NVIDIA GeForce 930A vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains one direct benchmark comparison between these two mobile graphics processors: the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M scores 8552, while the NVIDIA GeForce 930A scores 5317. The GTX 770M wins by 60.8%, a substantial margin that reflects the underlying architectural and specification gap between the two parts.

Looking at the average benchmark scores in the database, the GTX 770M sits at 6000, while the 930A averages 5317. The difference of 683 points represents a 12.8% advantage for the older, higher-tier mobile part. This gap is consistent with the head-to-head OpenCL result, though the magnitude is smaller because the averages include different test types. The GTX 770M also has a Geekbench Metal score of 3448, a test that the 930A does not appear in the database with a recorded result for.

The GTX 770M's overall percentile rank of 35 places it slightly ahead of the 930A's rank of 31 among all GPUs in the database. This means the 770M outperforms roughly 35% of all recorded graphics processors, while the 930A outperforms about 31%. The difference is modest in percentile terms, but the raw score gap in the shared OpenCL workload is decisive.

The nearest rivals for the GTX 770M illustrate its competitive position. The AMD Radeon RX 6400 scores 6001, a 0% delta relative to the 770M's 6000. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server scores 5996, just 0.1% behind. The AMD FirePro W4100 scores 5987, 0.2% behind, and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M scores 5986, also 0.2% behind. These near-identical scores suggest the 770M sits in a tightly packed performance cluster where small differences separate adjacent entries.

For the 930A, the nearest rivals cluster similarly close. The NVIDIA GeForce 840M scores 5322, which is 0.1% ahead of the 930A (a delta of -0.1% from the 930A's perspective). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M scores 5308, 0.2% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce 940M scores 5284, 0.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358, which is 0.8% ahead. The 930A's position in this cluster shows it competing with entry-level mobile parts from the same era, with no rival more than 1% away in either direction.

The most telling comparison is the direct head-to-head. A 60.8% win in OpenCL is not a marginal difference; it indicates that the GTX 770M delivers roughly 1.6 times the compute throughput of the 930A in this workload. This is the kind of gap that translates into visibly different real-world behavior in compute-heavy applications, even if both parts are considered entry-level or mid-range by modern standards.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M wins with a score of 8552 against the GeForce 930A's 5317, a 60.8% advantage.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GTX 770M has an average benchmark score of 6000, while the GeForce 930A averages 5317. The 770M leads by 683 points.

Q: What are the percentile rankings of each GPU?

A: The GTX 770M ranks at the 35th percentile among all GPUs, while the GeForce 930A ranks at the 31st percentile.

Q: Which GPUs are closest in performance to the GTX 770M?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6400 scores 6001 (0% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server scores 5996 (0.1% behind), the AMD FirePro W4100 scores 5987 (0.2% behind), and the NVIDIA Quadro K4000M scores 5986 (0.2% behind).

Q: Which GPUs are closest in performance to the GeForce 930A?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 840M scores 5322 (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M scores 5308 (0.2% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce 940M scores 5284 (0.6% behind), and the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358 (0.8% ahead).

Q: Does the GeForce 930A have any benchmark where it beats the GTX 770M?

A: The database records only one shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, and the GTX 770M wins it. The 930A has no recorded benchmark victories over the 770M.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA architectures. The GeForce GTX 770M uses the Kepler architecture with the GK106 chip, while the GeForce 930A uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM108 chip. Both are manufactured by TSMC on the same 28 nm process node, but the transistor counts and die sizes differ considerably.

The GK106 chip in the GTX 770M contains 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 11.5M per mm². The GM108 chip in the GeForce 930A contains 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, giving it a higher transistor density of 13.2M per mm². The Maxwell chip is therefore more compact and denser, reflecting its newer design on the same process node.

The GTX 770M has 960 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The GeForce 930A has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. This represents a 2.5x difference in shading units, a 3.3x difference in TMUs, and a 3x difference in ROPs, all favoring the GTX 770M.

Memory architecture also diverges sharply. The GTX 770M uses 3 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 96.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The GeForce 930A uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering only 16.02 GB/s. The bandwidth gap is nearly 6x in favor of the GTX 770M, which has major implications for memory-bound workloads.

The GTX 770M is a Kepler-generation part from the GeForce 700M line, released in May 2013. The GeForce 930A is a Maxwell-generation part from the GeForce 900A line, released in March 2015. Despite being roughly two years newer, the 930A does not overcome the specification deficit. Neither GPU supports ray tracing or tensor cores, and both expose DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The Vulkan support differs: the GTX 770M supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GeForce 930A supports Vulkan 1.4.

The power envelope also differs. The GTX 770M has a TDP of 75 W, while the GeForce 930A has a TDP of 33 W. The 930A is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the GTX 770M is an MXM module with an MXM-B (3.0) interface. Neither requires power connectors.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The GTX 770M uses the GK106 chip with 2,540 million transistors, while the 930A uses the GM108 chip with 1,020 million transistors. Die sizes are 221 mm² versus 77 mm², and transistor densities are 11.5M per mm² versus 13.2M per mm².

Clock speeds favor the 930A in base and boost terms. The 930A runs at 928 MHz base and 941 MHz boost, while the GTX 770M runs at 706 MHz base and 797 MHz boost. However, the GTX 770M's much larger core configuration more than compensates for the lower clocks. Memory clocks are similar in base terms (1002 MHz for the 770M, 1001 MHz for the 930A), but the effective data rates differ: 4 Gbps for the 770M versus 2 Gbps for the 930A.

Memory capacity, type, bus width, and bandwidth all favor the GTX 770M. It has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 96.19 GB/s bandwidth. The 930A has 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus with 16.02 GB/s bandwidth.

Compute throughput shows the largest gap. The GTX 770M delivers 1.530 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, a pixel rate of 15.94 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 63.76 GTexel/s. The 930A delivers 722.7 GFLOPS, 7.528 GPixel/s, and 22.58 GTexel/s. The 770M is ahead by roughly 2.1x in FP32, 2.1x in pixel rate, and 2.8x in texture rate.

Power consumption differs by more than 2x: 75 W for the 770M versus 33 W for the 930A. Form factors also differ, with the 770M using an MXM module and the 930A classified as an IGP. The bus interface is MXM-B (3.0) for the 770M and PCIe 3.0 x8 for the 930A. Vulkan support is newer on the 930A (1.4 versus 1.2.175). The 770M has a predecessor in the GeForce 600M and a successor in the GeForce 800M, while the 930A lists the GeForce 800A as its predecessor and no successor.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance hierarchy. The GTX 770M wins the only shared benchmark by 60.8%, holds a higher average score (6000 versus 5317), and ranks higher in the overall percentile distribution (35th versus 31st). Its specification sheet is dominant across shading units, memory bandwidth, texture rate, pixel rate, and FP32 throughput.

The GeForce 930A is not without merits. It draws less than half the power (33 W versus 75 W), uses a newer architecture (Maxwell versus Kepler), and supports a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.2.175). It also has higher base and boost clock speeds. For systems where power draw is the primary constraint and compute demands are light, the 930A is the more efficient choice.

However, for raw performance, the GTX 770M is the pick. The 60.8% OpenCL win is decisive, and the 6x memory bandwidth advantage (96.19 GB/s versus 16.02 GB/s) suggests the gap would widen in memory-intensive workloads. The 770M's nearest rivals all score within 0.2% of 6000, placing it in a competitive cluster that the 930A cannot reach.

The 930A's nearest rivals all sit within 1% of its 5317 average, indicating it occupies a lower performance tier. The GTX 980M, a high-end mobile part, scores only 5308, which is 0.2% behind the 930A. This illustrates how the 930A, despite its modest specifications, performs comparably to much larger GPUs in the database's average scoring.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 770M wins in every performance category recorded. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 60.8%. In average benchmark score, it leads by 12.8%. It has higher FP32 throughput (1.530 TFLOPS versus 722.7 GFLOPS), higher texture rate (63.76 GTexel/s versus 22.58 GTexel/s), higher pixel rate (15.94 GPixel/s versus 7.528 GPixel/s), and six times the memory bandwidth. Any workload that stresses compute units, texture filtering, or memory bandwidth will favor the 770M.

The GeForce 930A wins in efficiency and compactness. Its 33 W TDP is less than half the 770M's 75 W, making it suitable for systems with tight thermal or power budgets. Its IGP form factor and PCIe 3.0 x8 interface allow integration in smaller designs. The newer Vulkan 1.4 support means it is better positioned for applications using the latest Vulkan features. Its higher clock speeds (928 MHz base, 941 MHz boost) do not translate into a benchmark win, but they indicate a more efficient per-clock design.

For a user deciding between the two strictly from the recorded data, the choice depends on priorities. If performance is the goal, the GTX 770M is the only option with a winning benchmark record. If power efficiency and modern API support matter more than raw throughput, the GeForce 930A offers a lower-power alternative that still delivers competitive scores against its closest rivals. The GTX 770M is the stronger compute part; the 930A is the more frugal one.