AMD Radeon R7 M370 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 and the AMD Radeon R7 M370 reveals a stark performance gulf, with the GTX 970 winning both head-to-head tests decisively. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 970 scores 29,982 versus the R7 M370's 7,063, a delta of 324.5% in NVIDIA's favor. That is not a marginal victory; it represents a performance gap of more than four times. The Vulkan compute test tells a similar story: the GTX 970 posts 20,005 against 6,465 for the R7 M370, a 209.4% advantage. Both wins go to the NVIDIA card, with a 2-0 sweep in the head-to-head.

These results place the GTX 970 in a completely different performance tier. Its average benchmark score across all tests is 7,157, while the R7 M370 averages 6,764. The percentile rankings are close — 39th for the GTX 970 versus 38th for the R7 M370 — but this is misleading given the enormous per-test deltas. The GTX 970's nearest rivals include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 at 7,170 (0.2% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE at 7,171 (0.2% behind), both of which are far closer to its average than the R7 M370. Meanwhile, the R7 M370's nearest rival is the AMD FirePro M5100 at 6,830 (1% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 at 6,698 (1% ahead), indicating that the R7 M370 sits in a much lower performance bracket.

Looking at the GTX 970's individual benchmark results, the PassMark G3D score of 9,638 stands out as its strongest showing, while the PassMark DirectX 9 score of 143 and DirectX 10 score of 46 reveal its legacy API performance. The GTX 970 also delivers 3,920 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, a figure that dwarfs the R7 M370's 737.3 GFLOPS. The Geekbench Metal score of 13,595 for the GTX 970 further underscores its compute versatility, though no Metal score exists for the R7 M370 in the data.

# Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs explains the benchmark results. The GTX 970 is built on NVIDIA's Maxwell 2.0 architecture with the GM204 chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 5,200 million transistors onto a 398 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.1 million per mm². The R7 M370, in contrast, uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture with the Litho chip, also on a 28 nm TSMC process, but with just 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die — a density of 12.3 million per mm². The GTX 970's die is more than five times larger, and its transistor count is nearly 5.5 times higher.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The GTX 970 features 1,664 shading units, 104 texture mapping units, and 56 ROPs. The R7 M370 has only 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. These are not incremental differences; the GTX 970 has 4.3 times the shading units, 4.3 times the TMUs, and 7 times the ROPs. Clock speeds also favor NVIDIA: the GTX 970 runs at 1050 MHz base and 1178 MHz boost, while the R7 M370 operates at 875 MHz base and 960 MHz boost. Combined with the core count disparity, the GTX 970 achieves a pixel rate of 65.97 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 122.5 GTexel/s, against the R7 M370's 7.680 GPixel/s and 23.04 GTexel/s.

Memory subsystems are equally lopsided. The GTX 970 comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth at 7 Gbps effective. The R7 M370 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with 57.60 GB/s of bandwidth at 3.6 Gbps effective. The GTX 970's memory bandwidth is nearly four times higher. Interface widths differ as well: the GTX 970 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the R7 M370 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x8.

API support shows notable gaps. The GTX 970 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The R7 M370 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 970's newer Vulkan version and higher DirectX feature level suggest better support for modern rendering techniques. The R7 M370's TDP is not listed in the data, but the GTX 970 is rated at 148 W with dual-slot cooling and 2x 6-pin power connectors, requiring a 300 W suggested PSU.

# Where Each One Wins

From the available data, the GTX 970 wins every category where both cards have results. In compute workloads, the OpenCL and Vulkan benchmarks show the GTX 970 leading by 324.5% and 209.4% respectively. The GTX 970's FP32 throughput of 3.920 TFLOPS versus 737.3 GFLOPS makes it the clear choice for any GPU-compute task, whether that is rendering, physics simulation, or machine learning inference. The PassMark GPU Compute score of 4,073 for the GTX 970 reinforces this position.

For gaming, the GTX 970's 4 GB VRAM and 224.4 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for high-resolution textures and modern titles, while the R7 M370's 2 GB and 57.60 GB/s bandwidth would struggle with the same workloads. The GTX 970's 56 ROPs handle pixel-heavy rendering far more efficiently than the R7 M370's 8 ROPs, which explains the massive pixel rate difference. The GTX 970's DirectX 12 (12_1) support also gives it an edge in newer games that leverage advanced features.

The R7 M370 has no benchmark wins in the data. Its only two recorded benchmarks — OpenCL and Vulkan — show it trailing by wide margins. However, its lower power draw (TDP not listed, but implied by its smaller die and mobile-oriented design) and its PCIe 3.0 x8 interface suggest it was designed for thin-and-light laptops rather than performance desktops. The GTX 970's dual-slot form factor and 267 mm length indicate a desktop-only card, while the R7 M370's lack of dimension data points to a mobile or small-form-factor integration.

# FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 in OpenCL compute?

A: The GTX 970 scores 29,982 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the R7 M370 scores 7,063. This represents a 324.5% advantage for the GTX 970.

Q: What is the Vulkan performance difference between the two cards?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the GTX 970 achieves 20,005 points versus 6,465 for the R7 M370, a 209.4% gap in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: Do the two cards use the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. However, the GTX 970 has 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, while the R7 M370 has 950 million on 77 mm².

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 970 offers 224.4 GB/s from 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The R7 M370 provides 57.60 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus — a 3.9x difference.

Q: What API features differ between the cards?

A: The GTX 970 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the R7 M370 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GTX 970 has an average benchmark score of 7,157 across all tests, while the R7 M370 averages 6,764. Despite this, the GTX 970's percentile rank is 39 versus 38 for the R7 M370.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | AMD Radeon R7 M370 |

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

| Chip | GM204 | Litho |

| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 900 | Gem System (R7 M300) |

| Transistors | 5,200 million | 950 million |

| Die Size | 398 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.1M / mm² | 12.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1050 MHz | 875 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1178 MHz | 960 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) | 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.4 GB/s | 57.60 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1664 | 384 |

| TMUs | 104 | 24 |

| ROPs | 56 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 65.97 GPixel/s | 7.680 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 122.5 GTexel/s | 23.04 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.920 TFLOPS | 737.3 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 148 W | Not listed |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Not listed |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | Not listed |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | Not listed |

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

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 | Not listed |

| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Dimensions | 267 mm x 111 mm x 40 mm | Not listed |

| Release Date | 2014-09-18 | 2015-05-04 |

# The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 is the superior GPU by every measurable metric in this comparison. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, offers 4.3 times the shading units, 7 times the ROPs, and 3.9 times the memory bandwidth of the AMD Radeon R7 M370. For any workload involving compute, gaming, or content creation, the GTX 970 is the only rational choice between these two.

The R7 M370's only advantages are qualitative: its smaller die (77 mm² versus 398 mm²) and lower transistor count suggest it consumes less power, though the data does not list its TDP. Its PCIe 3.0 x8 interface also implies a more compact footprint. These characteristics align with mobile or small-form-factor systems where space and thermal constraints outweigh raw performance.

The GTX 970, with its 148 W TDP, dual-slot cooler, and 267 mm length, is clearly a desktop part designed for performance. Its 2014 release date and 329 USD launch MSRP position it as a mid-range enthusiast card from the Maxwell era. The R7 M370, released in 2015, belongs to AMD's R7 M300 mobile lineup and targets mainstream laptops.

Selecting between these two comes down to the use case. Desktop builders with a 300 W PSU and room for a dual-slot card should choose the GTX 970 without hesitation. Its 324.5% OpenCL advantage and 209.4% Vulkan advantage leave no room for debate. For a laptop or compact system where the R7 M370's smaller footprint is a necessity, the performance sacrifice is substantial but may be unavoidable. The benchmark data shows the GTX 970 as the definitive winner, with the R7 M370 relegated to scenarios where its size and power profile are the primary requirements.