AMD Radeon R9 M295X vs AMD Radeon RX 470 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 470 and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X represent two distinct generations of AMD graphics technology, with the former being a desktop part built on a modern 14 nm process and the latter being a mobile-class module on an older 28 nm node. Benchmark data shows the RX 470 leading decisively across all shared tests, yet both cards occupy the same 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs, indicating that the R9 M295X remains competitive in aggregate performance despite its age. The following analysis breaks down their architectural differences, benchmark results, and specification gaps to determine which card holds the edge.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 470 has an average benchmark score of 28,996, while the AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28,580, a difference of 1.4% in favor of the RX 470.

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

A: The RX 470 scores 41,690 in Geekbench Metal, which is 23.4% higher than the R9 M295X’s score of 33,790.

Q: Does the R9 M295X win any head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: No. In the three shared tests (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), the RX 470 wins all three, with the R9 M295X recording zero wins.

Q: Which card has a smaller manufacturing process node?

A: The RX 470 uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the R9 M295X is fabricated on a 28 nm node by TSMC.

Q: Is the R9 M295X a desktop or mobile GPU?

A: The R9 M295X is an MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, making it a portable-device-oriented part, whereas the RX 470 is a dual-slot desktop card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RX 470?

A: The RX 470 has a launch MSRP of 179 USD. The R9 M295X has no launch MSRP listed in the data.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different generations of AMD’s Graphics Core Next architecture. The RX 470 uses GCN 4.0 with the Ellesmere chip, while the R9 M295X employs GCN 3.0 with the Amethyst chip. This generational gap is reflected in the manufacturing processes: the RX 470 is built on a 14 nm node by GlobalFoundries, whereas the R9 M295X uses a 28 nm process from TSMC. The smaller node allows the RX 470 to pack 5,700 million transistors into a 232 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the R9 M295X houses 5,000 million transistors on a much larger 366 mm² die, yielding a density of just 13.7 million per square millimeter.

Both cards have identical core configurations: 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. However, the RX 470’s newer architecture delivers substantially higher clock speeds. The RX 470 has a base clock of 926 MHz and a boost clock of 1,206 MHz, while the R9 M295X has no base or boost clock listed in the data. The memory subsystems also differ in speed: the RX 470 runs its GDDR5 memory at 1,650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective), while the R9 M295X runs at 1,250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). Both use 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, but the RX 470 achieves 211.2 GB/s of bandwidth versus the R9 M295X’s 160.0 GB/s.

Feature support is largely similar, with both cards supporting DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The RX 470 lists Vulkan 1.3 support, while the R9 M295X supports Vulkan 1.2.170. Display output capabilities differ significantly: the RX 470 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the R9 M295X’s outputs are described as “Portable Device Dependent,” meaning they are not standardized. The RX 470 also includes a 1x 6-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 300 W, whereas the R9 M295X has no power connectors listed and no suggested PSU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 470 dominates the R9 M295X in every benchmark where both were tested. The largest margin is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 470 scores 33,568 against the R9 M295X’s 22,858, a massive 46.9% advantage. This result reflects the RX 470’s higher compute throughput, as its FP32 performance is listed at 4.940 TFLOPS compared to the R9 M295X’s 2.961 TFLOPS.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 470 again takes a commanding lead, scoring 39,884 versus 29,091 for the R9 M295X, a 37.1% difference. The gap narrows somewhat in Geekbench Metal, where the RX 470 scores 41,690 and the R9 M295X scores 33,790, still a 23.4% win for the RX 470. Across all three shared tests, the RX 470’s average advantage is roughly 35.8%, a decisive margin that points to the newer architecture’s efficiency and higher clock speeds.

The R9 M295X’s closest rival in the nearestRivals list is the AMD Radeon RX 470 itself, with a deltaPct of -1.4%, meaning the R9 M295X trails the RX 470 by just 1.4% in average score. However, the head-to-head benchmark data tells a different story, with much larger deltas in individual tests. This discrepancy suggests that the average score includes other benchmarks not shared between the two, which may favor the R9 M295X. Still, in direct comparison, the RX 470 is the clear winner.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The process node is the most fundamental divergence: 14 nm for the RX 470 versus 28 nm for the R9 M295X. This leads to a die size of 232 mm² for the RX 470 and 366 mm² for the R9 M295X, with transistor counts of 5,700 million and 5,000 million, respectively. The RX 470’s transistor density of 24.6M / mm² is nearly double the R9 M295X’s 13.7M / mm².

Clock speeds show the RX 470 with a base of 926 MHz and boost of 1,206 MHz, while the R9 M295X has no base or boost clocks listed. Memory clocks also favor the RX 470: 1,650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) versus 1,250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the R9 M295X. This results in bandwidth of 211.2 GB/s for the RX 470 versus 160.0 GB/s for the R9 M295X. Both have 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit bus.

Pixel and texture rates are substantially higher on the RX 470: 38.59 GPixel/s versus 23.14 GPixel/s, and 154.4 GTexel/s versus 92.54 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance both sit at 4.940 TFLOPS for the RX 470, while the R9 M295X manages 2.961 TFLOPS. The TDP is another major difference: the RX 470 is rated at 120 W, while the R9 M295X consumes 250 W. The RX 470 is a dual-slot card with a 240 mm length, 95 mm height, and 35 mm width, while the R9 M295X is an MXM Module with no dimensions listed. The RX 470 uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface and has a 1x 6-pin power connector, whereas the R9 M295X uses an MXM-B (3.0) interface and has no power connectors. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the RX 470, versus “Portable Device Dependent” on the R9 M295X. The RX 470 also lists a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the R9 M295X has none.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 470 outperforms the AMD Radeon R9 M295X in every shared benchmark, with margins ranging from 23.4% to 46.9%. The RX 470’s lead is driven by its smaller 14 nm process, higher clock speeds, and greater memory bandwidth, all of which contribute to its 4.940 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus the R9 M295X’s 2.961 TFLOPS. The RX 470 also does this at half the TDP (120 W versus 250 W), making it a more efficient design by a wide margin.

However, the R9 M295X is not a poor performer. Its average benchmark score of 28,580 places it in the same 74th percentile as the RX 470, and its nearestRivals list includes the RX 470 with only a -1.4% delta. This suggests that in aggregate, the R9 M295X holds its own against a much newer part. The R9 M295X also shares the same core configuration (2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 32 ROPs) as the RX 470, indicating that its architecture is not fundamentally weaker, only older and slower-clocked.

For a desktop user building a system today, the RX 470 is the clear choice based on benchmark data alone. It offers superior performance in Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan workloads, along with a lower power draw and a standardized PCIe interface. The R9 M295X, being an MXM module, is limited to portable devices and lacks the display output flexibility of the RX 470. Its 250 W TDP also makes it less suitable for thin-and-light designs, though it was likely intended for high-end laptops or all-in-one systems. Given the RX 470’s wins across all three head-to-head tests and its more modern feature set (Vulkan 1.3 versus 1.2.170), the RX 470 is the recommended GPU for anyone comparing these two parts directly. The R9 M295X remains a capable mobile solution, but it cannot match the RX 470’s raw performance or efficiency.