AMD Radeon R9 M265X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 M265X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost are two end-of-life graphics cards from different market segments, with the former being a mobile-oriented chip and the latter a desktop part. The data available for direct comparison is limited, but the benchmark results and architectural specifications reveal a clear performance hierarchy, with the NVIDIA card holding a decisive advantage in raw compute power despite its older release date.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost scores 9302 points, while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores 8851 points. This gives the NVIDIA card a 4.8% lead in this specific test, a margin that, while not overwhelming, is consistent across the broader performance picture.

This 4.8% delta in the head-to-head is notable because it is smaller than the gap in their average benchmark scores. The GTX 650 Ti Boost’s average benchmark score is 8067, which is actually lower than its OpenCL score of 9302, likely because it also includes results from Metal and Vulkan tests where it scores 4858 and 10041 respectively. The R9 M265X, with only a single OpenCL benchmark recorded, has an average score equal to its OpenCL result of 8851. This means the NVIDIA card’s average is dragged down by its weaker Metal performance, yet it still maintains a lead in the compute-focused OpenCL test.

Looking at the percentile rankings, the GTX 650 Ti Boost sits in the 42nd percentile of all GPUs, while the R9 M265X is slightly higher at the 44th percentile. This creates an interesting paradox: the card with the higher percentile ranking loses the direct head-to-head. This is explained by the different benchmark suites used to calculate the averages. The R9 M265X’s single OpenCL score of 8851 places it above the GTX 650 Ti Boost’s average of 8067, but the NVIDIA card’s peak OpenCL performance is clearly superior.

The nearest rival data for each card further contextualizes their positions. The R9 M265X’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, which scores 8863, a mere 0.1% difference. This indicates that the R9 M265X is performing exactly at the level expected for its class. In contrast, the GTX 650 Ti Boost’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GRID K2 with a score of 8080, a 0.2% difference, showing that its average is solidly placed among similar NVIDIA offerings.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 650 Ti Boost wins the only direct comparison, so it is the clear victor in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score of 9302 is 451 points higher than the R9 M265X’s 8851. This advantage is rooted in its significantly higher peak clock speeds and wider memory interface. The NVIDIA card operates at a base clock of 980 MHz with a boost up to 1032 MHz, compared to the AMD’s 575 MHz base and 625 MHz boost. This nearly 60% clock speed advantage, combined with 768 shading units versus 640, results in a theoretical FP32 performance of 1.585 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA card, almost double the R9 M265X’s 800.0 GFLOPS.

The GTX 650 Ti Boost also dominates in memory bandwidth. Its 192-bit bus width and 6 Gbps effective memory speed deliver 144.2 GB/s of bandwidth, while the R9 M265X’s 128-bit bus and 4 Gbps effective speed produce only 64.00 GB/s. This more than 2x bandwidth advantage is critical for compute workloads and high-resolution textures, making the NVIDIA card the better choice for any task that is memory-bound.

However, the R9 M265X is not without its own strengths. Its single recorded benchmark, the OpenCL test, is a solid result that places it in a competitive position relative to its peers. Its percentile rank of 44 is higher than the GTX 650 Ti Boost’s 42, indicating that in a broader context, its performance profile is slightly more favorable relative to the entire GPU landscape. This could be due to the fact that it is a mobile chip with lower power requirements, making it more efficient in its intended use case.

The R9 M265X also has a feature advantage in API support. It supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 650 Ti Boost supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. While the Vulkan versions are nearly identical, the DirectX feature level difference (11_1 vs 11_0) could matter for certain modern titles that leverage the higher feature level. This is a narrow but real advantage for the AMD card in specific software scenarios.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost is the superior performer. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark with a 4.8% margin, and its architectural specifications, including a larger die, higher transistor count, and significantly faster clocks and memory, all point to a more capable compute device. For any user prioritizing raw performance in OpenCL workloads or gaming at higher resolutions, the GTX 650 Ti Boost is the clear choice.

The R9 M265X, however, should not be dismissed. Its higher percentile ranking suggests that its overall performance profile is well-balanced for its class. It offers better DirectX feature level support and a more efficient transistor density (12.2M / mm² vs 11.5M / mm²), indicating a more modern design. For users with a mobile platform where power consumption is a concern, the R9 M265X lacks a listed TDP compared to the GTX 650 Ti Boost’s 134 W, but its lower clocks and smaller die size (123 mm² vs 221 mm²) imply it draws considerably less power.

The data suggests two different philosophies: the GTX 650 Ti Boost is a brute-force desktop solution that pushes clocks and memory bandwidth to their limits, while the R9 M265X is a more balanced mobile chip that achieves respectable performance with a fraction of the die area. If the choice is purely about peak performance, the NVIDIA card wins. If the choice is about efficiency and API modernity, the AMD card has merit. For most users, the performance gap will be the deciding factor, making the GTX 650 Ti Boost the default recommendation.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher score in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost scores 9302, which is 4.8% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M265X’s score of 8851.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R9 M265X have a higher percentile ranking than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost?

A: Yes, the R9 M265X is in the 44th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 650 Ti Boost is in the 42nd percentile.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost delivers 1.585 TFLOPS, which is nearly twice the AMD Radeon R9 M265X’s 800.0 GFLOPS.

Q: Which card has a wider memory bus and higher bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost has a 192-bit bus and 144.2 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the AMD Radeon R9 M265X’s 128-bit bus and 64.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are there any differences in API support between the two cards?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon R9 M265X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan, with the NVIDIA card having a slightly higher Vulkan version (1.2.175 vs 1.2.170).

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost has an average benchmark score of 8067, while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X has an average of 8851.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from competing manufacturers. The AMD Radeon R9 M265X uses the GCN 1.0 architecture with a chip codenamed Venus, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost uses the Kepler architecture with a GK106 chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The NVIDIA chip is substantially larger and more complex. It contains 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, while the AMD chip has just 1,500 million transistors on a smaller 123 mm² die. This difference in transistor count and die size directly translates to the NVIDIA card’s higher theoretical performance. The transistor density is slightly higher on the AMD chip at 12.2 million transistors per mm², compared to 11.5 million per mm² on the NVIDIA chip, suggesting a more compact design.

The memory subsystems are also architecturally different. The GTX 650 Ti Boost uses a 192-bit memory bus, while the R9 M265X uses a 128-bit bus. This wider bus, combined with faster memory clocks (1502 MHz vs 1000 MHz), gives the NVIDIA card a massive bandwidth advantage. Both cards feature 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, but the NVIDIA card’s effective memory speed of 6 Gbps is 50% faster than the AMD’s 4 Gbps.

In terms of compute resources, the NVIDIA card has 768 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, while the AMD card has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. These differences in core counts directly explain the performance gap in pixel and texture fill rates. The GTX 650 Ti Boost achieves a pixel rate of 16.51 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 66.05 GTexel/s, while the R9 M265X manages only 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s.

Specification Differences

The most significant specification difference is the TDP. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost has a listed TDP of 134 W, while the AMD Radeon R9 M265X has no TDP listed in the data. This suggests the AMD card is designed for lower power consumption, consistent with its mobile-oriented Venus chip. The NVIDIA card also requires a 1x 6-pin power connector and has a suggested PSU of 300 W, while no such requirements are listed for the AMD card.

The physical dimensions also differ. The GTX 650 Ti Boost is a dual-slot card with a length of 241 mm (9.5 inches), while the R9 M265X has no listed dimensions or slot width, again indicating its mobile design. The display outputs are only specified for the NVIDIA card, which includes 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2.

Clock speeds are another major differentiator. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 980 MHz and a boost clock of 1032 MHz, while the AMD card has a base clock of 575 MHz and a boost clock of 625 MHz. The memory clocks also differ significantly, with the NVIDIA card running at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) and the AMD card at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). Finally, the release dates differ, with the GTX 650 Ti Boost launching on 2013-03-25 and the R9 M265X launching almost exactly a year later on 2014-03-20.