AMD Radeon R7 M445 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single benchmark comparison between the AMD Radeon R7 M445 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this measurement, the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893. That represents a 9.5% advantage for the AMD part, a meaningful gap in raw compute throughput.

Context from the nearest rivals clarifies how each card sits in the broader landscape. The R7 M445's 5358 score places it just 0.2% behind the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (5370), and it edges out the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (5322) by 0.7% and the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317) by 0.8%. Interestingly, it also runs ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (5308) by 0.9% in this specific OpenCL workload, though that is a narrow margin and not representative of gaming performance. The R7 M445 sits at the 31st percentile among all GPUs in the database.

The GTS 450's 4893 score puts it at the 28th percentile overall. Its closest rivals are tightly clustered: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB scores 4901, just 0.2% higher, and the AMD FirePro W5130M scores 4904, also 0.2% higher. On the lower side, the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX trails by 0.5% with 4867, while the AMD Radeon R7 M265 leads it by 0.7% at 4929. The GTS 450 is therefore competitive with a surprisingly modern set of parts in this compute test, but it still trails the R7 M445 by nearly a full 10%.

The win tally reflects this: the R7 M445 claims 1 win in the head-to-head comparison, while the GTS 450 has 0 wins. No benchmark in the database favors the older NVIDIA card.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450's 4893, a 9.5% difference in favor of the AMD part.

Q: How does the R7 M445 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: It is 0.2% behind the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (5370), 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (5322), 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317), and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (5308).

Q: How does the GTS 450 stack up against its closest competitors?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901) and AMD FirePro W5130M (4904) both lead it by 0.2%. The AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4867) trails it by 0.5%, and the AMD Radeon R7 M265 (4929) leads it by 0.7%.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The R7 M445 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTS 450 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 57.73 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The R7 M445 packs 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, while the GTS 450 has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die.

Q: What are the API support differences?

A: The R7 M445 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 listed.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design eras and philosophies. The AMD Radeon R7 M445 uses the Meso chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is a mobile-oriented part from the Gem System (R7 M400) generation, released in 2016. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 uses the GF106 chip based on the Fermi architecture, also made by TSMC but on an older 40 nm process. It belongs to the GeForce 400 generation and launched in 2010.

The manufacturing process difference is stark. The R7 M445's 28 nm node allows for a transistor density of 12.4M per mm², while the GTS 450's 40 nm process achieves only 4.9M per mm². Despite this, the GTS 450 has a larger physical die at 238 mm² compared to the R7 M445's 125 mm², yet it contains fewer transistors: 1,170 million versus 1,550 million. The AMD part packs more logic into a smaller area, a clear sign of architectural and process advancement.

Compute resources differ significantly as well. The R7 M445 fields 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. The GTS 450 counters with 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has more texture and pixel processing hardware, but far fewer shader cores. This explains why the GTS 450 posts a higher texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s versus the R7 M445's 18.40 GTexel/s, even though the AMD card wins the overall compute benchmark.

Pixel rates tell a similar story: the R7 M445 achieves 7.360 GPixel/s, while the GTS 450 reaches 6.264 GPixel/s, a 17.5% advantage for AMD in raw pixel throughput. Floating-point performance is nearly a dead heat: the R7 M445 delivers 588.8 GFLOPS in FP32, and the GTS 450 delivers 601.3 GFLOPS. The R7 M445 also supports FP16 at 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the GTS 450 has no listed FP16 capability.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The R7 M445 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, yielding 32.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTS 450 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 57.73 GB/s. The older card has nearly double the memory bandwidth, but the newer card has four times the capacity. The GTS 450 also runs its memory at 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective), while the R7 M445's memory operates at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), though the narrower bus limits total throughput.

The R7 M445 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a slot width designation of "IGP" and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The GTS 450 is a dual-slot discrete card measuring 210 mm or 8.3 inches in length, 111 mm or 4.4 inches in height, with 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs. Power requirements differ completely: the GTS 450 consumes 106 W, needs a 300 W suggested PSU, and requires a single 6-pin power connector, while the R7 M445 lists no TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU, consistent with its integrated nature.

Bus interfaces also differ: the R7 M445 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GTS 450 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The older card's wider interface partially compensates for its older standard, but the newer AMD part benefits from the higher per-lane bandwidth of PCIe 3.0.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon R7 M445 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 in the only recorded compute test, with a 9.5% higher OpenCL score. It also holds a better overall percentile ranking: 31st versus 28th among all GPUs in the database.

However, the two cards serve entirely different purposes. The R7 M445 is an integrated part designed for portable devices, with no discrete power draw listed and no expansion slot requirement. The GTS 450 is a traditional dual-slot desktop card that needs a 300 W power supply and a 6-pin connector. Anyone building a desktop system today would not consider the R7 M445, as it is not a plug-in card. Conversely, anyone needing a low-power integrated solution for a laptop or compact system would not look at the GTS 450.

From a pure performance standpoint, the R7 M445 wins the compute test. But the GTS 450 offers substantially higher memory bandwidth (57.73 GB/s versus 32.00 GB/s) and a much wider 128-bit memory bus, which could matter in bandwidth-sensitive workloads. The GTS 450 also has more TMUs and ROPs, contributing to its higher texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s versus 18.40 GTexel/s for the R7 M445.

The production status of both is end-of-life, so neither is a forward-looking purchase. The R7 M445 was released in 2016 and succeeded by Polaris Mobile, while the GTS 450 came out in 2010 and was followed by the GeForce 500 series. The R7 M445's predecessor was the Solar System series, and the GTS 450's predecessor was the GeForce 200 line.

For compute workloads as measured by OpenCL, the data favors the AMD part. For memory bandwidth and traditional desktop compatibility, the GTS 450 holds advantages. The choice depends entirely on the use case and platform constraints.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R7 M445 | NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Fermi |

| Chip | Meso | GF106 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 1,550 million | 1,170 million |

| Die Size | 125 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.4M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 780 MHz | None listed |

| Boost Clock | 920 MHz | None listed |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) | 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 32.00 GB/s | 57.73 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 320 | 192 |

| TMUs | 20 | 32 |

| ROPs | 8 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 7.360 GPixel/s | 6.264 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 18.40 GTexel/s | 25.06 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 588.8 GFLOPS | 601.3 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1) | None listed |

| TDP | None listed | 106 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

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

| OpenGL Support | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | None listed |

| Dimensions | Not listed | 210 mm / 8.3 inches long, 111 mm / 4.4 inches tall |

| Release Date | 2016 | 2010 |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 takes the headline victory in the Geekbench OpenCL test with a 9.5% higher score. It also wins on pixel rate (7.360 GPixel/s versus 6.264 GPixel/s), transistor density (12.4M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm²), memory capacity (4 GB versus 1024 MB), and API support, offering Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12_0 where the GTS 450 only reaches DirectX 11_0 and has no Vulkan. The R7 M445 also supports FP16 compute, a feature absent from the GTS 450's specifications. Its PCIe 3.0 x8 interface is a generation newer than the GTS 450's PCIe 2.0 x16.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 holds its own in several specific areas. It delivers significantly more memory bandwidth at 57.73 GB/s versus 32.00 GB/s, thanks to its 128-bit bus versus the R7 M445's 64-bit bus. It has more TMUs (32 versus 20) and more ROPs (16 versus 8), resulting in a higher texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s compared to 18.40 GTexel/s. Its FP32 output of 601.3 GFLOPS narrowly exceeds the R7 M445's 588.8 GFLOPS. It also offers a true desktop form factor with dedicated display outputs (2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI), whereas the R7 M445's outputs depend entirely on the portable device it is integrated into. The GTS 450 is a discrete card with its own power delivery, while the R7 M445 has no listed TDP and draws power through the host system.

For a builder assembling a desktop PC with an available PCIe slot and a 300 W power supply, the GTS 450 is the only practical choice of the two. For a compact or mobile system where integrated graphics are required, the R7 M445 is the only option that fits. In raw compute performance, the R7 M445 leads. In memory bandwidth and traditional rasterization hardware, the GTS 450 retains advantages. The data supports the R7 M445 as the stronger overall compute part, but the GTS 450 remains relevant for specific bandwidth-heavy and desktop-oriented tasks.