AMD Radeon R9 M360 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 M360 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti are two end-of-life graphics cards from different eras, with the AMD part arriving in 2015 and the NVIDIA part in 2012. Both sit at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs, indicating they are closely matched in overall performance, yet the benchmark data reveals distinct strengths. The R9 M360 edges ahead in OpenCL workloads, while the GTX 650 Ti counters in Vulkan, making this a nuanced comparison where the "better" card depends entirely on the application.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results show a split decision between the two cards. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon R9 M360 scores 8211 points, which is 4.2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti's 7877 points. This is a meaningful margin in synthetic compute workloads, suggesting the R9 M360's architecture handles OpenCL tasks more efficiently. The delta is not enormous, but it is consistent with the R9 M360's higher average benchmark score of 8129 compared to the GTX 650 Ti's 8053.

However, the tables turn in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti scores 8229 points, beating the AMD Radeon R9 M360's 8047 points by 2.2%. This reversal is significant because Vulkan is a lower-level API that often rewards different hardware characteristics than OpenCL. The GTX 650 Ti's Kepler architecture appears to have an advantage in this modern API, despite being an older card. The fact that the two cards trade blows in these two tests highlights that neither has a universal performance lead.

When looking at the broader context, the R9 M360's average score of 8129 places it just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M (8135) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 945M (8099). The GTX 650 Ti's average of 8053 puts it 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (8040) and 0.2% behind the GTX 650 Ti Boost (8067). Interestingly, both cards are within 0.6% of the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8080), showing that this performance tier is tightly packed. The R9 M360's 4.2% OpenCL win is its largest margin, while the GTX 650 Ti's 2.2% Vulkan win is more modest but still decisive.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M360 is the clear winner in OpenCL compute tasks. Its 8211 OpenCL score versus the GTX 650 Ti's 7877 represents a 4.2% advantage, which could translate to faster performance in applications that leverage OpenCL for general-purpose computing, such as video encoding, image processing, or scientific simulations. The R9 M360's GCN 1.0 architecture, with its 512 shading units, appears well-suited to these parallel workloads. For users running OpenCL-accelerated applications, the data suggests the AMD card is the better choice.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti wins in Vulkan, scoring 8229 versus the R9 M360's 8047, a 2.2% margin. Vulkan is increasingly used in modern games and emulators, and the GTX 650 Ti's higher score indicates better compatibility or efficiency with this API. The GTX 650 Ti also has a significant raw compute advantage on paper, with 1,425.4 GFLOPS of FP32 performance compared to the R9 M360's 947.2 GFLOPS, and it has more shading units (768 vs 512) and texture units (64 vs 32). However, these theoretical numbers do not always translate to benchmark wins, as shown by the R9 M360's OpenCL victory.

The GTX 650 Ti also wins on memory bandwidth, with 86.40 GB/s compared to the R9 M360's 72.00 GB/s, which could benefit certain texture-heavy workloads. The R9 M360 counters with 4 GB of memory versus the GTX 650 Ti's 1024 MB, a fourfold difference that matters for large datasets or high-resolution textures, even if the bandwidth is lower. In summary, the R9 M360 is the pick for OpenCL-centric tasks, while the GTX 650 Ti is better for Vulkan-based applications.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures. The AMD Radeon R9 M360 uses the Tropo chip based on GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.2 million per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti uses the GK106S chip based on Kepler architecture, also on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but with 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, resulting in a slightly lower density of 11.5 million per mm². The GTX 650 Ti's larger die and higher transistor count suggest a more complex design, but the R9 M360 achieves comparable performance with fewer resources.

Clock speeds differ notably. The R9 M360 has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 925 MHz, while the GTX 650 Ti has no listed base or boost clocks. The R9 M360's memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective), while the GTX 650 Ti's memory runs faster at 1350 MHz (5.4 Gbps effective). This memory clock difference contributes to the GTX 650 Ti's higher bandwidth, despite both using a 128-bit bus. The R9 M360 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the GTX 650 Ti has 768 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, giving the NVIDIA card a 50% advantage in shading units and a 100% advantage in texture units.

Pixel rates are nearly identical, with the R9 M360 at 14.80 GPixel/s and the GTX 650 Ti at 14.85 GPixel/s, but texture rates diverge sharply: the R9 M360 manages 29.60 GTexel/s versus the GTX 650 Ti's 59.39 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute figures also favor NVIDIA heavily, at 1,425.4 GFLOPS versus 947.2 GFLOPS. API support shows a key difference: the R9 M360 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 650 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The R9 M360 consumes no listed TDP, while the GTX 650 Ti has a 110 W TDP and requires a 300 W power supply, along with a single 6-pin power connector.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but context-dependent verdict. For users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, the AMD Radeon R9 M360 is the superior choice, with a 4.2% lead in that benchmark and a higher average score overall. Its 4 GB memory capacity is a substantial advantage for memory-intensive tasks, and it achieves this with a lower transistor count and smaller die, suggesting better efficiency in certain workloads. The R9 M360's lower FP32 output (947.2 GFLOPS) does not hinder it in OpenCL, indicating that architectural efficiency can overcome raw specifications.

For users focused on Vulkan performance, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti is the pick, with a 2.2% advantage in that specific test. Its higher texture rate (59.39 GTexel/s) and memory bandwidth (86.40 GB/s) make it theoretically stronger for traditional rendering workloads, and its higher FP32 compute (1,425.4 GFLOPS) provides more raw power. The GTX 650 Ti also has a slight edge in Vulkan API version support (1.2.175 vs 1.2.170). However, its 1024 MB memory is a severe limitation for modern applications, and its 110 W TDP is higher than the R9 M360's unspecified (but likely lower) power draw.

Ultimately, the choice hinges on the specific use case. The R9 M360 is better for OpenCL-heavy applications and scenarios requiring large memory buffers, while the GTX 650 Ti is better for Vulkan-based games and tasks that benefit from higher texture throughput. Neither card dominates the other across the board, and their equal percentile ranking (42nd) confirms they are evenly matched overall. The GTX 650 Ti's launch MSRP of 149 USD is notable, but the R9 M360 has no listed price, making direct value comparisons impossible from the data.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M360 has an average benchmark score of 8129, which is higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti's 8053.

Q: How much faster is the R9 M360 in OpenCL?

A: The R9 M360 scores 8211 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 4.2% higher than the GTX 650 Ti's 7877.

Q: Does the GTX 650 Ti win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the GTX 650 Ti wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 8229, beating the R9 M360's 8047 by 2.2%.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The R9 M360 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 650 Ti has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 memory.

Q: How do their shading unit counts compare?

A: The GTX 650 Ti has 768 shading units, while the R9 M360 has 512 shading units.

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 650 Ti has higher memory bandwidth at 86.40 GB/s, compared to the R9 M360's 72.00 GB/s.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 M360 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti |

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

| Chip | Tropo | GK106S |

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Kepler |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 2,540 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 221 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 11.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 900 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 925 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Clock | 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) | 1350 MHz (5.4 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 72.00 GB/s | 86.40 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 768 |

| TMUs | 32 | 64 |

| ROPs | 16 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 14.80 GPixel/s | 14.85 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 29.60 GTexel/s | 59.39 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 947.2 GFLOPS | 1,425.4 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not specified | 110 W |

| Power Connectors | Not specified | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not specified | 300 W |

| Display Outputs | Not specified | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a |

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

| Vulkan Version | 1.2.170 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2015-05-04 | 2012-10-08 |

| Predecessor | Solar System | GeForce 500 |

| Successor | Polaris Mobile | GeForce 700 |

| Dimensions | Not specified | 145 mm (5.7 inches) length |

| Launch MSRP | Not specified | 149 USD |