AMD Radeon R7 M370 vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M370 and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M represent two distinct mobile graphics generations, and the benchmark data reflects a clear, albeit modest, performance shift. In the only available head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, the R7 M370 scores 7063 points against the GT 555M’s 6493 points. This results in a delta of 8.8% in favor of the AMD part. While this single score is not a landslide victory, it establishes a consistent performance lead for the newer architecture. The R7 M370 also holds a higher percentile ranking at 38, compared to the GT 555M’s 37, placing both cards in the lower-middle tier of all GPUs, but with the AMD chip edging out its rival by a narrow margin.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, which measures general-purpose compute performance. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 achieves a score of 7063, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M trails with 6493. This is an 8.8% advantage for the AMD card, a meaningful gap in raw compute throughput. The data indicates that the R7 M370 is the clear winner in this metric, with the delta being substantial enough to represent a tangible performance tier difference. The GT 555M’s score of 6493 places it close to rivals like the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, which scores 6481 (a 0.2% delta), and the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile at 6476 (a 0.3% delta). This context shows the GT 555M is not isolated in its performance class, but it is firmly below the R7 M370. The R7 M370’s 7063 score is also bracketed by its own rivals, sitting just 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 (6698) and 2.3% above the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6612), while being 2.6% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M (6946). This positioning confirms that the R7 M370 operates in a slightly higher performance band than the GT 555M.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the benchmark results, the AMD Radeon R7 M370 wins in every measurable category where data exists. The Geekbench OpenCL score is the only direct comparison, and the AMD part takes it with an 8.8% margin. This suggests that for any workload leveraging OpenCL compute—such as video encoding, physics simulations, or general-purpose GPU tasks—the R7 M370 is the superior choice. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M, with its lower score, does not win any of the head-to-head benchmarks listed. However, the GT 555M does have a higher pixel rate relative to its compute score, but this is not a direct benchmark win. In terms of raw scores, the R7 M370 is unambiguously ahead. The data shows no scenario where the GT 555M outperforms the R7 M370 in the provided tests. Therefore, the use-case split is straightforward: for compute-heavy tasks, the AMD card is the pick. For any task leveraging the specific feature set of the NVIDIA card, such as its 16 ROPs versus the R7 M370’s 8, the benchmark data does not provide a comparative score; it only shows the GT 555M’s pixel rate is 3.540 GPixel/s, which is lower than the R7 M370’s 7.680 GPixel/s.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear verdict: the AMD Radeon R7 M370 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M in the single available benchmark. With an 8.8% lead in OpenCL compute and a higher percentile ranking, the R7 M370 is the stronger performer. Users prioritizing compute performance should select the AMD card. The GT 555M, while functional, is relegated to a lower performance tier. Its only potential advantage lies in its feature set, such as support for Vulkan, which the R7 M370 also supports, or its higher ROP count, but the benchmark data does not quantify a benefit from these specs. The GT 555M’s average score of 6493 places it 0.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M and 0.9% below the Intel UHD Graphics P750, indicating it is at the bottom of its immediate peer group. Conversely, the R7 M370’s average score of 6764 is 1% above the GT 1010 and 2.3% above the R7 M460, placing it near the top of its own peer group. The choice is clear: the R7 M370 wins on performance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M370 scores 7063, while the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M scores 6493, giving the AMD card an 8.8% lead.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GT 555M has an average score of 6493. It is 0.2% above the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (6481), 0.3% above the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile (6476), 0.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513), and 0.9% below the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554).

Q: What is the average benchmark score for the AMD Radeon R7 M370?

A: The average benchmark score for the R7 M370 is 6764, which is higher than the GT 555M’s 6493 and ranks it at the 38th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M support Vulkan?

A: No, the GT 555M’s API list includes DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but no Vulkan version is provided. The R7 M370 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel rate?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M370 has a pixel rate of 7.680 GPixel/s, which is more than double the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M’s 3.540 GPixel/s.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The R7 M370 has 57.60 GB/s of bandwidth with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GT 555M has 28.80 GB/s with 1 GB of DDR3 memory. The R7 M370’s bandwidth is exactly double.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is significant. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture using the "Litho" chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M uses the Fermi architecture with the GF106 chip, on a much older 40 nm process, also at TSMC. This process difference is reflected in the transistor density: the R7 M370 packs 950 million transistors into a 77 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.3 million transistors per mm². The GT 555M, with 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, has a density of only 4.9 million per mm². The R7 M370’s GCN design features 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The GT 555M has 144 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support. The R7 M370’s memory interface is a 128-bit bus with GDDR5 at 3.6 Gbps effective, while the GT 555M uses a 128-bit bus with DDR3 at 1800 Mbps effective. The R7 M370 also has a higher peak FP32 throughput at 737.3 GFLOPS, compared to the GT 555M’s 339.8 GFLOPS.

Specification Differences

The specifications where the two cards differ are numerous and decisive. The process node differs: the R7 M370 is on 28 nm, while the GT 555M is on 40 nm. Transistor count is 950 million for the AMD chip versus 1,170 million for the NVIDIA chip, and die size is 77 mm² versus 238 mm². The R7 M370 has a base clock of 875 MHz and a boost clock of 960 MHz, whereas the GT 555M has no listed base or boost clock. Memory configuration diverges sharply: the R7 M370 has 2 GB of GDDR5, while the GT 555M has 1024 MB of DDR3. Memory bandwidth is 57.60 GB/s for the AMD card versus 28.80 GB/s for the NVIDIA card. The shading unit count is 384 versus 144, and the ROP count is 8 versus 16. Pixel rate is 7.680 GPixel/s versus 3.540 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 23.04 GTexel/s versus 14.16 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 737.3 GFLOPS versus 339.8 GFLOPS. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x8 for the R7 M370 and PCIe 2.0 x16 for the GT 555M. The TDP is listed only for the GT 555M at 35 W. Release dates are 2015-05-04 for the AMD card and 2011-07-01 for the NVIDIA card. The display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent" only for the GT 555M. Finally, the R7 M370 has a higher average benchmark score of 6764 and a higher percentile of 38, compared to the GT 555M’s 6493 and 37.