AMD Radeon R7 M380 vs NVIDIA Quadro K1200 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it shows a narrow but clear victory for the AMD Radeon R7 M380. The AMD part scores 9,313 points against 8,831 for the NVIDIA Quadro K1200, a delta of 5.5%. This is not a dominant margin, but it is consistent across the recorded run, placing the R7 M380 ahead in raw compute throughput for OpenCL workloads.

Context from the nearest rivals helps calibrate this result. The R7 M380's 9,313 OpenCL score places it 0.1% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, 0.2% above the GeForce GTX 465, and 0.4% above the GeForce GTX 960. The gap to the AMD Radeon Vega 8 is slightly larger at 1%. In other words, the R7 M380 sits in a tight cluster of GPUs all scoring near 9,300, and its 5.5% lead over the Quadro K1200 is more meaningful than its tiny margins over those near neighbors. The Quadro K1200, by contrast, is 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M375X, 1.2% ahead of the GeForce GTX 980, 1.6% ahead of the GeForce GTX 950M, and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M360. Its 8,831 OpenCL result places it in a lower performance band than the R7 M380, and the delta between the two cards is roughly triple the spread seen among the R7 M380's closest rivals.

The Quadro K1200 has a second recorded benchmark, Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 7,698. The R7 M380 has no Vulkan result in the database, so no head-to-head comparison is possible on that API. This matters for interpretation: the OpenCL win is the only direct measurement, and while it favors AMD, it does not tell the whole story for every workload type.

When averaging all recorded benchmarks, the R7 M380 carries a single score of 9,313, while the Quadro K1200's average across its two tests drops to 8,265. The Vulkan result pulls the Quadro's average down considerably. The percentile rankings reflect this: the R7 M380 sits at the 46th percentile among all GPUs, the Quadro K1200 at the 43rd. The three-point percentile gap is modest, and both cards sit in the lower-middle portion of the overall GPU distribution.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M380 wins with 9,313 points against 8,831 for the NVIDIA Quadro K1200, a 5.5% advantage.

Q: Does the Quadro K1200 have any benchmark where it wins?

A: The database records no head-to-head benchmark win for the Quadro K1200. It has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 7,698, but the R7 M380 has no Vulkan result recorded, so no comparison can be made.

Q: How do these cards rank among all GPUs?

A: The R7 M380 is at the 46th percentile, while the Quadro K1200 is at the 43rd percentile. Both are in the lower-middle range of the overall GPU distribution.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The R7 M380 has an average score of 9,313 based on its single OpenCL result. The Quadro K1200 averages 8,265 across its OpenCL and Vulkan results.

Q: Which GPUs are closest to the R7 M380 in performance?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M at 0.1% behind, the GeForce GTX 465 at 0.2% behind, the GeForce GTX 960 at 0.4% behind, and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 at 1% behind.

Q: Which GPUs are closest to the Quadro K1200?

A: The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 M375X at 0.7% ahead of the Quadro, the GeForce GTX 980 at 1.2% behind it, the GeForce GTX 950M at 1.6% behind it, and the AMD Radeon R9 M360 at 1.7% behind it.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M380 wins in OpenCL compute. Its 5.5% margin over the Quadro K1200 in Geekbench OpenCL is the only direct benchmark victory in the database, and its shading unit count of 640 units, 128 more than the Quadro's 512, supports that result. The R7 M380 also holds a higher FP32 throughput at 1,171.2 GFLOPS versus 1,057.8 GFLOPS and a higher texture rate at 36.60 GTexel/s versus 33.06 GTexel/s. These figures align with the OpenCL result, where the R7 M380's advantage is real but not overwhelming.

The NVIDIA Quadro K1200 wins in situations where its second benchmark matters. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 7,698 is a valid recorded result, although there is no matching Vulkan test for the R7 M380. The Quadro also pulls ahead in pixel throughput, delivering 16.53 GPixel/s against 14.64 GPixel/s for the R7 M380. Its memory bandwidth of 80.19 GB/s is far higher than the R7 M380's 32.00 GB/s, which could matter for data-heavy workloads even if it does not translate into an OpenCL victory. The Quadro's power envelope is another differentiator: a 45 W TDP, single-slot design, no power connectors, and a suggested PSU of 200 W. The R7 M380 has no recorded TDP or power connector data, so the database cannot confirm its requirements, but the Quadro's specifications are clearly oriented toward constrained installations.

Users who prioritize compute benchmarks and raw FP32 should favor the R7 M380. Users who need a low-profile, low-power card with multiple display outputs and Vulkan support should favor the Quadro K1200, which lists 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and a Vulkan API version of 1.4.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The AMD Radeon R7 M380 uses 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA Quadro K1200 uses 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The R7 M380 has more shading units and TMUs, while ROP counts are equal.

Clock speeds favor NVIDIA. The Quadro K1200 runs at a 954 MHz base and 1033 MHz boost, while the R7 M380 runs at a 900 MHz base and 915 MHz boost. The Quadro's memory clock is also higher at 1253 MHz with 5 Gbps effective speed, versus 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective for the R7 M380.

Memory configuration differs in type and bandwidth but not capacity or bus width. Both cards have 4 GB and a 128-bit bus. The R7 M380 uses DDR3 with 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro K1200 uses GDDR5 with 80.19 GB/s bandwidth, more than double.

The bus interface differs: the R7 M380 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Quadro K1200 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The Quadro's physical dimensions are recorded at 160 mm length and 69 mm height, while the R7 M380 has no recorded dimensions. The Quadro is single-slot with no power connectors and a 45 W TDP, plus a 200 W suggested PSU. The R7 M380 has no TDP, slot width, or power connector data.

Display outputs differ as well. The Quadro K1200 lists 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The R7 M380 has no display output data recorded.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 M380 is built on the Tropo chip using GCN 1.0 architecture, part of the Gem System (R7 M300) generation. The NVIDIA Quadro K1200 uses the GM107 chip with Maxwell architecture, listed under the Quadro Kepler (Kx200) generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the dies differ: the R7 M380 measures 123 mm² with 1,500 million transistors, while the Quadro K1200 measures 148 mm² with 1,870 million transistors. Transistor density is similar, 12.2M per mm² for AMD and 12.6M per mm² for NVIDIA.

API support shows distinct profiles. The R7 M380 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Quadro K1200 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, with the Vulkan version notably newer.

Release timing places the R7 M380 later, with a launch date of May 4, 2015, while the Quadro K1200 launched January 27, 2015. Both are end-of-life. The R7 M380 lists its predecessor as Solar System and successor as Polaris Mobile. The Quadro K1200 lists its predecessor as Quadro Fermi and successor as Quadro Maxwell.

Neither card has ray tracing cores, tensor cores, or FP16 data recorded.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. The AMD Radeon R7 M380 is the faster card in the only direct benchmark available, winning Geekbench OpenCL by 5.5%. Its advantage in shading units, texture rate, and FP32 throughput supports that result. Users whose primary concern is OpenCL compute performance should choose the R7 M380.

The NVIDIA Quadro K1200 is the more versatile and efficient option in several practical ways. It has a Vulkan benchmark result, which the R7 M380 lacks, and it offers dramatically higher memory bandwidth at 80.19 GB/s versus 32.00 GB/s. Its pixel rate is higher, its TDP is a recorded 45 W, it is single-slot, needs no power connectors, and lists four mini-DisplayPort outputs. For multi-display setups, low-power builds, or systems with tight space constraints, the Quadro K1200 is the safer pick.

The percentile rankings are close, 46th for the R7 M380 and 43rd for the Quadro, so neither card is positioned as a high-end part. The R7 M380's OpenCL win is real, but the overall performance envelope of both sits in the lower-middle range of all GPUs.

The final choice depends on the workload mix. Pure compute favors the R7 M380. Mixed workloads with Vulkan, high memory throughput, or multi-monitor output needs favor the Quadro K1200. The database records one win for AMD and zero for NVIDIA, but the Quadro's extra recorded specifications make it the better all-rounder.