AMD Radeon R9 M380 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a split decision between these two end-of-life GPUs. The AMD Radeon R9 M380 wins one test decisively, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 counters with a solid win in the other. There is no overall victor based on the available tests, as each card claims one win.

The most striking result is in the Geekbench Metal test. The AMD Radeon R9 M380 scores 18,476, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 manages only 9,369. That is a 97.2% difference, meaning the AMD card is nearly twice as fast in this particular workload. This is a massive margin, not a marginal lead. The M380's Metal score is so dominant that it significantly boosts its average benchmark score, which stands at 15,521 compared to the GTX 770's 14,747.

The Geekbench OpenCL test tells a different story. Here, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 takes the lead with a score of 15,707, against the AMD Radeon R9 M380's 12,565. The delta is -20% from the perspective of the AMD card, meaning the GTX 770 is 20% ahead. While this is a substantial margin, it is far less dramatic than the Metal test's near-doubling of performance. The GTX 770's OpenCL result is also its second-highest score across all tests, showing consistency in compute-heavy workloads.

Looking at the broader context, the AMD Radeon R9 M380's average score of 15,521 places it within 0.2% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, which scores 15,548. It is also 1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15,679) and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (15,290). The GTX 770, with its 14,747 average, sits 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14,692) and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M2000 (14,532). However, it trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti by 2.1% (15,063) and the AMD Radeon Pro 560X by 2.2% (15,082). These percentile rankings show both cards occupy a similar tier, with the M380 holding a slight edge in aggregate performance.

The Vulkan test is only available for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770, where it scores 19,166. No comparable Vulkan score exists for the AMD Radeon R9 M380 in the data. This absence prevents a direct comparison, but the GTX 770's Vulkan score is its highest across all three tests, indicating strong performance in modern API environments.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon R9 M380 uses the Strato chip based on GCN 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 2,080 million transistors onto a 160 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.0M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 uses the GK104 chip based on Kepler architecture, also on a 28 nm TSMC process, but with 3,540 million transistors on a much larger 294 mm² die. Its transistor density is slightly lower at 12.0M per mm².

The compute resource allocation differs sharply. The GTX 770 has 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The M380 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This means the NVIDIA card has exactly double the shading units, nearly 2.7 times the TMUs, and double the ROPs. Consequently, the GTX 770 achieves a pixel rate of 34.72 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 138.9 GTexel/s, compared to the M380's 16.00 GPixel/s and 48.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute also favors NVIDIA: 3.333 TFLOPS versus 1.536 TFLOPS.

Memory configurations diverge significantly. The M380 comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 96.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 770 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.4 GB/s. The GTX 770's memory clock is 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the M380 runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). This gives the GTX 770 more than double the memory bandwidth, despite having half the capacity. Clock speeds also favor NVIDIA: the GTX 770 runs at a base of 1046 MHz and boost of 1085 MHz, while the M380 sits at 900 MHz base and 1000 MHz boost.

API support shows a notable difference. The M380 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 770 is listed as DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6. Vulkan versions are close: 1.2.170 for AMD and 1.2.175 for NVIDIA. Neither card has ray tracing or tensor cores. The GTX 770 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height, and 38 mm (1.5 inches) in width. It requires a 230 W TDP, a 550 W suggested PSU, and uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors. Its display outputs include 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The M380 has no listed TDP, dimensions, power connectors, or display outputs.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion: choose based on workload, not brand loyalty. The AMD Radeon R9 M380 is the pick for Metal-based applications, where its 18,476 score crushes the GTX 770's 9,369 by 97.2%. This is not a close contest; it is a rout. If the primary use case involves Apple's Metal API, the M380 is the only rational choice. Its higher average benchmark score of 15,521 versus 14,747 also gives it a slight overall advantage.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 is the pick for OpenCL-heavy workloads, where it leads by 20% (15,707 versus 12,565). It also offers Vulkan support, scoring 19,166, which the M380 lacks entirely in the dataset. For users targeting OpenCL compute or Vulkan gaming, the GTX 770 is superior. Its 230 W TDP and dual-slot cooler indicate a desktop-oriented design, whereas the M380 appears mobile-focused given its smaller die and lower transistor count.

For general mixed-use scenarios, the average scores suggest the M380 holds a 5.2% edge (15,521 versus 14,747). However, the GTX 770's wins in OpenCL and Vulkan may matter more for specific software. Neither card is modern; both are end-of-life. The GTX 770 launched on 2013-05-29 with a launch MSRP of 399 USD, while the M380 launched later on 2015-05-04. The GTX 770's predecessor is GeForce 600, and its successor is GeForce 900. The M380's predecessor is Solar System, and its successor is Polaris Mobile.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Radeon R9 M380 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 |

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

| Chip | Strato | GK104 |

| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Kepler |

| Transistors | 2,080 million | 3,540 million |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.0M / mm² | 12.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 900 MHz | 1046 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1000 MHz | 1085 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 96.00 GB/s | 224.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 1536 |

| TMUs | 48 | 128 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 16.00 GPixel/s | 34.72 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 48.00 GTexel/s | 138.9 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1.536 TFLOPS | 3.333 TFLOPS |

| TDP | Not listed | 230 W |

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.170 | 1.2.175 |

| Release Date | 2015-05-04 | 2013-05-29 |

| Launch MSRP | Not listed | 399 USD |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M380 has an average benchmark score of 15,521, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770's 14,747. This puts the M380 5.2% ahead.

Q: How do the two compare in the Geekbench Metal test?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M380 scores 18,476, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 scores 9,369. The M380 leads by 97.2%, nearly doubling the GTX 770's performance.

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 wins with a score of 15,707, versus the AMD Radeon R9 M380's 12,565. The GTX 770 leads by 20%.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the GTX 770 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 19,166. The AMD Radeon R9 M380 has no Vulkan benchmark score listed in the data.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M380 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 has 1,536 shading units, exactly double the 768 shading units of the AMD Radeon R9 M380.

Where Each One Wins

AMD Radeon R9 M380: The M380 is the clear winner for Metal-based workloads. Its 97.2% lead in Geekbench Metal (18,476 versus 9,369) makes it the superior choice for any application that leverages Apple's Metal API. It also holds the overall average score advantage at 15,521 versus 14,747, indicating slightly better all-around performance in the available tests. For users who need 4 GB of VRAM, the M380 offers double the capacity of the GTX 770, which may help in memory-constrained scenarios. Its smaller die (160 mm² versus 294 mm²) and lower transistor count (2,080 million versus 3,540 million) suggest it may be more power-efficient, though no TDP is listed for the M380.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770: The GTX 770 is the winner in OpenCL compute, taking a 20% lead (15,707 versus 12,565). It is also the only card of the two with a Vulkan score, achieving 19,166, which indicates strong modern API performance. The GTX 770 offers more than double the memory bandwidth (224.4 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s) and double the shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. Its higher clock speeds (1046 MHz base versus 900 MHz) and FP32 throughput (3.333 TFLOPS versus 1.536 TFLOPS) make it the more compute-capable card on paper. The GTX 770 also has a longer hardware history, launching on 2013-05-29 with a launch MSRP of 399 USD, and its dual-slot form factor with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors indicates a desktop-oriented design.