AMD Radeon R9 M295X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear split between the two GPUs depending on the API workload. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 posts a score of 24,858 against the AMD Radeon R9 M295X's 22,858, a delta of 8% in favor of the NVIDIA part. This is a meaningful margin in compute-oriented tasks that leverage OpenCL.

The picture reverses sharply in Geekbench Vulkan. Here the AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 29,091, which is 22.8% ahead of the GTX 1630's 23,695. That is a substantial gap, and it suggests the older AMD architecture handles Vulkan workloads with considerably more efficiency relative to its OpenCL showing.

Looking at overall averages, the AMD part holds the edge. Its average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 28,580, while the GTX 1630 averages 24,277. That places the R9 M295X about 17.7% higher in aggregate performance. The percentile rankings reflect this: the AMD card sits at the 74th percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 1630 lands at the 70th.

Context from the nearest rivals helps clarify where each GPU stands in the broader landscape. The R9 M295X's nearest rival by average score is the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 at 28,421, a delta of 0.6% in favor of the AMD card. It also edges the AMD Radeon RX 570 (28,766) by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874) by 1%, while trailing the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28,996) by 1.4%. The GTX 1630's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti at 24,236, with the GTX 1630 ahead by 0.2%. It also beats the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (24,170) by 0.4% and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (24,063) by 0.9%, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (24,442) leads it by 0.7%. These numbers indicate both GPUs are clustered tightly with their peers, but the AMD Radeon R9 M295X operates in a higher performance tier overall.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 24,858 versus 22,858 for the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, a margin of 8%.

Q: Which GPU wins in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M295X wins Geekbench Vulkan decisively, scoring 29,091 against the GTX 1630's 23,695, a 22.8% advantage.

Q: How do their aggregate benchmark averages compare?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M295X has an average benchmark score of 28,580 across all tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 averages 24,277. The AMD card also holds a higher percentile rank at 74 versus 70.

Q: What is the closest rival for each card in the database?

A: For the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 with an average score of 28,421, a delta of 0.6%. For the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti at 24,236, a delta of 0.2%.

Q: Do the two GPUs share the same memory type?

A: No. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 has a pixel rate of 28.56 GPixel/s, while the AMD Radeon R9 M295X has a pixel rate of 23.14 GPixel/s.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architectural eras. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X is built on GCN 3.0, using the Amethyst chip, and fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 uses the Turing architecture with the TU117 chip, also fabricated by TSMC, but on a 12 nm process. This node difference is significant: the 12 nm process allows the NVIDIA chip to pack 4,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5M per mm². The AMD chip has 5,000 million transistors on a much larger 366 mm² die, resulting in a density of just 13.7M per mm². The AMD chip is physically larger and less dense, reflecting its older manufacturing process.

The shading resources differ dramatically. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X carries 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 has only 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite having far fewer shading units, the GTX 1630 achieves a higher pixel rate (28.56 GPixel/s versus 23.14 GPixel/s), which suggests its ROPs are more efficient per unit. The texture rate tells a different story: the AMD card achieves 92.54 GTexel/s versus 57.12 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA card, a 62% advantage in texture throughput. In raw FP32 compute, the AMD card delivers 2.961 TFLOPS versus 1.828 TFLOPS for the GTX 1630, a 62% lead. However, in FP16, the GTX 1630 reaches 3.656 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while the AMD card manages only 2.961 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. This means the NVIDIA card has a distinct advantage in half-precision workloads.

Neither GPU includes dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, so those features are absent from both. The API support differs slightly: the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 1630 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The higher DirectX feature level and newer Vulkan version on the NVIDIA card indicate more modern API compliance.

Specification Differences

The most obvious difference is the form factor and interface. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X is an MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, designed for portable devices where display outputs are device-dependent. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 is a single-slot card using PCIe 3.0 x16, measuring 145 mm in length, 69 mm in height, and 18 mm in width, with standard display outputs including 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Power requirements also diverge sharply. The AMD card has a TDP of 250 W and no power connectors listed, while the NVIDIA card has a TDP of only 75 W and also uses no power connectors, but lists a suggested PSU of 250 W. This makes the GTX 1630 far more power-efficient on paper, though the AMD card was designed for a different mobile ecosystem.

Clock behavior differs as well. The AMD card lists no base or boost clocks for the GPU core, only a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 1740 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with a memory clock of 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). Memory bandwidth heavily favors the AMD card: 160.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus versus 96.00 GB/s over a 64-bit bus. Memory capacity is equal at 4 GB, but the type differs (GDDR5 versus GDDR6).

The release dates are far apart: the AMD Radeon R9 M295X was released on 2014-11-22, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 came on 2022-06-27. Both are now end-of-life. The AMD card's generation is listed as "Gem System (R9 M200)" with a predecessor of "Solar System" and a successor of "Polaris Mobile". The NVIDIA card belongs to the GeForce 16 generation, with the GeForce 10-series as its predecessor and GeForce 20 as its successor. The AMD card is listed as having no series, while the NVIDIA card is in the GeForce 10-series.

The Verdict

The data paints a nuanced picture. In aggregate performance, the AMD Radeon R9 M295X is the stronger GPU, with an average benchmark score of 28,580 compared to 24,277 for the GTX 1630, and a higher percentile ranking at 74 versus 70. Its Vulkan lead of 22.8% is the single largest margin recorded between the two cards, and it also holds decisive advantages in texture rate (92.54 GTexel/s versus 57.12 GTexel/s), FP32 compute (2.961 TFLOPS versus 1.828 TFLOPS), and memory bandwidth (160.0 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s).

However, the GTX 1630 wins the OpenCL test by 8%, has a higher pixel rate (28.56 GPixel/s versus 23.14 GPixel/s), a much lower TDP (75 W versus 250 W), a smaller physical footprint, and a more modern feature set with newer DirectX and Vulkan support. For users constrained by power or physical space, the GTX 1630 is the practical choice. For users prioritizing raw compute throughput and Vulkan performance, the AMD card is clearly superior. The data does not support a single winner, it supports a choice based on workload priorities.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M295X wins in Vulkan workloads by a wide margin, and its higher texture rate and FP32 throughput make it better suited for tasks that rely on those capabilities. Its 256-bit memory bus and 160.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a substantial advantage in memory-heavy operations. The 74th percentile ranking places it among a higher tier of GPUs overall, and its average score of 28,580 puts it within 1% or less of rivals like the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 and AMD Radeon RX 570. Users running Vulkan-based applications or compute tasks that scale with texture throughput and FP32 will see better results here.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 wins in OpenCL, with an 8% lead over the AMD card. Its higher pixel rate, lower power draw, and compact single-slot design make it attractive for systems where thermal and power budgets are tight. Its FP16 performance of 3.656 TFLOPS is notably higher than the AMD card's 2.961 TFLOPS, which could benefit half-precision workloads. The 70th percentile ranking, while lower than the AMD card's, still places it above many contemporaries, and its average score of 24,277 is closely matched with rivals like the GTX 780 Ti and RTX 2080 SUPER, within a 0.4% margin in either direction. For OpenCL-centric applications, constrained builds, or users who prioritize efficiency, the GTX 1630 is the better fit.