AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M Comparison

The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M represent two very different approaches to mobile graphics, separated by nearly six years of architectural evolution. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy in the single available benchmark, but the specifications reveal a complex story about efficiency, memory architecture, and feature support that goes beyond raw score.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a decisive win for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 770M scores 8552, while the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile scores 6476. That is a 24.3% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial margin in any comparative analysis. The GTX 770M also holds a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs at 35, compared to the Vega 10 Mobile’s 37; however, the raw score difference is the more telling metric.

The GTX 770M is the choice for users prioritizing raw compute throughput. Its 24.3% lead in OpenCL performance makes it the stronger option for GPU-accelerated tasks that leverage this API. The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile, conversely, is not without merit. Its 10 W TDP, contrasted with the GTX 770M’s 75 W, points to a fundamentally different design goal. The Vega part is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) built for ultra-low-power, thin-and-light systems, while the GTX 770M is a discrete MXM module meant for larger, power-hungry gaming laptops. The verdict, strictly from the data, is simple: the GTX 770M wins on performance, but the Vega 10 Mobile wins on efficiency and is the only option for a system without a discrete graphics slot.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different eras. The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile uses the GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Its chip, codenamed Raven-M, packs 4,940 million transistors onto a 210 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M is based on the older Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. Its GK106 chip contains 2,540 million transistors on a slightly larger 221 mm² die, yielding a much lower transistor density of 11.5 million per square millimeter.

The compute layouts differ significantly. The Vega 10 Mobile has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 8 render output units (ROPs). The GTX 770M, on the other hand, fields 960 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. This gives the NVIDIA part more raw execution resources, which aligns with its higher benchmark score. The Vega part’s advantage lies in its newer process node, which allows it to achieve a higher boost clock of 1301 MHz, compared to the GTX 770M’s 797 MHz boost. Despite the clock speed advantage, the Vega 10 Mobile’s lower unit counts cap its throughput.

API support also diverges. The AMD part supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA part supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Vega 10 Mobile’s higher DirectX feature level and newer Vulkan version indicate a more modern feature set, potentially offering compatibility with newer rendering techniques, though the GTX 770M’s raw speed may compensate in practice.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, provides a clear outcome. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M scores 8552, while the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile scores 6476. The delta is 24.3% in favor of the NVIDIA part. This is the only direct comparison available, so the analysis must rest on this result.

Breaking down the score, the GTX 770M’s advantage is likely rooted in its higher shading unit count (960 vs 640), higher texture fill rate (63.76 GTexel/s vs 52.04 GTexel/s), and higher pixel rate (15.94 GPixel/s vs 10.41 GPixel/s). The NVIDIA part also benefits from dedicated GDDR5 memory with 96.19 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the AMD part uses system-shared memory with bandwidth that is system dependent.

The AMD part does have a higher FP32 throughput at 1.665 TFLOPS, compared to 1.530 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA part. Yet, the benchmark result shows the NVIDIA part winning decisively. This suggests that raw FP32 numbers do not tell the whole story; memory bandwidth and driver optimization for the OpenCL workload likely play a larger role. The GTX 770M’s 24.3% lead is a significant margin, indicating that the Kepler architecture, despite being older, is well-suited to this particular compute task.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every major specification category, reflecting their distinct roles.

• Process Node: AMD uses 14 nm; NVIDIA uses 28 nm.
• Transistors: AMD has 4,940 million; NVIDIA has 2,540 million.
• Die Size: AMD is 210 mm²; NVIDIA is 221 mm².
• Transistor Density: AMD is 23.5M / mm²; NVIDIA is 11.5M / mm².
• Base Clock: AMD is 300 MHz; NVIDIA is 706 MHz.
• Boost Clock: AMD is 1301 MHz; NVIDIA is 797 MHz.
• Memory Size: AMD is System Shared; NVIDIA is 3 GB.
• Memory Type: AMD is System Shared; NVIDIA is GDDR5.
• Memory Bus Width: AMD is System Shared; NVIDIA is 192 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: AMD is System Dependent; NVIDIA is 96.19 GB/s.
• Shading Units: AMD has 640; NVIDIA has 960.
• TMUs: AMD has 40; NVIDIA has 80.
• ROPs: AMD has 8; NVIDIA has 24.
• Pixel Rate: AMD is 10.41 GPixel/s; NVIDIA is 15.94 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: AMD is 52.04 GTexel/s; NVIDIA is 63.76 GTexel/s.
• FP32: AMD is 1.665 TFLOPS; NVIDIA is 1.530 TFLOPS.
• TDP: AMD is 10 W; NVIDIA is 75 W.
• Slot Width: AMD is IGP; NVIDIA is MXM Module.
• Bus Interface: AMD is IGP; NVIDIA is MXM-B (3.0).
• DirectX Support: AMD is 12 (12_1); NVIDIA is 12 (11_0).
• Vulkan Support: AMD is 1.3; NVIDIA is 1.2.175.

The AMD part’s use of system-shared memory is a fundamental difference. It has no dedicated VRAM, relying on the host system’s memory, which makes its memory bandwidth variable and system dependent. The NVIDIA part’s dedicated 3 GB GDDR5 pool provides consistent, high-bandwidth access.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 6476, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M has an average score of 6000. However, in the direct head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 770M scored 8552 versus 6476 for the AMD part.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of power consumption?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile has a TDP of 10 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M has a TDP of 75 W. This makes the AMD part dramatically more power-efficient.

Q: What is the difference in memory architecture?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile uses system-shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, meaning its bandwidth is system dependent. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M has 3 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 96.19 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 compute capability?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile has a higher FP32 rating at 1.665 TFLOPS, compared to 1.530 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M. Despite this, the NVIDIA part wins the OpenCL benchmark.

Q: What are the form factor differences?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a bus interface of IGP, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M is a discrete MXM Module with an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface.

Q: Which GPU is newer?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile was released on January 7, 2019. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M was released on May 29, 2013.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M wins in raw compute performance, as evidenced by its 24.3% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test. It also wins on memory bandwidth, with dedicated GDDR5 providing 96.19 GB/s versus the AMD part’s system-dependent bandwidth. The GTX 770M’s higher shading unit count (960 vs 640), higher TMU count (80 vs 40), and higher ROP count (24 vs 8) give it a structural advantage in tasks that are parallel and throughput-bound. This makes it the better choice for demanding GPU compute workloads, such as rendering, simulation, or any application that can leverage OpenCL.

The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile wins decisively on power efficiency, with a 10 W TDP versus the GTX 770M’s 75 W. This is a seven-fold difference in power draw. It also wins on process technology, using a 14 nm node versus 28 nm, and on transistor density, with 23.5M / mm² versus 11.5M / mm². The Vega part’s higher boost clock (1301 MHz vs 797 MHz) and higher FP32 throughput (1.665 TFLOPS vs 1.530 TFLOPS) are notable, though they do not translate to a benchmark win. The AMD part also supports a newer DirectX feature level (12_1 vs 11_0) and a newer Vulkan version (1.3 vs 1.2.175). The Vega 10 Mobile is the only option for systems that lack a discrete graphics slot, as its IGP design requires no separate module. It is also the only choice for ultra-portable devices where a 75 W GPU is not feasible. The data indicates that the GTX 770M is for performance-focused users, while the Vega 10 Mobile is for efficiency-focused, integration-constrained systems.