AMD Radeon R7 M445 vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro M500M and AMD Radeon R7 M445 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from 2016, but the benchmark data shows they are not equal in compute performance. Based on the single available head-to-head benchmark, the Quadro M500M holds a clear lead, though the R7 M445 counters with advantages in memory capacity and interface bandwidth.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M scores 5,986 points, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5,358 points. That translates to an 11.7% advantage for the Quadro M500M, a substantial gap in a synthetic compute workload that stresses raw shader throughput and memory subsystem efficiency.

The Quadro M500M’s victory is rooted in its higher clock speeds and compute architecture. It operates at a base clock of 1,029 MHz and boosts to 1,124 MHz, compared to the Radeon R7 M445’s 780 MHz base and 920 MHz boost. Even though the AMD part has fewer shading units (320 vs. 384), the NVIDIA chip’s higher clocks and superior FP32 output — 863.2 GFLOPS vs. 588.8 GFLOPS — explain the 11.7% delta. The Quadro M500M also has a higher pixel rate (8.992 GPixel/s vs. 7.360 GPixel/s) and a slightly lower texture rate (17.98 GTexel/s vs. 18.40 GTexel/s), but the compute advantage dominates the OpenCL result.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces the Quadro M500M’s standing. Its average benchmark score of 5,604 places it just 1.2% behind the AMD FirePro M4000 (5,537) and 1.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 (5,508). The AMD Radeon R7 M445, with an average score of 5,358, sits 0.2% behind the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (5,370) and 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (5,322). Notably, the R7 M445’s nearest rival list includes the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M at 5,308, which it beats by 0.9% — a surprising inclusion that suggests the R7 M445 is competitive in a narrow band of workloads, but the OpenCL head-to-head shows the Quadro M500M is the stronger compute part.

The percentile rankings also favor NVIDIA. The Quadro M500M sits at the 32nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Radeon R7 M445 sits at the 31st. That one-percentile gap mirrors the 11.7% OpenCL delta and indicates the Quadro M500M is the better overall performer in this comparison. The data is unambiguous: in the only direct test, NVIDIA wins by a double-digit margin.

The Verdict

Choose the NVIDIA Quadro M500M if raw compute performance is the priority. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 11.7%, scores higher in Geekbench OpenCL (5,986 vs. 5,358), and has a higher average benchmark score (5,604 vs. 5,358). Its 32nd percentile ranking versus the R7 M445’s 31st confirms the advantage. The Quadro M500M also offers higher FP32 throughput (863.2 GFLOPS vs. 588.8 GFLOPS) and a higher pixel rate (8.992 GPixel/s vs. 7.360 GPixel/s), making it the better choice for compute-heavy tasks.

Choose the AMD Radeon R7 M445 if memory capacity and bandwidth are more important than compute. It has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory versus the Quadro M500M’s 2 GB of DDR3, and its memory bandwidth is 32.00 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s — more than double. It also uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the Quadro M500M uses an MXM-A (3.0) bus, which may be a factor in system integration. However, in compute benchmarks, the R7 M445 trails significantly.

The verdict is straightforward: the Quadro M500M is the faster GPU, with a 11.7% head-to-head win and a higher average score. The R7 M445’s advantages are confined to memory specifications, not performance results. For any user prioritizing benchmark scores, the NVIDIA part is the clear winner.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro M500M wins in compute performance, as demonstrated by the Geekbench OpenCL test where it leads by 11.7%. Its higher shading unit count (384 vs. 320), faster clocks (1,124 MHz boost vs. 920 MHz boost), and higher FP32 output (863.2 GFLOPS vs. 588.8 GFLOPS) make it the superior choice for OpenCL-accelerated applications. It also wins on pixel rate (8.992 GPixel/s vs. 7.360 GPixel/s), which could benefit tasks involving heavy fragment shading. The Quadro M500M’s average benchmark score of 5,604 is 4.6% higher than the R7 M445’s 5,358, reinforcing its overall performance lead.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 wins on memory specifications. Its 4 GB GDDR5 frame buffer is twice the size of the Quadro M500M’s 2 GB DDR3, and its 32.00 GB/s bandwidth is more than double the Quadro’s 14.40 GB/s. This could be advantageous for workloads that require large textures or data sets that exceed 2 GB, though the compute benchmark does not reflect this advantage. The R7 M445 also has a higher texture rate (18.40 GTexel/s vs. 17.98 GTexel/s) and a larger die (125 mm² vs. 77 mm²), but these do not translate into a benchmark win. The R7 M445’s nearest rival comparisons show it is competitive with integrated graphics like the Intel UHD Graphics P630 (-0.2%) and older discrete parts like the NVIDIA GeForce 840M (+0.7%), but it cannot match the Quadro M500M’s compute lead.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M is faster, scoring 5,986 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the AMD Radeon R7 M445’s 5,358, an 11.7% advantage.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M445 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M has 2 GB of DDR3 memory.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth differences?

A: The Radeon R7 M445 offers 32.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the Quadro M500M offers 14.40 GB/s — the AMD part provides more than double the bandwidth.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The Quadro M500M’s average score of 5,604 places it 1.2% behind the AMD FirePro M4000 and 1.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M. The R7 M445’s average score of 5,358 is 0.2% behind the Intel UHD Graphics P630 and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M.

Q: Which GPU has a higher clock speed?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro M500M has a base clock of 1,029 MHz and a boost clock of 1,124 MHz, compared to the Radeon R7 M445’s 780 MHz base and 920 MHz boost.

Q: What is the difference in shading units?

A: The Quadro M500M has 384 shading units, while the Radeon R7 M445 has 320 shading units.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and designs. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M is built on the Maxwell architecture with the GM108S chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It uses 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 13.2M per mm². The chip is from the Quadro Maxwell-M generation and succeeds the Quadro Kepler-M line, with the Quadro Pascal-M as its successor.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 uses the GCN 3.0 architecture with the Meso chip, also manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.4M per mm². The chip belongs to the Gem System generation and succeeds the Solar System line, with Polaris Mobile as its successor.

Core configuration differences are significant. The Quadro M500M has 384 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The Radeon R7 M445 has 320 shading units, 20 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Despite having fewer TMUs, the AMD part achieves a slightly higher texture rate (18.40 GTexel/s vs. 17.98 GTexel/s) due to its clocks, but the NVIDIA part has a higher pixel rate (8.992 GPixel/s vs. 7.360 GPixel/s) and FP32 throughput (863.2 GFLOPS vs. 588.8 GFLOPS). The R7 M445 also supports FP16 at 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1), while the Quadro M500M has no listed FP16 capability.

API support differs. The Quadro M500M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon R7 M445 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD part has a higher DirectX feature level (12_0 vs. 11_0), while the NVIDIA part has a newer Vulkan version (1.4 vs. 1.2.170).

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA Quadro M500M | AMD Radeon R7 M445 |

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

| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 3.0 |

| Chip | GM108S | Meso |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,020 million | 1,550 million |

| Die Size | 77 mm² | 125 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 13.2M / mm² | 12.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1,029 MHz | 780 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1,124 MHz | 920 MHz |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 14.40 GB/s | 32.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 384 | 320 |

| TMUs | 16 | 20 |

| ROPs | 8 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 8.992 GPixel/s | 7.360 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 17.98 GTexel/s | 18.40 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 863.2 GFLOPS | 588.8 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | — | 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 30 W | — |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | IGP |

| Bus Interface | MXM-A (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2016-04-26 | 2016-05-14 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Kepler-M | Solar System |

| Successor | Quadro Pascal-M | Polaris Mobile |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

The Quadro M500M has a higher boost clock (1,124 MHz vs. 920 MHz), more shading units (384 vs. 320), higher pixel rate, higher FP32 throughput, and a lower TDP of 30 W. The R7 M445 counters with more memory (4 GB vs. 2 GB), faster memory type (GDDR5 vs. DDR3), more than double the bandwidth (32.00 GB/s vs. 14.40 GB/s), more TMUs (20 vs. 16), higher texture rate, and a higher DirectX feature level (12_0 vs. 11_0). The R7 M445 also has a larger die (125 mm² vs. 77 mm²) and more transistors (1,550 million vs. 1,020 million), but this does not translate into a compute advantage in the OpenCL benchmark.