AMD Radeon RX 470 vs NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q Comparison

The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q and AMD Radeon RX 470 are both end-of-life graphics cards, but they target entirely different segments of the market. The data available for direct comparison is limited to a single Vulkan benchmark, which reveals a significant performance gap. The AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 39,884 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q trails with a score of 31,220. This translates to a 21.7% deficit for the NVIDIA card in this specific test, making the RX 470 the clear winner in the only head-to-head benchmark available.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct comparison in the data is the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the AMD Radeon RX 470 delivers a score of 39,884, outperforming the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q’s 31,220 by a substantial margin. The deltaPct of -21.7% confirms this is not a marginal difference; the RX 470 is nearly a quarter faster in this workload.

This outcome is notable because it contrasts with the average benchmark scores for each card. The GRID M60-1Q has an average benchmark score of 31,220, while the RX 470’s average is lower at 28,996. This discrepancy suggests the RX 470’s Vulkan performance is a particular strength, while its performance in other, unlisted tests may be weaker. The GRID M60-1Q’s single benchmark result matches its average, indicating consistent performance in Vulkan, but that consistency is at a lower level than the RX 470’s peak.

Looking at the broader context, the GRID M60-1Q sits in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 470 is in the 74th percentile. The difference in percentile ranking is small, but the RX 470’s higher Vulkan score is a clear outlier in its favor. The GRID M60-1Q’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000, which scores nearly identically at 31,206, and the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, which is only 1.4% faster. This shows that in Vulkan, the GRID M60-1Q is performing at a level comparable to much newer and more powerful consumer cards, despite its age and server-oriented design.

In contrast, the RX 470’s nearest rivals are a mix of mobile and older workstation parts. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M is the closest, with a score of 28,874, which is 0.4% lower than the RX 470’s average. The Intel Arc A370M and AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH are also within 0.7% of its average score. This indicates that the RX 470’s average performance is competitive with a range of mid-range mobile and desktop parts, but its Vulkan score of 39,884 puts it in a higher tier for that specific API.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher score in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 470 achieves a score of 39,884, which is 21.7% higher than the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q’s score of 31,220 in this test.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M5000?

A: The GRID M60-1Q and Quadro M5000 are virtually identical in performance, with the M5000 scoring 31,206 compared to the GRID’s 31,220, a deltaPct of 0%.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 470’s average benchmark score higher than its Vulkan score?

A: No, the opposite is true. The RX 470’s average benchmark score is 28,996, which is significantly lower than its Geekbench Vulkan score of 39,884.

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each GPU compared to all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q ranks in the 76th percentile, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 ranks in the 74th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 470 has a boost clock of 1206 MHz, which is higher than the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q’s boost clock of 1178 MHz.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the available data, the AMD Radeon RX 470 is the more compelling choice for any workload that relies on Vulkan. Its 21.7% lead in the Geekbench Vulkan test is decisive and cannot be ignored. However, the story is more nuanced when considering average performance. The GRID M60-1Q’s average score of 31,220 is higher than the RX 470’s average of 28,996, and it also holds a higher percentile ranking at 76% versus 74%.

This suggests that while the RX 470 excels in Vulkan, the GRID M60-1Q may be more consistent across a broader range of applications. The GRID M60-1Q’s performance is comparable to the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, which is only 1.4% faster, indicating that it delivers strong raw compute in certain scenarios. For a user prioritizing Vulkan performance, the RX 470 is the clear winner. For a user who values consistent average performance and a higher percentile ranking, the GRID M60-1Q might be the safer bet, despite its loss in the single head-to-head test.

The choice ultimately depends on the specific application. The data does not support a universal winner; it supports a split decision based on workload. The RX 470 wins the only direct comparison, but the GRID M60-1Q has a higher average score and percentile rank, which cannot be dismissed.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specifications. The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q uses a 28 nm process node, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 uses a smaller 14 nm node. This is reflected in their physical characteristics: the GRID M60-1Q has a die size of 398 mm², whereas the RX 470’s die is much smaller at 232 mm². Despite the larger die, the GRID M60-1Q has fewer transistors at 5,200 million compared to the RX 470’s 5,700 million. This results in a much higher transistor density for the AMD card at 24.6M / mm², versus 13.1M / mm² for the NVIDIA card.

Clock speeds also differ. The GRID M60-1Q has a base clock of 557 MHz and a boost clock of 1178 MHz. The RX 470 has a significantly higher base clock of 926 MHz and a boost clock of 1206 MHz. Memory configurations are also divergent. The GRID M60-1Q has 1024 MB of memory with a bandwidth of 160.4 GB/s, while the RX 470 has 4 GB of memory with a higher bandwidth of 211.2 GB/s. Both use GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit bus, but the RX 470’s memory clock is 1650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) versus the GRID’s 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective).

The pixel rate and texture rate show different strengths. The GRID M60-1Q has a pixel rate of 75.39 GPixel/s, while the RX 470’s is 38.59 GPixel/s. Conversely, the RX 470 has a slightly higher texture rate of 154.4 GTexel/s compared to the GRID’s 150.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is close, with the RX 470 at 4.940 TFLOPS and the GRID at 4.825 TFLOPS. The RX 470 also supports FP16 at 4.940 TFLOPS, a feature the GRID lacks. Power requirements are starkly different, with the GRID consuming 225 W and the RX 470 only 120 W. The GRID requires a 550 W PSU and a 1x 8-pin connector, while the RX 470 needs a 300 W PSU and a 1x 6-pin connector.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q is built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture with the GM204 chip, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 uses the GCN 4.0 architecture with the Ellesmere chip. The GRID is part of the GRID (Mx) generation, whereas the RX 470 belongs to the Arctic Islands (RX 400) generation. The manufacturing process differs, with the GRID using TSMC’s 28 nm node and the RX 470 using GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm node.

The GRID M60-1Q has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 470 also has 2048 shading units and 128 TMUs, but only 32 ROPs. This explains the GRID’s much higher pixel rate, as it has twice the ROP count. The RX 470 compensates with a higher texture rate, despite having the same number of TMUs, due to its higher clock speeds. Both cards lack dedicated RT and Tensor cores.

The GRID M60-1Q is a server-oriented card with no display outputs, while the RX 470 is a consumer card with 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The GRID supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RX 470 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GRID supports Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 470 supports Vulkan 1.3. The RX 470 also supports Metal, as evidenced by its Geekbench Metal score of 41,690, a feature not listed for the GRID. The RX 470 has a predecessor named Pirate Islands and a successor named Polaris, while the GRID has no listed predecessor or successor.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins decisively in the Vulkan benchmark, with a 21.7% lead over the GRID M60-1Q. This is its primary area of superiority in the head-to-head data. It also offers a higher boost clock, more memory (4 GB vs 1 GB), higher memory bandwidth, and FP16 support. Its lower TDP of 120 W and lower PSU requirement of 300 W make it a more power-efficient option. The RX 470 also has a higher transistor density and a smaller die, indicating a more efficient design.

The NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q wins in pixel rate, with 75.39 GPixel/s versus the RX 470’s 38.59 GPixel/s. This is a direct result of its 64 ROPs versus the RX 470’s 32. It also has a higher average benchmark score of 31,220 compared to the RX 470’s 28,996, and a higher percentile ranking at 76% versus 74%. The GRID’s Vulkan score of 31,220 is close to that of the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, which scores 31,676, suggesting it can compete with much newer high-end hardware in specific tests. It also supports a newer version of Vulkan (1.4 vs 1.3) and DirectX 12_1, while the RX 470 only supports DirectX 12_0.

In practical terms, the RX 470 is the better choice for Vulkan-based gaming or compute workloads, given its massive lead in that benchmark. The GRID M60-1Q, with its lack of display outputs, is designed for virtualized environments where its high pixel rate and consistent average performance might be more valuable. The data suggests the RX 470 wins on raw Vulkan performance and efficiency, while the GRID M60-1Q wins on consistency and pixel throughput.