AMD Radeon R7 M370 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M and AMD Radeon R7 M370 represent two distinct generations of mobile graphics, with the data showing a clear performance hierarchy. The GTX 680M, a high-end Kepler part from 2012, holds an average benchmark score of 7023, placing it in the 39th percentile of all GPUs. The R7 M370, a mid-range GCN 1.0 chip from 2015, scores 6764 on average, sitting at the 38th percentile. While the 3.7% raw score difference may seem modest, the head-to-head results reveal a more significant gap in compute workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisive. The GTX 680M scores 9230, while the R7 M370 manages 7063. That is a 30.7% advantage for the NVIDIA part. In practical terms, this means the GTX 680M delivers nearly a third more raw compute throughput in this OpenCL workload. The margin is substantial enough to classify these cards in different performance tiers, despite their adjacent percentile rankings.

Looking at the broader context, the GTX 680M’s average score of 7023 places it 0.2% behind the NVIDIA T600 (7035) and 1.9% behind the GeForce GTX 970 (7157). It also edges out the GeForce GTX 675M by 1.1% (6946). The R7 M370, with its 6764 average, sits 1% behind the AMD FirePro M5100 (6830) but 1% ahead of the GeForce GT 1010 (6698). It trails the GTX 675M by 2.6%, which is notable because that NVIDIA part is from the same generation as the 680M and is itself slower than the 680M.

The OpenCL result aligns with the specification disparity. The GTX 680M’s 30.7% lead in this benchmark is consistent with its larger memory bus and higher shading unit count. There is no counterbalancing win for the AMD card in the provided data — the R7 M370 has zero wins in the head-to-head comparison. This is a one-sided matchup in compute performance, though the R7 M370 does have a Vulkan score of 6465, a test the GTX 680M does not have data for.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on the same 28 nm TSMC process node, but their internal designs diverge sharply. The GTX 680M uses the GK104 chip under NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture, packing 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die. The R7 M370 uses AMD’s Litho chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, containing just 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die. This explains the transistor density similarity — 12.0M / mm² for NVIDIA versus 12.3M / mm² for AMD — but the sheer scale difference is enormous. The GTX 680M has nearly four times the transistor budget.

That scale translates directly into compute resources. The GTX 680M features 1344 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The R7 M370 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and just 8 ROPs. Clock speeds partially compensate for the AMD part’s smaller configuration: the R7 M370 runs at 875 MHz base and 960 MHz boost, while the GTX 680M operates at 719 MHz base and 758 MHz boost. However, the NVIDIA card’s raw resource advantage overwhelms the clock deficit. Pixel rate tells the story: 21.22 GPixel/s for the GTX 680M versus 7.68 GPixel/s for the R7 M370. Texture rate is similarly lopsided at 84.90 GTexel/s versus 23.04 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance follows suit, with the GTX 680M delivering 2.038 TFLOPS against the R7 M370’s 737.3 GFLOPS.

Memory configurations compound the differences. The GTX 680M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M370 offers 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, producing just 57.60 GB/s. Memory clocks are identical at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective), so the bus width alone determines the bandwidth gap. The GTX 680M uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface, while the R7 M370 connects via PCIe 3.0 x8. API support is similar, with both cards supporting DirectX 12 (11_0 for NVIDIA, 11_1 for AMD), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan (1.2.175 for NVIDIA, 1.2.170 for AMD).

The Verdict

From the data, the GTX 680M is the superior performer. Its 30.7% lead in the OpenCL benchmark is decisive, and its average score of 7023 versus 6764 confirms the gap. The NVIDIA card also holds a higher percentile ranking (39th versus 38th), though the margin is narrow. Anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput should select the GTX 680M. The AMD R7 M370’s only advantages are a lower transistor count (950 million versus 3,540 million) and smaller die size (77 mm² versus 294 mm²), which are irrelevant to performance. The GTX 680M’s 4 GB memory capacity and 256-bit bus also make it the better choice for memory-intensive workloads.

However, the R7 M370 is not without merit. It runs at higher clock speeds (960 MHz boost versus 758 MHz boost), which can translate to better efficiency per transistor. Its GCN architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_1), a slightly newer feature level than the GTX 680M’s 11_0. The R7 M370 also has a Vulkan score of 6465, suggesting it handles modern API workloads reasonably well. For a laptop where power consumption is a concern, the R7 M370’s smaller design may be preferable — though no TDP is listed for the AMD part, the GTX 680M is rated at 100 W.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M scores 9230 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 30.7% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M370’s 7063.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GTX 680M averages 7023, while the R7 M370 averages 6764. The NVIDIA card sits in the 39th percentile of all GPUs, and the AMD card sits in the 38th.

Q: Which GPU has more memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 680M has 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth from its 256-bit bus, compared to the R7 M370’s 57.60 GB/s from a 128-bit bus.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same APIs?

A: Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan, but the GTX 680M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) while the R7 M370 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Vulkan versions differ slightly: 1.2.175 for NVIDIA and 1.2.170 for AMD.

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The GTX 680M has 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, while the R7 M370 has 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD R7 M370 boosts to 960 MHz, which is higher than the GTX 680M’s 758 MHz boost clock.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 680M wins in every measured benchmark category. Its OpenCL score of 9230 dwarfs the R7 M370’s 7063, and its average score is higher. The NVIDIA card’s 1344 shading units and 112 TMUs make it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks like rendering or physics simulation. Its 4 GB memory capacity and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth give it an edge in texture-heavy games or large dataset processing. The pixel rate of 21.22 GPixel/s versus 7.68 GPixel/s means the GTX 680M can handle higher resolutions with less fill-rate bottleneck.

The R7 M370’s wins are more subtle. It has a higher boost clock (960 MHz versus 758 MHz), which could translate to better per-core efficiency in lightly threaded workloads. Its smaller die size and lower transistor count suggest it generates less heat, making it a plausible choice for slim laptops where thermal headroom is limited. The R7 M370 also has a Vulkan score of 6465, giving it a data point for modern API performance that the GTX 680M lacks. For users who specifically need Vulkan support, the AMD card has verified results.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M | AMD Radeon R7 M370 |

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

| Chip | GK104 | Litho |

| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 1.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 600M | Gem System (R7 M300) |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 950 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 719 MHz | 875 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 758 MHz | 960 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 115.2 GB/s | 57.60 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1344 | 384 |

| TMUs | 112 | 24 |

| ROPs | 32 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 21.22 GPixel/s | 7.68 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 84.90 GTexel/s | 23.04 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 2.038 TFLOPS | 737.3 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 100 W | Not specified |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.175 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2012-06-03 | 2015-05-04 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 500M | Solar System |

| Successor | GeForce 700M | Polaris Mobile |