AMD Radeon R7 M365X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single direct benchmark comparison between these two GPUs, and it is a decisive victory for the AMD Radeon R7 M365X. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD part scores 5939 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893 points. That translates to a 21.4% advantage for the AMD card, which is a substantial margin in raw compute performance.

Looking at the broader database, the AMD Radeon R7 M365X sits in the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 5416. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon 610M (5444, delta of -0.5%), the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (5370, delta of 0.9%), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (5467, delta of -0.9%), and the AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5358, delta of 1.1%). The data shows the R7 M365X is essentially neck-and-neck with these peers, with deltas all within roughly one percentage point. This indicates that while the R7 M365X clearly outperforms the GTS 450 in this head-to-head, it is not a standout in its own performance tier.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, by contrast, sits in the 28th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 4893. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901, delta of -0.2%), the AMD FirePro W5130M (4904, delta of -0.2%), the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4867, delta of 0.5%), and the AMD Radeon R7 M265 (4929, delta of -0.7%). Again, the GTS 450 is clustered tightly with these competitors. What is striking is that the GTS 450's OpenCL score of 4893 is identical to its average benchmark score, meaning this single test represents its full recorded profile.

The 21.4% delta between the two cards in the head-to-head is the single most important number in this comparison. It is not a marginal win; it is a clear generational and architectural gap. The AMD part produces roughly one-fifth more compute throughput in this workload. However, the head-to-head data only covers one test, so the full picture requires examining what each architecture brings to the table.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 M365X is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The chip, codenamed Litho, contains 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per mm². This is a mobile-oriented part from the Gem System generation, specifically the R7 M300 series, released on May 4, 2015. Its predecessor is listed as Solar System, and its successor is Polaris Mobile.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 uses the Fermi architecture, built on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. The GF106 chip contains 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, which gives a much lower transistor density of 4.9 million per mm². This is a desktop part from the GeForce 400 generation, released much earlier on September 12, 2010. Its predecessor is the GeForce 200 series, and its successor is the GeForce 500 series.

The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 40 nm. The AMD part packs more transistors per square millimeter, which is a direct result of the newer manufacturing process. Despite having fewer total transistors (950 million vs 1,170 million), the AMD chip achieves a smaller die size (77 mm² vs 238 mm²). This is a clear indicator of architectural efficiency improvements over the five years between their releases.

Memory configurations are similar in capacity and type: both have 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. However, the AMD card runs its memory at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective, yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card runs at 902 MHz with 3.6 Gbps effective, yielding 57.73 GB/s. The AMD part has a modest bandwidth advantage of about 11%.

The compute units differ substantially. The AMD R7 M365X has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA GTS 450 has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The AMD card has twice as many shaders, while the NVIDIA card has more TMUs and ROPs. This explains the pixel rate and texture rate differences: the AMD card achieves 6.600 GPixel/s and 19.80 GTexel/s, while the NVIDIA card achieves 6.264 GPixel/s and 25.06 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA card is faster at texturing, but the AMD card is slightly faster at pixel fill and much faster at FP32 compute: 633.6 GFLOPS versus 601.3 GFLOPS.

The API support also differs. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded. This is a notable feature gap for modern workloads.

The bus interface differs as well: the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the NVIDIA card uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The AMD card also has no recorded TDP, slot width, power connectors, or suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA card has a TDP of 106 W, a dual-slot design, a 1x 6-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The NVIDIA card is physically larger, measuring 210 mm in length and 111 mm in height.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the recorded benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M365X scores 5939 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 21.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450's score of 4893.

Q: How does each GPU compare to its closest rivals in the database?

A: The AMD R7 M365X has an average score of 5416, with nearest rivals within a range of -0.9% to +1.1%. The NVIDIA GTS 450 has an average score of 4893, with nearest rivals within a range of -0.7% to +0.5%.

Q: What are the architectural differences in terms of process node and die size?

A: The AMD R7 M365X uses a 28 nm process with a 77 mm² die and 950 million transistors. The NVIDIA GTS 450 uses a 40 nm process with a 238 mm² die and 1,170 million transistors.

Q: Do both cards support the same graphics APIs?

A: No. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The AMD R7 M365X has 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, while the NVIDIA GTS 450 has 57.73 GB/s. Both use 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD R7 M365X has 384 shading units, exactly double the NVIDIA GTS 450's 192 shading units.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for general compute tasks: the AMD Radeon R7 M365X. Its 21.4% lead in the OpenCL benchmark is substantial, and its higher FP32 throughput (633.6 GFLOPS vs 601.3 GFLOPS) reinforces this. The AMD card also offers modern API support including Vulkan, which the NVIDIA card lacks entirely. For any workload that leverages Vulkan or newer DirectX 12 features, the AMD card is the only option of the two.

However, the NVIDIA GTS 450 has its own strengths in specific areas. It has higher texture fill rate (25.06 GTexel/s vs 19.80 GTexel/s) and double the ROPs (16 vs 8), which suggests it could be better suited for texture-heavy or certain rasterization tasks. The NVIDIA card also has a higher transistor count (1,170 million vs 950 million), though this is due to its larger, older process node.

The percentile rankings tell the broader story: the AMD card sits at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA card sits at the 28th percentile. Both are low-end parts by modern standards, but the AMD card is measurably higher in the distribution. The nearest rival data shows both cards are closely matched with their respective peers, so neither is an outlier in its own tier.

For a consumer choosing between these two today, the AMD R7 M365X is the more capable part in compute and API compatibility. The NVIDIA GTS 450 is a legacy desktop card with a higher power draw (106 W TDP) and physical size (dual-slot, 210 mm length), whereas the AMD card appears to be a more efficient mobile part with no recorded TDP or slot width. The AMD card's PCIe 3.0 x8 interface is also newer than the NVIDIA's PCIe 2.0 x16.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 M365X | NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Fermi |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 950 million | 1,170 million |

| Die Size | 77 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz, 4 Gbps effective | 902 MHz, 3.6 Gbps effective |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | 57.73 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 192 |

| TMUs | 24 | 32 |

| ROPs | 8 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 6.600 GPixel/s | 6.264 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 19.80 GTexel/s | 25.06 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 633.6 GFLOPS | 601.3 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not recorded | 106 W |

| Slot Width | Not recorded | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not recorded | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Not recorded | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | None |

| Release Date | 2015-05-04 | 2010-09-12 |

| Generation | Gem System (R7 M300) | GeForce 400 |

| Predecessor | Solar System | GeForce 200 |

| Successor | Polaris Mobile | GeForce 500 |

| Dimensions | Not recorded | 210 mm length, 111 mm height |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M365X wins in compute throughput, which is the primary metric recorded. Its 5939 OpenCL score versus 4893 is a 21.4% advantage. It also wins in FP32 peak performance, memory bandwidth, pixel rate, and API support. The Vulkan 1.2.170 support is particularly important for modern games and compute applications that can leverage this API. The AMD card also has a newer process node and higher transistor density, indicating better efficiency per square millimeter.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 wins in texture fill rate, with 25.06 GTexel/s versus 19.80 GTexel/s. It also has double the ROPs, which can benefit certain rendering paths. The NVIDIA card has a wider bus interface (PCIe 2.0 x16 vs PCIe 3.0 x8), which may matter in bandwidth-constrained scenarios, though the newer PCIe standard on the AMD card could compensate. The NVIDIA card also has a higher total transistor count, though this is a function of its older, larger process.

In terms of physical characteristics, the NVIDIA card is a known desktop form factor with a 106 W TDP and dual-slot design, while the AMD card has no recorded power or size data, suggesting it is a mobile part with different thermal constraints. The NVIDIA card has documented display outputs (2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI), while the AMD card's outputs are not recorded.

For use cases, the AMD R7 M365X is the better choice for OpenCL compute workloads, Vulkan-based applications, and any scenario where modern API support is required. The NVIDIA GTS 450 might be preferred in texture-heavy workloads or situations where the higher ROP count and texture rate provide tangible benefits. However, given the single recorded benchmark and the 21.4% delta, the AMD card is the stronger overall performer in the data presented.