AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile graphics parts. The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile takes the sole recorded head-to-head win, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M has no victories in the direct comparison. That single win comes in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where AMD scores 6476 against NVIDIA's 5986, a margin of 8.2%. For users prioritizing compute workloads that rely on OpenCL acceleration, the AMD part is the stronger choice based on the recorded measurements.

However, the database also shows the Quadro M500M has a second benchmark entry that the Vega 10 Mobile lacks: a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5222. This means the NVIDIA part has verified performance data in both OpenCL and Vulkan, while the AMD part only has OpenCL coverage. For applications that use Vulkan, the Quadro M500M offers a measurable reference point, whereas no comparable Vulkan score exists for the AMD competitor in the database.

Beyond the head-to-head result, the percentile data places these two GPUs in different tiers. The Vega 10 Mobile sits at the 37th percentile among all GPUs, while the Quadro M500M ranks at the 32nd percentile. The average benchmark score reinforces this gap: AMD averages 6476, NVIDIA averages 5604. The AMD part's nearest rivals cluster around the 6400-6500 score range, including the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M at 6481 and the GeForce GTX 670M at 6513. The NVIDIA part's nearest rivals sit lower, between 5501 and 5691, including the AMD FirePro M4000 at 5537 and the GeForce MX130 at 5508.

Architecture Differences

These two GPUs come from fundamentally different design generations and process nodes. The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile uses the GCN 5.0 architecture on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, built around the Raven-M chip. Its transistor count reaches 4,940 million on a 210 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M uses the older Maxwell architecture on a 28 nm process from TSMC, based on the GM108S chip. It packs just 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, with a density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. The AMD chip is roughly five times larger in transistor count and nearly three times larger in die area.

The compute resources differ substantially. AMD fields 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. NVIDIA counters with 384 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The AMD part's shading unit count is 67% higher, and its TMU count is 2.5 times higher. Neither GPU includes ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The pixel rate favors AMD at 10.41 GPixel/s versus 8.992 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, and the texture rate gap is even wider: 52.04 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s. In floating-point performance, AMD delivers 1.665 TFLOPS FP32, nearly double NVIDIA's 863.2 GFLOPS. AMD also lists FP16 performance at 3.331 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, while NVIDIA has no recorded FP16 figure.

Memory architecture marks another clear divide. The Vega 10 Mobile uses system shared memory with a system-dependent bus width and bandwidth, meaning its memory performance scales with the host laptop's RAM configuration. The Quadro M500M has dedicated memory: 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. This dedicated memory operates at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective speed. For workloads that benefit from dedicated VRAM, the NVIDIA part has a structural advantage, while the AMD part's memory performance remains variable.

Clock speeds tell the rest of the story. AMD runs at a 300 MHz base clock and boosts to 1301 MHz. NVIDIA runs at a 1029 MHz base clock and boosts to 1124 MHz. Despite the lower base clock, AMD's boost clock is 15.7% higher, and its much larger shading unit count drives the performance lead. The power envelopes differ as well: AMD is rated at 10 W TDP as an integrated graphics processor, while NVIDIA is rated at 30 W TDP as an MXM module. The AMD part uses an IGP bus interface with no power connectors; the NVIDIA part uses an MXM-A (3.0) interface and also requires no external power connectors. Both are end-of-life products, with AMD releasing in January 2019 and NVIDIA in April 2016.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. AMD's Vega 10 Mobile scores 6476, and NVIDIA's Quadro M500M scores 5986. The AMD part wins by 8.2%. That 490-point gap places the AMD GPU meaningfully ahead in OpenCL compute workloads. For context, the Vega 10 Mobile's score sits within 0.1% of the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (6481) and 0.3% below the GeForce GT 555M (6493), meaning it trades blows with those higher-tier discrete parts. The Quadro M500M's 5986 OpenCL score, by contrast, lands 1.2% above the AMD FirePro M4000 (5537) and 1.5% below the Radeon HD 8790M (5691).

The Vulkan result offers a second data point, but only for the NVIDIA side. The Quadro M500M scores 5222 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is lower than its own OpenCL score of 5986. This indicates the Maxwell architecture handles OpenCL more efficiently than Vulkan in this workload. With no Vulkan score recorded for the Vega 10 Mobile, the database cannot directly compare the two in that API. However, the AMD part does support Vulkan 1.3, while the NVIDIA part supports Vulkan 1.4, so the NVIDIA hardware carries a newer Vulkan specification.

When averaging all recorded benchmarks, the AMD part's single score of 6476 gives it an average of 6476. The NVIDIA part's two scores average to 5604. That 872-point average gap, roughly 15.6% lower for NVIDIA, reflects the fact that NVIDIA's Vulkan score drags down its average while AMD has no equivalent second data point. The percentile ranks confirm the separation: 37th percentile for AMD versus 32nd for NVIDIA.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile scores 6476 in Geekbench OpenCL, beating the NVIDIA Quadro M500M's 5986 by 8.2%.

Q: Does the NVIDIA Quadro M500M have any benchmark wins over the AMD part?

A: No. In the recorded head-to-head benchmarks, NVIDIA has zero wins. The only win belongs to AMD in the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: How does the NVIDIA part's Vulkan performance compare to its own OpenCL performance?

A: The Quadro M500M scores 5222 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 764 points lower than its OpenCL score of 5986. No Vulkan score exists for the AMD Vega 10 Mobile in the database.

Q: What are the transistor and die size differences?

A: The AMD Vega 10 Mobile contains 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die using a 14 nm process. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M contains 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die using a 28 nm process.

Q: Which GPU has dedicated memory?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus with 14.40 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Vega 10 Mobile uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

Q: What are the TDP ratings?

A: The AMD Vega 10 Mobile is rated at 10 W TDP, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M is rated at 30 W TDP.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile | NVIDIA Quadro M500M |

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Maxwell |

| Process Node | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) | 28 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 4,940 million | 1,020 million |

| Die Size | 210 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 23.5M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 300 MHz | 1029 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1301 MHz | 1124 MHz |

| Memory | System Shared | 2 GB DDR3 |

| Memory Bus | System Shared | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 14.40 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 384 |

| TMUs | 40 | 16 |

| ROPs | 8 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 10.41 GPixel/s | 8.992 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 52.04 GTexel/s | 17.98 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1.665 TFLOPS | 863.2 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 3.331 TFLOPS (2:1) | None recorded |

| TDP | 10 W | 30 W |

| Bus Interface | IGP | MXM-A (3.0) |

| Slot Width | IGP | MXM Module |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2019-01-07 | 2016-04-26 |

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile as the stronger compute performer. Its OpenCL score of 6476 beats the Quadro M500M's 5986 by 8.2%, and its average benchmark score of 6476 places it at the 37th percentile versus the NVIDIA part's 32nd percentile. The AMD GPU also delivers roughly double the FP32 throughput, 2.5 times the texture rate, and 67% more shading units. For users who prioritize raw compute throughput in OpenCL workloads, the AMD part is the clear choice.

The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has its own advantages. It offers dedicated 2 GB DDR3 memory with a fixed 14.40 GB/s bandwidth, which removes the system-dependency of the AMD part's shared memory design. It also records a Vulkan score of 5222, giving it verified performance in that API, and supports Vulkan 1.4 versus AMD's 1.3. Its 30 W TDP is higher, but that comes with a dedicated MXM module form factor rather than an integrated design.

The verdict depends on workload. For OpenCL-heavy tasks and compute density, the AMD Vega 10 Mobile wins outright. For applications that prefer dedicated VRAM or rely on Vulkan, the Quadro M500M offers verified capability that the AMD part cannot match in the recorded data. The AMD GPU's higher percentile rank and average score make it the safer default pick, but the NVIDIA part's dedicated memory and Vulkan coverage give it a niche that the AMD part does not fill.