AMD Radeon R9 M375X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single recorded head-to-head comparison places the AMD Radeon R9 M375X clearly ahead. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD part scores 8,273 points against 7,171 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE, a 15.4% advantage. This is not a marginal gap; it represents a substantial performance lead in raw compute workloads.

Looking at the broader database context, the R9 M375X sits at the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 560 SE sits at the 39th percentile. The AMD card's average benchmark score of 8,325 places it within a tight cluster of rivals: it is 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 (8,265), 1.2% behind the GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427), 1.3% behind the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436), and 1.6% behind the GeForce MX330 (8,458). The GTX 560 SE's average of 7,171 puts it in a slower neighborhood: it matches the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7,170), sits 0.2% ahead of the GeForce GTX 970 (7,157) in this specific benchmark list, 0.4% behind the Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7,203), and 0.7% behind the GeForce GTX 750 (7,222).

The delta between the two cards in OpenCL, 15.4%, is larger than any of the gaps separating either card from its nearest rivals. The R9 M375X is not merely faster; it is in a different performance tier. For OpenCL compute tasks, the data indicates the AMD card will complete workloads noticeably faster. The GTX 560 SE, while not drastically slower in percentile terms, trails by a margin that will be perceptible in practice.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the recorded benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M375X wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with 8,273 points versus 7,171 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE, a 15.4% difference.

Q: How do these cards compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The R9 M375X's average score of 8,325 is 0.7% above the Quadro K1200, 1.2% below the GTX 675MX, 1.3% below the Radeon 880M, and 1.6% below the MX330. The GTX 560 SE's 7,171 average is 0% against the Iris Pro P580, 0.2% above the GTX 970, 0.4% below the Vega 8 Mobile, and 0.7% below the GTX 750.

Q: Does the GTX 560 SE support Vulkan?

A: No. The NVIDIA card lists no Vulkan API support, while the R9 M375X supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: What are the DirectX capabilities of each card?

A: The R9 M375X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GTX 560 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each card?

A: The R9 M375X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 560 SE has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 91.87 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient based on recorded data?

A: The GTX 560 SE has a recorded TDP of 150 W, while the R9 M375X has no TDP listed in the database. The R9 M375X achieves its higher benchmark score without a listed power draw, so direct efficiency comparison is not possible from the available data.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R9 M375X uses the Tropo chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.2 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip with Fermi 2.0 architecture, also fabricated at TSMC but on an older 40 nm process. It contains 1,950 million transistors across a much larger 332 mm² die, giving a transistor density of only 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter.

The manufacturing process difference is significant. The R9 M375X's 28 nm node allows nearly double the transistor density of the GTX 560 SE's 40 nm node, meaning AMD fits more logic into a smaller physical area. Despite having fewer total transistors (1,500 million versus 1,950 million), the AMD chip achieves higher performance in the recorded benchmark. The smaller die also suggests lower manufacturing costs per wafer and potentially better thermal behavior, though no TDP is listed for the AMD card.

The R9 M375X features 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation pipelines. The GTX 560 SE counters with 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The AMD card has more than double the shader count, which explains its strong OpenCL showing, while NVIDIA's card has more TMUs and ROPs, which traditionally helps with texture-heavy and fill-rate-bound scenarios. The pixel rate of the R9 M375X is 16.24 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s for the GTX 560 SE, a substantial lead for AMD. Texture rate favors AMD as well, at 40.60 GTexel/s versus 35.33 GTexel/s.

FP32 compute performance tells the same story: the R9 M375X delivers 1,299.2 GFLOPS against 847.9 GFLOPS for the GTX 560 SE. Neither card lists FP16 support. The AMD card also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the NVIDIA card uses the older PCIe 2.0 x16 interface.

Specification Differences

Clock speeds: The R9 M375X has a base clock of 925 MHz and a boost clock of 1015 MHz. The GTX 560 SE lists no base or boost clock. Memory clocks differ: the R9 M375X runs at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective, while the GTX 560 SE runs at 957 MHz with 3.8 Gbps effective.

Memory subsystem: The R9 M375X has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 72.00 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 560 SE has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 91.87 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has a wider bus and higher bandwidth, but less total memory.

Compute resources: The R9 M375X has 640 shading units and 40 TMUs. The GTX 560 SE has 288 shading units and 48 TMUs. ROP counts are 16 for AMD and 24 for NVIDIA.

Output rates: The R9 M375X achieves 16.24 GPixel/s and 40.60 GTexel/s. The GTX 560 SE achieves 8.832 GPixel/s and 35.33 GTexel/s.

Power and physical specs: The GTX 560 SE has a listed TDP of 150 W, is dual-slot, requires two 6-pin power connectors, and a 450 W suggested PSU. It measures 210 mm (8.3 inches) in length. The R9 M375X has no TDP, slot width, power connector, or dimension data listed.

Interface and outputs: The R9 M375X uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The GTX 560 SE uses PCIe 2.0 x16 and outputs 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The AMD card lists no display outputs.

API support: The R9 M375X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 560 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but no Vulkan.

Release timing: The R9 M375X was released in 2015, while the GTX 560 SE came earlier in 2012. Both are end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M375X wins in raw compute performance. Its OpenCL score of 8,273 beats the GTX 560 SE by 15.4%, and its FP32 output of 1,299.2 GFLOPS is substantially higher. For OpenCL workloads, general-purpose GPU compute, or any task that leverages shader throughput, the R9 M375X is the clear choice. Its higher pixel rate and texture rate also make it the better option for most modern gaming scenarios, particularly at resolutions where pixel fill matters. The 2 GB memory capacity is double that of the NVIDIA card, which helps with modern textures and larger frame buffers. The R9 M375X also supports Vulkan 1.2.170, opening up modern Vulkan-based titles, and uses PCIe 3.0 for better bandwidth to the host system.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE has specific advantages in the memory subsystem. Its 192-bit bus provides 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 27% higher than the AMD card's 72.00 GB/s. For bandwidth-bound workloads such as high-resolution texture streaming or certain compute kernels, this could narrow the gap. The GTX 560 SE also has more ROPs (24 versus 16), which helps with fill-rate-limited scenarios at lower resolutions where pixel throughput is the bottleneck. Its 48 TMUs exceed the AMD card's 40, giving it an edge in texture-heavy applications that are not shader-limited. The NVIDIA card has a listed TDP of 150 W, which at least provides a known power envelope for system planning, whereas the AMD card's power draw is undocumented in the database.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to the AMD Radeon R9 M375X as the faster GPU. It wins the only recorded head-to-head test by 15.4%, has a higher average benchmark score (8,325 versus 7,171), and sits at a higher percentile among all GPUs (43rd versus 39th). Its architectural advantages, including a modern 28 nm process, more than double the shading units, and higher FP32 throughput, translate directly into superior compute performance. For users prioritizing OpenCL performance, modern API support including Vulkan, or larger memory capacity, the R9 M375X is the recommended pick.

The GTX 560 SE is not without merit. Its wider memory bus and higher bandwidth, combined with more ROPs and TMUs, make it a potentially better choice for legacy bandwidth-sensitive workloads or older DirectX 11-era games that favor fill rate over shader count. Its known 150 W TDP and explicit power requirements give system builders a concrete planning target. However, the data shows it is the slower card overall, and its lack of Vulkan support and smaller 1 GB frame buffer limit its usefulness in modern applications.

For a builder choosing between these two end-of-life cards today, the R9 M375X offers better performance in the recorded metrics, a more modern feature set, and double the memory. The GTX 560 SE only makes sense for niche use cases where its memory bandwidth advantage is the deciding factor. The database's verdict is clear: the AMD Radeon R9 M375X is the stronger product.