two mobile GPUs across the two benchmark applications, with each card claiming one victory. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 posts a score of 6102, while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 records 4638. This translates to a 31.6% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial margin in raw compute throughput. The MX130's OpenCL result also places it above its own average benchmark score of 5508, indicating that this workload plays to its architectural strengths. In contrast, the R7 M360's OpenCL score of 4638 falls well short of its own average of 4931, suggesting that this test does not fully utilize the AMD card's capabilities.

The situation reverses in Geekbench Vulkan. Here, the AMD Radeon R7 M360 scores 5223, edging out the NVIDIA GeForce MX130's 4914. The delta is 5.9% in favor of AMD, a much narrower margin than the OpenCL gap. Notably, the MX130's Vulkan result of 4914 is significantly lower than its OpenCL score, while the R7 M360's Vulkan score is higher than its OpenCL result. This pattern indicates that AMD's architecture handles the Vulkan API more efficiently relative to its own OpenCL performance, whereas NVIDIA's Maxwell design appears more optimized for OpenCL workloads in this comparison.

Looking at the broader context, the MX130's average benchmark score of 5508 places it at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M at 5501 (0.1% behind), the AMD Radeon R7 M440 at 5483 (0.5% behind), and the AMD FirePro M4000 at 5537 (0.5% ahead). The R7 M360, with an average score of 4931, sits at the 29th percentile. Its closest competitors are the AMD Radeon R7 M265 at 4929 (a 0% delta), the AMD FirePro W5130M at 4904 (0.6% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB at 4901 (0.6% behind). The percentile gap of 3 points between the two cards reflects the 577-point difference in their average scores.

When considering the head-to-head results, the 31.6% OpenCL victory for the MX130 is the dominant data point. It represents a far larger performance differential than the 5.9% Vulkan win for the R7 M360. In aggregate, the MX130's wins in the more demanding compute benchmark outweigh the R7 M360's narrower advantage in the graphics API test.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data suggests distinct use-case strengths for each GPU. The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 demonstrates clear superiority in OpenCL compute tasks. With a 31.6% lead over the R7 M360 in Geekbench OpenCL, the MX130 is the stronger choice for applications that leverage OpenCL acceleration, such as general-purpose GPU computing, video encoding, and certain productivity workloads. Its score of 6102 in this test is also 594 points higher than its own average, showing consistent performance in compute-heavy scenarios.

The AMD Radeon R7 M360, by contrast, shows better results in Vulkan-based graphics workloads. Its 5223 score in Geekbench Vulkan surpasses the MX130's 4914 by 309 points. This makes the R7 M360 the preferable option for games and applications that use the Vulkan API, which is increasingly common in modern titles and emulators. The R7 M360's Vulkan score also exceeds its OpenCL result by 585 points, indicating that its GCN 3.0 architecture responds well to Vulkan's low-level access model.

For users whose primary concern is overall compute performance across multiple APIs, the MX130's higher average benchmark score of 5508 versus 4931 gives it the edge. The database places the MX130 at the 32nd percentile, ahead of the R7 M360's 29th percentile. However, the R7 M360's Vulkan advantage should not be dismissed, as it represents a real, measurable strength in a modern graphics API. The two cards are effectively specialists in different domains: NVIDIA for OpenCL compute, AMD for Vulkan graphics.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 uses the GM108S chip based on the Maxwell architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The chip contains 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 13.2 million per mm². The AMD Radeon R7 M360 uses the Meso chip based on GCN 3.0, also built by TSMC on a 28 nm node. However, the AMD die is larger and more complex: 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, with a slightly lower transistor density of 12.4 million per mm². The R7 M360 is therefore a physically larger chip with about 52% more transistors, though this does not translate into higher benchmark scores.

Both GPUs share identical core counts: 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. The similarities end there. The MX130 operates at a base clock of 1109 MHz with a boost of 1189 MHz, while the R7 M360 runs at 1100 MHz base and 1125 MHz boost. The NVIDIA chip's higher clocks, combined with its Maxwell architecture, yield a pixel rate of 9.512 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 28.54 GTexel/s. The AMD chip manages 9.000 GPixel/s and 27.00 GTexel/s, respectively. In FP32 compute, the MX130 reaches 913.2 GFLOPS, slightly ahead of the R7 M360's 864.0 GFLOPS. The R7 M360 does offer FP16 at 864.0 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the MX130's FP16 figure is not recorded in the database.

Memory configuration is another major differentiator. The MX130 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 40.10 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M360 uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on the same 64-bit bus, but bandwidth drops to just 14.40 GB/s. This is a 2.8x difference in memory bandwidth, which likely contributes to the MX130's strong OpenCL showing. The memory clocks also differ: the MX130 runs at 1253 MHz with 5 Gbps effective data rate, while the R7 M360 runs at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective. The bus interface differs as well, with the MX130 using PCIe 3.0 x4 and the R7 M360 using PCIe 3.0 x8.

API support shows a notable split. The MX130 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The R7 M360 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD card has a higher DirectX feature level, which may explain its Vulkan performance advantage. The MX130 has a TDP of 30 W and uses no power connectors, fitting its integrated graphics platform (IGP) slot width. The R7 M360's TDP and power connector information is not recorded in the database. The MX130's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent, while the R7 M360's are not recorded.

The Verdict

The data presents a nuanced picture. For users prioritizing compute performance in OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 is the clear choice. Its 31.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, higher average score of 5508, and 32nd percentile ranking all point to superior raw compute capability. The MX130 also benefits from GDDR5 memory with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth, more than double the R7 M360's 14.40 GB/s, and higher FP32 throughput at 913.2 GFLOPS.

For users who primarily run Vulkan-based applications, the AMD Radeon R7 M360 offers a measurable advantage. Its 5223 Vulkan score beats the MX130 by 5.9%, and its DirectX 12 (12_0) support is more feature-complete than the MX130's DirectX 12 (11_0). The R7 M360's GCN 3.0 architecture, with more transistors and a larger die, appears better suited to modern API workloads despite its older release date of May 2015 compared to the MX130's November 2017 launch.

The MX130 is the better overall performer based on average benchmark scores and percentile ranking. The R7 M360 is the specialist for Vulkan graphics. Neither card dominates the other completely, and the choice depends on the workload. The MX130's OpenCL dominance is the single largest performance gap in the comparison, making it the safer default recommendation for general-purpose mobile computing. The R7 M360's Vulkan edge is real but narrow, and its DDR3 memory limitation is a significant handicap in memory-intensive tasks.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 has an average benchmark score of 5508, while the AMD Radeon R7 M360 scores 4931.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap between the two cards?

A: The MX130 scores 6102 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the R7 M360's 4638, a 31.6% difference in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R7 M360 win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the R7 M360 wins Geekbench Vulkan with 5223 points versus the MX130's 4914, a 5.9% margin.

Q: What memory type does the MX130 use?

A: The MX130 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the core counts of each GPU?

A: Both the MX130 and the R7 M360 have 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M360 has 1,550 million transistors, while the MX130 has 1,020 million. The Mesa chip, as it is called in the database, is larger at 125 mm² versus 77 mm² for the MX130.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce MX130 | AMD Radeon R7 M360 |

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

| Chip | GM108S | Meso |

| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 3.0 |

| Generation | GeForce MX (1xx) | Gem System (R7 M300) |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

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

| Die Size | 77 mm² | 125 mm² |

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

| Base Clock | 1109 MHz | 1100 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1189 MHz | 1125 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1253 MHz, 5 Gbps effective | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 40.10 GB/s | 14.40 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 9.512 GPixel/s | 9.000 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 28.54 GTexel/s | 27.00 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 913.2 GFLOPS | 864.0 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | Not recorded | 864.0 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 30 W | Not recorded |

| Slot Width | IGP | Not recorded |

| Power Connectors | None | Not recorded |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Not recorded |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2017-11-16T17:00:00.000Z | 2015-05-04T17:00:00.000Z |

| Predecessor | Not recorded | Solar System |

| Successor | Not recorded | Polaris Mobile |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 6102 | 4638 |

| Geekbench Vulkan | 4914 | 5223 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 5508 | 4931 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 32 | 29 |