AMD Radeon R7 M370 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE and the AMD Radeon R7 M370 represent two very different approaches to mobile and desktop graphics, separated by roughly three years of architectural evolution. The data shows a narrow overall victory for the older NVIDIA part in the single available benchmark, but the story is more complex than a simple score comparison, as each card brings distinct strengths in memory capacity, feature support, and raw compute characteristics.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark recorded, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a score of 7171 against the AMD Radeon R7 M370's 7063. That 1.5% delta is the entire basis for its single win in the wins column. More significantly, the GTX 560 SE holds a decisive advantage in memory bandwidth: 91.87 GB/s versus the R7 M370's 57.60 GB/s, a 59% gap. This bandwidth advantage is paired with a wider 192-bit memory bus compared to the AMD part's 128-bit bus. The NVIDIA card also has a higher pixel rate (8.832 GPixel/s vs 7.680 GPixel/s) and a substantially higher texture rate (35.33 GTexel/s vs 23.04 GTexel/s), suggesting it can fill geometry and textures faster in fill-rate-bound scenarios. Its 24 ROPs triple the AMD part's 8 ROPs, which historically translates to better performance at higher resolutions and with heavy anti-aliasing.

The AMD Radeon R7 M370 takes the win in almost every other measurable category. It offers double the memory capacity at 2 GB versus 1024 MB, which is crucial for modern workloads and higher-resolution textures. The AMD part also has a higher shading unit count at 384 versus 288, and it supports more modern API features, including DirectX 12 (11_1) versus the NVIDIA's DirectX 12 (11_0), as well as Vulkan 1.2.170 support, which the GTX 560 SE lacks entirely. The R7 M370 also has a higher boost clock of 960 MHz compared to the GTX 560 SE's unspecified base/boost clocks (only its memory clock of 957 MHz is listed). It also benefits from a more advanced 28 nm process node versus the 40 nm node of the GTX 560 SE, and it supports PCIe 3.0 x8 versus the GTX 560 SE's PCIe 2.0 x16. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the R7 M370 scores 6465, a benchmark category where the GTX 560 SE has no recorded result, indicating the AMD card can run modern compute APIs that the NVIDIA card cannot.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the choice between these two cards depends entirely on the workload. For raw compute throughput in the single recorded OpenCL test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE is the pick, eking out a 1.5% lead over the AMD part. Its higher bandwidth, fill rates, and ROP count make it the stronger candidate for classic rasterization-heavy gaming at lower resolutions, where memory capacity is less of a constraint.

For any modern application or game that requires more than 1 GB of video memory, the AMD Radeon R7 M370 is the only viable option. Its 2 GB frame buffer is a hard requirement for many contemporary titles and compute workloads. Furthermore, the R7 M370's Vulkan support and higher DirectX feature level mean it can access APIs that the GTX 560 SE simply cannot, making it the more future-proof choice for software that leverages these newer interfaces. The AMD card also achieves its performance with a much smaller and more efficient chip, as indicated by its 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die versus the GTX 560 SE's 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die. Users prioritizing software compatibility and memory capacity should favor the R7 M370, while those chasing the highest single-threaded compute score in OpenCL should lean toward the GTX 560 SE.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE scores 7171 against the AMD Radeon R7 M370's 7063. This 1.5% delta is remarkably close, placing the two cards in nearly identical performance tiers. The GTX 560 SE's victory here is likely attributable to its superior memory bandwidth (91.87 GB/s vs 57.60 GB/s) and higher texture fill rate (35.33 GTexel/s vs 23.04 GTexel/s), which can feed compute shaders more effectively in certain OpenCL workloads.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is where the R7 M370 establishes a clear advantage, scoring 6465. The GTX 560 SE has no recorded Vulkan score, which means it cannot participate in this benchmark at all. This is a categorical win for the AMD part, not a matter of degree. The R7 M370's support for Vulkan 1.2.170 opens up a modern cross-platform graphics and compute API that is completely inaccessible to the Fermi 2.0 architecture of the GTX 560 SE. When comparing the R7 M370's OpenCL score of 7063 to its Vulkan score of 6465, the data shows an 8.5% performance difference between the two APIs on the same hardware, indicating that OpenCL is the stronger workload for this GCN 1.0 part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher raw compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE leads with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 7171, which is 1.5% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M370's score of 7063.

Q: Can the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE run Vulkan applications?

A: No, the data shows no Vulkan score for the GTX 560 SE, and its API list does not include Vulkan support. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 6465.

Q: Which card has more video memory?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M370 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, which is double the 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE has a significantly higher memory bandwidth of 91.87 GB/s over a 192-bit bus, while the AMD Radeon R7 M370 has 57.60 GB/s over a 128-bit bus.

Q: What are the transistor and die size differences?

A: The GTX 560 SE uses 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, while the R7 M370 uses 950 million transistors on a much smaller 77 mm² die, reflecting the newer 28 nm process node versus the 40 nm node.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M370 has 384 shading units, which is more than the 288 shading units found on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is stark. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF114 chip, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This is a large, power-hungry design with 1,950 million transistors packed into a 332 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9 million transistors per mm². Its memory subsystem is built around a 192-bit bus with 1024 MB of GDDR5, delivering 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU features 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Its compute capabilities are rated at 847.9 GFLOPS FP32, with a pixel rate of 8.832 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 35.33 GTexel/s. The card has a TDP of 150 W, requires a dual-slot cooler with 2x 6-pin power connectors, and is rated for a 450 W power supply. It connects via PCIe 2.0 x16 and supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but notably lacks Vulkan support. Its display outputs are limited to 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, and it measures 210 mm in length.

The AMD Radeon R7 M370, in contrast, is based on the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Litho chip, fabricated on a much more efficient 28 nm process at TSMC. It uses only 950 million transistors on a compact 77 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 12.3 million transistors per mm². The memory interface is narrower at 128 bits, but the card ships with double the capacity at 2 GB of GDDR5, running at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) to deliver 57.60 GB/s of bandwidth. It has more shading units (384) but fewer TMUs (24) and ROPs (8) than the NVIDIA part. Its compute is rated at 737.3 GFLOPS FP32, with lower pixel and texture rates of 7.680 GPixel/s and 23.04 GTexel/s respectively. The R7 M370 has a base clock of 875 MHz and a boost clock of 960 MHz, while the GTX 560 SE's base and boost clocks are not listed in the data. Crucially, the AMD part supports PCIe 3.0 x8, DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. It also has no listed TDP, slot width, power connectors, or display outputs, indicating a design intended for mobile integration. The GTX 560 SE's launch date is February 2012, while the R7 M370's is May 2015, reflecting the generational gap in their underlying technologies.