AMD Radeon R8 M445DX vs NVIDIA GeForce 930M Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available between the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX and the NVIDIA GeForce 930M is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is clear: the NVIDIA GeForce 930M wins with a score of 5046 against the AMD's 4727, a 6.3% advantage. While this is not a decisive margin, it does establish the GeForce 930M as the faster GPU in raw compute throughput as measured by this workload. The AMD part's single benchmark result of 4727 places it within a narrow band of similar-performance rivals: it trails the AMD Radeon R5 M335 by just 0.5%, sits 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro P400, and is 1.3% behind both the AMD Radeon R5 M255 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB. That last comparison is a stark reminder that benchmark scores do not always track generational expectations—the R8 M445DX is competitive with a high-end desktop card in this particular synthetic test, even though real-world gaming performance would diverge massively.

The NVIDIA GeForce 930M's average benchmark score across its two recorded tests (OpenCL and Vulkan) is 4388, which drags its OpenCL win into context. Its Vulkan score of 3729 is substantially lower than its OpenCL result, indicating that the Maxwell architecture is more efficient in certain API environments than others. The GeForce 930M's percentile rank of 26 places it just below the AMD part's 27th percentile, meaning that while the NVIDIA GPU wins the head-to-head, both sit in the same low-performance tier when measured against the entire GPU landscape. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro P400 (4684 avg score, 0.9% behind) and the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (4752 avg score, 0.5% ahead), while the GeForce 930M sits among the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M (4411 avg, 0.5% ahead) and Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 (4360 avg, 0.7% behind). The data shows two GPUs that are effectively peers in performance, with the NVIDIA card holding a narrow but consistent edge in the one directly comparable benchmark.

# Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX is built on the GCN 3.0 architecture using the Meso chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,550 million transistors onto a 125 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GeForce 930M uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM108S chip, also on a 28 nm TSMC process, but with fewer resources: 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, yielding a higher density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. The AMD chip is physically larger and more complex, but the NVIDIA design is more efficiently packed.

In terms of compute resources, the NVIDIA GeForce 930M actually has more shading units (384 vs. 320) and more texture mapping units (24 vs. 20), while both have 8 ROPs. Despite this hardware advantage, the AMD part achieves higher theoretical throughput: its FP32 performance is 653.4 GFLOPS versus 421.6 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA, a 55% gap. The AMD GPU also leads in pixel rate (8.168 GPixel/s vs. 4.392 GPixel/s) and texture rate (20.42 GTexel/s vs. 13.18 GTexel/s). This is explained by clock speeds: the AMD R8 M445DX runs at 780 MHz base and 1021 MHz boost, while the GeForce 930M is locked at just 549 MHz for both base and boost. The NVIDIA card compensates somewhat with its higher shading unit count, but the massive clock advantage for AMD wins out in raw math.

Memory is a major divergence. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX uses system-shared memory with a system-dependent bus width and bandwidth, meaning its performance is tied directly to the host laptop's RAM configuration. The NVIDIA GeForce 930M has dedicated 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 12.80 GB/s of bandwidth and an effective speed of 1600 Mbps. For the AMD part, memory performance is literally "System Dependent," which introduces variability that the NVIDIA card does not suffer from. The GeForce 930M also has a documented TDP of 33 W with no external power connectors, while the AMD part lists no TDP at all. Both are integrated-class GPUs (IGP) with portable-device-dependent display outputs.

API support differs: the AMD R8 M445DX supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card's Vulkan support is newer, but its DirectX 12 implementation is limited to the 11_0 feature level. The AMD card also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32 (653.4 GFLOPS), while the NVIDIA card has no listed FP16 capability. The GeForce 930M uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the AMD part uses an IGP bus interface, which means it is integrated into the chipset rather than connected via a standard PCIe slot.

# Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 930M wins the only direct benchmark comparison, posting a 6.3% higher OpenCL score (5046 vs. 4727). This suggests that for general-purpose compute tasks that leverage OpenCL, the NVIDIA card is the better choice. Its dedicated 2 GB DDR3 memory with 12.80 GB/s bandwidth also means it does not depend on system RAM availability or speed, making it more predictable in performance across different laptops. The GeForce 930M also has more shading units (384 vs. 320) and TMUs (24 vs. 20), which can help in workloads that scale well with those resources. Its Vulkan 1.4 support is more modern than the AMD's 1.2.170, which may benefit newer applications that take advantage of the latest Vulkan features.

The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX wins on pure theoretical throughput: its FP32 performance of 653.4 GFLOPS is 55% higher than the NVIDIA's 421.6 GFLOPS, and its pixel rate of 8.168 GPixel/s is nearly double the GeForce 930M's 4.392 GPixel/s. The texture rate of 20.42 GTexel/s also far exceeds the NVIDIA's 13.18 GTexel/s. This means that in workloads that are heavily arithmetic-bound or fill-rate-bound, the AMD card has the architectural headroom to outperform, assuming the system memory bandwidth is sufficient. The AMD card also supports DirectX 12 (12_0) feature level, which is more complete than the NVIDIA's 11_0, potentially enabling better performance in DX12 titles that use those features. Its FP16 throughput at 1:1 ratio with FP32 could benefit certain compute workloads that support half-precision math.

For gaming, the picture is less clear. The NVIDIA card's dedicated memory is a significant advantage, as the AMD card must share system memory and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." However, the AMD card's much higher theoretical fill rates and compute throughput could make it competitive in games that are not memory-bandwidth-limited. The GeForce 930M's higher shading unit count and TMU count could help in shader-heavy scenes, but its low clock speed (549 MHz vs. 1021 MHz boost on AMD) is a severe handicap. In practice, the benchmark data shows the NVIDIA card holds the edge in OpenCL, but the AMD card's architecture suggests it could win in scenarios that stress raw arithmetic or pixel throughput.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930M scores 5046 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 6.3% higher than the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX's 4727 in the same test.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The AMD R8 M445DX sits within 1.3% of the AMD Radeon R5 M255, AMD Radeon R5 M335, NVIDIA Quadro P400, and even the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB in average benchmark scores. The GeForce 930M is within 2.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M, Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6, and AMD FirePro W2100.

Q: What are the core differences in compute resources?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 930M has 384 shading units and 24 TMUs, while the AMD R8 M445DX has 320 shading units and 20 TMUs. Both have 8 ROPs, but the AMD card runs at much higher clocks (1021 MHz boost vs. 549 MHz).

Q: How does memory configuration differ?

A: The AMD R8 M445DX uses system-shared memory with a system-dependent bus width and bandwidth, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930M has dedicated 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 12.80 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA has a newer Vulkan version, but AMD has a more complete DirectX 12 feature level.

Q: What are the production statuses of these GPUs?

A: Both the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX and the NVIDIA GeForce 930M are end-of-life products. The AMD card was released on 2016-05-14, while the NVIDIA card was released on 2015-03-12.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R8 M445DX | NVIDIA GeForce 930M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Maxwell |

| Chip | Meso | GM108S |

| 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 | 549 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1021 MHz | 549 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 12.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 320 | 384 |

| TMUs | 20 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 8.168 GPixel/s | 4.392 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 20.42 GTexel/s | 13.18 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 653.4 GFLOPS | 421.6 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 653.4 GFLOPS (1:1) | None listed |

| TDP | None listed | 33 W |

| Bus Interface | IGP | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2016-05-14 | 2015-03-12 |

# The Verdict

The data presents a nuanced picture. If the only consideration is the direct benchmark result, the NVIDIA GeForce 930M is the clear winner—it posts a 6.3% higher OpenCL score and has a modern Vulkan implementation with dedicated memory that does not depend on the host system's RAM configuration. The GeForce 930M also has more shading units and TMUs, which can be an advantage in certain workloads. Buyers who prioritize consistent, predictable performance in OpenCL-accelerated applications should favor the NVIDIA card.

However, the AMD Radeon R8 M445DX offers significantly higher theoretical compute throughput: 653.4 GFLOPS FP32 versus 421.6 GFLOPS, nearly double the pixel rate, and 55% higher texture rate. Its boost clock of 1021 MHz dwarfs the NVIDIA's 549 MHz, and its DirectX 12 (12_0) support is more complete than the NVIDIA's 11_0 feature level. For tasks that are arithmetic-heavy or fill-rate-bound, and where system memory bandwidth is adequate, the AMD card has the architectural advantage. Its transistor count of 1,550 million on a 125 mm² die also indicates a more complex and potentially more capable design, despite the NVIDIA's higher transistor density.

The percentile ranks are nearly identical—27th for AMD versus 26th for NVIDIA—confirming that both GPUs sit in the same low-performance tier relative to the entire GPU market. Neither card is a gaming powerhouse; both are integrated-class parts designed for portable devices. The AMD card's performance is "System Dependent" for memory, meaning its real-world results will vary dramatically based on the laptop's RAM, while the NVIDIA card's dedicated 2 GB DDR3 provides a stable baseline. The AMD card also has no listed TDP, making its power draw unknown, while the NVIDIA card draws 33 W.

Ultimately, the NVIDIA GeForce 930M is the safer recommendation for general use due to its benchmark win, dedicated memory, and newer Vulkan support. The AMD Radeon R8 M445DX is the pick for users who understand their workloads are compute-bound and can supply sufficient system memory bandwidth to unlock its higher theoretical throughput. The data does not support a decisive victory for either; it supports a choice based on workload characteristics. For most users, the NVIDIA card's benchmark consistency wins out. For specific compute-heavy tasks with ample system RAM, the AMD card's raw numbers make it the better bet.