AMD Radeon R9 M265X vs NVIDIA GeForce 945M Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores 8851, which is 9.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 945M's 8099 in the geekbench_opencl test.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 945M has a slightly higher transistor density at 12.6M / mm², while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X sits at 12.2M / mm² despite both using a 28 nm TSMC process.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 945M supports Vulkan 1.4, whereas the AMD Radeon R9 M265X supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M265X delivers 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth with GDDR5 memory, which is more than double the NVIDIA GeForce 945M's 28.80 GB/s from its DDR3 memory.

Q: What are the pixel and texture rate differences?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 945M achieves a pixel rate of 16.32 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 40.80 GTexel/s, while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X reaches 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s respectively.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M265X ranks in the 44th percentile, while the NVIDIA GeForce 945M ranks in the 42nd percentile.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R9 M265X is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Venus chip, while the NVIDIA GeForce 945M uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip. Both are manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the silicon differs substantially in scale. The NVIDIA chip packs 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, compared to AMD's 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 12.6M / mm² for NVIDIA versus 12.2M / mm² for AMD.

The memory subsystems are completely different in type, even though both use a 128-bit bus. AMD opts for 2 GB of GDDR5 running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. NVIDIA pairs its 2 GB with DDR3 at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective), producing only 28.80 GB/s. This is a fundamental architectural choice: AMD prioritizes raw bandwidth, while NVIDIA appears to favor lower power draw from memory.

Clock speeds tell another story. The NVIDIA GeForce 945M runs a base clock of 928 MHz with a boost of 1020 MHz, substantially higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M265X's 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. This clock advantage helps NVIDIA achieve higher pixel and texture rates despite the bandwidth deficit. The NVIDIA GPU reaches 16.32 GPixel/s and 40.80 GTexel/s, while AMD manages 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s.

Both GPUs share identical core counts: 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Neither supports ray tracing or tensor cores. API support differs notably, with NVIDIA offering DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while AMD provides DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD GPU edges out NVIDIA in DirectX feature level but falls behind in Vulkan version.

The NVIDIA GeForce 945M is a mobile MXM module with a 75 W TDP and no power connectors, while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X has no listed TDP. The NVIDIA card uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface, whereas AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x16. NVIDIA lists display outputs as "Portable Device Dependent," and AMD provides no display output information.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only benchmark available is geekbench_opencl, and the results are decisive but narrow. The AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores 8851, while the NVIDIA GeForce 945M scores 8099. This gives AMD a 9.3% advantage. It is a meaningful lead, but not an overwhelming one. The AMD GPU sits just 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8863) and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon 550X (8918) in its nearest rival list. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GeForce 945M sits 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M (8135) and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M360 (8129).

The benchmark delta between the two cards in question is larger than the gaps separating each from its nearest rivals. For instance, the 9.3% difference between the R9 M265X and the 945M is roughly 23 times the 0.4% gap between the 945M and the GTX 950M. This suggests the performance separation is real and not just noise from the benchmark.

Interestingly, the AMD Radeon R9 M265X's nearest rival list includes the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8746) at +1.2% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 (8743) at +1.2%. This places the AMD card in a performance tier that overlaps with both older and newer NVIDIA parts. The NVIDIA GeForce 945M, by contrast, sits among the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8080) at +0.2% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (8067) at +0.4%, indicating it is anchored to a lower performance cluster.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 M265X | NVIDIA GeForce 945M |

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

| Chip | Venus | GM107 |

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Maxwell |

| Generation | Gem System (R9 M200) | GeForce 900M |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 1,870 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 148 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 575 MHz | 928 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 625 MHz | 1020 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) | 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 10.00 GPixel/s | 16.32 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.00 GTexel/s | 40.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 800.0 GFLOPS | 1,305.6 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not listed | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Not listed | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | Not listed | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2014-03-20 | 2015-10-26 |

| Predecessor | Solar System | GeForce 800M |

| Successor | Polaris Mobile | GeForce 10 Mobile |

Shared specifications include 2 GB memory size, 128-bit bus width, 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 28 nm process, TSMC foundry, OpenGL 4.6, and end-of-life production status.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M265X wins in the only benchmark available, the geekbench_opencl test, with a 9.3% advantage. Its GDDR5 memory provides 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than double the NVIDIA's 28.80 GB/s. This bandwidth advantage likely explains the OpenCL win, as compute workloads often scale with memory throughput. The AMD GPU also supports DirectX 12 (11_1), which is one feature level higher than NVIDIA's DirectX 12 (11_0).

The NVIDIA GeForce 945M wins in raw throughput metrics that depend on clock speed and compute density. Its FP32 performance of 1,305.6 GFLOPS is 63.2% higher than AMD's 800.0 GFLOPS. The NVIDIA GPU also achieves a pixel rate of 16.32 GPixel/s versus AMD's 10.00 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 40.80 GTexel/s versus AMD's 25.00 GTexel/s. These are substantial leads in the classic rasterization pipeline metrics.

For graphics workloads that rely on pixel fill and texture filtering, the NVIDIA GeForce 945M appears better suited. Its higher clocks and identical core counts translate directly into faster primitive processing. For compute workloads that are memory-bandwidth bound, the AMD Radeon R9 M265X looks stronger. The OpenCL benchmark result supports this interpretation.

The NVIDIA GPU also holds a significant clock speed advantage: 928 MHz base and 1020 MHz boost versus AMD's 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. This is a 61% higher base clock and a 63% higher boost clock. Such a large clock gap suggests NVIDIA's architecture achieves higher frequency at the same 28 nm process node, possibly due to the Maxwell architecture's efficiency improvements.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to the AMD Radeon R9 M265X as the stronger OpenCL performer, with a 9.3% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce 945M. For users whose workloads are reflected by the geekbench_opencl test, AMD is the clear choice. The GDDR5 memory and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributors to this win.

However, the NVIDIA GeForce 945M counters with significantly higher compute and fill-rate metrics. Its FP32 output of 1,305.6 GFLOPS versus AMD's 800.0 GFLOPS represents a 63% advantage. Pixel rate and texture rate also favor NVIDIA by 63% and 63% respectively. These are not marginal differences — they indicate that NVIDIA's architecture is more efficient in raw throughput per clock.

The decision hinges on which metric matters more. The only head-to-head benchmark available favors AMD, but the architectural data suggests NVIDIA should excel in traditional graphics workloads. The NVIDIA GPU also offers Vulkan 1.4 support, which is a newer API version than AMD's 1.2.170, potentially enabling better performance in modern Vulkan-based applications.

For compute and OpenCL-heavy workloads, the AMD Radeon R9 M265X wins. For traditional graphics rendering where pixel and texture throughput are king, the NVIDIA GeForce 945M's specifications suggest it would perform better, despite the OpenCL benchmark result. Users should weigh the 9.3% OpenCL win against the 63% fill-rate advantage when choosing between these two end-of-life mobile GPUs. The data presents a split decision: AMD for compute, NVIDIA for rasterization throughput.