AMD Radeon R9 M375 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M Comparison

AMD Radeon R9 M375 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M are two end-of-life mobile GPUs from the 2014-2015 era, both built on TSMC's 28 nm process. The data shows a clear overall winner in raw compute benchmarks, but the differences in architecture and feature support create distinct use cases for each. The AMD part leads in both available benchmark tests, but the NVIDIA chip offers a lower power envelope and a newer Vulkan API version, which matters for specific workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results favor the AMD Radeon R9 M375 across the board. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD part scores 10457 against the GTX 850M's 9821, a 6.5% advantage. This is not a marginal win; it places the R9 M375's average benchmark score at 10070, which is roughly 8.3% higher than the GTX 850M's 9302 average. The OpenCL result is particularly relevant for compute-heavy tasks like rendering or physics simulations, where the AMD card's higher FP32 throughput of 1,299.2 GFLOPS versus 1,154.6 GFLOPS gives it a theoretical edge that translates into real performance.

The Vulkan benchmark shows an even wider gap. The R9 M375 scores 9682, while the GTX 850M trails at 8782, a 10.2% delta. This is a significant margin for a modern graphics API, and it suggests that AMD's GCN 1.0 architecture handles Vulkan's low-level overhead better than NVIDIA's Maxwell in this specific mobile implementation. However, it is notably the GTX 850M supports Vulkan 1.4 compared to the R9 M375's Vulkan 1.2.170, which means the NVIDIA card is technically compatible with newer API features, even if it performs worse in the tested workload.

When comparing to their respective nearest rivals, the R9 M375 sits just 0.3% above the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M and 1.1% above the GTX 870M, while being 2% below the GTX 950A. The GTX 850M, meanwhile, is nearly tied with the GTX 465 (0.1% ahead) and the GTX 960 (0.3% ahead), but it is 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon R7 M380. This positioning shows that the R9 M375 punches slightly above its class, while the GTX 850M sits at the lower end of its performance tier.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 leads with an average benchmark score of 10070, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M's 9302. This is a 768-point difference, roughly 8.3% higher.

Q: Does the GTX 850M win in any benchmark test?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the R9 M375 winning both Geekbench OpenCL (10457 vs 9821) and Geekbench Vulkan (9682 vs 8782). The GTX 850M has zero wins in the provided benchmark suite.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The GTX 850M has a higher memory bandwidth at 32.03 GB/s, while the R9 M375 offers 28.80 GB/s. Both use 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, but the NVIDIA part runs its memory at 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) versus the AMD's 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective).

Q: Which GPU has a lower power draw?

A: The GTX 850M has a specified TDP of 45 W, while the R9 M375 has no TDP listed in the data. This makes the NVIDIA part the safer choice for thinner laptops where thermal headroom is limited.

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The GTX 850M uses 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, while the R9 M375 uses 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The NVIDIA chip is physically larger but also has a slightly higher transistor density at 12.6M/mm² versus 12.2M/mm².

Q: Which GPU supports a newer DirectX version?

A: The R9 M375 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GTX 850M supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The AMD part has a minor edge in this API level.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is fundamental. The AMD Radeon R9 M375 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Tropo chip, and belongs to the "Gem System (R9 M300)" generation. It packs 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operations pipelines. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip and is part of the GeForce 800M generation. It also has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, so the core configuration is identical on paper.

The key differences lie in clock speeds and derived rates. The R9 M375 runs at a base clock of 1000 MHz with a boost of 1015 MHz, producing a pixel rate of 16.24 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 40.60 GTexel/s. The GTX 850M has no base or boost clock listed, but its pixel rate is 14.43 GPixel/s and texture rate is 36.08 GTexel/s, indicating a lower effective clock. This explains the AMD card's higher FP32 performance: 1,299.2 GFLOPS versus 1,154.6 GFLOPS, a 12.5% advantage.

The memory subsystems also differ in speed, though not in capacity or bus width. Both have 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, but the GTX 850M's memory runs at 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) yielding 32.03 GB/s bandwidth, while the R9 M375's memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) yielding 28.80 GB/s. This means the NVIDIA card has 11.2% more memory bandwidth, which can help in texture-heavy scenarios, but it doesn't overcome the AMD's compute advantage in the benchmark results.

The process node is identical at 28 nm from TSMC, but the die sizes differ: 123 mm² for AMD versus 148 mm² for NVIDIA. The transistor density is similar (12.2M/mm² vs 12.6M/mm²), but the GTX 850M uses more transistors overall (1,870 million vs 1,500 million). In terms of API support, the R9 M375 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170, while the GTX 850M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon R9 M375 as the stronger performer in raw compute benchmarks. It wins both head-to-head tests with deltas of 6.5% in OpenCL and 10.2% in Vulkan, and its average benchmark score of 10070 is significantly above the GTX 850M's 9302. The AMD card also has a higher pixel rate (16.24 vs 14.43 GPixel/s), higher texture rate (40.60 vs 36.08 GTexel/s), and higher FP32 throughput (1,299.2 vs 1,154.6 GFLOPS). If your primary concern is benchmark performance, the R9 M375 is the clear choice.

However, the GTX 850M has its own advantages. It has a specified TDP of just 45 W, making it far easier to cool in a thin laptop, while the R9 M375 has no TDP listed at all. The NVIDIA card also offers more memory bandwidth (32.03 vs 28.80 GB/s) and a newer Vulkan API version (1.4 vs 1.2.170). For users whose workloads are memory-bound or rely on the latest Vulkan extensions, the GTX 850M might be more practical despite the lower benchmark scores.

In terms of market positioning, the R9 M375 sits at the 48th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 850M sits at the 46th percentile. The AMD card's nearest rival is the GTX 950A, which is 2% faster, while the GTX 850M's nearest rival is the Radeon R7 M380, which is only 0.1% faster. This suggests the R9 M375 is closer to exceeding its class, while the GTX 850M is solidly mid-pack.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in several key specification fields. The R9 M375 has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1015 MHz, while the GTX 850M has no base or boost clock listed. The AMD card's memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) versus the NVIDIA's 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective). The R9 M375's memory bandwidth is 28.80 GB/s compared to the GTX 850M's 32.03 GB/s.

The pixel rate differs at 16.24 GPixel/s for AMD versus 14.43 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, and the texture rate is 40.60 GTexel/s versus 36.08 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 1,299.2 GFLOPS for the R9 M375 and 1,154.6 GFLOPS for the GTX 850M. The transistor count is 1,500 million for AMD on a 123 mm² die, while NVIDIA uses 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die. The R9 M375 has a transistor density of 12.2M/mm² versus 12.6M/mm² for the GTX 850M.

The GTX 850M has a specified TDP of 45 W, a slot width of "IGP," and no power connectors, while the R9 M375 has none of these fields listed. The NVIDIA card's display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," while the AMD card has no display output info. The DirectX support is 12 (11_1) for AMD and 12 (11_0) for NVIDIA. Vulkan support is 1.2.170 for AMD and 1.4 for NVIDIA. Both use PCIe 3.0 x16 and 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M375 wins in compute and rendering throughput. It is the better choice for tasks that rely on raw shader performance, such as OpenCL compute workloads, where it leads by 6.5%. Its Vulkan advantage of 10.2% makes it preferable for modern game engines that utilize this API, provided the game doesn't require Vulkan 1.3 or newer features. The higher pixel rate and texture rate also make it more capable for high-resolution rendering and texture-heavy scenes, even with slightly lower memory bandwidth.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M wins in efficiency and compatibility. Its 45 W TDP is a concrete advantage for laptop manufacturers and users who prioritize battery life and thermal management. The higher memory bandwidth of 32.03 GB/s can benefit applications that are bandwidth-limited, such as certain video encoding or large texture streaming scenarios. The Vulkan 1.4 support ensures better forward compatibility with newer software that may rely on the latest API revisions, even if the raw performance is lower.

The GTX 850M also has a more established successor path with the GeForce 900M series, whereas the R9 M375's successor is Polaris Mobile, which is a different architecture generation. For users with software that specifically targets NVIDIA's feature set or requires low power draw, the GTX 850M is the safer pick. For pure benchmark performance and compute-heavy tasks, the AMD Radeon R9 M375 is the winner, with its higher average score and wins in both head-to-head tests.