AMD Radeon R9 370X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 vs AMD Radeon R9 370X: a comparison of two end-of-life GPUs from different architectural generations. The GTX 780, a Kepler-based flagship from 2013, and the R9 370X, a GCN 1.0 part from 2015, occupy different performance tiers. The recorded data shows the GTX 780 holds a higher average benchmark score, but the R9 370X wins in two of the three individual tests. This analysis walks through the specifications, benchmark results, and use-case implications derived strictly from the database.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 has an average benchmark score of 19164, while the AMD Radeon R9 370X has an average benchmark score of 15862. The GTX 780 sits in the 64th percentile against all GPUs, compared to the R9 370X's 58th percentile.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 25893 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 11.7% higher than the GTX 780's score of 22863. This is the largest margin of victory for the AMD card in any benchmark.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap in either direction?

A: The Geekbench Vulkan test shows the largest delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 scores 24514, which is 171.8% ahead of the R9 370X's score of 9018. This is a dominant win for NVIDIA.

Q: Which card has the higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 370X has a boost clock of 1030 MHz, which is higher than the GTX 780's boost clock of 902 MHz. The base clock for the R9 370X is 980 MHz, while the GTX 780 runs at 863 MHz.

Q: What are the memory bus widths for each card?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 uses a 384-bit memory bus, while the AMD Radeon R9 370X uses a 256-bit bus. This contributes to the GTX 780's higher memory bandwidth of 288.4 GB/s versus 179.2 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor count?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 has 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, while the AMD Radeon R9 370X has 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die. Despite the difference, the R9 370X has a slightly higher transistor density at 13.2M per mm² versus 12.6M per mm².

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural families. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 uses the GK110 chip on the Kepler architecture, belonging to the GeForce 700 generation. The AMD Radeon R9 370X uses the Trinidad chip on the GCN 1.0 architecture, belonging to the Pirate Islands (R9 300) generation. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the silicon designs diverge significantly.

The GTX 780 is a large-chip design with 7,080 million transistors spread across a 561 mm² die. It packs 2304 shading units, 192 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 48 render output units (ROPs). The R9 370X, by contrast, is a smaller chip with 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die, featuring 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The transistor density is close (12.6M vs 13.2M per mm²), but the raw resource allocation is heavily in favor of the NVIDIA part.

Memory architecture also differs. The GTX 780 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The R9 370X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 179.2 GB/s. Clock speeds favor the AMD card: the R9 370X runs at 980 MHz base and 1030 MHz boost, while the GTX 780 runs at 863 MHz base and 902 MHz boost. However, the GTX 780's memory runs at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), versus 1400 MHz (5.6 Gbps effective) for the R9 370X.

API support shows a small difference. The GTX 780 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The R9 370X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. Power draw is also distinct: the GTX 780 has a TDP of 250 W with a suggested PSU of 600 W, while the R9 370X has a TDP of 180 W with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The GTX 780 requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, while the R9 370X uses 2x 6-pin.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data reveals a clear split in workload preferences. The AMD Radeon R9 370X wins in two of the three recorded tests: Geekbench Metal and Geekbench OpenCL. In Metal, the R9 370X scores 12676 against the GTX 780's 10114, a 20.2% advantage. In OpenCL, the R9 370X scores 25893 against 22863, an 11.7% advantage. These results suggest the AMD card has a strength in compute-oriented and Apple's Metal API workloads.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 wins decisively in the Geekbench Vulkan test. It scores 24514 versus the R9 370X's 9018, a 171.8% margin. This is the single largest delta in the entire head-to-head comparison. The GTX 780's Vulkan performance is exceptional relative to its other scores, indicating strong driver optimization or architectural advantage in that API.

Overall, the GTX 780 wins 1 test and the R9 370X wins 2 tests. However, the average benchmark score tells a different story: the GTX 780's average of 19164 exceeds the R9 370X's 15862 by a notable margin. This is because the Vulkan score for the GTX 780 is so high it lifts the average, while the R9 370X's low Vulkan score pulls its average down despite wins in the other two tests.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in almost every major specification category. The GTX 780 has more shading units (2304 vs 1280), more TMUs (192 vs 80), and more ROPs (48 vs 32). The R9 370X has higher clock speeds: base clock 980 MHz versus 863 MHz, and boost clock 1030 MHz versus 902 MHz.

Memory capacity differs: 3 GB on the GTX 780 versus 2 GB on the R9 370X. The memory bus is wider on the GTX 780 (384 bit vs 256 bit), and bandwidth is higher (288.4 GB/s vs 179.2 GB/s). The GTX 780's memory clock is 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the R9 370X's is 1400 MHz (5.6 Gbps effective).

Compute rates follow the shading unit counts. The GTX 780 achieves a pixel rate of 43.30 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 173.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 4.156 TFLOPS. The R9 370X achieves 32.96 GPixel/s, 82.40 GTexel/s, and 2.637 TFLOPS. The GTX 780 is roughly 1.6 times faster in FP32, based on the recorded figures.

Physical dimensions differ. The GTX 780 measures 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width. The R9 370X measures 221 mm in length and 111 mm in height, with no width recorded. Both are dual-slot cards. The GTX 780 has a TDP of 250 W and suggests a 600 W PSU, while the R9 370X has a TDP of 180 W and suggests a 450 W PSU.

The GTX 780 was released on 2013-05-22, while the R9 370X was released on 2015-08-26. Both are end-of-life. The GTX 780's launch MSRP is 649 USD. The R9 370X's launch MSRP is 199 USD. Both cards use the same display outputs: 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal test shows the AMD Radeon R9 370X ahead. The R9 370X scores 12676, while the GTX 780 scores 10114. The delta is 20.2% in favor of the AMD card. This is a substantial lead, suggesting the GCN 1.0 architecture handles Metal workloads more efficiently than Kepler.

The Geekbench OpenCL test also favors the R9 370X. The AMD card scores 25893, beating the GTX 780's 22863 by 11.7%. This is a solid win for AMD in a general-purpose compute benchmark. The R9 370X's higher clock speeds may contribute to this result, despite having fewer shading units.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is a complete reversal. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 scores 24514, which is 171.8% higher than the R9 370X's 9018. This is an enormous gap and the largest in the dataset. The GTX 780's Vulkan score is more than double the AMD card's, indicating a major advantage in this API. The R9 370X's Vulkan score of 9018 is significantly lower than its Metal score of 12676, showing inconsistent performance across APIs.

The average benchmark scores reflect these extremes. The GTX 780 has an average of 19164, which is 20.8% higher than the R9 370X's average of 15862. The GTX 780's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (19177, delta -0.1%), NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089, delta 0.4%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, delta 0.6%), and AMD Radeon RX 6600 (19036, delta 0.7%). The R9 370X's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014, delta -1%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, delta -1.7%), AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852, delta 0.1%), and AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, delta 1.2%).

The Verdict

The data presents two distinct profiles. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 is the stronger overall performer, with a higher average benchmark score of 19164 versus 15862. It also holds the 64th percentile against all GPUs, compared to the R9 370X's 58th percentile. The GTX 780 wins the Vulkan test by a massive 171.8% margin, which is its defining strength.

The AMD Radeon R9 370X wins in Metal and OpenCL, with leads of 20.2% and 11.7% respectively. It also has a lower TDP of 180 W versus 250 W, and a lower suggested PSU requirement of 450 W versus 600 W. For users running Metal-based applications or OpenCL compute workloads, the R9 370X is the better choice based on the recorded scores.

For Vulkan-centric usage, the GTX 780 is clearly superior. The 171.8% delta is not close, and no other test in the dataset shows a comparable margin. The GTX 780 also offers more memory (3 GB vs 2 GB) and higher memory bandwidth (288.4 GB/s vs 179.2 GB/s), which may matter in memory-intensive scenarios.

The decision hinges on the workload. The GTX 780 is the pick for Vulkan applications and overall average performance, given its higher percentile and average score. The R9 370X is the pick for Metal or OpenCL workloads, where it demonstrates consistent advantages. The GTX 780 also carries a higher launch MSRP of 649 USD, while the R9 370X has a launch MSRP of 199 USD, but the database shows no direct price-performance metric. Both cards are end-of-life, so availability is the deciding factor in practice.