AMD Radeon R9 M375 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti and AMD Radeon R9 M375 represent two distinct eras of mobile and desktop GPU design, yet they land surprisingly close in overall compute performance. The GTX 560 Ti, a 2011 desktop part, edges out the 2015 mobile R9 M375 in the single shared OpenCL benchmark, but the AMD card counters with a Vulkan score and a larger memory pool. The data reveals a classic trade-off: raw architectural efficiency and memory bandwidth versus modern API support and capacity.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti wins the only head-to-head benchmark available, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a score of 10,690 against the R9 M375's 10,457. That is a 2.2% lead, a narrow margin but a definitive one in the data. This advantage likely stems from its significantly higher memory bandwidth of 128.3 GB/s versus the AMD card's 28.80 GB/s. For compute workloads that are memory-bandwidth sensitive, the GTX 560 Ti holds a clear edge. Its 256-bit bus width and GDDR5 memory provide a substantial throughput advantage that the older architecture can exploit.

The AMD Radeon R9 M375 wins on features and capacity. It is the only card of the two with a Geekbench Vulkan score, reaching 9,682, which indicates functional Vulkan 1.2.170 API support. The GTX 560 Ti lists no Vulkan support at all. Additionally, the R9 M375 ships with 2 GB of VRAM, double the GTX 560 Ti's 1 GB, and its memory runs at 1800 Mbps effective. While its DDR3 memory is slower in bandwidth, the doubled capacity allows it to hold larger datasets. In terms of raw shading power, the R9 M375 has 640 shading units versus 384, giving it a theoretical FP32 output of 1,299.2 GFLOPS, slightly higher than the GTX 560 Ti's 1,263.4 GFLOPS. This suggests that in compute tasks that fit within its memory capacity and can utilize its newer instruction set, the AMD card may pull ahead, even if the OpenCL score does not reflect it.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The GTX 560 Ti uses NVIDIA's Fermi 2.0 architecture on the GF114 chip, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the R9 M375 uses AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture on the Tropo chip, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. This process difference is stark: the 28 nm node allows for a much higher transistor density of 12.2M per mm² versus the GTX 560 Ti's 5.9M per mm². The R9 M375 packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, while the GTX 560 Ti uses 1,950 million transistors across a much larger 332 mm² die. This makes the AMD chip considerably more efficient in terms of die size per transistor.

The memory subsystems are completely different. The GTX 560 Ti uses GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 128.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The R9 M375 uses DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, achieving only 28.80 GB/s. This is a massive difference; the NVIDIA card has over 4.4 times the memory bandwidth. However, the AMD card has double the capacity at 2 GB. The GTX 560 Ti has 64 texture mapping units and 32 ROPs, while the R9 M375 has 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card's higher TMU and ROP counts contribute to its higher texture rate of 52.67 GTexel/s versus 40.60 GTexel/s, and a pixel rate of 13.17 GPixel/s versus 16.24 GPixel/s for the AMD card. The R9 M375's higher pixel rate, despite fewer ROPs, is likely due to its higher clock speed of 1000 MHz base and 1015 MHz boost, compared to the GTX 560 Ti's unspecified base clock, though its memory clock is listed at 1002 MHz.

In terms of features, the R9 M375 supports a newer DirectX version (12 (11_1) vs 12 (11_0)) and includes Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 560 Ti has no Vulkan support listed. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The bus interface also differs: the GTX 560 Ti uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the R9 M375 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, allowing for faster data transfer between the CPU and GPU on the newer card. The GTX 560 Ti is a dual-slot card requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the R9 M375 has no listed power requirements, suggesting it is a more power-efficient mobile part.

The Verdict

The benchmark data indicates a very tight race in raw compute. The GTX 560 Ti's OpenCL score of 10,690 puts it in the 49th percentile of all GPUs, while the R9 M375's average score of 10,070 places it in the 48th percentile. The GTX 560 Ti's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600S, scores 10,629, just 0.6% lower, while the AMD Quadro K2200 scores 10,761, 0.7% higher. For the R9 M375, its closest competitor is the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M at 10,043, which is 0.3% lower. This places both cards in a similar performance tier.

For compute workloads that are memory-bandwidth-bound, the GTX 560 Ti is the clear choice from the data. Its 128.3 GB/s bandwidth is a massive advantage, and its higher texture rate suggests it can handle texture-heavy tasks better. The R9 M375 should be selected for scenarios requiring modern API support or larger memory capacity. Its Vulkan score of 9,682 demonstrates functional capability in modern graphics APIs, which the GTX 560 Ti completely lacks. The 2 GB memory capacity also allows for larger working sets, which can be critical for certain compute tasks or higher-resolution textures, even if the DDR3 bandwidth is a bottleneck. The R9 M375's higher pixel rate of 16.24 GPixel/s also suggests it may perform better in fill-rate-limited scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti has a higher average benchmark score of 10,690, compared to the AMD Radeon R9 M375's average of 10,070.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R9 M375 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the R9 M375 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9,682 and lists Vulkan 1.2.170 API support. The GTX 560 Ti does not have any Vulkan support listed.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The GTX 560 Ti has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, while the R9 M375 has 2 GB of DDR3 memory.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The GTX 560 Ti has a memory bandwidth of 128.3 GB/s, which is significantly higher than the R9 M375's 28.80 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a smaller die size?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 has a die size of 123 mm², which is much smaller than the GTX 560 Ti's 332 mm² die.

Q: What is the transistor density of each chip?

A: The R9 M375 has a transistor density of 12.2M / mm², while the GTX 560 Ti has a density of 5.9M / mm².

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti scores 10,690, while the AMD Radeon R9 M375 scores 10,457. This gives the NVIDIA card a 2.2% victory. This is a narrow win, but it is consistent with the GTX 560 Ti's higher memory bandwidth (128.3 GB/s vs 28.80 GB/s) and higher texture fill rate (52.67 GTexel/s vs 40.60 GTexel/s). The GTX 560 Ti's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600S, scores 10,629, which is 0.6% lower, meaning the GTX 560 Ti also outperforms that card. The R9 M375's OpenCL score of 10,457 is 1.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, which scores 9,959, and 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M, which scores 10,013. However, the R9 M375 is 2% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A, which scores 10,273.

Looking at the broader data, the GTX 560 Ti's performance is more consistent, with its average benchmark score equal to its OpenCL score. The R9 M375 has a second benchmark, Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 9,682. This score is lower than its OpenCL score of 10,457, but it demonstrates that the AMD card can function in a Vulkan environment, a capability the GTX 560 Ti does not possess. The GTX 560 Ti's wins in this comparison are entirely due to its superior memory bandwidth and texture processing capabilities. The AMD card's wins are in the categories of memory capacity, modern API support, and pixel fill rate, where its 16.24 GPixel/s exceeds the GTX 560 Ti's 13.17 GPixel/s.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every core specification. The GTX 560 Ti uses the GF114 chip with a 40 nm process, while the R9 M375 uses the Tropo chip with a 28 nm process. The GTX 560 Ti has 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, whereas the R9 M375 has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The transistor density is 5.9M / mm² for NVIDIA and 12.2M / mm² for AMD. The GTX 560 Ti has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The R9 M375 has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 560 Ti has a memory clock of 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the R9 M375 has a base clock of 1000 MHz, a boost clock of 1015 MHz, and a memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). Memory sizes are 1024 MB GDDR5 for NVIDIA and 2 GB DDR3 for AMD, with bus widths of 256-bit and 128-bit, respectively. The bandwidth is 128.3 GB/s for the GTX 560 Ti and 28.80 GB/s for the R9 M375. The pixel rate is 13.17 GPixel/s for NVIDIA and 16.24 GPixel/s for AMD. The texture rate is 52.67 GTexel/s for NVIDIA and 40.60 GTexel/s for AMD. FP32 performance is 1,263.4 GFLOPS for NVIDIA and 1,299.2 GFLOPS for AMD. The TDP is 170 W for the GTX 560 Ti, while the R9 M375 has no TDP listed. The GTX 560 Ti is a dual-slot card with 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the R9 M375 has no power connector or PSU specifications. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 for NVIDIA and PCIe 3.0 x16 for AMD. The GTX 560 Ti has display outputs of 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the R9 M375 has none listed. DirectX support is 12 (11_0) for NVIDIA and 12 (11_1) for AMD. OpenGL support is 4.6 for both. Vulkan support is absent for NVIDIA and 1.2.170 for AMD. The GTX 560 Ti has a length of 229 mm (9 inches), while the R9 M375 has no dimensions listed.