AMD Radeon R7 M360 vs NVIDIA Quadro K3000M Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data presents a clear, if narrow, outcome. The AMD Radeon R7 M360 outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M in the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 4638 against 4241, a 9.4% advantage. This single data point defines the entire comparison. The R7 M360 is the faster part in raw compute workloads, while the K3000M, despite its older release, holds its own in a different segment.

The R7 M360 is the choice for users prioritizing general compute performance and modern feature support. Its OpenCL victory, combined with support for DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the K3000M's DirectX 12 (11_0), makes it the more future-proof option for gaming and general application workloads. Its higher average benchmark score of 4931, compared to 4241 for the K3000M, reinforces this positioning.

The NVIDIA Quadro K3000M, however, is not without merit. It is a professional mobile workstation part, indicated by its MXM Module form factor and its "Quadro Kepler-M" generation. While its raw compute score is lower, its architecture and memory subsystem are geared toward different tasks. The database shows it is an end-of-life product with a 25th percentile standing against all GPUs, versus the R7 M360's 29th percentile. For users in need of a legacy professional solution with specific driver and form factor requirements, the K3000M remains a relevant, albeit slower, option. The data does not support a verdict favoring the K3000M on performance, but it does suggest it is a distinct product for a distinct market.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The AMD Radeon R7 M360 uses the GCN 3.0 architecture on the Meso chip, while the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M uses the Kepler architecture on the GK104 chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but their internal designs diverge significantly.

The R7 M360 packs 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.4M per mm². In contrast, the K3000M houses 3,540 million transistors on a much larger 294 mm² die, with a slightly lower density of 12.0M per mm². This indicates the Kepler chip is a more complex, larger design, likely with more specialized hardware.

The R7 M360 features 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 8 raster operation units (ROPs). The K3000M counters with 576 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This disparity in core counts is a key architectural difference. The R7 M360 achieves higher peak pixel and texture rates in some respects, but the K3000M's higher TMU and ROP counts suggest different strengths in geometry and fill-rate-bound tasks.

Memory architecture also differs sharply. The R7 M360 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The K3000M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 89.60 GB/s. This is a massive difference in memory throughput, indicating the K3000M was designed for data-intensive professional workloads, even if its compute core is slower in OpenCL.

The R7 M360 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The K3000M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. While both support modern APIs, the R7 M360 has a higher DirectX feature level. The K3000M also has a TDP of 75 W, whereas the R7 M360's TDP is not recorded in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. Here, the AMD Radeon R7 M360 wins decisively. It scores 4638, while the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M scores 4241. This represents a 9.4% advantage for the AMD part. This is the single head-to-head result, and it gives the R7 M360 one win, with zero wins for the K3000M.

The average benchmark score for the R7 M360 is 4931, which is its score across both recorded Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests. The K3000M has only one recorded benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, so its average is 4241. This 690-point gap in average scores further illustrates the R7 M360's overall performance lead.

The R7 M360's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon R7 M265 (avg score 4929, delta 0%), the AMD FirePro W5130M (avg score 4904, delta 0.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (avg score 4901, delta 0.6%). This places the R7 M360 in a competitive bracket where its performance is nearly identical to these other parts, all within 0.8% of each other.

The K3000M's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Vega 3 (avg score 4268, delta -0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (avg score 4282, delta -1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (avg score 4193, delta 1.2%). This shows that the K3000M's performance level is comparable to older mainstream mobile GPUs and low-end modern parts, but it sits below the R7 M360's performance tier.

Specification Differences

The two products differ across nearly every core specification. The R7 M360 has a base clock of 1100 MHz and a boost clock of 1125 MHz, while the K3000M operates at a flat 654 MHz for both base and boost. The R7 M360's memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), while the K3000M's memory runs at 700 MHz (2.8 Gbps effective).

The R7 M360 has a 64-bit memory bus and 14.40 GB/s bandwidth, while the K3000M has a 256-bit bus and 89.60 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 M360 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The K3000M has 576 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Pixel rate favors the R7 M360 at 9.000 GPixel/s versus 7.848 GPixel/s for the K3000M. Texture rate favors the K3000M at 31.39 GTexel/s versus 27.00 GTexel/s for the R7 M360. FP32 compute favors the R7 M360 at 864.0 GFLOPS versus 753.4 GFLOPS for the K3000M.

The R7 M360 has a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the K3000M uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface and is a 75 W MXM Module with no power connectors. The R7 M360's display outputs are not recorded, while the K3000M's are listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

The R7 M360 was released on 2015-05-04, while the K3000M was released on 2012-05-31. Both are end-of-life products. The R7 M360's predecessor is listed as "Solar System" and successor as "Polaris Mobile." The K3000M's predecessor is "Quadro Fermi-M" and successor is "Quadro Maxwell-M."

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M360 is faster, scoring 4638 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to 4241 for the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M, a 9.4% difference.

Q: Do both GPUs support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes. Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan. The R7 M360 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the K3000M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), which is a lower feature level.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The K3000M has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 89.60 GB/s over a 256-bit bus, while the R7 M360 has only 14.40 GB/s over a 64-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K3000M has more shading units, with 576, compared to the R7 M360's 384.

Q: What are the form factor differences?

A: The R7 M360 uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the K3000M is an MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) interface and a 75 W TDP.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The R7 M360 has an average benchmark score of 4931, while the K3000M has an average of 4241. The R7 M360 sits at the 29th percentile of all GPUs, while the K3000M sits at the 25th percentile.