AMD Radeon R9 M395X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD Radeon R9 M395X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti split their two common benchmark results exactly evenly, with one decisive victory each. In the Geekbench Metal test, the AMD Radeon R9 M395X delivers a score of 33,953 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti's 18,144 — a commanding 87.1% advantage. That is not a marginal lead; it is a near-doubling of the NVIDIA part's score in a single API workload. The gap is so wide that it places the R9 M395X in a different performance class entirely for Metal-based applications.

The tables turn completely in the Geekbench OpenCL test. Here, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 27,326, while the AMD Radeon R9 M395X manages only 17,829 — a 34.8% deficit for the AMD part. This is a substantial reversal. The NVIDIA GPU outperforms the AMD GPU by roughly one-third in OpenCL compute, which is a significant margin for any hardware comparison. The symmetry is striking: each card wins exactly one benchmark, and the margins are lopsided in opposite directions.

Looking at average benchmark scores across all tests, the AMD Radeon R9 M395X posts 25,891, which places it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti averages 24,236, sitting at the 70th percentile. The difference in average scores is only 6.8%, yet the individual benchmark results swing wildly — from an 87.1% AMD win in Metal to a 34.8% NVIDIA win in OpenCL. This pattern suggests that the two architectures have fundamentally different strengths rather than one being uniformly faster.

Nearest-rival data reinforces the positioning of both cards. The AMD Radeon R9 M395X's average score of 25,891 is nearly identical to the AMD FirePro W7100's 25,856 (0.1% delta) and the AMD FirePro D700's 25,842 (0.2% delta). It also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 25,740 by 0.6%, while trailing the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT's 26,011 by 0.5%. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti's average of 24,236 sits within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT's 24,442 and within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800S's 24,063. It also slightly beats the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER's 24,170 by 0.3% and trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630's 24,277 by 0.2%. These tight deltas show both cards are competitive with much newer hardware in aggregate scoring, despite their age.

# Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R9 M395X is the clear choice for Metal-based workloads. Its 33,953 Metal score is not just ahead of the GTX 780 Ti — it is 87.1% ahead, which is a dominant margin. For any application that leverages Apple's Metal API, the R9 M395X is categorically superior. This includes graphics-intensive tasks and compute workloads that are optimized for Metal. The R9 M395X also benefits from a larger 8 GB memory pool compared to the GTX 780 Ti's 3 GB, which provides more headroom for large datasets and high-resolution textures in memory-constrained scenarios. The memory bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s on the AMD part is lower than the NVIDIA card's 336.6 GB/s, but the capacity advantage can matter more in certain workloads.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti takes the OpenCL crown decisively. Its 27,326 OpenCL score beats the R9 M395X's 17,829 by 34.8%, making it the superior choice for OpenCL compute tasks. This includes scientific simulations, video encoding, and other general-purpose GPU compute that relies on OpenCL. The GTX 780 Ti also has substantially higher raw throughput specifications: 5.345 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.961 TFLOPS on the AMD part, 240 texture units versus 128, and 48 ROPs versus 32. These hardware advantages manifest in the OpenCL result, where the NVIDIA architecture's compute muscle shows through.

The GTX 780 Ti also wins on memory bandwidth, with 336.6 GB/s compared to 160.0 GB/s — more than double the AMD card's bandwidth. This can be decisive in bandwidth-hungry workloads that cannot fit in the smaller 3 GB frame buffer. The NVIDIA card's 384-bit memory bus versus the AMD card's 256-bit bus explains this bandwidth gap, and it gives the GTX 780 Ti an edge in scenarios where data throughput is the bottleneck.

For users who need both Metal and OpenCL performance, neither card is ideal; each sacrifices one API. The R9 M395X is the pick for Metal-centric environments, while the GTX 780 Ti dominates OpenCL. The average score of 25,891 for AMD versus 24,236 for NVIDIA suggests that in mixed workloads, the AMD part holds a slight aggregate edge, but the choice should be driven by the specific API used in the target applications.

# Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different generations. The AMD Radeon R9 M395X uses the Amethyst chip based on GCN 3.0 architecture, belonging to the Gem System (R9 M300) generation. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti uses the GK110B chip based on Kepler architecture, from the GeForce 700 generation. Both are fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process node, but the similarities end there.

The transistor counts differ significantly. The NVIDIA chip packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, while the AMD chip has 5,000 million transistors on a smaller 366 mm² die. This gives the NVIDIA part a lower transistor density of 12.6M per mm² compared to AMD's 13.7M per mm². The larger die and higher transistor count on the GTX 780 Ti contribute to its higher compute throughput, but also to its much higher 250 W TDP compared to the R9 M395X's 75 W TDP. The AMD card is a mobile MXM Module with no power connectors, while the GTX 780 Ti is a dual-slot desktop card requiring 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU.

Core configuration diverges sharply. The GTX 780 Ti has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The R9 M395X has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The NVIDIA card's higher core counts translate directly to its superior pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s versus 23.14 GPixel/s, and texture rate of 222.7 GTexel/s versus 92.54 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput of 5.345 TFLOPS on the GTX 780 Ti is nearly double the R9 M395X's 2.961 TFLOPS. The AMD card offers FP16 at 2.961 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the NVIDIA card lists no FP16 capability.

Memory subsystems also differ markedly. The R9 M395X uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 780 Ti uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 336.6 GB/s. The NVIDIA card's memory clock of 1753 MHz (7 Gbps effective) is higher than the AMD card's 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The GTX 780 Ti's memory bandwidth advantage is 110% higher, which is substantial.

API support shows generational differences. The R9 M395X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 780 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The AMD part has a higher DirectX feature level, while the NVIDIA part has a marginally newer Vulkan version. The R9 M395X was released on 2015-05-04, and the GTX 780 Ti on 2013-11-06, making the AMD part roughly 18 months newer. The GTX 780 Ti's launch MSRP was 699 USD.

The GTX 780 Ti is a desktop card measuring 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width, with display outputs of 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The R9 M395X is a mobile MXM module with portable-device-dependent display outputs, reflecting its intended use in laptops and all-in-one systems.

# The Verdict

The data presents a clear but context-dependent verdict. For Metal-based workloads, the AMD Radeon R9 M395X is the overwhelming choice, with an 87.1% lead over the GTX 780 Ti in Geekbench Metal. This is not a subtle advantage; it is a generational gap in API-specific performance. Any user running Metal applications should select the R9 M395X without hesitation.

For OpenCL compute, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is the superior part, outperforming the R9 M395X by 34.8%. Its higher core counts, greater memory bandwidth, and higher FP32 throughput make it the better option for OpenCL-heavy workloads. Users who rely on OpenCL for scientific computing, rendering, or other compute tasks should choose the GTX 780 Ti.

In aggregate, the R9 M395X edges out the GTX 780 Ti with an average benchmark score of 25,891 versus 24,236, a 6.8% difference. The AMD part also sits one percentile higher (71st versus 70th) among all GPUs. This makes the R9 M395X the better all-rounder if the workload mix includes both Metal and OpenCL tasks, assuming the Metal portion is given reasonable weight.

The GTX 780 Ti's higher TDP of 250 W versus 75 W means it requires a more substantial power supply and cooling solution. The R9 M395X's mobile MXM form factor makes it suitable for portable systems, while the GTX 780 Ti is strictly a desktop component. The R9 M395X's 8 GB memory capacity is double the GTX 780 Ti's 3 GB, which is beneficial for large datasets, but the GTX 780 Ti's bandwidth advantage may compensate for smaller capacity in many scenarios.

Ultimately, the choice hinges on the primary API in use. Metal users pick AMD; OpenCL users pick NVIDIA. For mixed workloads, the R9 M395X's higher average score and lower power draw make it the more balanced recommendation, but the GTX 780 Ti remains a formidable compute card for OpenCL-specific tasks.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench Metal score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M395X scores 33,953 in Geekbench Metal, compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti's 18,144 — an 87.1% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 27,326 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon R9 M395X scores 17,829, giving the NVIDIA card a 34.8% lead.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M395X has an average benchmark score of 25,891, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti has an average of 24,236. The AMD part is 6.8% higher.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M395X has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti offers 336.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth, more than double the AMD Radeon R9 M395X's 160.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M395X has a TDP of 75 W, significantly lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti's 250 W TDP.

Q: What are the transistor counts and die sizes?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M395X has 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti has 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die.