AMD Radeon R9 M375 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A and AMD Radeon R9 M375 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from 2015, aimed at the thin-and-light laptop segment. Benchmark data shows a remarkably close contest, with the AMD part edging ahead in the single available compute test, yet the underlying specifications reveal two fundamentally different design philosophies. This analysis digs into the numbers to determine where each chip truly holds an advantage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, which measures general-purpose compute performance rather than pure gaming frame rates. In this test, the AMD Radeon R9 M375 scores 10,457, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A scores 10,273. That gives AMD a win with a delta of -1.8% from NVIDIA's perspective, meaning the R9 M375 is approximately 1.8% faster in this workload. It is a narrow margin, but a win nonetheless for the AMD part.

Context from the nearest rivals list makes this margin more meaningful. The GTX 950A sits at 48th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 10,273. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6500M, scores 10,362, which is only 0.9% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla C2075 scores 10,400, a 1.2% gap. Meanwhile, the R9 M375's own average score of 10,070 is actually lower than its OpenCL score of 10,457, because its average includes a second benchmark result — a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9,682. That Vulkan score drags its average down, yet the average still lands at 10,070, which is 2% higher than the GTX 950A's single-result average.

Looking at the rival lists for both cards, the data shows they are essentially interchangeable in raw compute throughput. The R9 M375's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M (10,043, 0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M (10,013, 0.6% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M (9,959, 1.1% lower). The GTX 950A's rivals include the RX 6500M (0.9% higher), Tesla C2075 (1.2% higher), and RX 550X (10,481, 2% higher). Both cards cluster around the 10,000–10,500 mark, with no clear knockout blow from either side. The single head-to-head result suggests that in OpenCL compute, AMD holds a slight edge, but the difference is well within the noise of typical benchmark variance.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is stark. NVIDIA uses the GM107 chip, built on the Maxwell architecture, while AMD uses the Tropo chip with the older GCN 1.0 architecture. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but that is where the similarities end. NVIDIA's GM107 packs 1,870 million transistors into a 148 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. AMD's Tropo is smaller in both respects: 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, for a density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip uses roughly 25% more transistors on a 20% larger die, indicating a more complex design.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The GTX 950A has a base clock of 993 MHz and a boost of 1,124 MHz. The R9 M375 runs slightly higher at 1,000 MHz base and 1,015 MHz boost. Despite the lower boost clock, the AMD card achieves a higher OpenCL score, suggesting that GCN 1.0's compute architecture is more efficient at extracting performance per clock in this specific workload, or that the memory subsystem compensates. Memory configurations are identical in capacity and type — 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus — but NVIDIA runs its memory at 1,001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) versus AMD's 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective). This yields a bandwidth advantage for NVIDIA: 32.03 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s, a difference of about 11%.

Shader and texture hardware is a tie: both have 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. However, the clock differences produce different peak rates. NVIDIA's pixel rate is 17.98 GPixel/s and texture rate is 44.96 GTexel/s, while AMD's are 16.24 GPixel/s and 40.60 GTexel/s. In FP32 compute, NVIDIA reaches 1,438.7 GFLOPS against AMD's 1,299.2 GFLOPS — a 10.7% theoretical advantage for NVIDIA. Yet the benchmark shows AMD winning, which raises questions about how each architecture utilizes its theoretical peak in real workloads. API support also differs: NVIDIA advertises DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4, while AMD lists DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 950A has a TDP of 75 W, whereas the R9 M375's TDP is not listed in the data pack.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A has an average score of 10,273, while the AMD Radeon R9 M375 has an average of 10,070. However, the R9 M375's average is pulled down by its Vulkan score of 9,682, which is lower than its OpenCL score of 10,457.

Q: In the direct head-to-head OpenCL test, what is the exact performance difference?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 scores 10,457 versus the GTX 950A's 10,273. This gives AMD a delta of -1.8% relative to NVIDIA, meaning AMD is roughly 1.8% faster in this single test.

Q: Do both cards have the same memory configuration?

A: Yes, both feature 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus. However, NVIDIA runs its memory at 1,001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) yielding 32.03 GB/s bandwidth, while AMD runs at 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective) yielding 28.80 GB/s.

Q: What are the transistor counts and die sizes?

A: The NVIDIA GM107 has 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die. The AMD Tropo has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. Both are manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process.

Q: Which card supports a newer version of DirectX?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A supports DirectX 12 (11_0). AMD's version is slightly newer in that regard.

Q: How do the two cards compare in theoretical FP32 performance?

A: The GTX 950A delivers 1,438.7 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is higher than the R9 M375's 1,299.2 GFLOPS. This represents a 10.7% theoretical advantage for NVIDIA, yet AMD wins the OpenCL benchmark.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A | AMD Radeon R9 M375 |

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

| Chip | GM107 | Tropo |

| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 1.0 |

| Transistors | 1,870 million | 1,500 million |

| Die Size | 148 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.6M / mm² | 12.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 993 MHz | 1000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1124 MHz | 1015 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) | 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 32.03 GB/s | 28.80 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 17.98 GPixel/s | 16.24 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 44.96 GTexel/s | 40.60 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,438.7 GFLOPS | 1,299.2 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 75 W | Not listed |

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

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

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2015-03-12 | 2015-05-04 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 800A | Solar System |

| Successor | Not listed | Polaris Mobile |

Both cards share identical shading units (640), TMUs (40), ROPs (16), memory size (2 GB), memory type (DDR3), memory bus width (128 bit), process node (28 nm), foundry (TSMC), and OpenGL support (4.6). The GTX 950A uses an MXM module form factor with no power connectors, while the R9 M375 uses a standard PCIe 3.0 x16 interface with unspecified power requirements. Display outputs are portable-device-dependent for NVIDIA, while AMD does not list any.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M375 wins the only measured benchmark — Geekbench OpenCL — with a score of 10,457 versus 10,273. This indicates that in compute-oriented tasks that leverage OpenCL, the AMD architecture holds a slight real-world edge despite lower theoretical peak FP32. The R9 M375 also supports a marginally newer DirectX feature level (11_1 vs 11_0), which could matter for certain legacy applications. Its lower transistor count and die size suggest a more power-efficient design per transistor, though TDP data for AMD is absent.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A wins on theoretical compute throughput, with 1,438.7 GFLOPS versus 1,299.2 GFLOPS, a 10.7% advantage. It also has higher pixel and texture rates (17.98 vs 16.24 GPixel/s, and 44.96 vs 40.60 GTexel/s), which typically benefits rasterization-heavy workloads like gaming. Its memory bandwidth of 32.03 GB/s is 11% higher than AMD's 28.80 GB/s, which can help in bandwidth-bound scenarios. The GTX 950A also supports Vulkan 1.4 versus AMD's 1.2.170, offering a more modern graphics API. Its 75 W TDP is the only power figure available, giving NVIDIA a defined power envelope.

The Verdict

The data paints a picture of two closely matched mobile GPUs with divergent strengths. If the priority is raw OpenCL compute performance, the AMD Radeon R9 M375 is the choice, as it wins the head-to-head test by 1.8%. Its GCN 1.0 architecture appears to translate its lower theoretical FP32 into better real-world compute results. The R9 M375 also offers a slightly newer DirectX feature level.

If the priority is theoretical peak throughput, memory bandwidth, or modern API support, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A is stronger. It delivers 10.7% more FP32 performance, 11% more memory bandwidth, and a newer Vulkan version (1.4 vs 1.2.170). Its higher pixel and texture rates suggest better suitability for traditional graphics rendering. The GTX 950A also has a documented 75 W TDP, which aids in system design planning.

For a laptop buyer in 2015, the decision would hinge on workload. Compute-heavy OpenCL applications slightly favor AMD. Gaming and graphics workloads favor NVIDIA's theoretical rates. The 48th percentile ranking for both cards indicates they perform similarly relative to all GPUs. The benchmark gap of 1.8% is negligible in everyday use, so the tie-breaker falls to features. NVIDIA's higher bandwidth, higher pixel fill, and newer Vulkan support give it a more future-proof profile. AMD's DirectX 11_1 and OpenCL win are narrow. From the data alone, the GTX 950A offers a more balanced specification sheet, but the R9 M375 proves that architecture efficiency can overcome raw numbers. Choose NVIDIA for theoretical graphics power; choose AMD for measured compute performance.