AMD Radeon R9 M295X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results show a clear split across the three recorded workloads. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X wins the majority, taking two out of three tests, but the margin of victory in its losses is significant enough to demand attention.

In Geekbench Metal, the AMD Radeon R9 M295X delivers 33790 points against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti’s 18144 points. That is a 86.2% advantage, the largest delta recorded in this comparison. The AMD part is more than a step ahead in this API, essentially doubling the NVIDIA card’s output. This result carries substantial weight because Metal is a low-level graphics and compute interface, and the R9 M295X appears to have been designed with that workload in mind.

The Vulkan test also goes to AMD, but by a far narrower margin. The R9 M295X scores 29091, while the GTX 780 Ti scores 27238, a 6.8% lead. This is a modest but consistent win, showing that the AMD architecture maintains its edge in modern, cross-platform low-level APIs. However, the delta is small enough that real-world differences would be hard to notice outside of synthetic workloads.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti takes the OpenCL test decisively. Its 27326 score beats the AMD Radeon R9 M295X’s 22858, a 16.4% difference. This is the only test where NVIDIA wins, but it is not a trivial victory. OpenCL remains a widely used compute standard, and the GTX 780 Ti’s raw shader throughput appears to give it a genuine advantage here.

Looking at average benchmark scores across all recorded tests, the AMD Radeon R9 M295X lands at 28580, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti averages 24236. That places AMD roughly 18% higher overall, a meaningful gap that aligns with its two wins. The percentile ranks reinforce this: the R9 M295X sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 780 Ti sits in the 70th. Both are mid-pack performers by modern standards, but AMD holds the higher position.

It is worth noting how each card stacks against its own nearest rivals. The R9 M295X’s average score of 28580 puts it 0.6% behind the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28421) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570 (28766). It also trails the AMD Radeon RX 6800M by 1% (28874) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 by 1.4% (28996). Meanwhile, the GTX 780 Ti’s 24236 average sits 0.2% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277) and 0.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (24170). It is also 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (24063) and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (24442). These deltas show that both cards are tightly clustered among their contemporaries, but the AMD part operates in a slightly higher performance tier.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design philosophies, and the data reflects that. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X uses the Amethyst chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, belonging to the Gem System generation (R9 M200). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti uses the GK110B chip on Kepler architecture, part of the GeForce 700 generation. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

Transistor counts diverge sharply. The GTX 780 Ti packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, while the R9 M295X contains 5,000 million transistors on a smaller 366 mm² die. This gives the AMD chip a higher transistor density at 13.7M per mm² versus NVIDIA’s 12.6M per mm². The NVIDIA card is physically larger and more complex, but the AMD chip packs its logic more tightly.

Clock behavior also differs. The GTX 780 Ti has explicit base and boost clocks of 875 MHz and 928 MHz respectively. The R9 M295X has no recorded base or boost clock, only a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). Memory configuration is another clear split: the AMD card offers 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.6 GB/s, more than double the bandwidth.

Compute resources are heavily stacked in NVIDIA’s favor on paper. The GTX 780 Ti has 2880 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The R9 M295X has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Those numbers translate into raw throughput differences: the GTX 780 Ti reaches 5.345 TFLOPS FP32, 222.7 GTexel/s texture rate, and 55.68 GPixel/s pixel rate. The R9 M295X delivers 2.961 TFLOPS FP32, 92.54 GTexel/s, and 23.14 GPixel/s. Yet despite being roughly half the raw compute, the AMD card wins two of three real-world benchmarks, and its FP16 performance matches its FP32 at 2.961 TFLOPS (1:1), a feature the NVIDIA card does not list.

API support shows a notable difference in DirectX. The R9 M295X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 780 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan versions are close: 1.2.170 for AMD versus 1.2.175 for NVIDIA. The physical formats differ as well: the R9 M295X is an MXM Module with no power connectors, while the GTX 780 Ti is a Dual-slot card with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors, a suggested 600 W PSU, and dimensions of 267 mm length, 111 mm height, and 38 mm width.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M295X averages 28580 across all recorded tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti averages 24236. That puts AMD roughly 18% higher overall.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Metal performance?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 33790 in Geekbench Metal, versus 18144 for the GTX 780 Ti. AMD leads by 86.2%, the largest margin in this comparison.

Q: Does the GTX 780 Ti win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins Geekbench OpenCL with 27326 points against the R9 M295X’s 22858, a 16.4% advantage. This is the only head-to-head test where NVIDIA comes out ahead.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The GTX 780 Ti has 336.6 GB/s bandwidth from a 384-bit bus and 3 GB GDDR5. The R9 M295X has 160.0 GB/s from a 256-bit bus and 4 GB GDDR5. NVIDIA’s bandwidth is more than double.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti has 2880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Q: How do the two compare in Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 29091 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the GTX 780 Ti scores 27238. AMD wins by 6.8%, a moderate margin.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to the AMD Radeon R9 M295X as the stronger overall performer. It holds a higher average benchmark score (28580 versus 24236), a higher percentile rank (74th versus 70th), and wins two of the three head-to-head tests. The Metal victory is dominant at 86.2%, and the Vulkan win, while smaller at 6.8%, confirms that AMD’s architecture handles modern low-level APIs well.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is not without merit. Its OpenCL win by 16.4% shows that raw compute throughput, driven by 2880 shading units and 5.345 TFLOPS FP32, still matters in certain workloads. It also has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 336.6 GB/s, which could benefit bandwidth-sensitive tasks. However, those advantages do not translate into a higher overall score.

For a user choosing between these two end-of-life parts, the data favors AMD for general-purpose modern workloads, especially those using Metal or Vulkan. The GTX 780 Ti remains competitive in OpenCL-centric compute scenarios, but its lower average score and weaker performance in two of three tests make it the secondary option in this pairing.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 M295X | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Chip | Amethyst | GK110B |

| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | Kepler |

| Generation | Gem System (R9 M200) | GeForce 700 |

| Transistors | 5,000 million | 7,080 million |

| Die Size | 366 mm² | 561 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.7M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 875 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 928 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) | 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 3 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | 336.6 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 2880 |

| TMUs | 128 | 240 |

| ROPs | 32 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 23.14 GPixel/s | 55.68 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 92.54 GTexel/s | 222.7 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 2.961 TFLOPS | 5.345 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 2.961 TFLOPS (1:1) | Not listed |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (11_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.2.175 |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 |

| Release Date | 2014-11-22 | 2013-11-06 |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M295X wins in Metal and Vulkan. The 33790 Metal score is a massive outlier in its favor, suggesting that Apple’s API and the GCN 3.0 architecture are a strong combination. The 29091 Vulkan score shows that AMD’s driver stack and hardware design handle low-level cross-platform graphics effectively. For users running applications that leverage these APIs, the R9 M295X is the clear choice.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti wins in OpenCL. Its 27326 score versus 22858 for AMD represents a 16.4% advantage. This is notable because OpenCL is still used in many compute and productivity applications. The GTX 780 Ti’s higher shading unit count and FP32 throughput give it an edge in these workloads, even if its overall average lags behind.

The AMD card also wins on memory capacity, offering 4 GB versus 3 GB. For modern workloads that exceed 3 GB of VRAM, the extra gigabyte can be the difference between running and stuttering. However, the GTX 780 Ti’s 336.6 GB/s bandwidth is vastly superior, so memory-heavy tasks that fit within 3 GB may still favor NVIDIA.

The physical form factor is a deciding factor for system integration. The R9 M295X is an MXM Module, designed for laptops and compact systems, with no power connectors required. The GTX 780 Ti is a full-length Dual-slot desktop card requiring both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, with a suggested 600 W PSU. The AMD part fits into portable devices, while the NVIDIA part is strictly for desktop towers with adequate power delivery.

Production status is identical at end-of-life for both, and neither has a successor that is relevant here. The R9 M295X’s predecessor is Solar System, with Polaris Mobile as its successor. The GTX 780 Ti’s predecessor is GeForce 600, with GeForce 900 as its successor. Both are historical parts, but the data shows the AMD Radeon R9 M295X is the more capable of the two in this benchmark database.