NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M are two end-of-life graphics processors separated by nearly a decade of architectural evolution. The benchmark data places them in the same performance tier, yet their underlying designs and target platforms are fundamentally distinct. This analysis compares their measured performance, architectural differences, and specification sheets to determine which GPU holds the edge in various scenarios.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M scores 6513 points. The result is a 2.8% victory for the GT 1010. This is a narrow margin, indicating that despite the generational gap, the two cards perform at nearly identical levels in this compute-oriented workload.

To contextualize this delta, we can look at the nearest rivals for each card. The GT 1010’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon R7 M370, which scores 6764 points, putting the GT 1010 1% behind it. On the other side, the GT 1010 is 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 M460 and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7730M. The GTX 670M’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M, which scores 6493 points, giving the GTX 670M a 0.3% advantage. It also leads the NVIDIA Quadro M5000M by 0.5% and the AMD Radeon Vega 10 Mobile by 0.6%, while trailing the Intel UHD Graphics P750 by 0.6%.

The win margin for the GT 1010 is larger than the margins seen between the GTX 670M and its own closest rivals. For instance, the 2.8% delta between the two compared cards is more than double the 0.3% gap between the GTX 670M and the GT 555M. This suggests that while the GTX 670M is tightly clustered with its direct peers, the GT 1010 holds a slightly more decisive advantage over the older card. However, a 2.8% difference is within the range of run-to-run variance for many benchmarks, so the practical performance difference in real-world applications is likely negligible.

The data shows only one benchmark test, meaning the GT 1010 wins 1 out of 1 head-to-head comparisons, with the GTX 670M winning none. This gives the GT 1010 a clean, albeit narrow, sweep in the measured metric.

Where Each One Wins

Given that the GT 1010 wins the only available benchmark, it claims the compute performance crown. In OpenCL workloads—which often scale with raw shader throughput and memory bandwidth—the GT 1010’s 2.8% lead suggests it handles general-purpose GPU tasks slightly better.

However, the GTX 670M has its own strengths based on architectural attributes. It offers significantly higher memory bandwidth at 72.00 GB/s compared to the GT 1010’s 48.06 GB/s. This 50% bandwidth advantage could translate to wins in memory-bandwidth-bound scenarios, such as high-resolution texture streaming or certain compute kernels that repeatedly access large datasets. The GTX 670M also has a wider 192-bit memory bus versus the GT 1010’s 64-bit bus, which reinforces its advantage in data-heavy workloads.

Where the GT 1010 wins is in raw pixel throughput. It delivers a pixel rate of 11.74 GPixel/s, outperforming the GTX 670M’s 8.372 GPixel/s by over 40%. This makes the GT 1010 better suited for fill-rate-limited tasks, such as basic 2D rendering or applications that rely heavily on pixel shaders. The GT 1010 also leads in texture rate, posting 23.49 GTexel/s versus the GTX 670M’s 33.49 GTexel/s—wait, the data shows the GTX 670M actually has a higher texture rate. The GTX 670M’s 33.49 GTexel/s is 42.6% higher than the GT 1010’s 23.49 GTexel/s, giving it a clear edge in texture-heavy workloads like traditional 3D game rendering.

In summary, the GT 1010 wins in compute (as measured) and pixel fill rate, while the GTX 670M wins in memory bandwidth and texture fill rate. Users running OpenCL-accelerated applications should prefer the GT 1010, while those engaged in legacy 3D gaming or texture-intensive tasks might see better results from the GTX 670M, despite its older architecture.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent completely different eras of NVIDIA design. The GT 1010 is built on the Pascal architecture, specifically the GP108 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at Samsung. It packs 1,800 million transistors into a die size of just 74 mm². This results in a transistor density of 24.3 million transistors per square millimeter, showcasing the miniaturization achieved by the 14 nm node.

In contrast, the GTX 670M uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF114 chip, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,950 million transistors spread across a much larger 332 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of only 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 670M has more transistors in total, but they are packed far less densely.

The core configurations differ significantly. The GTX 670M has 336 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operations pipelines. The GT 1010 has 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Despite having fewer cores, the GT 1010 achieves higher clock speeds—its base clock is 1228 MHz with a boost of 1468 MHz—while the GTX 670M has no listed base or boost clocks. The GT 1010’s higher clocks partially compensate for its lower core count, resulting in a FP32 performance of 751.6 GFLOPS versus the GTX 670M’s 803.7 GFLOPS.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The GT 1010 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, while the GTX 670M uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus. The GTX 670M’s effective memory clock is 3 Gbps, while the GT 1010 runs at 6 Gbps effective. The wider bus on the GTX 670M gives it the bandwidth advantage mentioned earlier.

The process node difference is stark: 14 nm versus 40 nm. This explains the GT 1010’s dramatically lower power consumption at 30 W TDP versus the GTX 670M’s 75 W TDP. The GT 1010 is a single-slot card with no power connectors, while the GTX 670M is an MXM module designed for laptops. The GT 1010 also supports modern API features, including Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 (12_1), whereas the GTX 670M has no Vulkan support and only DirectX 12 (11_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698 points, which is 2.8% higher than the GTX 670M’s score of 6513 points.

Q: Does the GTX 670M have any significant performance advantages?

A: Yes, the GTX 670M has a memory bandwidth of 72.00 GB/s, which is 50% higher than the GT 1010’s 48.06 GB/s. It also has a higher texture fill rate of 33.49 GTexel/s versus 23.49 GTexel/s.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The GT 1010 has a TDP of 30 W, while the GTX 670M has a TDP of 75 W. The GT 1010 also has no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 200 W, whereas the GTX 670M has no suggested PSU listed.

Q: What are the process node differences?

A: The GT 1010 is built on a 14 nm process at Samsung, while the GTX 670M is built on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This leads to a transistor density of 24.3M / mm² for the GT 1010 versus 5.9M / mm² for the GTX 670M.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GTX 670M has 336 shading units, compared to the GT 1010’s 256 shading units. However, the GT 1010 has higher clock speeds, with a boost clock of 1468 MHz.

Q: Is the GTX 670M suitable for modern API support?

A: The GTX 670M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but lacks Vulkan support. The GT 1010 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M |

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

| Architecture | Pascal | Fermi 2.0 |

| Process Node | 14 nm (Samsung) | 40 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 1,800 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 74 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.3M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1228 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 1468 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 1536 MB |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 48.06 GB/s | 72.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 256 | 336 |

| TMUs | 16 | 56 |

| ROPs | 8 | 24 |

| Pixel Rate | 11.74 GPixel/s | 8.372 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 23.49 GTexel/s | 33.49 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 751.6 GFLOPS | 803.7 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 30 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | MXM Module |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 1x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 2.0 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | None |

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

| Release Date | 2021-01-12 | 2012-03-21 |

The Verdict

The data presents a clear yet nuanced picture. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 wins the only directly measured benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, by a 2.8% margin. This makes it the better choice for compute-oriented tasks and applications that leverage OpenCL acceleration. Its modern Pascal architecture also brings superior API support, including Vulkan 1.4, and a dramatically lower TDP of 30 W, making it far more energy-efficient than the GTX 670M’s 75 W envelope.

However, the GTX 670M is not without merit. Its 192-bit memory bus and 72.00 GB/s bandwidth are significantly higher than the GT 1010’s figures, suggesting it excels in memory-intensive workloads. Its texture rate of 33.49 GTexel/s is also substantially higher, which could benefit older 3D games that rely on heavy texture fetching. The GTX 670M also posts a higher FP32 performance of 803.7 GFLOPS, despite its age.

For users choosing between these two end-of-life GPUs, the decision hinges on workload. If the priority is modern feature support, power efficiency, and OpenCL compute, the GT 1010 is the clear winner. If the priority is legacy gaming performance with high texture throughput and memory bandwidth, the GTX 670M might still hold its own, but the lack of Vulkan support and higher power draw are significant drawbacks. Ultimately, the benchmark data favors the GT 1010 as the more balanced and capable card, but the GTX 670M’s bandwidth advantage should not be dismissed for specific use cases.