AMD Radeon R7 M440 vs NVIDIA Quadro K4000M Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro K4000M and AMD Radeon R7 M440 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but they target different eras and design philosophies. The Quadro K4000M is a 2012 professional workstation part built on the Kepler architecture, while the Radeon R7 M440 is a 2016 entry-level consumer chip based on GCN 3.0. The database shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, with the Quadro K4000M taking the win by a clear margin. This analysis breaks down the recorded performance data, architectural differences, and practical use cases.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison recorded in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. Here, the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M scores 5,986 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M440 scores 5,214 points. That is a 14.8% advantage for the Quadro K4000M, which is a substantial lead in raw compute workloads. The win count stands at 1 for the Quadro K4000M and 0 for the Radeon R7 M440, so the NVIDIA part wins every benchmark where both have data.

To put that OpenCL score in context, the Quadro K4000M sits at the 34th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W4100, which scores 5,987 (a 0% delta), and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000, which scores 5,982 (a 0.1% delta). The Quadro K4000M is essentially neck-and-neck with those two, trailing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M by only 0.2% (that GPU scores 6,000). The recorded data indicates that the Quadro K4000M is a mid-pack performer for its generation, competitive with professional and high-end consumer parts of its time.

The Radeon R7 M440, by contrast, sits at the 32nd percentile among all GPUs, slightly below the Quadro K4000M. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 5,483, which includes the OpenCL result of 5,214 and a Vulkan score of 5,751. Notably, the Radeon R7 M440 has no OpenCL-only win against the Quadro, and its Vulkan score is not comparable because the Quadro K4000M has no Vulkan benchmark recorded. In its nearest rival group, the Radeon R7 M440 is close to the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (5,467, a 0.3% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (5,501, a -0.3% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 (5,508, a -0.5% delta). It trails all of those by small margins, but it does lead the AMD Radeon 610M (5,444, a 0.7% delta). The data shows that the Radeon R7 M440 is a low-end part even compared to its immediate peers.

The 14.8% delta in OpenCL is the headline number here. That gap is large enough to affect real-world compute tasks like OpenCL-accelerated rendering or physics simulations, where the Quadro K4000M would finish noticeably faster. For everyday gaming, the delta may be less impactful, but the database does not include gaming benchmarks for either part.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. The NVIDIA Quadro K4000M uses the GK104 chip, built on the Kepler architecture, and belongs to the Quadro Kepler-M (Kx000M) generation. The AMD Radeon R7 M440 uses the Meso chip, built on GCN 3.0, and belongs to the Gem System (R7 M400) generation. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process, so the process node is identical.

The transistor counts differ significantly. The Quadro K4000M packs 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.0 million per square millimeter. The Radeon R7 M440 has 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, with a slightly higher density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The Quadro K4000M has more than twice the transistor count and a die more than twice as large, which explains its much higher compute capacity.

Memory configurations are also very different. The Quadro K4000M has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 89.60 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock is 700 MHz, or 2.8 Gbps effective. The Radeon R7 M440 also has 4 GB, but it uses DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, yielding only 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock is 900 MHz, or 1800 Mbps effective. The bandwidth gap is enormous: the Quadro K4000M offers over six times the memory bandwidth of the Radeon R7 M440. That difference matters for texture-heavy workloads and any task that streams large datasets.

Compute resources follow the same pattern. The Quadro K4000M has 960 shading units, 80 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 render output units (ROPs). Its pixel rate is 12.02 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 48.08 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 1,153.9 GFLOPS for FP32. The Radeon R7 M440 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 7.128 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 17.82 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 570.2 GFLOPS, and it also supports FP16 at the same rate (570.2 GFLOPS, 1:1 ratio). The Quadro K4000M has roughly double the FP32 throughput, three times the pixel rate, and nearly three times the texture rate.

Clock speeds are not fully recorded for either part. The Quadro K4000M has a base and boost clock of 601 MHz, while the Radeon R7 M440 has no base or boost clock listed. The Radeon R7 M440’s memory clock is 900 MHz, but the core clock is absent from the database. The Quadro K4000M’s TDP is listed at 100 W, while the Radeon R7 M440 has no TDP recorded. The Quadro K4000M is an MXM module with a 3.0 bus interface and no power connectors, while the Radeon R7 M440 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.

API support differs as well. The Quadro K4000M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Radeon R7 M440 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Radeon R7 M440 has a higher DirectX feature level (12_0 vs 11_0), which may matter for certain modern games, but the Quadro K4000M has a slightly newer Vulkan version. Both have identical OpenGL support.

Where Each One Wins

The Quadro K4000M wins decisively in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score of 5,986 beats the Radeon R7 M440’s 5,214 by 14.8%. If a workload relies on OpenCL, such as video encoding, scientific simulation, or GPU-accelerated filters, the Quadro K4000M is the clear choice. Its 1,153.9 GFLOPS of FP32 performance and 89.60 GB/s of memory bandwidth give it a massive advantage in compute-heavy tasks. The 32 ROPs and 80 TMUs also make it better suited for high-resolution texturing and pixel processing.

The Radeon R7 M440’s strengths are more niche. Its Vulkan score of 5,751 is actually higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting that it handles Vulkan-based workloads relatively better. However, there is no Vulkan benchmark for the Quadro K4000M, so a direct comparison is impossible. The Radeon R7 M440 also supports DirectX 12 (12_0), which is a higher feature level than the Quadro K4000M’s DirectX 12 (11_0). For games or applications that specifically require DX12_0 features, the Radeon R7 M440 may be the only option that meets the requirement.

The Radeon R7 M440’s lower power footprint is another consideration, though the database does not list a TDP for it. As an IGP, it is likely designed for thin-and-light laptops where the Quadro K4000M’s 100 W TDP and MXM form factor would be impractical. The Quadro K4000M requires a dedicated MXM slot, while the Radeon R7 M440 is integrated into the system, so the Radeon part fits into a broader range of portable devices.

In terms of benchmark percentiles, the Quadro K4000M sits at the 34th percentile, while the Radeon R7 M440 sits at the 32nd. Both are below the median, but the Quadro K4000M is closer to mid-range performance among all GPUs. The Radeon R7 M440’s average benchmark score of 5,483 is lower than the Quadro K4000M’s single score of 5,986, which reinforces the NVIDIA part’s overall advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K4000M scores 5,986 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R7 M440 scores 5,214. That is a 14.8% difference in favor of the Quadro K4000M.

Q: Does the Radeon R7 M440 have any benchmark where it wins?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows 1 win for the Quadro K4000M and 0 wins for the Radeon R7 M440. The Radeon R7 M440 has a Vulkan score of 5,751, but the Quadro K4000M has no Vulkan result recorded, so no direct comparison exists.

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

A: The Quadro K4000M is nearly identical to the AMD FirePro W4100 (5,987, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000 (5,982, 0.1% delta). The Radeon R7 M440 is close to the NVIDIA Quadro M4000 (5,467, 0.3% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (5,501, -0.3% delta).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Quadro K4000M has 89.60 GB/s of bandwidth from GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The Radeon R7 M440 has 14.40 GB/s from DDR3 on a 64-bit bus. The Quadro K4000M offers more than six times the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports a higher DirectX feature level?

A: The Radeon R7 M440 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the Quadro K4000M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The Radeon R7 M440 has the higher feature level.

Q: Are both GPUs the same process node?

A: Yes, both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The Quadro K4000M uses 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, while the Radeon R7 M440 uses 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two GPUs, based on the recorded data:

• Chip: NVIDIA Quadro K4000M uses GK104; AMD Radeon R7 M440 uses Meso.
• Architecture: Kepler vs GCN 3.0.
• Generation: Quadro Kepler-M (Kx000M) vs Gem System (R7 M400).
• Transistors: 3,540 million vs 1,550 million.
• Die Size: 294 mm² vs 125 mm².
• Transistor Density: 12.0M / mm² vs 12.4M / mm².
• Base Clock: 601 MHz vs not listed.
• Boost Clock: 601 MHz vs not listed.
• Memory Clock: 700 MHz (2.8 Gbps effective) vs 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective).
• Memory Type: GDDR5 vs DDR3.
• Memory Bus Width: 256 bit vs 64 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: 89.60 GB/s vs 14.40 GB/s.
• Shading Units: 960 vs 320.
• TMUs: 80 vs 20.
• ROPs: 32 vs 8.
• Pixel Rate: 12.02 GPixel/s vs 7.128 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: 48.08 GTexel/s vs 17.82 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: 1,153.9 GFLOPS vs 570.2 GFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: not listed vs 570.2 GFLOPS (1:1).
• TDP: 100 W vs not listed.
• Slot Width: MXM Module vs IGP.
• Power Connectors: None vs not listed.
• Bus Interface: MXM-B (3.0) vs PCIe 3.0 x8.
• DirectX Support: 12 (11_0) vs 12 (12_0).
• Vulkan Support: 1.2.175 vs 1.2.170.
• Release Date: 2012-05-31 vs 2016-05-14.
• Predecessor: Quadro Fermi-M vs Solar System.
• Successor: Quadro Maxwell-M vs Polaris Mobile.
• Geekbench OpenCL Score: 5,986 vs 5,214.
• Average Benchmark Score: 5,986 vs 5,483.
• Percentile vs All GPUs: 34 vs 32.

Fields that are the same: 4 GB memory size, 28 nm process node, TSMC foundry, OpenGL 4.6, end-of-life production status, portable device dependent display outputs, and no launch MSRP recorded.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M is the stronger GPU. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 14.8%, has more than double the FP32 performance (1,153.9 GFLOPS vs 570.2 GFLOPS), and offers over six times the memory bandwidth (89.60 GB/s vs 14.40 GB/s). Its higher transistor count (3,540 million vs 1,550 million) and larger die (294 mm² vs 125 mm²) reflect a fundamentally more capable chip. For any workload that stresses compute, texturing, or pixel throughput, the Quadro K4000M is the pick.

The Radeon R7 M440 has a few redeeming qualities, but they are narrow. Its Vulkan score of 5,751 is respectable, and its DirectX 12 (12_0) feature level is higher than the Quadro K4000M’s 12 (11_0). If a user specifically needs DX12_0 support or runs Vulkan-based applications, the Radeon R7 M440 may be sufficient. Its IGP form factor also means it can appear in systems where the MXM-based Quadro K4000M physically cannot fit.

However, for anyone comparing these two as options in a laptop, the Quadro K4000M is the better choice in raw performance. The Radeon R7 M440’s lower percentile (32 vs 34) and lower average score (5,483 vs 5,986) put it behind. The Quadro K4000M’s nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of its score, while the Radeon R7 M440 trails four of its five nearest rivals. The verdict is straightforward: pick the Quadro K4000M for compute-heavy tasks, and only consider the Radeon R7 M440 if its specific API support or integrated form factor is a hard requirement.