AMD Radeon R9 M360 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a consistent lead for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M across both benchmark tests in the database. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 850M scores 9,821 against the AMD Radeon R9 M360's 8,211, a gap of 19.6% in favor of NVIDIA. That is a substantial margin for compute workloads, and it places the GTX 850M well above its rival in raw throughput.

The Vulkan test narrows the gap somewhat, but the outcome remains the same. The GTX 850M posts 8,782, while the R9 M360 trails at 8,047, a 9.1% advantage for the NVIDIA part. This suggests that while the Vulkan API reduces NVIDIA's lead, it does not erase it. The GTX 850M wins both head-to-head matchups, giving it a clean 2-0 record in these comparisons.

Looking at the average benchmark score across all recorded tests, the GTX 850M lands at 9,302, while the R9 M360 sits at 8,129. That is a 14.4% overall difference, which aligns closely with the per-test results. The percentile rankings reinforce this: the GTX 850M sits at the 46th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the R9 M360 rests at the 42nd percentile. Neither card is a top-tier performer, but NVIDIA's part holds a clear edge in the mid-range mobile segment.

The nearest rivals for the GTX 850M include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465, which scores 9,294, just 0.1% below the 850M, and the AMD Radeon R7 M380 at 9,313, which is 0.1% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is 0.3% behind at 9,273, and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 trails by 0.9% at 9,221. This cluster shows that the GTX 850M is competitive with a broad set of desktop and mobile parts from both vendors, despite its age.

For the R9 M360, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M at 8,135, which is 0.1% ahead, and the NVIDIA GeForce 945M at 8,099, which is 0.4% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, a much higher-tier desktop card, still only manages 8,167, just 0.5% above the R9 M360. The NVIDIA GRID K2 trails by 0.6% at 8,080. The R9 M360 sits in a lower performance band than the GTX 850M, but it is not far off from several NVIDIA mobile parts.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 850M wins in every recorded benchmark, so the use-case split is straightforward. Its 19.6% OpenCL lead makes it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks that leverage OpenCL, such as rendering, video encoding, or scientific workloads. The 9.1% Vulkan advantage means it also handles Vulkan-based gaming and graphics workloads better, though the margin is narrower.

The R9 M360 does not win any benchmark in the database, but it does have structural advantages that matter in specific scenarios. Its 4 GB GDDR5 memory versus the GTX 850M's 2 GB DDR3 means it can hold larger textures and data sets without swapping, which is relevant for higher-resolution textures or multi-tasking. The memory bandwidth tells the story: the R9 M360 delivers 72.00 GB/s, more than double the GTX 850M's 32.03 GB/s. For memory-bound workloads, that bandwidth advantage can partially offset the compute deficit.

The R9 M360 also has a slightly higher pixel rate at 14.80 GPixel/s versus 14.43 GPixel/s, which indicates it can fill frames at a marginally faster rate in pixel-shader-limited scenarios. However, the GTX 850M counters with a higher texture rate at 36.08 GTexel/s versus 29.60 GTexel/s, meaning it handles texture-heavy scenes better. The FP32 compute rating further favors NVIDIA: 1,154.6 GFLOPS versus 947.2 GFLOPS.

In practical terms, the GTX 850M is the better all-round performer for gaming and general GPU compute. The R9 M360 is better suited to tasks where memory capacity and bandwidth dominate, such as large texture sets or certain compute kernels that are bandwidth-limited. Neither card is built for high-end gaming at modern settings, but the data points to NVIDIA for most workloads.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M outperforms the AMD Radeon R9 M360 in both OpenCL and Vulkan tests. If you are choosing between these two for a laptop, the GTX 850M is the stronger GPU for gaming and general compute. Its 19.6% OpenCL lead and 9.1% Vulkan lead are not marginal; they translate into visible differences in frame rates and compute times.

The GTX 850M also sits at a higher percentile rank, 46th versus 42nd, and has a higher average benchmark score of 9,302 versus 8,129. Its nearest rivals are all within a narrow band, showing it trades blows with parts like the GTX 465 and R7 M380. The R9 M360, by contrast, is closer to the GTX 950M and 945M in performance, which are lower-tier NVIDIA parts.

However, the R9 M360 is not without reason to exist. Its 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 72.00 GB/s bandwidth are significantly better than the GTX 850M's 2 GB DDR3 and 32.03 GB/s. If your workload is memory-heavy, such as loading large textures or running bandwidth-intensive compute tasks, the R9 M360 may hold up better despite its lower compute scores. But for the majority of users, the GTX 850M is the safer pick.

The verdict from the data: pick the GTX 850M for performance, pick the R9 M360 only if you specifically need the extra memory capacity and bandwidth. Both are end-of-life products, but the NVIDIA part offers a more balanced and higher-performing package.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL workloads?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M scores 9,821, which is 19.6% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M360's 8,211 in Geekbench OpenCL.

Q: How do the two compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The GTX 850M scores 8,782, a 9.1% lead over the R9 M360's 8,047 in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: What is the memory difference between these two GPUs?

A: The R9 M360 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus and 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 850M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory with a 128-bit bus and 32.03 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has higher compute throughput?

A: The GTX 850M delivers 1,154.6 GFLOPS FP32, while the R9 M360 delivers 947.2 GFLOPS FP32.

Q: Are these GPUs still relevant in the database rankings?

A: The GTX 850M sits at the 46th percentile among all GPUs, while the R9 M360 sits at the 42nd percentile. Both are end-of-life products.

Q: What are the closest competitors for each card?

A: The GTX 850M's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R7 M380 at 9,313, just 0.1% ahead. The R9 M360's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M at 8,135, which is 0.1% ahead.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architectural lineages. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M uses the GM107 chip based on the Maxwell architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It packs 1,870 million transistors into a 148 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. Maxwell is known for its strong compute efficiency per watt, and the data reflects that in the GTX 850M's higher scores.

The AMD Radeon R9 M360 uses the Tropo chip based on GCN 1.0, also manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, yielding a density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. GCN 1.0 is an older architecture that emphasizes raw throughput but tends to be less efficient than Maxwell in real-world workloads. The smaller die and lower transistor count correlate with the R9 M360's lower compute scores.

The shading unit counts differ significantly. The GTX 850M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The R9 M360 has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The GTX 850M's higher shading unit count directly contributes to its FP32 advantage of 1,154.6 GFLOPS versus 947.2 GFLOPS.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12, but with different feature levels. The GTX 850M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the R9 M360 supports DirectX 12 (11_1). OpenGL support is identical at 4.6. Vulkan support differs: the GTX 850M supports Vulkan 1.4, while the R9 M360 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. This newer Vulkan support on the NVIDIA part likely contributes to its narrower but still positive Vulkan lead.

Both are mobile-class GPUs with a PCIe 3.0 x16 bus interface. The GTX 850M has an integrated form factor (IGP) with no external power connectors, while the R9 M360's dimensions and power connector details are not recorded. The GTX 850M has a 45 W TDP, while the R9 M360's TDP is not listed in the database.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet shows several clear differences between the two cards. The most obvious is memory: the GTX 850M has 2 GB of DDR3, while the R9 M360 has 4 GB of GDDR5. Both use a 128-bit bus, but the GDDR5 type on the R9 M360 delivers 72.00 GB/s bandwidth versus the GTX 850M's 32.03 GB/s.

Memory clocks also differ. The GTX 850M runs at 1001 MHz, which translates to 2 Gbps effective. The R9 M360 runs at 1125 MHz, or 4.5 Gbps effective. The R9 M360's higher effective speed and better memory type explain its massive bandwidth advantage.

Clock speeds are only recorded for the R9 M360. It has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 925 MHz. The GTX 850M's base and boost clocks are not listed in the database, so no direct comparison is possible on that front.

The chip specifications differ in scale. The GTX 850M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The R9 M360 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 850M also has a higher texture rate at 36.08 GTexel/s versus 29.60 GTexel/s, while the R9 M360 has a slightly higher pixel rate at 14.80 GPixel/s versus 14.43 GPixel/s.

The transistor counts and die sizes differ as noted: 1,870 million transistors on 148 mm² for NVIDIA, 1,500 million on 123 mm² for AMD. Both are on 28 nm TSMC process, so the density difference is modest: 12.6M per mm² versus 12.2M per mm².

The release dates are about 14 months apart. The GTX 850M launched in March 2014, while the R9 M360 launched in May 2015. Both are end-of-life products. The GTX 850M's predecessor is the GeForce 700M series and its successor is the GeForce 900M series. The R9 M360's predecessor is the Solar System generation and its successor is the Polaris Mobile generation.

The bus interface is the same for both: PCIe 3.0 x16. The GTX 850M has display outputs listed as "Portable Device Dependent," while the R9 M360 has no display output data recorded. The GTX 850M's power draw is listed at 45 W TDP, but the R9 M360's TDP is absent from the database.