AMD Radeon R9 M265X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 vs AMD Radeon R9 M265X

The database comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 and the AMD Radeon R9 M265X shows a fundamental performance gulf. The GTX 1070 is a desktop-class Pascal part from 2016, while the R9 M265X is a mobile GCN 1.0 chip from 2014. In the single overlapping benchmark, the GTX 1070 leads by 405%, a margin that defines the entire analysis. The data records 1 win for the GTX 1070 and 0 for the R9 M265X, with the former sitting at the 47th percentile of all GPUs and the latter at the 44th.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 than the AMD Radeon R9 M265X in compute workloads?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 1070 scores 44,700, while the R9 M265X scores 8,851. That is a 405% advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9,780, which is above the AMD Radeon R9 M265X’s average of 8,851.

Q: How do their percentile rankings compare?

A: The GTX 1070 ranks in the 47th percentile of all GPUs, while the R9 M265X ranks in the 44th percentile. The GTX 1070 is slightly higher, but both are mid-pack performers.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each card according to the database?

A: The GTX 1070’s nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W5000 (average score 9,803, which is 0.2% higher) and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (average score 9,832, which is 0.5% higher). The R9 M265X’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (average score 8,863, which is 0.1% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (average score 8,746, which is 1.2% lower).

Q: Which GPU has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Radeon R9 M265X has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 64.00 GB/s.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, but with different feature levels. The GTX 1070 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the R9 M265X supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is vast. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture using the GP104 chip, manufactured on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 7,200 million transistors on a die size of 314 mm², yielding a transistor density of 22.9 million per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon R9 M265X uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with the Venus chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, for a density of 12.2 million per mm². The newer process node allows the GTX 1070 to pack nearly five times the transistors into a larger area.

The compute resources differ by a wide margin. The GTX 1070 has 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The R9 M265X has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This means the NVIDIA card has triple the shaders and ROPs, and triple the TMUs. Clock speeds also favor the GTX 1070: its base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost of 1683 MHz, while the R9 M265X runs at a base of 575 MHz and boosts to 625 MHz. The memory clocks differ as well, with the GTX 1070 running at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) versus the R9 M265X’s 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).

Features also diverge. The GTX 1070 supports PCIe 3.0 x16, as does the R9 M265X, but the former offers display outputs (1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) while the latter has no recorded display outputs. The API support shows the GTX 1070 with Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 (12_1), whereas the R9 M265X has Vulkan 1.2.170 and DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The GTX 1070 also has a defined power profile: a 150 W TDP, dual-slot width, a single 8-pin power connector, and a suggested PSU of 450 W. The R9 M265X has no recorded TDP, slot width, power connectors, or suggested PSU. Physically, the GTX 1070 measures 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, while the R9 M265X has no recorded dimensions.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark overlap in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 scores 44,700, while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores 8,851. The delta is 405%, meaning the GTX 1070 is over five times faster in raw compute throughput. This is the sole recorded head-to-head result, and it decisively favors the NVIDIA card.

The GTX 1070’s other benchmark results reinforce its standing. It scores 18,801 in Geekbench Metal, 22,121 in Geekbench Vulkan, and 13,498 in Passmark G3D. It also records 6,102 in Passmark GPU Compute. The R9 M265X has no recorded scores in these tests, so the comparison rests on the OpenCL result. The GTX 1070’s average benchmark score of 9,780 places it slightly below its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro W5000 (9,803, a 0.2% deficit), and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9,832, a 0.5% deficit). It sits above the NVIDIA Tesla M10 (9,724, a 0.6% surplus) and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 (9,716, a 0.7% surplus). The R9 M265X’s average of 8,851 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8,863, a 0.1% deficit), and it beats the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8,746, a 1.2% surplus).

Specification Differences

• Process Node: GTX 1070 uses 16 nm, R9 M265X uses 28 nm.
• Transistors: GTX 1070 has 7,200 million, R9 M265X has 1,500 million.
• Die Size: GTX 1070 is 314 mm², R9 M265X is 123 mm².
• Transistor Density: GTX 1070 is 22.9M / mm², R9 M265X is 12.2M / mm².
• Base Clock: GTX 1070 is 1506 MHz, R9 M265X is 575 MHz.
• Boost Clock: GTX 1070 is 1683 MHz, R9 M265X is 625 MHz.
• Memory Clock: GTX 1070 is 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective), R9 M265X is 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: GTX 1070 is 8 GB, R9 M265X is 2 GB.
• Memory Bus Width: GTX 1070 is 256 bit, R9 M265X is 128 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: GTX 1070 is 256.3 GB/s, R9 M265X is 64.00 GB/s.
• Shading Units: GTX 1070 has 1,920, R9 M265X has 640.
• Texture Mapping Units: GTX 1070 has 120, R9 M265X has 40.
• Render Output Units: GTX 1070 has 64, R9 M265X has 16.
• Pixel Rate: GTX 1070 is 107.7 GPixel/s, R9 M265X is 10.00 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: GTX 1070 is 202.0 GTexel/s, R9 M265X is 25.00 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: GTX 1070 is 6.463 TFLOPS, R9 M265X is 800.0 GFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: GTX 1070 is 101.0 GFLOPS (1:64), R9 M265X has no recorded value.
• TDP: GTX 1070 is 150 W, R9 M265X has no recorded value.
• Slot Width: GTX 1070 is Dual-slot, R9 M265X has no recorded value.
• Power Connectors: GTX 1070 is 1x 8-pin, R9 M265X has no recorded value.
• Suggested PSU: GTX 1070 is 450 W, R9 M265X has no recorded value.
• Display Outputs: GTX 1070 has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, R9 M265X has no recorded value.
• DirectX Support: GTX 1070 is 12 (12_1), R9 M265X is 12 (11_1).
• Vulkan Support: GTX 1070 is 1.4, R9 M265X is 1.2.170.
• Release Date: GTX 1070 launched on 2016-06-09, R9 M265X launched on 2014-03-20.
• Dimensions: GTX 1070 is 267 mm x 112 mm x 40 mm, R9 M265X has no recorded dimensions.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the superior GPU by every recorded metric. Its 405% lead in OpenCL performance is not a marginal edge but a generational leap. The GTX 1070 offers more memory, higher bandwidth, more shading units, and faster clocks. It also supports a higher DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan version. The R9 M265X, with its 28 nm process and 2014 release date, is simply outclassed. For any workload that relies on compute throughput, the GTX 1070 is the only viable option from this pair.

The R9 M265X does hold a slight edge in percentile rank proximity to its rivals, but that is a statistical artifact of its lower baseline, not a performance advantage. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, is only 0.1% higher, while the GTX 1070’s closest competitor, the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, is 0.5% higher. These deltas are negligible in practice. The GTX 1070’s average score of 9,780 is 929 points higher than the R9 M265X’s 8,851, a 10.5% gap that reflects the hardware disparity.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 wins in every category where data exists. In compute benchmarks, it dominates: OpenCL performance is 405% higher, and its FP32 throughput of 6.463 TFLOPS dwarfs the R9 M265X’s 800.0 GFLOPS. Memory bandwidth is four times higher at 256.3 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s. Texture rate is 202.0 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s, and pixel rate is 107.7 GPixel/s versus 10.00 GPixel/s. It also offers more VRAM (8 GB versus 2 GB), which directly impacts texture-heavy and high-resolution workloads.

The AMD Radeon R9 M265X has no recorded wins in any benchmark. Its only advantage is its smaller die size and lower transistor count, which historically implies lower power draw, but no TDP is recorded for it. In the absence of any performance victory, the R9 M265X is suitable only for legacy or low-intensity tasks where its 2 GB memory and 128-bit bus are sufficient. For modern gaming, compute, or professional workloads, the GTX 1070 is the definitive choice. The database shows one winner with a 405% margin, and that margin tells the entire story.