AMD Radeon R8 M445DX vs NVIDIA GeForce 930A Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark between these two mobile graphics solutions, and the result is a decisive victory for the NVIDIA GeForce 930A. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the NVIDIA part scores 5317 points, while the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX manages 4727 points. That works out to a 12.5% advantage for the NVIDIA GeForce 930A, a substantial margin for two chips aimed at the same class of portable systems.

This 12.5% lead is not a narrow edge. Looking at the nearest rival groups for each card, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A sits in a tight cluster of comparable mobile GPUs. Its score of 5317 places it just 0.1% behind the GeForce 840M (5322) and 0.2% ahead of the GeForce GTX 980M (5308), a surprisingly strong showing for a lower-tier part. The 930A also edges out the GeForce 940M by 0.6% (5284) and trails the AMD Radeon R7 M445 by 0.8% (5358). These deltas are all within a narrow band, but the key takeaway is that the 930A performs at the same level as those better-known mobile chips, despite its modest specifications.

The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX, by contrast, lands in a different neighborhood. Its 4727 score sits 0.5% below the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (4752) and 1.3% below both the Radeon R5 M255 (4788) and, curiously, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB (4791). It does manage to outperform the NVIDIA Quadro P400 (4684) by 0.9%. The presence of the RTX 3080 12 GB in this rival list is an artifact of the database's percentile ranking, not a meaningful comparison, but it does illustrate that the M445DX lands in a lower performance tier overall.

The percentile data reinforces this gap. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A ranks in the 31st percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX sits in the 27th percentile. That four-percentile difference may sound small, but in a database containing thousands of entries, it represents a real separation in capability. The head-to-head delta of 12.5% is the cleanest measure: the NVIDIA chip wins the only benchmark where both were tested, and it wins by a clear margin.

Where Each One Wins

Looking strictly at the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce 930A wins the only benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. It also holds advantages in several raw specification categories that explain its benchmark performance.

The 930A has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster operation units. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX counters with 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The NVIDIA chip's extra shading units and TMUs give it more parallel processing capacity, which directly translates to its higher fp32 compute rating of 722.7 GFLOPS versus the AMD part's 653.4 GFLOPS. That is a 10.6% compute advantage, consistent with the 12.5% benchmark lead.

The NVIDIA part also runs at higher base clocks: 928 MHz base and 941 MHz boost, compared to the AMD chip's 780 MHz base and 1021 MHz boost. AMD's boost clock is actually higher, but the NVIDIA card's larger shader count and higher base clock allow it to sustain better throughput in the measured workload. The texture rate tells a similar story: 22.58 GTexel/s for NVIDIA versus 20.42 GTexel/s for AMD, a 10.6% advantage in texture fill.

The AMD card does have one notable win in raw pixel throughput. Its pixel rate is 8.168 GPixel/s, while the NVIDIA card manages 7.528 GPixel/s, a 8.5% advantage for AMD. This suggests the R8 M445DX could handle fill-rate-bound scenarios slightly better, though the benchmark data does not include a test that isolates this metric.

Memory configuration is another area where the two diverge sharply. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A uses 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 16.02 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX uses system shared memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This is a fundamental architectural difference: the AMD card must share system memory bandwidth with the CPU, while the NVIDIA card has its own dedicated pool. In practice, dedicated memory typically provides more consistent performance, and the benchmark result supports this interpretation.

For use cases, the data suggests the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is the better choice for general-purpose GPU compute and gaming workloads that benefit from higher shading throughput. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX, with its higher pixel rate and lower compute, might handle simple 2D acceleration or basic display tasks adequately, but the benchmark evidence does not show any scenario where it outperforms the NVIDIA chip.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to a clear conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce 930A is the stronger GPU. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 12.5%, holds a 10.6% advantage in fp32 compute, and offers dedicated memory, which the AMD part lacks. The percentile rankings also favor NVIDIA: 31st percentile versus 27th.

A user choosing between these two for a laptop upgrade or comparison should pick the NVIDIA GeForce 930A based on the evidence. Its benchmark score of 5317 places it alongside the GeForce 840M and GTX 980M in the database, which is remarkable for a chip in the GeForce 900A series. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX, with its 4727 score, sits in a lower tier closer to the Radeon R5 M335 and R5 M255.

The AMD card is not without merit. Its higher pixel rate could theoretically help in certain display-centric tasks, and its support for DirectX 12 (12_0) is a full generation ahead of the NVIDIA part's DirectX 12 (11_0) capability. But these advantages do not show up in the recorded benchmark, and the NVIDIA card's overall performance lead is substantial enough that the choice is straightforward.

For buyers who already own a system with one of these GPUs, the data suggests that the NVIDIA part will deliver smoother frame rates in most 3D applications. For those comparing specs in the database, the 930A's dedicated memory and higher compute throughput make it the more capable part on paper, and the benchmark confirms that on-screen.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A scores 5317, which is 12.5% higher than the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX's 4727.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce 930A compare to the GeForce 840M?

A: The 930A scores 5317, just 0.1% behind the GeForce 840M's 5322, making it effectively a performance match.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX have any advantage in raw specifications?

A: Yes, it has a higher pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s versus 7.528 GPixel/s for the NVIDIA part, and it supports DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the NVIDIA card's DirectX 12 (11_0).

Q: What memory configuration does each GPU use?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A uses 2 GB of dedicated DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 16.02 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A has 384 shading units, while the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX has 320, a 64-unit difference in NVIDIA's favor.

Q: What are the percentile rankings for these GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930A ranks in the 31st percentile among all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX ranks in the 27th percentile.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. The NVIDIA GeForce 930A is built on the Maxwell architecture, using the GM108 chip manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,020 million transistors into a die size of 77 mm², yielding a transistor density of 13.2 million transistors per square millimeter. The chip belongs to the GeForce 900A generation and is the successor to the GeForce 800A.

The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX uses the GCN 3.0 architecture, built around the Meso chip. It is also fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the die is substantially larger at 125 mm², housing 1,550 million transistors. That works out to a transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter, actually lower than NVIDIA's density despite the larger die. This part is part of the "Gem System Hybrid (Rx M400)" generation, indicating it was designed for hybrid graphics configurations.

The memory architecture is a fundamental difference. NVIDIA uses a dedicated 2 GB DDR3 pool with a 64-bit bus and a fixed 16.02 GB/s bandwidth. AMD relies entirely on system shared memory, with no dedicated VRAM, no fixed bus width, and bandwidth that varies with the host system. This means the AMD card's memory performance is dependent on the laptop's RAM configuration and speed, while the NVIDIA card has predictable, consistent memory performance.

Compute capabilities also differ. The NVIDIA part supports fp32 at 722.7 GFLOPS but has no listed fp16 capability. The AMD part offers fp32 at 653.4 GFLOPS and fp16 at the same 653.4 GFLOPS, indicating a 1:1 fp16 to fp32 ratio. In terms of API support, NVIDIA offers DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. AMD provides DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. AMD's DirectX 12 feature level is higher, but NVIDIA's Vulkan version is newer.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ across nearly every measurable specification:

• Chip: NVIDIA uses GM108; AMD uses Meso
• Architecture: NVIDIA uses Maxwell; AMD uses GCN 3.0
• Transistors: NVIDIA has 1,020 million; AMD has 1,550 million
• Die size: NVIDIA measures 77 mm²; AMD measures 125 mm²
• Transistor density: NVIDIA achieves 13.2M / mm²; AMD achieves 12.4M / mm²
• Base clock: NVIDIA runs at 928 MHz; AMD at 780 MHz
• Boost clock: NVIDIA boosts to 941 MHz; AMD boosts to 1021 MHz
• Memory: NVIDIA uses 2 GB DDR3 on 64-bit bus with 16.02 GB/s bandwidth; AMD uses system shared memory
• Shading units: NVIDIA has 384; AMD has 320
• Texture mapping units: NVIDIA has 24; AMD has 20
• Raster operation units: Both have 8
• Pixel rate: NVIDIA achieves 7.528 GPixel/s; AMD achieves 8.168 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: NVIDIA achieves 22.58 GTexel/s; AMD achieves 20.42 GTexel/s
• FP32 compute: NVIDIA delivers 722.7 GFLOPS; AMD delivers 653.4 GFLOPS
• FP16 compute: NVIDIA has none listed; AMD delivers 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1)
• Power draw: NVIDIA is rated at 33 W TDP; AMD has no TDP listed
• Bus interface: NVIDIA uses PCIe 3.0 x8; AMD uses an integrated graphics processor (IGP) connection
• DirectX support: NVIDIA supports 12 (11_0); AMD supports 12 (12_0)
• Vulkan support: NVIDIA supports 1.4; AMD supports 1.2.170

The NVIDIA card is also smaller, consumes a known 33 W, and uses a discrete bus interface, while the AMD card is larger, has no published power draw, and connects through the system's integrated graphics path. These differences align with the benchmark results, where the NVIDIA card's more conventional discrete design translates into better measured performance.