AMD Radeon R9 M375X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly in favor of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A. Across the only directly comparable compute test, Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 950A records a score of 10,273 against the AMD Radeon R9 M375X’s 8,273, a 24.2% advantage. That single win means the NVIDIA part takes all use-case categories tied to raw compute throughput: OpenCL-accelerated workloads, GPGPU tasks, and any application relying on general-purpose shader performance. The AMD Radeon R9 M375X, by contrast, holds no wins in the head-to-head dataset, so its case rests on attributes outside the measured compute benchmark, such as memory technology and API compatibility.

For gaming-oriented workloads, the data is less direct. The only recorded benchmark for the GTX 950A is Geekbench OpenCL; the R9 M375X has both OpenCL and Vulkan scores (8,273 and 8,377, respectively). The Vulkan result does not have a direct NVIDIA counterpart in the dataset, so a strict gaming comparison cannot be drawn from the head-to-head numbers. However, the OpenCL margin is large enough that the GTX 950A’s compute lead likely translates to an advantage in shader-bound scenarios, though the R9 M375X’s higher memory bandwidth may offset that in texture-heavy or bandwidth-sensitive titles. The recorded data supports the NVIDIA card as the compute winner, while the AMD card’s strengths are speculative beyond its memory and API profile.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A scores 10,273, while the AMD Radeon R9 M375X scores 8,273. That is a 24.2% difference in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R9 M375X have any benchmark wins over the GTX 950A?

A: No. In the head-to-head dataset, the GTX 950A has 1 win (Geekbench OpenCL) and the R9 M375X has 0 wins.

Q: What memory type does each card use, and how does that affect bandwidth?

A: The GTX 950A uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 32.03 GB/s. The R9 M375X uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 72.00 GB/s, which is more than double the NVIDIA card’s bandwidth.

Q: Are there any differences in API support that could matter for compatibility?

A: Yes. The GTX 950A supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The R9 M375X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card has a newer Vulkan version, while the AMD card has a slightly higher DirectX feature level.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size for each chip?

A: The GTX 950A’s GM107 chip has 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die. The R9 M375X’s Tropo chip has 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. Both are built on TSMC’s 28 nm process.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of shading units, TMUs, and ROPs?

A: They are identical in all three: 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation units. The performance difference comes from clock speeds and memory configuration, not core counts.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole head-to-head benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A posts 10,273 points, while the AMD Radeon R9 M375X posts 8,273 points. The delta is 24.2% in NVIDIA’s favor, a substantial margin that places the two cards in different performance tiers despite their identical shading unit and TMU/ROP counts. For context, the GTX 950A’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6500M (10,362 points, 0.9% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 (10,400 points, 1.2% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M375 (10,070 points, 2% lower). The R9 M375X, meanwhile, sits near the NVIDIA Quadro K1200 (8,265 points, 0.7% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8,427 points, 1.2% higher), and the AMD Radeon 880M (8,436 points, 1.3% higher).

The 24.2% gap in OpenCL is not a marginal difference; it reflects a fundamental imbalance in compute throughput. The GTX 950A’s FP32 rating is 1,438.7 GFLOPS against the R9 M375X’s 1,299.2 GFLOPS, a 10.7% advantage that is amplified by the NVIDIA card’s higher base and boost clocks (993 MHz and 1124 MHz versus 925 MHz and 1015 MHz). Pixel rate and texture rate also favor NVIDIA: 17.98 GPixel/s versus 16.24 GPixel/s, and 44.96 GTexel/s versus 40.60 GTexel/s. These are all consistent with the OpenCL result, showing that the GTX 950A wins across every measured compute and rasterization metric, while the R9 M375X’s only counterweight is its memory bandwidth.

The R9 M375X does have a Vulkan score of 8,377, which is slightly higher than its OpenCL score (8,273), suggesting the card is marginally better at Vulkan workloads. But without a GTX 950A Vulkan score in the database, no cross-comparison is possible. The recorded data leaves the NVIDIA card as the clear winner in the only directly comparable test, and the margin is large enough that the conclusion is unlikely to flip with additional benchmarks.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specification areas, even though their core configuration is identical. Both have 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, but the clock speeds diverge. The GTX 950A runs at a base clock of 993 MHz and a boost clock of 1124 MHz, while the R9 M375X runs at 925 MHz base and 1015 MHz boost. That 68 MHz base and 109 MHz boost advantage translates directly into higher pixel, texture, and FP32 rates for NVIDIA.

Memory is the most dramatic difference. The GTX 950A uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 32.03 GB/s. The R9 M375X uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but with a memory clock of 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) and bandwidth of 72.00 GB/s. The AMD card’s bandwidth is 124.9% higher, which is a significant advantage for memory-bound tasks, though the GTX 950A’s compute lead suggests that bandwidth alone does not determine OpenCL performance.

The bus interface also differs. The GTX 950A uses an MXM-B (3.0) connector with an MXM Module slot width, while the R9 M375X uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The NVIDIA card has no power connectors and a TDP of 75 W, whereas the AMD card’s TDP and power connector details are not recorded in the database. The GTX 950A’s display outputs are listed as “Portable Device Dependent,” while the R9 M375X has no recorded display outputs.

API support shows minor differences. The GTX 950A supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.4, while the R9 M375X supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The NVIDIA card’s Vulkan version is newer, but the AMD card’s DirectX feature level is slightly higher.

Finally, the chips themselves differ in size and complexity. The GTX 950A uses the GM107 chip with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The R9 M375X uses the Tropo chip with 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, giving a density of 12.2M per mm². Both are fabricated on TSMC’s 28 nm process. The NVIDIA chip is larger and has more transistors, which correlates with its higher compute output.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is clear: NVIDIA uses Maxwell, while AMD uses GCN 1.0. The GTX 950A’s GM107 chip is built on NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture, which was designed for improved power efficiency and higher clock speeds per watt compared to its predecessor. The R9 M375X’s Tropo chip is based on AMD’s GCN 1.0, an older architecture that prioritizes compute throughput but typically runs at lower clocks.

Process technology is identical: both are 28 nm parts from TSMC. However, the transistor budgets differ. The GM107 packs 1,870 million transistors into 148 mm², while Tropo fits 1,500 million into 123 mm². The GTX 950A has a 24.7% higher transistor count and a 20.3% larger die, yet its density is only slightly higher (12.6M versus 12.2M per mm²). This suggests the GM107 uses its extra transistors for additional compute resources or cache, which is consistent with its higher FP32 output.

The memory architecture is where the two diverge most sharply. The GTX 950A uses DDR3, which is a lower-bandwidth, higher-latency memory type, paired with a modest 32.03 GB/s. The R9 M375X uses GDDR5, which is designed for higher bandwidth, delivering 72.00 GB/s. This is a 2.25x difference in memory bandwidth, a significant architectural choice. The AMD card’s GCN architecture is known for being bandwidth-hungry, so the GDDR5 pairing makes sense; the NVIDIA Maxwell architecture is more compute-oriented and can achieve strong results with lower bandwidth, as the OpenCL score demonstrates.

Feature support also differs. The GTX 950A supports Vulkan 1.4, which is a more recent version of the API than the R9 M375X’s Vulkan 1.2.170. In DirectX, the AMD card has a slight edge with 12 (11_1) versus NVIDIA’s 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6. These API differences are minor but could matter for specific applications that rely on newer Vulkan extensions or specific DirectX features.

The production status for both is end-of-life, with release dates in 2015 (GTX 950A on March 12, R9 M375X on May 4). The GTX 950A’s predecessor is the GeForce 800A, while the R9 M375X’s predecessor is listed as “Solar System” and its successor as “Polaris Mobile.” Neither has a launch MSRP recorded in the database.

In summary, the GTX 950A wins on compute and clock speed, while the R9 M375X wins on memory bandwidth and has a slightly higher DirectX feature level. The NVIDIA card’s Maxwell architecture delivers 10.7% more FP32 throughput and 24.2% higher OpenCL scores, making it the stronger choice for compute-heavy workloads. The AMD card’s GDDR5 memory gives it a clear advantage in bandwidth-bound tasks, but the recorded benchmarks do not capture that advantage.