AMD Radeon R9 M275X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M Comparison

AMD Radeon R9 M275X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, targeting the same performance tier but with different architectural philosophies. The benchmark data from Geekbench shows a clear overall winner, though the margin of victory varies significantly depending on the workload. The AMD Radeon R9 M275X averages 10,582 points across its benchmark suite, placing it at the 49th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M averages 9,645 points, sitting at the 46th percentile. This puts the AMD part roughly 9.7% ahead in aggregate scoring, a lead substantiated by its performance in individual tests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison consists of two Geekbench tests, and the AMD Radeon R9 M275X wins both. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD card scores 11,200 against the GTX 960M’s 11,045. This is a narrow 1.4% victory for AMD, indicating that in general-purpose compute workloads using OpenCL, the two cards are nearly identical in practical performance. The small delta suggests that neither architecture holds a substantial advantage in this specific API, and real-world application performance would likely be indistinguishable.

The second test, Geekbench Vulkan, tells a very different story. Here, the AMD Radeon R9 M275X scores 9,964, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M manages only 8,245. This represents a commanding 20.8% lead for the AMD part. This is a substantial gap, showing that in Vulkan-based workloads, the GCN 1.0 architecture in the R9 M275X is significantly more efficient than the Maxwell architecture in the GTX 960M. The data suggests that AMD’s design handles the lower-level API overhead better, translating to a much stronger performance profile in modern Vulkan applications.

When looking at the average benchmark scores, the AMD Radeon R9 M275X’s 10,582 average is 937 points higher than the GTX 960M’s 9,645. This aggregate figure reinforces the pattern: the AMD card is consistently faster, with the Vulkan test being the primary driver of the overall performance gap. The OpenCL result shows parity, but the Vulkan result is a decisive win for AMD. The data does not list a single test where the NVIDIA card wins, making the overall outcome unambiguous.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M275X has a higher average benchmark score of 10,582, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M’s 9,645.

Q: What is the performance difference in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M275X scores 11,200, which is 1.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M’s 11,045.

Q: How large is the gap in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M275X leads by a significant 20.8% margin, scoring 9,964 versus the GTX 960M’s 8,245.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M win any benchmark in this comparison?

A: No, according to the head-to-head data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M does not win either of the two listed benchmarks.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of overall GPU percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M275X is ranked at the 49th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M is ranked at the 46th percentile.

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M’s GM107 chip has 1,870 million transistors, while the AMD Radeon R9 M275X’s Venus chip has 1,500 million transistors.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M275X is the clear winner in compute-heavy scenarios, particularly those leveraging the Vulkan API. The 20.8% advantage in the Vulkan test is the most pronounced performance difference in this comparison, making the AMD card the superior choice for applications and games that use Vulkan for rendering or compute tasks. Its higher average benchmark score and 49th percentile ranking also indicate better overall performance across a broader spectrum of workloads, even if the OpenCL result is close.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M finds its strengths outside of raw benchmark scores, primarily in its feature set and memory configuration. It offers 4 GB of VRAM, double the R9 M275X’s 2 GB, which can be a practical advantage in texture-heavy applications or at higher resolutions where memory capacity is a limiting factor. Additionally, the GTX 960M has a higher memory bandwidth of 80.19 GB/s compared to 72.00 GB/s on the AMD card, which could help in memory-bound scenarios. The NVIDIA card also supports a newer version of Vulkan (1.4 versus 1.2.170) and has a lower TDP of 75 W, which may be relevant for thermal management in thin laptops.

For users prioritizing pure compute performance based on the provided data, the AMD Radeon R9 M275X is the obvious pick. For those who need more VRAM or prefer NVIDIA’s ecosystem, the GTX 960M offers specific advantages that are not captured by the Geekbench scores alone.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ significantly in their core specifications. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M has a higher base clock of 1097 MHz and a boost clock of 1176 MHz, compared to the AMD Radeon R9 M275X’s 900 MHz base and 925 MHz boost. Memory also differs: the GTX 960M supports 4 GB of GDDR5, while the R9 M275X is limited to 2 GB. Consequently, the GTX 960M achieves a higher memory bandwidth of 80.19 GB/s versus 72.00 GB/s, even though both use a 128-bit bus. The memory clock is also higher on the NVIDIA part, running at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) compared to 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) on the AMD card.

The shading units and TMUs are identical at 640 and 40, respectively, and both have 16 ROPs. However, the clock speed advantage translates into higher fill rates for NVIDIA: the GTX 960M has a pixel rate of 18.82 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 47.04 GTexel/s, while the R9 M275X achieves 14.80 GPixel/s and 37.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is also higher on the NVIDIA card, rated at 1.505 TFLOPS compared to 1,184.0 GFLOPS on the AMD part. The bus interface differs as well: the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the NVIDIA card is designed for MXM-B (3.0) slots.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is fundamental. The AMD Radeon R9 M275X is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture using the Venus chip, part of the Gem System (R9 M200) generation. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip, belonging to the GeForce 900M generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the die sizes and transistor densities differ. NVIDIA’s GM107 die is 148 mm² with 1,870 million transistors, resulting in a density of 12.6M / mm². AMD’s Venus chip is smaller at 123 mm², with 1,500 million transistors and a density of 12.2M / mm².

The API support also reflects their design eras. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), a minor difference in feature level. Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the Vulkan implementations differ: the AMD card supports Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the NVIDIA card supports Vulkan 1.4, which is a more recent version. The NVIDIA part is specified with a 75 W TDP and uses an MXM Module slot width, while the AMD card has no listed TDP or slot width in the data. The GTX 960M also lists power connectors as "None" and display outputs as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile MXM design.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon R9 M275X is the superior performer. It wins both head-to-head tests, with its 20.8% margin in Vulkan being the decisive factor. Its average benchmark score of 10,582 is 937 points higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M’s 9,645, and it ranks higher in the overall GPU percentile at 49 versus 46. Users who prioritize compute performance, especially in Vulkan-based applications, should choose the AMD Radeon R9 M275X without hesitation.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M is not without merit, but its advantages lie elsewhere. The 4 GB memory capacity is double that of the AMD card, and its higher memory bandwidth and clock speeds could benefit specific workloads that are memory-intensive. Its lower TDP of 75 W and support for Vulkan 1.4 may also appeal to users with power or software compatibility requirements. However, in a direct performance comparison, the data shows the AMD part is faster. The GTX 960M is the pick only if the extra VRAM or NVIDIA-specific features outweigh the significant Vulkan performance deficit and the lower overall benchmark scores.