AMD Radeon R7 M440 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains one direct head-to-head comparison between the AMD Radeon R7 M440 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, using the Geekbench OpenCL test. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 scored 5214, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scored 4893, giving the AMD part a 6.6% advantage. This is a clear win for the newer mobile integrated solution, though the margin is modest rather than transformative.

Looking at the broader database context, the AMD Radeon R7 M440 sits at the 32nd percentile among all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 sits at the 28th percentile. That four-point percentile gap reflects the same ordering as the direct benchmark: the AMD part is positioned slightly higher in the overall performance distribution. The average benchmark score for the AMD Radeon R7 M440 is 5483, which is 590 points higher than the GTS 450's average of 4893. That difference represents a 12.1% gap in aggregate performance across the recorded test suite, larger than the single OpenCL delta suggests.

The AMD Radeon R7 M440 also has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 5751, a test for which the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has no recorded result in the database. This absence is notable because it reflects API support differences discussed below, and it gives the AMD part an additional data point that the GTS 450 simply cannot match in the current dataset.

The nearest rivals for the AMD Radeon R7 M440 are all within a very tight band. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000 averages 5467, which is 0.3% lower than the M440's average. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M averages 5501, 0.3% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce MX130 averages 5508, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon 610M averages 5444, 0.7% lower. This clustering indicates that the M440 is positioned in a remarkably dense performance neighborhood, where even small clock or driver variations could reorder results.

For the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, the nearest rivals are equally close but slightly different in character. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB averages 4901, just 0.2% higher. The AMD FirePro W5130M averages 4904, 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon R6 M255DX averages 4867, 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon R7 M265 averages 4929, 0.7% higher. The GTS 450's nearest rivals span from ancient to modern parts, which is unusual and suggests that its score represents a stable performance plateau that newer low-end parts still land near.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 M440 uses the Meso chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The die contains 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.4 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 uses the GF106 chip built on the Fermi architecture, fabricated on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. The Fermi die contains 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 4.9 million per square millimeter. The M440 packs 32.5% more transistors into roughly half the die area, which explains its much higher density figure.

The memory subsystems differ substantially. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 ships with 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, running at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective speed, producing 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 ships with 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, running at 902 MHz with 3.6 Gbps effective speed, producing 57.73 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTS 450 has a 4x wider memory bus and over 4x the bandwidth, despite having only one quarter of the capacity. This is a fundamental architectural split: the M440 prioritizes capacity for integrated use cases, while the GTS 450 prioritizes bandwidth for discrete rendering workloads.

Shader resources also differ. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 has 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The M440 has 66.7% more shading units, but the GTS 450 has 60% more TMUs and 100% more ROPs. The pixel rate for the M440 is 7.128 GPixel/s versus 6.264 GPixel/s for the GTS 450, a 13.8% advantage for the AMD part. The texture rate tells the opposite story: the GTS 450 achieves 25.06 GTexel/s versus 17.82 GTexel/s for the M440, a 40.6% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Compute throughput is close. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 delivers 570.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, with FP16 at the same rate (1:1 ratio). The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 delivers 601.3 GFLOPS of FP32, which is 5.5% higher, but it has no recorded FP16 capability. The GTS 450 also carries a 106 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and a single 6-pin power connector, requiring a 300 W suggested PSU. The M440 has no recorded TDP, uses an IGP slot width, and relies on portable device dependent display outputs. The GTS 450 requires a 210 mm long, 111 mm tall card; the M440 has no recorded physical dimensions because it is integrated.

The bus interfaces differ as well: the M440 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GTS 450 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. API support favors the AMD part: the M440 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTS 450 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded. This explains why the M440 has a Vulkan benchmark score and the GTS 450 does not.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M440 wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by 6.6%. It also wins on overall average benchmark score, with 5483 versus 4893, a 12.1% advantage. The M440's advantages in shading units, pixel rate, memory capacity, and API support make it the better choice for compute-oriented workloads that leverage OpenCL or Vulkan, particularly in scenarios where the larger 4 GB frame buffer is useful for holding textures or data sets.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 wins on memory bandwidth by a wide margin, with 57.73 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s. It also wins on texture fill rate, with 25.06 GTexel/s versus 17.82 GTexel/s, and on raw FP32 throughput, with 601.3 GFLOPS versus 570.2 GFLOPS. These advantages suggest the GTS 450 would be more effective in fill-rate-bound scenarios, such as high-resolution texture streaming or geometry-heavy scenes that stress the ROP and TMU pipeline. The GTS 450 also has a 128-bit memory bus versus the M440's 64-bit bus, which is a structural advantage for bandwidth-sensitive tasks.

However, the GTS 450's wins are narrower in relative terms than the M440's wins. The M440 leads by 6.6% in the only direct test, while the GTS 450 leads by 5.5% in FP32 and by 40.6% in texture rate. The GTS 450's bandwidth advantage is enormous, but it comes with a 106 W TDP, a dual-slot cooler, and a physical card footprint. The M440 is an IGP, meaning it consumes no additional slot space and draws power through the host system, which is a significant practical advantage for portable devices.

FAQ

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

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M440 has an average benchmark score of 5483, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has an average of 4893. The M440 leads by 590 points, or approximately 12.1%.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has 57.73 GB/s of bandwidth from its 128-bit GDDR5 memory, while the AMD Radeon R7 M440 has 14.40 GB/s from its 64-bit DDR3 memory. The GTS 450 has approximately 4x the bandwidth.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 support Vulkan?

A: No, the database records no Vulkan support for the GTS 450. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 supports Vulkan 1.2.170 and has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 5751.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in pixel and texture fill rates?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M440 has a pixel rate of 7.128 GPixel/s versus 6.264 GPixel/s for the GTS 450, a 13.8% advantage. The GTS 450 has a texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s versus 17.82 GTexel/s for the M440, a 40.6% advantage.

Q: What are the memory capacities and types?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M440 has 4 GB of DDR3 memory, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory. The M440 has 4x the capacity, but the GTS 450 uses faster memory on a wider bus.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M440 has a transistor density of 12.4 million transistors per square millimeter, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 has 4.9 million per square millimeter. The M440's 28 nm process enables this higher density compared to the GTS 450's 40 nm process.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear but nuanced verdict. For users prioritizing compute performance, memory capacity, modern API support, and integrated form factor, the AMD Radeon R7 M440 is the stronger choice. It wins the only direct benchmark by 6.6%, has a 12.1% higher average score, supports Vulkan where the GTS 450 does not, and ships with 4 GB of memory versus 1 GB. Its IGP design means no additional slot or power connector is needed, which is critical for portable systems.

For users prioritizing memory bandwidth, texture fill rate, and raw FP32 throughput, the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 retains specific advantages. Its 57.73 GB/s bandwidth is roughly 4x the M440's, and its texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s is 40.6% higher. These are meaningful for bandwidth-bound workloads, but they come at the cost of a 106 W TDP, a dual-slot cooler, a 6-pin power connector, and a 210 mm physical card length.

The percentile ranking reinforces the M440's overall position: 32nd percentile versus 28th percentile for the GTS 450. The nearest rival clusters show that both GPUs sit in crowded performance bands, but the M440's band is slightly higher. The GTS 450's nearest rivals include the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, which is remarkable only because the scores align within 0.2%, not because the parts are architecturally comparable.

The verdict, strictly from the data: the AMD Radeon R7 M440 is the better overall performer, with a higher average score, a direct benchmark win, broader API support, and a more efficient integrated design. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 is the better choice only for workloads that specifically require its bandwidth and texture throughput advantages, and only if the user can accommodate its power and physical requirements. For most modern use cases, the M440's combination of newer architecture, larger memory pool, and Vulkan support makes it the more future-proof option.