AMD Radeon R7 M380 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A scores 10,273 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9,313. The GTX 950A wins by 10.3%.

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

A: The GTX 950A sits within 2% of several rivals: it is 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6500M, 1.2% behind the NVIDIA Tesla C2075, 2% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M375, and 2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 550X. The R7 M380 is within 1% of its nearest rivals: 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465, 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, and 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Vega 8.

Q: What memory configurations do these GPUs offer?

A: The GTX 950A has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 32.03 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 M380 has 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus with 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. Both use DDR3, but the R7 M380 doubles the capacity.

Q: What are the core counts for each GPU?

A: Both GPUs have 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. They are identical in these core counts.

Q: Which GPU has higher clock speeds?

A: The GTX 950A has a base clock of 993 MHz and a boost clock of 1124 MHz. The R7 M380 has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 915 MHz. The GTX 950A runs at higher clocks in both states.

Q: What are the production statuses and release dates?

A: Both are end-of-life products. The GTX 950A was released on March 12, 2015, and the R7 M380 on May 4, 2015.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A is built on the Maxwell architecture using the GM107 chip, while the AMD Radeon R7 M380 uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Tropo chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the die sizes and transistor counts differ. The GTX 950A has 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The R7 M380 has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, giving a density of 12.2M per mm². The Maxwell chip is larger and packs more transistors.

The API support also differs. The GTX 950A supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The R7 M380 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part has a higher Vulkan version, while the AMD part has a slightly higher DirectX feature level.

Bus interfaces are different as well. The GTX 950A uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface and comes as an MXM Module, while the R7 M380 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The GTX 950A has no power connectors and is rated at 75 W TDP, whereas the R7 M380 has no TDP listed in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a 10.3% advantage. This makes it the stronger choice in compute workloads measured by that test. Its higher clock speeds, larger die, and greater transistor count contribute to this result.

The AMD Radeon R7 M380 does not win any recorded benchmark against the GTX 950A. However, it offers double the memory capacity (4 GB versus 2 GB), which can be relevant in memory-intensive scenarios even if the raw compute score is lower. The database shows no benchmark wins for the R7 M380, but its higher memory capacity is a specification advantage.

For users prioritizing raw compute performance as measured by Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 950A is the clear winner. For scenarios where memory capacity matters more than peak throughput, the R7 M380 provides more headroom, though the recorded data does not include a benchmark that demonstrates this advantage.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specifications:

• Chip and architecture: GTX 950A uses GM107 (Maxwell), R7 M380 uses Tropo (GCN 1.0)
• Transistors: GTX 950A has 1,870 million, R7 M380 has 1,500 million
• Die size: GTX 950A is 148 mm², R7 M380 is 123 mm²
• Transistor density: GTX 950A is 12.6M/mm², R7 M380 is 12.2M/mm²
• Base clock: GTX 950A is 993 MHz, R7 M380 is 900 MHz
• Boost clock: GTX 950A is 1124 MHz, R7 M380 is 915 MHz
• Memory size: GTX 950A is 2 GB, R7 M380 is 4 GB
• Memory clock: GTX 950A is 1001 MHz, R7 M380 is 1000 MHz
• Bandwidth: GTX 950A is 32.03 GB/s, R7 M380 is 32.00 GB/s
• Pixel rate: GTX 950A is 17.98 GPixel/s, R7 M380 is 14.64 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: GTX 950A is 44.96 GTexel/s, R7 M380 is 36.60 GTexel/s
• FP32 performance: GTX 950A is 1,438.7 GFLOPS, R7 M380 is 1,171.2 GFLOPS
• TDP: GTX 950A is 75 W, R7 M380 has no listed TDP
• Bus interface: GTX 950A is MXM-B (3.0), R7 M380 is PCIe 3.0 x16
• Slot width: GTX 950A is MXM Module, R7 M380 has no listed value
• Power connectors: GTX 950A has none, R7 M380 has no listed value
• DirectX support: GTX 950A is 12 (11_0), R7 M380 is 12 (11_1)
• Vulkan support: GTX 950A is 1.4, R7 M380 is 1.2.170
• Release date: GTX 950A is March 12, 2015, R7 M380 is May 4, 2015
• Predecessor: GTX 950A is GeForce 800A, R7 M380 is Solar System
• Successor: GTX 950A has none listed, R7 M380 is Polaris Mobile

The shading units, TMUs, ROPs, memory type, and memory bus width are identical between the two.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A scores 10,273, while the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9,313. The GTX 950A wins by 10.3%, a substantial margin that reflects its higher clock speeds and compute throughput.

Breaking down the specification advantages that drive this result, the GTX 950A has a 18.4% higher FP32 performance (1,438.7 GFLOPS versus 1,171.2 GFLOPS), a 22.8% higher pixel rate (17.98 GPixel/s versus 14.64 GPixel/s), and a 22.8% higher texture rate (44.96 GTexel/s versus 36.60 GTexel/s). These compute advantages align closely with the 10.3% benchmark delta, though the benchmark gap is smaller than the raw throughput gap, suggesting some efficiency differences.

The GTX 950A also runs at higher clocks: 993 MHz base versus 900 MHz, and 1124 MHz boost versus 915 MHz. This 10.3% boost clock advantage (1124 MHz versus 915 MHz) matches the benchmark delta almost exactly, indicating that clock speed is a primary driver of the performance difference.

In terms of percentile ranking, the GTX 950A sits at the 48th percentile among all GPUs, while the R7 M380 sits at the 46th percentile. This places both in the middle of the overall distribution, but the GTX 950A is slightly higher.

The nearest rival data provides additional context. The GTX 950A's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 6500M, which scores 10,362, just 0.9% higher. The R7 M380's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, which scores 9,302, just 0.1% lower. This means the GTX 950A trades blows with newer and older parts alike, while the R7 M380 is tightly grouped with a set of GPUs that score within 1% of each other.

Overall, the recorded data shows a clear winner in the GTX 950A, with a 10.3% benchmark lead that is consistent with its higher clocks and compute rates. The R7 M380 remains competitive in memory capacity but trails in every measured performance metric.