AMD Radeon R7 M445 vs NVIDIA GeForce 840M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available between the AMD Radeon R7 M445 and the NVIDIA GeForce 840M is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce 840M scores 5764, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358, giving NVIDIA a 7% advantage. This is a decisive win for the GeForce 840M in the sole head-to-head metric recorded.

Context from the nearest-rival data reinforces this outcome. The AMD Radeon R7 M445’s average benchmark score is 5358, and its nearest rival list shows the GeForce 840M at 5322, a 0.7% delta in AMD’s favor when averaging across all benchmarks. However, that rival listing uses the GeForce 840M’s average score, not its raw OpenCL result. The head-to-head comparison uses the GeForce’s best OpenCL score, which is notably higher than its average. The GeForce 840M’s average of 5322 is dragged down by its Vulkan score of 4880, whereas its OpenCL score of 5764 is the stronger data point.

The delta of -7% (from AMD’s perspective) is the largest gap in the head-to-head table. For context, the AMD Radeon R7 M445’s closest rival, the Intel UHD Graphics P630, scores 5370, a mere 0.2% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A sits at 5317 (0.8% behind AMD), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M is listed at 5308 (0.9% behind). These tiny margins in the rival table stand in stark contrast to the 7% gap in the direct comparison, indicating that the GeForce 840M’s OpenCL performance is a genuine outlier relative to its average standing.

The NVIDIA GeForce 840M also has a Vulkan benchmark score of 4880, which the AMD Radeon R7 M445 lacks entirely. This means NVIDIA offers a second API path for compute workloads, while AMD’s benchmark data is limited to OpenCL. The Vulkan score is 15% lower than NVIDIA’s own OpenCL result, suggesting that NVIDIA’s architecture favors OpenCL in this particular metric.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R7 M445 uses the Meso chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA GeForce 840M employs the GM108S chip on the Maxwell architecture. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The AMD chip is physically larger, with a die size of 125 mm² and 1,550 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 12.4M per mm². The NVIDIA chip is substantially smaller at 77 mm² with 1,020 million transistors, but achieves a higher density of 13.2M per mm². This density advantage suggests NVIDIA packs its transistors more efficiently, which aligns with its higher clock speeds.

Clock speeds favor NVIDIA decisively. The GeForce 840M runs at a base of 1029 MHz and boosts to 1124 MHz, compared to AMD’s 780 MHz base and 920 MHz boost. This represents a 32% higher base clock and 18% higher boost clock for NVIDIA. Memory clocks are comparable in raw terms — 1000 MHz for AMD versus 1001 MHz for NVIDIA — but effective data rates differ dramatically. AMD’s GDDR5 memory achieves 4 Gbps effective, while NVIDIA’s DDR3 memory tops out at 2 Gbps effective.

Memory capacity and bandwidth also diverge. The AMD Radeon R7 M445 comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 32.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce 840M has 2 GB of DDR3 on the same 64-bit bus, delivering just 16.02 GB/s — exactly half the AMD’s bandwidth. This is a significant architectural gap that affects texture-heavy workloads and high-resolution buffers.

Compute unit counts tell a mixed story. NVIDIA has more shading units at 384 versus AMD’s 320, but AMD counters with more texture mapping units (20 versus 16). Both have 8 ROPs. The result is that NVIDIA’s pixel rate is higher at 8.992 GPixel/s versus AMD’s 7.360 GPixel/s, while AMD’s texture rate is slightly higher at 18.40 GTexel/s versus NVIDIA’s 17.98 GTexel/s. NVIDIA’s FP32 throughput is 863.2 GFLOPS, well ahead of AMD’s 588.8 GFLOPS. AMD lists FP16 at the same 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1), while NVIDIA’s FP16 is not specified.

API support differs in the details. AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Both offer OpenGL 4.6. The higher Vulkan revision on NVIDIA’s side may explain its Vulkan benchmark presence.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 840M wins the only direct benchmark, taking the OpenCL test by 7%. This is supported by its raw compute advantages: 863.2 GFLOPS FP32 versus 588.8 GFLOPS, a higher pixel rate, and significantly higher clock speeds. For tasks that rely on raw shader throughput — such as general-purpose compute, physics simulations, and pixel-heavy rendering — the data points to NVIDIA.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445’s advantages are more subtle and come from memory characteristics. With 4 GB of GDDR5 and 32.00 GB/s bandwidth, AMD has double the VRAM capacity and double the memory bandwidth of the NVIDIA part. This suggests AMD is better suited for workloads that exceed 2 GB of frame buffer, such as high-resolution textures or large dataset processing. The higher texture rate (18.40 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s) gives AMD a marginal edge in texture-bound scenarios.

AMD also offers a 1:1 FP16 ratio, which can be beneficial for applications that leverage half-precision arithmetic. However, without benchmark data to confirm this advantage, it remains a theoretical edge.

In terms of API coverage, NVIDIA has a Vulkan 1.4 implementation and a recorded Vulkan score of 4880, while AMD’s Vulkan 1.2.170 has no benchmark result. This makes NVIDIA the safer choice for Vulkan-based applications, at least based on available evidence.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 840M scores 5764 versus the AMD Radeon R7 M445’s 5358, a 7% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R7 M445 have any advantage over the GeForce 840M?

A: Yes. AMD offers 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with 32.00 GB/s bandwidth, double the capacity and bandwidth of NVIDIA’s 2 GB DDR3 at 16.02 GB/s. AMD also has a higher texture rate of 18.40 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 has an average score of 5358, while the NVIDIA GeForce 840M averages 5322. AMD edges ahead by 0.7% in the average comparison.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce 840M support Vulkan?

A: Yes, it has a Vulkan 1.4 implementation and scores 4880 in the Geekbench Vulkan test. The AMD Radeon R7 M445 lists Vulkan 1.2.170 support but has no recorded Vulkan benchmark score.

Q: How many shading units does each GPU have?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 840M has 384 shading units, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 has 320.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 840M boosts to 1124 MHz, compared to the AMD Radeon R7 M445’s 920 MHz.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the available data, the NVIDIA GeForce 840M is the stronger performer. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 7%, has higher FP32 throughput (863.2 GFLOPS versus 588.8 GFLOPS), higher pixel rate (8.992 GPixel/s versus 7.360 GPixel/s), and faster clocks across the board. Its Vulkan support adds a second benchmarked API path that AMD cannot match.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 is not without merit. It offers double the VRAM (4 GB versus 2 GB) and double the memory bandwidth (32.00 GB/s versus 16.02 GB/s), which could matter for memory-intensive workloads. Its higher texture rate and FP16 support are additional technical advantages. However, none of these advantages translate into a benchmark win in the direct comparison.

For users prioritizing raw compute performance, the NVIDIA GeForce 840M is the data-backed choice. For users who need larger frame buffers or higher bandwidth for specific applications, the AMD Radeon R7 M445 warrants consideration, but the benchmark evidence favors NVIDIA overall.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 M445 | NVIDIA GeForce 840M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Maxwell |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,550 million | 1,020 million |

| Die Size | 125 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.4M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 780 MHz | 1029 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 920 MHz | 1124 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) | 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus | 64 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 32.00 GB/s | 16.02 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 320 | 384 |

| TMUs | 20 | 16 |

| ROPs | 8 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.360 GPixel/s | 8.992 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 18.40 GTexel/s | 17.98 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 588.8 GFLOPS | 863.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1) | Not specified |

| TDP | Not specified | 33 W |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2016-05-14 | 2014-03-11 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |