AMD Radeon Vega 8 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile graphics solutions. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M takes two of the three recorded tests, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 claims one decisive victory. Looking at the raw scores, the GTX 780M posts 12,769 in Geekbench OpenCL and 12,696 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the Vega 8 manages 8,822 and 8,134 respectively. Those are substantial gaps, with the NVIDIA part leading by 44.7% in OpenCL and 56.1% in Vulkan. In practical terms, the GTX 780M is over half again as fast in Vulkan workloads, a margin that will be very visible in any graphics API workload that scales well.

The reversal comes in Geekbench Metal, where the Vega 8 scores 10,706 against the GTX 780M's 8,319. That is a 22.3% deficit for the NVIDIA part, and it flips the expected hierarchy. Metal is Apple's API, and the data suggests the AMD architecture handles it far more efficiently. The average benchmark score across all three tests tells a similar story: the GTX 780M averages 11,261, while the Vega 8 averages 9,221. That puts the NVIDIA part roughly 22% ahead overall, but the Metal result should not be dismissed as an outlier, it is a real workload with a real winner.

The percentile rankings are close, with the GTX 780M at the 50th percentile of all GPUs and the Vega 8 at the 45th. That difference is small, and it reflects the fact that these are both mid-range parts in the broader database. The nearest rivals for the GTX 780M include the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 at 11,228 (0.3% behind) and the AMD FirePro W4300 at 11,225 (0.3% behind). The Vega 8 sits near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 at 9,273 (0.6% ahead of the Vega) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 at 9,294 (0.8% ahead). These proximity scores show that each part is well within striking distance of its direct competitors.

The wins are not close in either direction. The 56.1% Vulkan advantage for the GTX 780M is the largest delta in the head-to-head table, and it dwarfs the 22.3% Metal advantage for the Vega 8. In OpenCL, the 44.7% gap is nearly as large. For anyone comparing these two for a specific application, the API matters enormously. The GTX 780M is the clear choice for OpenCL and Vulkan, while the Vega 8 is the clear choice for Metal.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 780M dominates in compute-oriented and cross-platform graphics workloads. OpenCL is widely used for general-purpose GPU compute, and the 44.7% lead there makes the NVIDIA part the stronger option for any task that leans on that API. Vulkan is increasingly common in games and professional visualization, and the 56.1% advantage there is even more pronounced. If the target application uses either of these APIs, the data points firmly to the GTX 780M.

The Vega 8 wins in Metal, and that is not a niche result. Metal is the primary graphics API on Apple platforms, and the 22.3% lead suggests the AMD part is better suited for macOS-oriented workloads or any development targeting Apple's ecosystem. The Vega 8 also benefits from a much lower power envelope, with a 25 W TDP against the GTX 780M's 122 W, but that is a specification difference rather than a benchmark result. For use cases where Metal performance is the priority, the Vega 8 is the winner.

There is also the question of system integration. The Vega 8 is an IGP, meaning it shares system memory and relies on the motherboard for display outputs. The GTX 780M is an MXM module with its own 4 GB of GDDR5 and a 256-bit memory bus. The GTX 780M's memory bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s is a fixed hardware resource, while the Vega 8's bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means real-world performance will vary with the host system's memory configuration. In scenarios where dedicated memory and consistent bandwidth matter, the GTX 780M has a structural advantage that the benchmark averages may understate.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers, different foundries, and different design philosophies. The GTX 780M uses the GK104 chip built on TSMC's 28 nm process, with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The Vega 8 uses the Raven chip built on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process, with 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story of the process gap: the Vega 8 packs 23.5 million transistors per square millimeter, while the GTX 780M manages 12.0 million. The newer 14 nm node allows AMD to fit more logic in less space, but the GTX 780M's larger die still provides substantial raw compute resources.

The shader configurations are very different. The GTX 780M has 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Vega 8 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. That is a 3x advantage for NVIDIA in every category, and it explains the large compute leads in OpenCL and Vulkan. The pixel rate for the GTX 780M is 25.50 GPixel/s against 8.800 GPixel/s for the Vega 8, and the texture rate is 102.0 GTexel/s against 35.20 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput is 2.448 TFLOPS for NVIDIA and 1,126.4 GFLOPS for AMD, roughly a 2.2x gap.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The GTX 780M runs at a base of 771 MHz with a boost of 797 MHz, while the Vega 8 runs at a base of 300 MHz with a boost of 1100 MHz. The Vega 8 boosts much higher, but its narrower shader array cannot overcome the raw width of the Kepler design. The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth and a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The Vega 8 uses system shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, a system dependent bus width, and system dependent bandwidth.

The API support differs in one notable way. The GTX 780M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175, while the Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The Vega 8 also has FP16 support rated at 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1), while the GTX 780M lists no FP16 capability. The GTX 780M uses Kepler architecture, while the Vega 8 uses GCN 5.0. Neither part has ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Vulkan workloads?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M scores 12,696 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 56.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Vega 8's 8,134.

Q: Why does the AMD Radeon Vega 8 win in Metal?

A: The Vega 8 scores 10,706 in Geekbench Metal, 22.3% higher than the GTX 780M's 8,319. The data shows AMD's GCN 5.0 architecture handles Metal more efficiently than NVIDIA's Kepler.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The GTX 780M has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 8 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth and bus width.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The GTX 780M averages 11,261 across the three recorded tests, while the Vega 8 averages 9,221. The GTX 780M sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs, and the Vega 8 sits at the 45th.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GTX 780M has 1,536 shading units, while the Vega 8 has 512. The GTX 780M also has 128 TMUs and 32 ROPs against 32 TMUs and 8 ROPs for the Vega 8.

Q: What DirectX versions do these GPUs support?

A: The GTX 780M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The Vega 8 also supports Vulkan 1.3, which is newer than the GTX 780M's Vulkan 1.2.175.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split decision. For OpenCL and Vulkan workloads, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M is the stronger part, with leads of 44.7% and 56.1% respectively. Its larger shader array, dedicated GDDR5 memory, and higher pixel and texture rates make it the obvious choice for compute-heavy tasks and cross-platform graphics. The 2.448 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is more than double the Vega 8's 1,126.4 GFLOPS, and the 160.0 GB/s of dedicated bandwidth removes any dependency on host system memory.

For Metal workloads, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 is the winner. Its 22.3% lead in Geekbench Metal makes it the better option for anyone targeting Apple platforms or using Metal as their primary API. The Vega 8 also operates at a fraction of the power, with a 25 W TDP against 122 W for the GTX 780M, though that is a specification rather than a benchmark result. The newer 14 nm process and GCN 5.0 architecture give it a modern foundation despite the smaller shader count.

The GTX 780M is an end-of-life MXM module from 2013, while the Vega 8 is an end-of-life IGP from 2018. Both are legacy parts, and the choice between them depends entirely on the target workload. The average benchmark scores favor the GTX 780M, but the Metal result is a significant caveat. Pick the GTX 780M for OpenCL, Vulkan, or general compute. Pick the Vega 8 for Metal or for systems where a 25 W integrated GPU is preferable to a 122 W discrete module.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M | AMD Radeon Vega 8 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 5.0 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 4,940 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 210 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 23.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 771 MHz | 300 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 797 MHz | 1100 MHz |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 160.0 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 1536 | 512 |

| TMUs | 128 | 32 |

| ROPs | 32 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 25.50 GPixel/s | 8.800 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 102.0 GTexel/s | 35.20 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 2.448 TFLOPS | 1,126.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | None listed | 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 122 W | 25 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | IGP |

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

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

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2013-05-10 | 2018-02-11 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 600M | GCN 3.0 IGP |

| Successor | GeForce 800M | Vega II IGP |