AMD Radeon RX 7900M vs NVIDIA CMP 40HX Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M and NVIDIA CMP 40HX represent two fundamentally different purposes in the GPU landscape, yet their benchmark data reveals a stark performance hierarchy. The RX 7900M, a mobile flagship from the Radeon RX 7000 series, decisively outperforms the CMP 40HX, a dedicated mining card from NVIDIA's Turing generation. In the two shared benchmark tests, the AMD part wins both, with the data showing a 38.7% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and a staggering 103.9% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. This performance gap is consistent with their respective positions: the RX 7900M sits in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, while the CMP 40HX sits in the 93rd, but the raw score differential is substantial.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are unambiguous, with the AMD Radeon RX 7900M winning both head-to-head tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900M scores 129,499, while the NVIDIA CMP 40HX scores 93,395, producing a 38.7% advantage for the AMD card. This is a significant margin that speaks to the overall compute throughput of the RDNA 3.0 architecture versus the older Turing design. The OpenCL test is particularly relevant for general-purpose compute tasks, and the data indicates the RX 7900M is substantially more capable in this arena.

The Vulkan result is even more lopsided. The RX 7900M scores 158,760, while the CMP 40HX scores 77,879. This represents a 103.9% delta, meaning the AMD card is more than twice as fast in this API. Vulkan is often used in modern game engines and professional visualization tools, so this result highlights a massive gulf in real-world graphics and compute performance. The CMP 40HX, being a mining-focused product with no display outputs, was never designed for such workloads, and the data confirms this deficiency.

Looking at the broader context, the RX 7900M’s average benchmark score of 97,487 is 13.8% higher than the CMP 40HX’s 85,637. The AMD card’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro VII (average score 97,131, delta 0.4%) and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (average score 101,872, delta -4.3%), placing it in professional-grade territory. The CMP 40HX, by contrast, sits near the AMD Radeon PRO W7600 (average score 87,108, delta -1.7%) and the NVIDIA Quadro GP100 (average score 87,445, delta -2.1%). While both cards are in the top percentile of all GPUs, the RX 7900M’s raw scores are clearly in a different class.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on vastly different architectures and process nodes. The AMD Radeon RX 7900M uses the Navi 31 chip, based on RDNA 3.0 architecture, with the codename "Plum Bonito." It is manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring a massive 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 109.1M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA CMP 40HX uses the TU106 chip, based on the older Turing architecture, and is built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. This chip contains 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die, with a much lower transistor density of 24.3M per mm². The process node advantage is clear: the 5 nm node allows the RX 7900M to pack over five times the transistors into a die that is only 19% larger.

Memory configurations also diverge significantly. The RX 7900M comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The CMP 40HX has only 8 GB of GDDR6 on the same 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s. The AMD card also runs its memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA card runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). This higher clock speed and larger capacity give the RX 7900M a 28.6% bandwidth advantage, which is critical for high-resolution textures and data-intensive workloads.

The compute units tell a similar story. The RX 7900M has 4608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 192 ROPs, along with 72 ray tracing cores. The CMP 40HX has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 36 ray tracing cores and 288 tensor cores. The AMD card has exactly double the shading units, TMUs, and ray tracing cores, and triple the ROPs. The CMP 40HX does possess tensor cores, which the RX 7900M lacks, but this is a mining card where those cores were not leveraged for AI workloads in the benchmark data. The pixel rate for the RX 7900M is 401.3 GPixel/s versus 105.6 GPixel/s for the CMP 40HX, and texture rates are 601.9 GTexel/s versus 237.6 GTexel/s, respectively.

Power and physical characteristics also differ. The RX 7900M has a TDP of 180 W and is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, making it suitable for mobile designs. The CMP 40HX has a TDP of 185 W, is a dual-slot card requiring a 1x 8-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 450 W. The CMP 40HX is physically a card at 229 mm length, 111 mm height, and 35 mm width, while the RX 7900M’s dimensions are portable device dependent. The bus interface also differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the AMD card versus PCIe 1.0 x4 for the NVIDIA card, which is a significant bandwidth bottleneck for the latter.

The Verdict

The data is decisive: the AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the superior performer in every benchmark measured. It wins 2 out of 2 head-to-head tests, with a 38.7% lead in OpenCL and a 103.9% lead in Vulkan. Its average benchmark score is 97,487, placing it ahead of the CMP 40HX’s 85,637 by 13.8%. The RX 7900M also sits in a higher performance tier among its nearest rivals, matching the AMD Radeon Pro VII within 0.4% and trailing the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 by only 4.3%. The CMP 40HX, by contrast, is closest to the AMD Radeon PRO W7600, which it trails by 1.7%, and the NVIDIA Quadro GP100, which it trails by 2.1%.

Who should pick which? The RX 7900M is the clear choice for anyone needing raw graphics and compute performance, from gaming to professional visualization. Its 16 GB of memory, higher bandwidth, and double the shading units make it a far more versatile and capable part. The CMP 40HX, however, is an end-of-life product from the Mining GPUs generation, with no display outputs and a PCIe 1.0 x4 interface. Its only advantage is its launch MSRP of 699 USD, which is a historical data point, not a current recommendation. The data suggests the CMP 40HX is only suitable for its original mining purpose, where its lack of display outputs and lower power draw may have been acceptable, but for any modern workload, the RX 7900M is unequivocally the better product.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 7900M than the NVIDIA CMP 40HX in Vulkan?

A: The RX 7900M scores 158,760 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the CMP 40HX scores 77,879. This represents a 103.9% delta, meaning the AMD card is more than twice as fast.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two cards?

A: The RX 7900M has an average benchmark score of 97,487, while the CMP 40HX has 85,637. The AMD card is 13.8% higher on this metric.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RX 7900M has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. The CMP 40HX has 8 GB of GDDR6 with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

Q: Does the NVIDIA CMP 40HX have any display outputs?

A: No, the CMP 40HX has no display outputs, while the RX 7900M’s display outputs are described as portable device dependent.

Q: What are the process nodes for each card?

A: The RX 7900M is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the CMP 40HX is built on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The RX 7900M has 57,700 million transistors, whereas the CMP 40HX has 10,800 million transistors.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M wins in every measured category. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 129,499 versus 93,395, a 38.7% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 158,760 versus 77,879, a 103.9% advantage. The RX 7900M also has a higher pixel rate (401.3 GPixel/s vs 105.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (601.9 GTexel/s vs 237.6 GTexel/s), meaning it can fill frames and apply textures much faster. Its FP32 compute is 38.52 TFLOPS versus 7.603 TFLOPS for the CMP 40HX, a fivefold difference in raw floating-point performance. The AMD card also has 16 GB of memory versus 8 GB, and a faster memory clock (2250 MHz vs 1750 MHz), leading to higher bandwidth.

The NVIDIA CMP 40HX has no benchmark wins, but it does have some structural advantages. It has 288 tensor cores, which the RX 7900M lacks entirely. It also has a lower TDP of 185 W versus 180 W, which is nearly identical, but the CMP 40HX is a dual-slot card with a dedicated power connector and a suggested PSU, making it easier to integrate into a desktop mining rig. The CMP 40HX is also an end-of-life product that was released earlier, on 2021-02-24, versus the RX 7900M’s release on 2023-10-18. None of these factors translate into performance wins, though. The RX 7900M is the winner in 2 out of 2 head-to-head benchmarks, and the data shows it is the superior GPU for any compute or graphics task.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards:

• Architecture: The RX 7900M uses RDNA 3.0, while the CMP 40HX uses Turing.
• Process Node: The RX 7900M is on 5 nm, the CMP 40HX is on 12 nm.
• Transistors: The RX 7900M has 57,700 million, the CMP 40HX has 10,800 million.
• Die Size: The RX 7900M is 529 mm², the CMP 40HX is 445 mm².
• Base Clock: The RX 7900M runs at 1825 MHz, the CMP 40HX at 1470 MHz.
• Boost Clock: The RX 7900M boosts to 2090 MHz, the CMP 40HX to 1650 MHz.
• Memory Clock: The RX 7900M is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), the CMP 40HX is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: The RX 7900M has 16 GB, the CMP 40HX has 8 GB.
• Memory Bandwidth: The RX 7900M offers 576.0 GB/s, the CMP 40HX offers 448.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: The RX 7900M has 4608, the CMP 40HX has 2304.
• TMUs: The RX 7900M has 288, the CMP 40HX has 144.
• ROPs: The RX 7900M has 192, the CMP 40HX has 64.
• RT Cores: The RX 7900M has 72, the CMP 40HX has 36.
• Tensor Cores: The RX 7900M has none, the CMP 40HX has 288.
• Pixel Rate: The RX 7900M is 401.3 GPixel/s, the CMP 40HX is 105.6 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: The RX 7900M is 601.9 GTexel/s, the CMP 40HX is 237.6 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: The RX 7900M is 38.52 TFLOPS, the CMP 40HX is 7.603 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: The RX 7900M is 77.05 TFLOPS, the CMP 40HX is 15.21 TFLOPS.
• TDP: The RX 7900M is 180 W, the CMP 40HX is 185 W.
• Slot Width: The RX 7900M is IGP, the CMP 40HX is dual-slot.
• Power Connectors: The RX 7900M has none, the CMP 40HX has 1x 8-pin.
• Suggested PSU: The RX 7900M has none listed, the CMP 40HX lists 450 W.
• Bus Interface: The RX 7900M uses PCIe 4.0 x16, the CMP 40HX uses PCIe 1.0 x4.
• Display Outputs: The RX 7900M is portable device dependent, the CMP 40HX has no outputs.
• Dimensions: The RX 7900M has no listed dimensions, the CMP 40HX is 229 mm x 111 mm x 35 mm.
• Production Status: The RX 7900M is active, the CMP 40HX is end-of-life.
• Release Date: The RX 7900M launched on 2023-10-18, the CMP 40HX on 2021-02-24.
• Launch MSRP: The RX 7900M has none listed, the CMP 40HX is 699 USD.