AMD Radeon R7 M370 vs NVIDIA GRID K2 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains one direct head-to-head comparison between the NVIDIA GRID K2 and the AMD Radeon R7 M370, and the result is emphatic. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GRID K2 scores 10,602 points against the R7 M370's 7,063 points. That is a 50.1% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a substantial gap that places these two cards in clearly different performance tiers.

Looking at the broader database context, the GRID K2's average benchmark score of 8,080 places it at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost scores 8,067 (0.2% behind), the GeForce 945M scores 8,099 (0.2% ahead), the GeForce GTX 650 Ti scores 8,053 (0.3% behind), and the GeForce GTX 880M scores 8,040 (0.5% behind). The GRID K2 sits almost exactly in the middle of this pack, meaning its OpenCL lead over the R7 M370 is not an isolated quirk; it reflects a genuine performance advantage that holds up against similarly positioned desktop and mobile parts.

The AMD Radeon R7 M370, by contrast, averages 6,764 across its recorded benchmarks, landing at the 38th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro M5100 at 6,830 (1% ahead of the R7 M370), the GeForce GT 1010 at 6,698 (1% behind), the Radeon R7 M460 at 6,612 (2.3% behind), and the GeForce GTX 675M at 6,946 (2.6% ahead). The R7 M370 is competitive within its immediate peer group, but that peer group sits roughly 1,300 points below the GRID K2's average score.

The single head-to-head result, a 50.1% delta in OpenCL, aligns with the broader averages. The GRID K2's average score of 8,080 is 19.5% higher than the R7 M370's 6,764. The data suggests a consistent, multi-level performance separation: the GRID K2 wins the shared test by half, and its overall standing in the database reinforces that it belongs to a faster class of hardware.

Interestingly, the GRID K2 has no recorded Vulkan score, while the R7 M370 posts 6,465 in Geekbench Vulkan. The GRID K2 does have a Geekbench Metal score of 5,557, which the R7 M370 lacks. This asymmetry means cross-API comparisons are limited, but where both cards have data, the NVIDIA part dominates.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded measurements, the NVIDIA GRID K2 is the faster GPU. It wins the only direct benchmark comparison by 50.1%, and its average score across all tests is 19.5% higher than the R7 M370's. The percentile rankings confirm this: the GRID K2 sits at the 42nd percentile, while the R7 M370 sits at the 38th. That four-point gap may sound small, but in a database with thousands of GPUs, it represents a meaningful shift in performance standing.

Who should pick the GRID K2? Anyone whose workload relies on OpenCL compute performance. The data shows a clear advantage in that API, and the card's raw specifications support it: 1,536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, compared to the R7 M370's 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The GRID K2 also offers 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth, versus 2 GB on a 128-bit bus with 57.60 GB/s for the AMD part. These are not marginal differences; they are structural ones.

Who should pick the R7 M370? The data does not favor it in raw performance, but it does show a narrower gap in specific contexts. The R7 M370's nearest rivals include the GeForce GT 1010, which scores only 1% lower, suggesting it holds its own against entry-level discrete parts. Its Vulkan score of 6,465, while not directly comparable to the GRID K2's missing Vulkan result, indicates the AMD card has functional support for modern APIs. For workloads that prioritize Vulkan compatibility over peak OpenCL throughput, the R7 M370 may be sufficient.

The production status of both cards is end-of-life, so neither represents a future-proof investment. The GRID K2's launch MSRP is 5,199 USD, which the database records but which should not be interpreted as current market value. The R7 M370 has no recorded launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages, and those differences explain much of the performance gap. The NVIDIA GRID K2 is built on the Kepler architecture, using the GK104 chip. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 uses the GCN 1.0 architecture, built on the Litho chip. Both are manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC, so the process node is identical. The differences lie in the scale and configuration of each chip.

The GRID K2's GK104 die measures 294 mm² and contains 3,540 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm². The R7 M370's Litho die is far smaller at 77 mm², with 950 million transistors, producing a slightly higher density of 12.3 million per mm². The GRID K2 is a much larger, more complex chip, which is consistent with its higher shading unit count (1,536 vs. 384), TMU count (128 vs. 24), and ROP count (32 vs. 8).

Memory architecture also diverges sharply. The GRID K2 runs its GDDR5 memory at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, achieving 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M370 runs its GDDR5 at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, achieving 57.60 GB/s. That is a 2.78x difference in memory bandwidth, which directly impacts texture-heavy and compute-heavy workloads.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The GRID K2 has no recorded base or boost clock, while the R7 M370 runs at 875 MHz base and 960 MHz boost. Despite the R7 M370's higher clocks, its much smaller shader array and narrower memory bus prevent it from approaching the GRID K2's throughput. The GRID K2's pixel rate is 23.84 GPixel/s and texture rate is 95.36 GTexel/s, versus 7.680 GPixel/s and 23.04 GTexel/s for the R7 M370. Floating-point performance follows the same pattern: 2.289 TFLOPS for the GRID K2 against 737.3 GFLOPS for the R7 M370.

API support is similar but not identical. Both cards support DirectX 12, but the GRID K2 lists 12 (11_0) while the R7 M370 lists 12 (11_1). OpenGL support is identical at 4.6. Vulkan support is nearly identical: 1.2.175 for the GRID K2 and 1.2.170 for the R7 M370. The power connector configuration differs, with the GRID K2 requiring a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin setup and the R7 M370 having no recorded power connector requirements. The GRID K2 has a 225 W TDP, while the R7 M370's TDP is not recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA GRID K2 wins decisively. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scores 10,602 versus the R7 M370's 7,063, a 50.1% advantage.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GRID K2 averages 8,080 across all recorded benchmarks, while the R7 M370 averages 6,764. That is a 19.5% gap in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan, but with minor differences. The GRID K2 lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175; the R7 M370 lists DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GRID K2 also has a Metal score of 5,557, while the R7 M370 has no Metal result.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each card?

A: The GRID K2 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 M370 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 57.60 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are either of these cards still in production?

A: No. Both are listed as end-of-life production status.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The R7 M370 has a slightly higher transistor density at 12.3 million per mm², compared to the GRID K2's 12.0 million per mm². However, the GRID K2's total transistor count is much higher at 3,540 million versus 950 million.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GRID K2 wins in OpenCL compute performance, and the margin is substantial. Its 50.1% lead in the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test indicates that any application leveraging OpenCL for general-purpose GPU computing will see a major throughput advantage on the GRID K2. The card's higher pixel rate (23.84 GPixel/s) and texture rate (95.36 GTexel/s) also suggest it handles rasterization and texture-heavy workloads more effectively than the R7 M370. With 4 GB of memory and 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the GRID K2 is better suited for larger datasets and higher-resolution textures.

The AMD Radeon R7 M370 wins in one specific area: Vulkan support. It has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 6,465, while the GRID K2 has no Vulkan score in the database. This does not mean the GRID K2 lacks Vulkan support (its API list includes Vulkan 1.2.175), but the R7 M370's Vulkan result demonstrates it can run modern Vulkan workloads. For developers or users specifically targeting Vulkan-based applications, the R7 M370 has verifiable performance data, whereas the GRID K2's Vulkan capabilities remain unmeasured.

The R7 M370 also has a more recent release date (May 2015 versus May 2013 for the GRID K2), which means it may benefit from newer software optimizations, though the database does not record any specific performance improvements tied to release date. The R7 M370's higher base clock (875 MHz) and boost clock (960 MHz) compared to the GRID K2's unrecorded clocks suggest it may have better single-threaded compute efficiency per shader, but the GRID K2's 4x shader count overwhelms that advantage.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every recorded specification field. The GRID K2 uses a GK104 chip with the Kepler architecture, while the R7 M370 uses a Litho chip with GCN 1.0. The GRID K2's die is 294 mm² with 3,540 million transistors; the R7 M370's die is 77 mm² with 950 million transistors. Transistor density is nearly identical (12.0M vs. 12.3M per mm²), but the total scale is vastly different.

Clock speeds: the GRID K2 has no recorded base or boost clock, while the R7 M370 runs at 875 MHz base and 960 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: the GRID K2 runs at 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective), the R7 M370 at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). Memory size and bus width differ (4 GB/256-bit vs. 2 GB/128-bit), leading to bandwidths of 160.0 GB/s and 57.60 GB/s respectively.

The compute configuration is starkly different: 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs for the GRID K2, versus 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs for the R7 M370. Pixel rates are 23.84 GPixel/s versus 7.680 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 95.36 GTexel/s versus 23.04 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 2.289 TFLOPS versus 737.3 GFLOPS.

The GRID K2 has a 225 W TDP, a dual-slot form factor, requires 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors, and suggests a 550 W PSU. The R7 M370 has no recorded TDP, slot width, power connectors, or suggested PSU. The GRID K2 has a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface and no display outputs; the R7 M370 has a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface and no recorded display outputs. The GRID K2 measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length; the R7 M370 has no recorded dimensions. The GRID K2's launch MSRP is 5,199 USD, while the R7 M370 has no recorded launch MSRP.