AMD Radeon R7 M380 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark between these two mobile graphics processors is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 12,769 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9,313 points. That translates to a 37.1% advantage for the NVIDIA part. This is not a marginal gap; it is a substantial performance chasm in raw compute throughput.

Looking at the broader database context, the GTX 780M sits in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 11,261. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 at 11,228 (a 0.3% difference) and the AMD FirePro W4300 at 11,225 (also 0.3% behind). Interestingly, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q and RTX PRO 6000D Blackwell Max-Q both score 11,088, putting them 1.6% behind the 780M in this particular metric. The data shows the 780M is competitive with workstation-class hardware despite its mobile orientation.

The AMD Radeon R7 M380, by contrast, sits in the 46th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 9,313. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M at 9,302 (0.1% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 at 9,294 (0.2% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 at 9,273 (0.4% behind), and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 at 9,221 (1% behind). The R7 M380 is essentially neck-and-neck with a generation of older desktop and mobile parts, but it is clearly a tier below the GTX 780M.

In the head-to-head comparison, the GTX 780M wins the only shared test, giving it a 1-0 win record in this direct matchup. The 37.1% delta is the headline number here. It means that in OpenCL workloads, the NVIDIA part delivers roughly one-third more performance than the AMD part. That is a decisive margin for any user choosing between two laptops equipped with these GPUs.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages, and those differences explain much of the performance gap. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M uses the GK104 chip, built on the Kepler architecture, part of the GeForce 700M generation. The AMD Radeon R7 M380 uses the Tropo chip, based on GCN 1.0, part of the Gem System (R7 M300) generation. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, so the manufacturing node is identical.

The transistor counts tell a story of scale. The GTX 780M packs 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The R7 M380 has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 12.2M per mm². The density is nearly identical, but NVIDIA chose to use a much larger die with more than double the transistor budget. That extra silicon translates directly into more compute resources.

Clock speeds favor AMD on paper. The R7 M380 runs at a base clock of 900 MHz with a boost of 915 MHz, while the GTX 780M runs at 771 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. The AMD part is clocked about 15% higher at base and boost, but it cannot overcome the NVIDIA part's massive resource advantage. Memory clocks also differ: the GTX 780M runs its memory at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the R7 M380 runs at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA part has more than double the effective memory speed.

The memory subsystem is a major differentiator. The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M380 also has 4 GB, but it uses DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, yielding only 32.00 GB/s. That is a fivefold difference in memory bandwidth, and it has enormous implications for texture-heavy workloads, large framebuffers, and compute tasks that stream data.

Compute resources are similarly lopsided. The GTX 780M has 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The R7 M380 has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Pixel rate is 25.50 GPixel/s versus 14.64 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 102.0 GTexel/s versus 36.60 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance, measured as FP32, is 2.448 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA part versus 1,171.2 GFLOPS for the AMD part. The GTX 780M is roughly twice as fast in raw shader throughput.

API support is broadly similar. Both support DirectX 12, with the GTX 780M at version 12 (11_0) and the R7 M380 at version 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6. Vulkan support is close: the GTX 780M supports 1.2.175, while the R7 M380 supports 1.2.170. The interface differs: the GTX 780M uses MXM-B (3.0), while the R7 M380 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M wins in essentially every measurable category where direct comparison is possible. Its 37.1% OpenCL advantage over the R7 M380 makes it the clear choice for compute workloads, including OpenCL-accelerated applications like video encoding, physics simulation, and GPGPU tasks. The memory bandwidth advantage, 160.0 GB/s versus 32.00 GB/s, means the GTX 780M will handle large data sets and high-resolution textures with far less stalling.

The GTX 780M also wins on raw fill rates. Its 25.50 GPixel/s pixel rate and 102.0 GTexel/s texture rate dwarf the R7 M380's 14.64 GPixel/s and 36.60 GTexel/s. For gaming at higher resolutions or with heavy anti-aliasing, the NVIDIA part has a clear edge. The 2.448 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, more than double the R7 M380's 1,171.2 GFLOPS, indicates that shader-heavy effects, tessellation, and post-processing will run substantially faster.

The AMD Radeon R7 M380 has no direct benchmark wins against the GTX 780M. Its only recorded benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL at 9,313, is lower than every recorded benchmark for the NVIDIA part. However, the R7 M380 does have advantages in certain physical characteristics. It has a smaller die at 123 mm² versus 294 mm², which could correlate with lower manufacturing costs, though pricing data is not available. It also has no published TDP, while the GTX 780M is rated at 122 W, suggesting the AMD part may be more power-efficient per watt, though no efficiency numbers are recorded.

The R7 M380 also has a higher clock speed, 900 MHz base and 915 MHz boost versus 771 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. In workloads that are latency-bound rather than throughput-bound, the higher clock could provide a slight advantage, but the benchmark data does not substantiate this. The R7 M380's nearest rival comparisons show it performs nearly identically to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M (0.1% difference), placing it in a lower performance tier than the GTX 780M.

For users selecting between these two, the choice is straightforward. The GTX 780M wins on compute, graphics, memory bandwidth, and every recorded benchmark. The R7 M380 offers a smaller physical footprint and potentially lower power draw, but the data shows no performance scenario where it outpaces the NVIDIA part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 12,769 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9,313. The GTX 780M is 37.1% faster in this test.

Q: How much memory bandwidth do these GPUs have?

A: The GTX 780M has 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth using GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The R7 M380 has 32.00 GB/s using DDR3 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What are the shading unit counts?

A: The GTX 780M has 1,536 shading units, while the R7 M380 has 640 shading units. The NVIDIA part has more than double the shader resources.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes. The GTX 780M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), and the R7 M380 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Both also support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan, with the GTX 780M at version 1.2.175 and the R7 M380 at 1.2.170.

Q: What is the process node for both chips?

A: Both GPUs are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The GTX 780M uses the GK104 chip with 3,540 million transistors, and the R7 M380 uses the Tropo chip with 1,500 million transistors.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 780M has an average benchmark score of 11,261, sitting 0.3% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 and 1.6% above the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q. The R7 M380 averages 9,313, which is 0.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M and 1% above the AMD Radeon Vega 8.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M | AMD Radeon R7 M380 |

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

| Chip | GK104 | Tropo |

| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 1.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 700M | Gem System (R7 M300) |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 771 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 797 MHz | 915 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 32.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1,536 | 640 |

| TMUs | 128 | 40 |

| ROPs | 32 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 25.50 GPixel/s | 14.64 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 102.0 GTexel/s | 36.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.448 TFLOPS | 1,171.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 122 W | Not specified |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2013-05-10 | 2015-05-04 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 600M | Solar System |

| Successor | GeForce 800M | Polaris Mobile |

| Percentile | 50 | 46 |

| Average Benchmark Score | 11,261 | 9,313 |

The specification table confirms the architectural divide. The GTX 780M is a larger, more powerful chip with higher memory bandwidth, more compute units, and faster fill rates. The R7 M380 is a smaller, lower-power design with higher clock speeds but far fewer resources. The recorded benchmark data reflects this: the GTX 780M holds a 37.1% OpenCL advantage, and its average score of 11,261 versus 9,313 places it in a higher performance percentile overall.