AMD Radeon R7 M465 vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M465 and NVIDIA Quadro M500M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from 2016, targeting entry-level laptops and professional workstations respectively. Benchmark data from Geekbench shows the NVIDIA Quadro M500M holding a narrow edge in the single available OpenCL test, scoring 5986 against the AMD’s 5841, a 2.4% advantage. However, the two parts differ substantially in architecture, memory technology, and API support, making the choice between them dependent on specific workload priorities rather than raw performance alone.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro M500M is the clear winner in the only direct head-to-head benchmark available. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5986 surpasses the AMD Radeon R7 M465’s 5841 by 2.4%, putting it ahead in compute-heavy tasks that leverage OpenCL. This advantage is modest but consistent with its higher base and boost clocks, which are 1029 MHz and 1124 MHz respectively versus the AMD’s 730 MHz and 1024 MHz. For users running OpenCL-accelerated applications, the Quadro M500M is the safer pick, especially in professional software that often favors NVIDIA’s driver optimizations.

The AMD Radeon R7 M465, while losing the single benchmark, still holds appeal in specific scenarios. Its GDDR5 memory operates at an effective 4.5 Gbps, delivering 36.00 GB/s of bandwidth compared to the Quadro’s DDR3 at 1800 Mbps effective and just 14.40 GB/s. This 2.5x bandwidth advantage means the R7 M465 excels in memory-bound workloads where data throughput matters more than raw shader compute. Texture-heavy applications or older games that rely on fill rates could see tangible benefits from the AMD’s 24 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 24.58 GTexel/s texture rate, versus the Quadro’s 16 TMUs and 17.98 GTexel/s.

For gaming, the R7 M465 also offers better API compatibility. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the Quadro M500M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. The higher DirectX feature level means the AMD card can handle more modern rendering techniques, making it a better fit for contemporary game titles. The Quadro M500M, meanwhile, targets professional workloads where its NVIDIA driver ecosystem and lower 30 W TDP make it a more efficient choice for thin-and-light mobile workstations.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architectural generations. The AMD Radeon R7 M465 uses the Topaz chip based on GCN 3.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC with 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M uses the GM108S chip based on Maxwell architecture, also on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but with fewer resources: 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die. This gives the AMD a transistor density of 12.4M per mm², while NVIDIA achieves a higher 13.2M per mm² despite the smaller silicon.

Shader core counts are identical at 384 shading units for both, but the rest of the pipeline diverges. The R7 M465 has 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs, while the M500M has 16 TMUs and 8 ROPs. This means the AMD part has 50% more texture units, which directly feeds its higher texture fill rate of 24.58 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s. The pixel rates are nearly equal, with the AMD at 8.192 GPixel/s and the NVIDIA at 8.992 GPixel/s, reflecting the identical ROP count and similar clock behavior.

Memory architecture marks a major split. The R7 M465 pairs its 2 GB GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus, achieving 36.00 GB/s bandwidth. The M500M uses 2 GB DDR3 on the same 64-bit bus, but only reaches 14.40 GB/s. This is a 2.5x gap in memory bandwidth, which can be decisive in certain compute and graphics workloads. Compute throughput, however, slightly favors NVIDIA: the M500M delivers 863.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance versus 786.4 GFLOPS for the AMD, a 9.8% advantage. The AMD also supports FP16 at 786.4 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the NVIDIA part has no listed FP16 capability.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, shows a narrow victory for the NVIDIA Quadro M500M. It scores 5986 against the AMD Radeon R7 M465’s 5841, a delta of -2.4% from the AMD’s perspective. This result places the two GPUs within a hair of each other in raw compute performance, despite their architectural differences. The NVIDIA’s higher boost clock of 1124 MHz (versus 1024 MHz) and superior FP32 throughput of 863.2 GFLOPS help it edge out the AMD’s 786.4 GFLOPS.

Contextualizing this result against their nearest rivals clarifies the picture. The Quadro M500M’s 5986 OpenCL score is 1.2% above the AMD FirePro M4000 (5537) and 1.7% above the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 (5508), but 1.5% below the AMD Radeon HD 8790M (5691). The R7 M465, meanwhile, sits within 2% of several competitors: it is 0.3% below the AMD Radeon R5 M435 (5859), 1.5% below the Intel UHD Graphics 730 (5929), 1.9% below the AMD Radeon HD 8730M (5955), and 1.9% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti (5731). These tight margins suggest both GPUs occupy a similar performance tier, with the Quadro’s win being more about clock tuning than architectural superiority.

For users, this means the benchmark gap is unlikely to translate into a perceptible real-world difference in most applications. The 2.4% delta falls well within run-to-run variance for OpenCL workloads. Instead, the deciding factors are likely to be memory bandwidth, API support, and power efficiency, where the two parts take opposite approaches.

Specification Differences

The most significant specification differences between the two GPUs highlight their distinct design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R7 M465 uses GDDR5 memory with 36.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M uses DDR3 with only 14.40 GB/s. Both have 2 GB capacity and a 64-bit bus, but the memory type alone creates a 2.5x bandwidth disparity.

Clock speeds also diverge. The R7 M465 runs at a 730 MHz base and 1024 MHz boost, while the M500M runs higher at 1029 MHz base and 1124 MHz boost. This gives NVIDIA a 29% higher base clock and nearly 10% higher boost clock. Compute output follows: the M500M reaches 863.2 GFLOPS FP32 versus 786.4 GFLOPS for the AMD.

Texture processing favors AMD. The R7 M465 has 24 TMUs and a texture rate of 24.58 GTexel/s, while the M500M has 16 TMUs and 17.98 GTexel/s. Pixel rates are close, with AMD at 8.192 GPixel/s and NVIDIA at 8.992 GPixel/s. The AMD also supports FP16 at 786.4 GFLOPS (1:1), a feature absent from the NVIDIA specification.

API support shows a notable split. The AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The higher DirectX feature level on the AMD card matters for gaming compatibility.

Physical and power characteristics differ too. The M500M has a 30 W TDP, an MXM-A (3.0) bus interface, and no power connectors, with display outputs described as "portable device dependent." The R7 M465 lists no TDP or power connector details but uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The NVIDIA chip is smaller (77 mm² vs 125 mm²) and uses fewer transistors (1,020 million vs 1,550 million), resulting in higher transistor density at 13.2M per mm² versus 12.4M per mm².

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M delivers 863.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is 9.8% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M465’s 786.4 GFLOPS. This aligns with its Geekbench OpenCL win of 5986 versus 5841.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M465 has a 2.5x bandwidth advantage, offering 36.00 GB/s from GDDR5 memory versus the NVIDIA Quadro M500M’s 14.40 GB/s from DDR3. Both use 2 GB on a 64-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU supports more modern graphics APIs?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M465 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD’s higher DirectX feature level is more suitable for modern games.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M runs at 1029 MHz base and 1124 MHz boost, compared to the AMD Radeon R7 M465’s 730 MHz base and 1024 MHz boost. This gives NVIDIA a 29% higher base clock and a 9.8% higher boost clock.

Q: How do the two compare in texture processing?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M465 has 24 TMUs and a 24.58 GTexel/s texture rate, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M has 16 TMUs and 17.98 GTexel/s. This gives AMD a 36.7% advantage in texture fill rate.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M465 sits in the 33rd percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M sits in the 32nd percentile. Despite the Quadro’s benchmark win, both are statistically in the same performance tier.