AMD Radeon RX 6500M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6500M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M represent two distinct eras of mobile graphics, separated by nearly eight years of architectural evolution. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark, but the underlying specifications reveal a generational chasm that goes far beyond raw compute. The RX 6500M, built on a 6 nm process, is a modern efficiency-focused part, while the GTX 870M is a legacy high-power discrete GPU from the Kepler era. Their average benchmark scores are surprisingly close, but the nature of their performance and feature sets could not be more different.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is decisive. The AMD Radeon RX 6500M scores 38,586 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M scores 12,630 points. This represents a 205.5% advantage for the AMD part, meaning the RX 6500M more than tripled the output of the GTX 870M in this compute-heavy workload. This is a massive margin that highlights the raw compute throughput advantage of the newer architecture. The RX 6500M's FP32 performance is listed at 4.915 TFLOPS, while the GTX 870M is rated at 2.599 TFLOPS, a difference that directly explains the OpenCL result.

While the GTX 870M has no other directly comparable benchmark scores, its own Geekbench OpenCL result of 12,630 is its only data point in this category. The RX 6500M also shows strong results in other tests, such as a Passmark G3D score of 7,531 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 43,837, but these have no direct counterpart for the NVIDIA part. The single head-to-head result, however, is enough to establish a clear performance hierarchy in compute tasks. The data implies that the GTX 870M, despite having more shading units (1,344 vs. 1,024), cannot compete with the newer AMD chip's efficiency and per-clock execution power.

The Verdict

The data overwhelmingly favors the AMD Radeon RX 6500M for any workload involving general compute or modern API features. Its 205.5% lead in OpenCL is a definitive statement. The RX 6500M also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 870M is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0), meaning the AMD part can handle newer rendering techniques that the NVIDIA card cannot. For a user prioritizing raw compute performance and future-proofing for modern game APIs, the RX 6500M is the clear choice.

However, the GTX 870M is not entirely obsolete. Its average benchmark score is 9,959, which is within 4% of the RX 6500M's 10,362 average. This suggests that in some legacy workloads or specific driver-optimized scenarios, the older card might still hold its own. The GTX 870M also has a higher texture fill rate (108.3 GTexel/s vs. 153.6 GTexel/s for the RX 6500M) relative to its pixel rate, though it loses on pixel rate (27.08 GPixel/s vs. 76.80 GPixel/s). The data suggests the GTX 870M is a capable card for older DirectX 11 titles, but it is severely outclassed in modern, compute-intensive scenarios. The verdict is simple: the RX 6500M wins on nearly every measurable metric that matters for current and future software.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The AMD Radeon RX 6500M uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture on a 6 nm process, manufactured by TSMC. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, which uses the older Kepler architecture on a 28 nm process. The transistor density tells the story: the RX 6500M packs 50.5M transistors per mm² on a 107 mm² die, while the GTX 870M has just 12.0M transistors per mm² on a much larger 294 mm² die. This is a 4x difference in density, enabling the AMD chip to deliver far more performance per watt.

The memory subsystems also differ fundamentally. The RX 6500M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, achieving a bandwidth of 144.0 GB/s. The GTX 870M uses 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, providing 120.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite the narrower bus, the newer GDDR6 memory at 18 Gbps effective speed gives the AMD card a bandwidth advantage. The RX 6500M also supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 870M is capped at Vulkan 1.2.175. The architectural differences are not just incremental; they represent a complete redesign focused on efficiency and modern feature support.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in almost every specification. The AMD Radeon RX 6500M has a base clock of 2000 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M operates at a much lower 941 MHz base and 967 MHz boost. The AMD part has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the NVIDIA part has 1,344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Interestingly, the GTX 870M has more shading units and TMUs, but the RX 6500M's much higher clock speeds and newer architecture result in superior performance.

The power draw is another critical divider. The RX 6500M has a TDP of 50 W and is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors, while the GTX 870M has a TDP of 100 W and uses an MXM Module form factor. This means the AMD part is drastically more power-efficient, drawing half the power of the older NVIDIA chip. The RX 6500M also uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, whereas the GTX 870M relies on the older MXM-B (3.0) bus. In terms of process node, the RX 6500M's 6 nm is a massive leap from the GTX 870M's 28 nm, which explains the efficiency gains.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher clock speed?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6500M has a base clock of 2000 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, far higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M's 941 MHz base and 967 MHz boost.

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 6500M in OpenCL?

A: The RX 6500M scores 38,586 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 205.5% higher than the GTX 870M's score of 12,630.

Q: Does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M support ray tracing?

A: No, the GTX 870M has no ray tracing cores, while the AMD Radeon RX 6500M has 16 dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 6500M has a bandwidth of 144.0 GB/s using 4 GB of GDDR6, while the GTX 870M has 120.0 GB/s using 3 GB of GDDR5.

Q: Which GPU is more power-efficient?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6500M has a TDP of 50 W, which is half the 100 W TDP of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for both?

A: The RX 6500M has an average benchmark score of 10,362, while the GTX 870M has an average score of 9,959.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6500M wins in every category where data is available. Its 205.5% lead in OpenCL makes it the clear winner for compute-heavy tasks like video rendering, scientific simulations, and machine learning inference. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 means it can run the latest games with advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. The RX 6500M is also the obvious choice for thin-and-light laptops, given its 50 W TDP and IGP form factor, which allows for fanless or low-noise designs.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, despite its lower scores, has one potential advantage: its 3 GB of memory and 192-bit bus might be more suited to certain legacy applications that are not optimized for modern architectures. Its higher shading unit count (1,344) could theoretically help in very old DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 workloads, where its Passmark DirectX 9 score of 92 (though not directly comparable) suggests it might have some residual strength. However, the data shows it is outclassed in every measurable modern benchmark. The GTX 870M's only real win is in the context of its own era—it was a strong performer in 2014, but against the RX 6500M, it is a relic. The RX 6500M is the definitive winner for any current or future use case.