AMD Radeon R7 M370 vs NVIDIA Quadro K620M Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data clearly favors the AMD Radeon R7 M370 for general-purpose compute workloads. In the single recorded head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD part scores 7063 against 5957 for the NVIDIA Quadro K620M, a decisive 18.6% advantage. The AMD GPU also holds a higher position in the overall database percentile ranking, sitting at the 38th percentile versus the 34th percentile for the NVIDIA part. For any user whose primary concern is raw OpenCL throughput, the R7 M370 is the statistically stronger choice.

However, the Quadro K620M should not be dismissed outright. Its average benchmark score of 5957 places it in a tight cluster with rivals like the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (5970, a 0.2% deficit) and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5982, a 0.4% deficit). This indicates that the K620M is a stable, mid-pack performer for its generation. Its relevance is further underscored by its 30 W TDP, a figure not provided for the AMD part, which makes it a compelling option for power-constrained mobile workstations. The R7 M370 wins on absolute performance, but the Quadro K620M wins on efficiency, a factor the data directly supports.

For professional users targeting specific software ecosystems, the architecture differences matter. The Quadro K620M, built on Maxwell, supports Vulkan 1.4, while the R7 M370, based on GCN 1.0, supports Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD part supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the NVIDIA part supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6. The K620M also ships as an MXM module with no power connectors, a form factor detail that may dictate compatibility in certain laptops. The verdict is straightforward: pick the R7 M370 for higher compute scores, or the K620M for lower power draw and newer Vulkan API support, provided the MXM form factor fits the target system.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent distinct design philosophies from their respective manufacturers. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. Its chip, codenamed Litho, contains 950 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA Quadro K620M uses the Maxwell architecture, also on a 28 nm TSMC process, but with a larger transistor count. The GM108S chip packs 1,020 million transistors on an identical 77 mm² die, achieving a slightly higher density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. This gives the NVIDIA chip a 7.4% transistor density advantage, suggesting a more compact logic design.

Memory architecture is where the two diverge sharply. The R7 M370 employs 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 57.60 GB/s. The K620M uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, resulting in only 16.02 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a 72.2% bandwidth deficit for the NVIDIA part, a massive gap that directly impacts memory-bound workloads. The memory clocks reflect this: the AMD memory runs at 900 MHz with 3.6 Gbps effective, while the NVIDIA memory runs at 1001 MHz but only 2 Gbps effective due to the DDR3 type.

The compute units also differ in composition. Both GPUs have 384 shading units, but the R7 M370 pairs them with 24 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 8 render output units (ROPs). The K620M has only 16 TMUs and 8 ROPs. This means the AMD part has 50% more texture units, which directly boosts its texture fill rate. The pixel rate favors the NVIDIA part slightly: 8.992 GPixel/s versus 7.680 GPixel/s, a 17.1% advantage. However, the texture rate heavily favors AMD: 23.04 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s, a 28.1% advantage.

Clock speeds are another differentiator. The K620M runs at a base clock of 1029 MHz with a boost of 1124 MHz, while the R7 M370 runs at 875 MHz base and 960 MHz boost. Despite the higher clocks, the NVIDIA part's FP32 throughput is 863.2 GFLOPS versus 737.3 GFLOPS for AMD, a 17.1% advantage for NVIDIA. This is because the higher clock compensates for the similar shader count, but the AMD part still wins in overall OpenCL performance, indicating that memory bandwidth plays a larger role in real-world compute tasks.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M370 is the clear winner in compute-heavy, memory-intensive tasks. Its 57.60 GB/s bandwidth versus 16.02 GB/s is a 3.6x advantage, and the data shows this translates directly into a 18.6% higher OpenCL score. For workloads like data processing, image filtering, or any OpenCL-accelerated application that streams large datasets, the R7 M370 is the superior choice. Its higher texture rate of 23.04 GTexel/s also makes it better suited for texture-mapped graphics workloads, even if the pixel rate is lower.

The NVIDIA Quadro K620M wins in power efficiency and API modernity. With a TDP of 30 W, it is designed for slim, mobile workstations where thermal headroom is limited. The AMD part has no TDP listed in the database, but the K620M's explicit 30 W figure is a concrete advantage. The K620M also supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version than the R7 M370's Vulkan 1.2.170, which may be relevant for applications leveraging the latest Vulkan extensions. Its higher pixel rate of 8.992 GPixel/s versus 7.680 GPixel/s suggests a slight edge in fill-rate-limited scenarios, such as simple 2D rendering or certain post-processing effects.

The R7 M370 also wins on DirectX feature level, supporting DirectX 12 (11_1) versus the K620M's DirectX 12 (11_0). This means the AMD part can enable certain DirectX 11.1 features that the NVIDIA part cannot. For users running legacy DirectX applications, this could be a deciding factor. The K620M's closest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955, delta 0%) and the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (5970, delta -0.2%), showing it is positioned exactly at parity with those older parts. The R7 M370, by contrast, is 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 and 2.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M460, showing it sits slightly above its immediate peers.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M370 scores 7063 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 18.6% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K620M's 5957.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The R7 M370 has 57.60 GB/s of bandwidth, while the K620M has 16.02 GB/s. The AMD part has a 72.2% bandwidth advantage.

Q: What is the TDP of each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K620M has a TDP of 30 W. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 does not have a TDP figure recorded in the database.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same API versions?

A: No. The R7 M370 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the K620M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K620M has 1,020 million transistors, compared to 950 million for the AMD Radeon R7 M370.

Q: What is the form factor of the NVIDIA Quadro K620M?

A: It is an MXM Module with a bus interface of MXM-A (3.0), and it requires no power connectors.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 records a score of 7063, while the NVIDIA Quadro K620M scores 5957. The delta is 18.6% in favor of AMD. This is a substantial margin, especially considering the NVIDIA part has a higher FP32 theoretical throughput of 863.2 GFLOPS versus 737.3 GFLOPS. The result suggests that the R7 M370's superior memory bandwidth, 57.60 GB/s versus 16.02 GB/s, is the dominant factor in this particular workload.

The R7 M370 also has a higher average benchmark score of 6764, which is derived from its two recorded tests (Geekbench OpenCL at 7063 and Geekbench Vulkan at 6465). The K620M has only one recorded test, Geekbench OpenCL at 5957, giving it an average of 5957. The R7 M370's Vulkan score of 6465 is notably lower than its OpenCL score, but still higher than the K620M's only score.

Comparing to their respective rival pools, the R7 M370's average score of 6764 places it 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 (6698) and 2.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6612). It sits 1% behind the AMD FirePro M5100 (6830) and 2.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M (6946). The K620M's average score of 5957 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955, delta 0%) and 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8750M (5970). It is 0.4% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5982) and 0.5% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5929).

The wins tally is 1 for the R7 M370 and 0 for the K620M. The single win is the Geekbench OpenCL test. This is a decisive, if narrow, dataset. The data does not show any benchmark where the K620M outperforms the R7 M370. However, the K620M's higher pixel rate (8.992 GPixel/s versus 7.680 GPixel/s) and higher FP32 throughput (863.2 GFLOPS versus 737.3 GFLOPS) suggest that in workloads not captured by this benchmark, the NVIDIA part could close the gap, but the recorded data does not support any such win.

Specification Differences

The table below highlights the key specification differences between the two GPUs, focusing only on fields where they differ.

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 M370 | NVIDIA Quadro K620M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Maxwell |

| Chip | Litho | GM108S |

| Transistors | 950 million | 1,020 million |

| Transistor Density | 12.3M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 875 MHz | 1029 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 960 MHz | 1124 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz, 3.6 Gbps effective | 1001 MHz, 2 Gbps effective |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 57.60 GB/s | 16.02 GB/s |

| TMUs | 24 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.680 GPixel/s | 8.992 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 23.04 GTexel/s | 17.98 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 737.3 GFLOPS | 863.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not recorded | 30 W |

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

| Display Outputs | Not recorded | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Generation | Gem System (R7 M300) | Quadro Kepler-M (Kx200M) |

The die size is identical at 77 mm² for both, and the process node is the same 28 nm TSMC process. Both have 384 shading units and 8 ROPs. Both have 2 GB of memory. The AMD part has a higher memory bus width (128 bit versus 64 bit) and faster memory type (GDDR5 versus DDR3), which explains its massive bandwidth advantage. The NVIDIA part has higher clocks, higher FP32, and higher pixel rate, but the AMD part wins on texture rate and memory bandwidth. The TDP of 30 W for the K620M is a critical differentiator for mobile designs, as is the MXM module form factor versus the standard PCIe interface of the R7 M370.