AMD Radeon R9 M375 vs NVIDIA Quadro K1200 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 records an average benchmark score of 10070, while the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 scores 8265. The R9 M375 sits at the 48th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the Quadro K1200 falls to the 43rd percentile.

Q: Which GPU wins in OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 10457 versus 8831 for the NVIDIA Quadro K1200. That represents an 18.4% advantage for the AMD part.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The R9 M375 uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s bandwidth. The Quadro K1200 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, delivering 80.19 GB/s bandwidth, which is nearly three times higher.

Q: Which GPU has higher clock speeds?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375 runs at a 1000 MHz base and 1015 MHz boost. The NVIDIA Quadro K1200 runs at 954 MHz base and 1033 MHz boost. The AMD chip has a higher base clock, while the NVIDIA chip has a higher boost clock.

Q: What are the transistor and die size differences?

A: The R9 M375 uses 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, while the Quadro K1200 uses 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer Vulkan version?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro K1200 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon R9 M375 supports Vulkan 1.2.170. Both GPUs support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, though the R9 M375 supports DirectX 12 (11_1) while the Quadro K1200 supports DirectX 12 (11_0).

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon R9 M375 is built on GCN 1.0 architecture using the Tropo chip, while the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 uses Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the underlying designs diverge significantly.

The R9 M375 packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. The Quadro K1200 integrates 1,870 million transistors across a 148 mm² die, reaching 12.6 million per square millimeter. Despite having fewer transistors, the AMD chip achieves a higher transistor density per area due to its smaller die.

Compute resources differ notably. The R9 M375 contains 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Quadro K1200 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The AMD part therefore fields 128 more shading units and 8 more TMUs, though both share the same ROP count.

Clock behavior also distinguishes the two. The R9 M375 operates at 1000 MHz base and 1015 MHz boost, while the Quadro K1200 runs at 954 MHz base and 1033 MHz boost. The AMD GPU holds a 46 MHz base clock advantage, but the NVIDIA GPU takes a 18 MHz lead in boost clocks.

Memory architecture presents a major divergence. The R9 M375 uses 2 GB of DDR3 at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) on a 128-bit bus, yielding 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth. The Quadro K1200 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) on the same 128-bit bus, delivering 80.19 GB/s. The NVIDIA card provides double the capacity and roughly 2.8 times the bandwidth.

The bus interface differs as well: the R9 M375 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Quadro K1200 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. In terms of form factor, the Quadro K1200 is a single-slot card measuring 160 mm in length and 69 mm in height, with no power connectors and a 45 W TDP. The R9 M375 has no recorded dimensions, TDP, or power connector data in the database.

API support shows subtle differences. Both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6, but the R9 M375 lists DirectX 12 (11_1) compared to the Quadro K1200's DirectX 12 (11_0). Vulkan support favors NVIDIA: the Quadro K1200 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the R9 M375 supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to the AMD Radeon R9 M375 as the stronger performer in synthetic compute benchmarks. It wins both head-to-head tests: 18.4% ahead in Geekbench OpenCL and 25.8% ahead in Geekbench Vulkan. Its average benchmark score of 10070 exceeds the Quadro K1200's 8265 by a substantial margin, and its 48th percentile ranking versus 43rd percentile confirms the gap.

However, the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 holds clear advantages in memory subsystem and platform integration. It offers twice the memory capacity (4 GB versus 2 GB) and roughly 2.8 times the memory bandwidth (80.19 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s). It also brings a lower TDP of 45 W, a single-slot profile with no power connectors, and four mini-DisplayPort 1.2 outputs, making it a more flexible option for compact professional workstations.

The choice depends on workload priorities. For raw compute throughput in OpenCL and Vulkan tasks, the R9 M375 delivers higher scores across the board. For memory-intensive workloads, multi-display setups, or constrained chassis designs, the Quadro K1200 provides superior bandwidth, capacity, and physical integration. The data does not identify a universal winner; it identifies two GPUs with complementary strengths.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 M375 | NVIDIA Quadro K1200 |

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

| Chip | Tropo | GM107 |

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Maxwell |

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

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 148 mm² |

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

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 954 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1015 MHz | 1033 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz, 1800 Mbps effective | 1253 MHz, 5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 28.80 GB/s | 80.19 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 512 |

| TMUs | 40 | 32 |

| ROPs | 16 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 16.24 GPixel/s | 16.53 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 40.60 GTexel/s | 33.06 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1,299.2 GFLOPS | 1,057.8 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not recorded | 45 W |

| Slot Width | Not recorded | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not recorded | None |

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 200 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Not recorded | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | Not recorded | 160 mm, 69 mm |

| Release Date | 2015-05-04 | 2015-01-27 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the AMD Radeon R9 M375 scoring 10457 against 8831 for the NVIDIA Quadro K1200, a delta of 18.4% in favor of AMD. This result aligns with the R9 M375's higher shading unit count (640 versus 512) and higher FP32 throughput of 1,299.2 GFLOPS compared to 1,057.8 GFLOPS. The AMD GPU's 640 shading units and 40 TMUs give it a raw compute advantage that shows directly in this workload.

The Geekbench Vulkan test produces an even larger gap. The R9 M375 scores 9682, while the Quadro K1200 manages 7698, a 25.8% difference. Vulkan performance depends on both hardware resources and driver implementation. The R9 M375's older Vulkan 1.2.170 support does not hinder it here, as the AMD part still outpaces the Quadro K1200 despite the NVIDIA card supporting Vulkan 1.4.

The R9 M375 also wins on texture rate: 40.60 GTexel/s versus 33.06 GTexel/s, a 22.8% advantage. Pixel rates are nearly identical at 16.24 GPixel/s for AMD and 16.53 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, with the Quadro K1200 ahead by a narrow 1.8%. The R9 M375's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Quadro K5100M at 10043 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M at 10013 (0.6% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M at 9959 (1.1% lower). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A scores 10273, which is 2% above the R9 M375.

The Quadro K1200's nearest rivals tell a different story. The AMD Radeon R9 M375X scores 8325, which is 0.7% below the K1200. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 scores 8167 (1.2% lower), the GeForce GTX 950M scores 8135 (1.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon R9 M360 scores 8129 (1.7% lower). The K1200 thus sits slightly above a cluster of GPUs in the 8100 to 8300 score range.

In both recorded head-to-head benchmarks, the AMD Radeon R9 M375 claims victory with a combined 2 wins and 0 losses. The largest single margin is the 25.8% Vulkan advantage, followed by the 18.4% OpenCL advantage. The NVIDIA Quadro K1200 counters with superior memory bandwidth (80.19 GB/s versus 28.80 GB/s), double the memory capacity, and a lower 45 W TDP, but these attributes do not translate into higher benchmark scores in the recorded tests.