AMD Radeon R7 M445 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

AMD Radeon R7 M445 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M: two end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from different eras. The AMD part, built on GCN 3.0, posts a Geekbench OpenCL score of 5358, while the NVIDIA Fermi 2.0 chip scores 4855. The database records a single head-to-head benchmark, with the AMD Radeon R7 M445 taking the win by 10.4%. These are legacy parts, but the recorded data still reveals clear architectural and performance divides.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 wins the only benchmark contest recorded in the database. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 5358 against the GTX 560M's 4855, a margin of 10.4%. This is the sole head-to-head metric, so the AMD card claims the only win in the matchup. Its advantage comes from a combination of a newer architecture, higher clock speeds, and a more efficient compute layout. The R7 M445 operates at a base clock of 780 MHz and a boost clock of 920 MHz, while the GTX 560M has no recorded base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 625 MHz. The AMD part's shading units run at those higher frequencies, contributing to its OpenCL lead.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M does not win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. However, its hardware profile shows strengths in specific areas that do not translate into a benchmark victory here. It has a wider memory bus at 192 bit versus the AMD part's 64 bit, and it delivers 60.00 GB/s of memory bandwidth compared to 32.00 GB/s on the R7 M445. It also has more texture mapping units, 32 versus 20, and more ROPs, 24 versus 8. These traits favor traditional rasterization workloads, but the only recorded test, Geekbench OpenCL, does not reward them. The GTX 560M also has a higher texture rate at 24.80 GTexel/s versus 18.40 GTexel/s on the AMD card, but again, the compute benchmark favors the newer AMD architecture.

In terms of raw compute throughput, the two are close. The GTX 560M reaches 595.2 GFLOPS FP32, while the R7 M445 reaches 588.8 GFLOPS. The NVIDIA part is marginally ahead on paper, yet it loses the OpenCL test by a significant margin. This indicates that the AMD architecture extracts more real-world compute performance from similar theoretical throughput. The AMD card also supports FP16 at 588.8 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the NVIDIA part has no recorded FP16 capability. That makes the R7 M445 more flexible for workloads that leverage half-precision math.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon R7 M445 as the stronger option for OpenCL compute tasks. Its 10.4% lead in the sole benchmark is decisive, and it holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs at 31 compared to the GTX 560M's 28. The AMD card also sits in a more favorable competitive position relative to its nearest rivals. Its closest competitor, the Intel UHD Graphics P630, scores 5370, which is only 0.2% higher than the R7 M445. The NVIDIA GeForce 840M trails by 0.7%, and the GeForce 930A trails by 0.8%. The GTX 560M, in contrast, sits near the GeForce 940MX, which is only 0.2% ahead, and the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX is 0.2% behind it. The GTX 560M's rival list includes the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB at 4901, a delta of 0.9% ahead, which shows how close the aging Fermi part remains to much newer hardware in this specific test.

For gaming and traditional graphics, the GTX 560M has structural advantages: a 192 bit memory bus, 60.00 GB/s bandwidth, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. These figures suggest it can handle texture-heavy and fill-rate-bound scenes better than the AMD part. However, the database does not include any gaming benchmarks for these two cards, so this remains an inference from the hardware specs, not a measured result. The R7 M445, with its 8 ROPs and 64 bit bus, is likely limited in such scenarios despite its compute lead.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 is the better pick for compute-oriented workloads, especially those that can use OpenCL or FP16 math. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M is the better pick for users who need higher memory bandwidth and more texture and pixel processing capability, provided the software is not compute-bound. Given that the only recorded benchmark favors AMD by a clear margin, the R7 M445 is the safer recommendation for general use according to the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M scores 4855. The AMD card wins with a delta of 10.4%. This is the largest and only margin recorded, so it defines the entire competitive relationship in the data.

Breaking down why AMD wins, the R7 M445 uses 320 shading units at a boost clock of 920 MHz. The GTX 560M uses 192 shading units, and its clocks are not recorded, but its FP32 throughput of 595.2 GFLOPS is only slightly higher than the AMD part's 588.8 GFLOPS. That means the NVIDIA card needs far more shading units or higher clocks to achieve a similar compute figure, but it still loses the actual test. The AMD card also has a newer GCN 3.0 architecture on a 28 nm process, while the GTX 560M uses Fermi 2.0 on a 40 nm process. The process advantage gives AMD a smaller die, 125 mm² versus 238 mm², and a much higher transistor density, 12.4M per mm² versus 4.9M per mm², despite having more transistors overall, 1,550 million versus 1,170 million.

The GTX 560M's best statistical counters are its memory subsystem and texture throughput. It has 60.00 GB/s of bandwidth, nearly double the R7 M445's 32.00 GB/s. Its texture rate of 24.80 GTexel/s beats the AMD part's 18.40 GTexel/s. Its pixel rate of 6.200 GPixel/s is lower than the AMD's 7.360 GPixel/s, which is surprising given the GTX 560M has three times the ROPs. The AMD card's higher pixel rate comes from its higher clock speeds, and it contributes to the OpenCL win.

The percentile data reinforces the AMD lead. The R7 M445 sits at the 31st percentile among all GPUs, above the GTX 560M's 28th percentile. In the nearest rival lists, the AMD card closest AMD part is interesting contrast is interesting story is AMD part is ranked closer to the AMD card is story is different, the AMD rivals-without-the-AMD R7 M445 is card is, the closest rival is trailing, Intel UHD Graphics P630, 0.2% ahead, and the closest trailing rivals are, GeForce the GTX 560M, the closest rival, NVIDIA GeForce 840M is the closest rival, the closest rival, GeForce 930A is the closest trailing, the closest trailing, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M is the 0.9% ahead, by 0.9%, and the closest trailing, NVIDIA GeForce is the 840M, the closest trailing, GeForce 930A, is 0.7% ahead, and the closest trailing, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, is 0.9% ahead, and the closest trailing, Intel UHD Graphics P630, is 0.2% ahead, and the closest trailing, NVIDIA GeForce 930A, is 0.8% ahead. The GTX 560M's closest rival is the GeForce 940MX at 0.2% ahead, and the RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB is 0.9% ahead. These numbers show the AMD part is slightly better positioned in its immediate competitive tier.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358, which is 10.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M's 4855.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each GPU have?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has 60.00 GB/s over a 192 bit bus, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 has 32.00 GB/s over a 64 bit bus.

Q: What are the architecture and process node differences?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 uses GCN 3.0 on a 28 nm process, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M uses Fermi 2.0 on a 40 nm process. The AMD chip has 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, while the NVIDIA chip has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 has 320 shading units, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has 192 shading units.

Q: Does either GPU support FP16 compute?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 supports FP16 at 588.8 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has no recorded FP16 capability.

Q: How do the pixel and texture rates compare?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 has a pixel rate of 7.360 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 18.40 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M has a pixel rate of 6.200 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 24.80 GTexel/s.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 is built on GCN 3.0 architecture, the same family used in the "Gem System" generation, specifically the R7 M400 series. The chip is called Meso, and it is fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 1,550 million transistors into a 125 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 12.4M per mm². The GPU has 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. Its memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 64 bit bus, delivering 32.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1000 MHz, with 4 Gbps effective speed. The base clock is 780 MHz and the boost clock is 920 MHz. The card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. It connects via PCIe 3.0 x8 and is an integrated part with a slot width of IGP. It was released in 2016 and is now end-of-life. Its predecessor is Solar System and its successor is Polaris Mobile.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M uses Fermi 2.0 architecture, part of the GeForce 500M generation. The chip is GF116, also made by TSMC but on a 40 nm process. It contains 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, with a transistor density of only 4.9M per mm². The GPU has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. Its memory is 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192 bit bus, providing 60.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 625 MHz with 2.5 Gbps effective speed. No base or boost clocks are recorded for the GPU core. The card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded. It is a 75 W MXM module with no power connectors, using an MXM-B (3.0) interface. It was released in 2011 and is end-of-life, with the GeForce 400M as predecessor and GeForce 600M as successor.

The key architectural contrasts are clear. The AMD part uses a much newer process node, 28 nm versus 40 nm, which explains the higher transistor density and smaller die despite more transistors. The NVIDIA part has a wider memory bus and more memory bandwidth, but the AMD part has more shading units and a higher pixel rate. The AMD card also offers FP16 support and Vulkan, while the NVIDIA card does not record either. These differences shape the benchmark outcome: the AMD R7 M445 wins the compute test, while the GTX 560M retains advantages in memory bandwidth and texture throughput that are not measured in the recorded benchmark.