AMD Radeon R9 M380 vs AMD Radeon RX 570X Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark database records a single head-to-head comparison between these two AMD graphics cards, and it is decisively one-sided. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon RX 570X delivers a score of 38,939, while the AMD Radeon R9 M380 manages 12,565. This represents a 67.7% advantage for the RX 570X, a gap that dwarfs the usual performance deltas seen between generational rivals. The RX 570X wins the only recorded head-to-head benchmark, giving it a 1-0 record in direct competition.

Context from the nearest rivals list helps frame these numbers. The R9 M380's average benchmark score of 15,521 places it within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, a remarkable parity that suggests its OpenCL result understates its broader capabilities. It sits 1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. Those are tight margins, indicating the mobile card punches near desktop-class territory in aggregate benchmarks despite its modest individual score.

The RX 570X, by contrast, posts an average benchmark score of 13,871, which is 0.4% above the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile and 0.4% above the AMD Radeon 660M. It trails the NVIDIA Tesla K10 by 1.1%. The interesting wrinkle is that the RX 570X's average score is lower than the R9 M380's average, even though it crushes the older card in the OpenCL head-to-head. This suggests the RX 570X's benchmark profile is more variable, with its Passmark G3D score of 1,923 and G2D score of 750 pulling the average down relative to its OpenCL peak.

What the head-to-head data cannot show is the full picture of both cards' benchmark portfolios. The R9 M380 also has a Geekbench Metal score of 18,476, which is not part of the direct comparison but contributes to its average. The RX 570X has no Metal result recorded. The OpenCL test favors the newer architecture heavily, but the database's nearest rival data shows that the older card's overall standing remains competitive with much newer hardware.

Architecture Differences

These two GPUs represent distinct generations of AMD's Graphics Core Next design. The R9 M380 uses the Strato chip built on GCN 2.0 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process. The RX 570X uses the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm node. The process shrink from 28 nm to 14 nm is the single largest architectural leap between them, enabling the RX 570X to pack substantially more hardware into its die.

The transistor counts tell the story of that density improvement. The R9 M380 contains 2,080 million transistors on a 160 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.0 million per square millimeter. The RX 570X carries 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, achieving 24.6 million per square millimeter. That is nearly double the density per unit area, a direct consequence of the newer fabrication process.

Compute resources are dramatically different. The RX 570X fields 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines. The R9 M380 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This 2.7x advantage in shading units and TMUs translates directly into throughput. The RX 570X delivers 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 159.2 GTexel/s of texture fill rate, while the R9 M380 produces 1.536 TFLOPS and 48.00 GTexel/s. Pixel throughput also favors the newer card: 39.81 GPixel/s versus 16.00 GPixel/s.

Memory subsystems diverge as well. The R9 M380 uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 570X doubles capacity to 8 GB, widens the bus to 256-bit, and achieves 224.0 GB/s. Clock speeds are higher on the RX 570X too, with a base of 1168 MHz and boost of 1244 MHz versus 900 MHz base and 1000 MHz boost on the R9 M380. The RX 570X's memory runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) compared to 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) on the older card.

The RX 570X also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, a feature the R9 M380 lacks entirely. Its API support extends to Vulkan 1.3, while the R9 M380 tops out at Vulkan 1.2.170. Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The RX 570X is a dual-slot card measuring 241 mm in length, requires a single 6-pin power connector, and carries a 150 W TDP with a suggested 450 W power supply. The R9 M380 has no recorded TDP, slot width, or power connector specifications, reflecting its mobile-oriented design.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M380 has an average benchmark score of 15,521, which is higher than the AMD Radeon RX 570X's 13,871.

Q: Why does the RX 570X win the head-to-head if its average score is lower?

A: The head-to-head database records only one test, Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 570X scores 38,939 versus 12,565 for the R9 M380. The R9 M380's average benefits from its additional Geekbench Metal score of 18,476, while the RX 570X's average is pulled down by its Passmark G2D score of 750 and G3D score of 1,923.

Q: How do the two cards compare in memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The RX 570X has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The R9 M380 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the difference in shading unit count?

A: The RX 570X has 2,048 shading units, while the R9 M380 has 768 shading units, giving the newer card a 2.7x advantage in compute units.

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

A: The R9 M380 has no TDP recorded in the database, so no direct power efficiency comparison is possible. The RX 570X carries a 150 W TDP rating.

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No, both are marked as end-of-life in the database. The R9 M380 was released in May 2015, and the RX 570X followed in April 2018.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon R9 M380 | AMD Radeon RX 570X |

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

| Chip | Strato | Polaris 20 |

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.0M / mm² | 24.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 900 MHz | 1168 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1000 MHz | 1244 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz, 6 Gbps effective | 1750 MHz, 7 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 224.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 48 | 128 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 16.00 GPixel/s | 39.81 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 48.00 GTexel/s | 159.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 1.536 TFLOPS | 5.095 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | Not recorded | 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | Not recorded | 150 W |

| Slot Width | Not recorded | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not recorded | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 450 W |

| Display Outputs | Not recorded | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | May 2015 | April 2018 |

| Generation | Gem System (R9 M300) | Polaris (RX 500X) |

| Average Benchmark Score | 15,521 | 13,871 |

| Percentile vs All GPUs | 58 | 55 |

The Verdict

The database paints a clear picture for users deciding between these two AMD offerings. The RX 570X is the unequivocal performance winner in raw compute, with more than triple the shading units, nearly double the transistor density, and a 67.7% lead in the only direct benchmark comparison. Its 8 GB memory allocation and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth make it the better choice for workloads that scale with memory capacity, such as high-resolution texturing or large dataset processing. The 5.095 TFLOPS FP32 throughput positions it as a capable desktop-class card, and its Vulkan 1.3 support ensures compatibility with the latest graphics APIs.

The R9 M380, despite being older and architecturally simpler, retains a notable advantage in the database's aggregate scoring. Its average benchmark score of 15,521 exceeds the RX 570X's 13,871, and its percentile ranking of 58 versus 55 indicates it sits higher relative to all GPUs. The nearest rival data shows the R9 M380 within 0.2% of the GTX 1080 Ti in average score, a startling result for a mobile-centric chip from 2015. Its 18,476 Geekbench Metal score suggests particular strength in Apple-ecosystem compute workloads, a domain where the RX 570X has no recorded data.

For users prioritizing maximum compute throughput, memory bandwidth, and modern API support, the RX 570X is the logical pick. It wins the only head-to-head test by a massive margin and offers double the VRAM. For users whose workloads lean toward Metal-based compute or who value the higher aggregate benchmark standing, the R9 M380 presents a compelling case despite its older architecture. The data does not support a universal recommendation; it supports a workload-specific one. The RX 570X excels at raw parallel compute, while the R9 M380 demonstrates that architectural age does not always correlate with diminished overall standing in benchmark databases.