NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
NVIDIA graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
NVIDIANVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M Specifications
GeForce GTX 780M GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
GTX 780M Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the GeForce GTX 780M's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The GeForce GTX 780M by NVIDIA dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 780M Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The GeForce GTX 780M's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
GeForce GTX 780M by NVIDIA Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the GTX 780M, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
GTX 780M Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
Kepler Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the GTX 780M will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 780M Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the GeForce GTX 780M to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
GeForce GTX 780M by NVIDIA Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
NVIDIA API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
GeForce GTX 780M Product Information
Release and pricing details
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M is manufactured by NVIDIA as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the GeForce GTX 780M by NVIDIA represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
GeForce GTX 780M Benchmark Scores
geekbench_metalSource
Geekbench Metal tests GPU compute using Apple's Metal API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M performs in macOS and iOS applications that leverage GPU acceleration. Metal provides low-overhead access to Apple silicon GPUs.
Top 5 Performers
Top 5 PerformersNearby Performers
Nearby Performersgeekbench_openclSource
Geekbench OpenCL tests GPU compute performance using the cross-platform OpenCL API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M handles parallel computing tasks like video encoding and scientific simulations.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
geekbench_vulkanSource
Geekbench Vulkan tests GPU compute using the modern low-overhead Vulkan API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M performs with next-generation graphics and compute workloads. Vulkan offers better CPU efficiency than older APIs like OpenGL.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
About NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M is a mobile Kepler-generation GPU built on TSMC's 28 nm process, and benchmark data shows it sits near the median of all graphics cards, with a percentile rank of 49. Its average benchmark score of 11012 places it in a tight cluster of competitors, trailing the GeForce GTX 870M by 1.4%, the AMD FirePro W4300 by 1.6%, and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 by 1.9%, while leading the AMD Radeon Pro 450 by 1.7%. The chip, designated GK104, contains 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0M per mm², and it was released on May 10, 2013, as part of the GeForce 700M generation, succeeding the GeForce 600M and preceding the GeForce 800M.
Power and Cooling
The GeForce GTX 780M carries a thermal design power (TDP) of 122 W, a figure that defines its cooling and power delivery requirements in portable systems. This TDP is moderate for a high-end mobile GPU of its era, allowing the card to be deployed in larger gaming laptops with dedicated thermal solutions. The data shows the card uses an MXM Module slot width, which means it is designed for modular MXM-B (3.0) bus interfaces rather than fixed soldered designs; this modularity affects cooling because the chassis must accommodate the removable module's heat spreader and fan assembly. Notably, the power connectors field is listed as "None," indicating the card draws all its power through the MXM interface itself, so no auxiliary PCIe power cables are required from the system's power supply. However, the fact pack does not provide a suggested PSU wattage, so any recommendation beyond the 122 W TDP would be speculation; the data simply indicates that the MXM socket's power delivery must handle the card's draw. For end-of-life products like this, thermal paste aging and dust accumulation in laptop cooling fans become practical concerns, but the benchmark database only confirms the 122 W TDP as the thermal budget. The 28 nm process node contributes to efficiency, keeping the TDP within range of modern mid-range mobile parts, though direct efficiency comparisons to other process nodes are outside the provided data.
How It Compares
The nearest rival data reveals a tightly contested performance band, with the GeForce GTX 780M's average score of 11012 differing by less than 2% from all four listed competitors. Against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, which averages 11173, the 780M trails by 1.4%; this is a minor gap that would be imperceptible in most real-world frame rates, and the 870M is the closest NVIDIA alternative in the data. The AMD FirePro W4300 scores 11187, putting it 1.6% ahead of the 780M; as a workstation-oriented card, its lead in synthetic benchmarks does not necessarily translate to gaming superiority, but the raw average favors the FirePro. The AMD Radeon Pro 450, with an average score of 10828, sits 1.7% behind the 780M, meaning the 780M holds a slight edge over this Apple-oriented mobile GPU. Finally, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 posts 11228, which is 1.9% ahead of the 780M, making it the strongest performer in this comparison group despite being a professional-grade card. Overall, the 780M is effectively performance-parity with all four rivals, with the largest delta being under two percentage points; this suggests that in a laptop-to-laptop comparison, factors like thermal throttling and driver optimization would outweigh the raw GPU differences.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The GeForce GTX 780M is built on the Kepler architecture, which predates hardware ray tracing and tensor core acceleration; the fact pack lists both `rtCores` and `tensorCores` as null, confirming the absence of dedicated ray tracing or AI acceleration hardware. Instead, the card relies on 1536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units for traditional rasterization workloads. The API support includes DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175, meaning the card can run modern graphics APIs at a feature level of 11_0 under DirectX 12, which excludes some newer DX12 features like mesh shaders and variable rate shading. For ray tracing, the card has no hardware acceleration, so any ray-traced effects would need to be computed on the shader units, which would be prohibitively slow given the 2.448 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance. The pixel rate is 25.50 GPixel/s and texture rate is 102.0 GTexel/s, which are adequate for 1080p rasterization in titles from the card's era but insufficient for modern ray-traced workloads. The Vulkan support at version 1.2.175 enables compatibility with newer games that require Vulkan, though the lack of RT cores means any RT-heavy features in those games would be disabled or fall back to software.
FAQ
Q: What is the average benchmark score of the GeForce GTX 780M?
A: The average benchmark score, computed from Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan results, is 11012, placing the card at the 49th percentile of all GPUs.
Q: How does the GTX 780M compare to the AMD Radeon Pro 450?
A: The GTX 780M outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro 450 by 1.7% in average benchmark scores (11012 vs. 10828).
Q: Does the GTX 780M support hardware ray tracing?
A: No, the card has no RT cores or tensor cores; ray tracing is not supported in hardware, and the architecture is Kepler, which predates RT acceleration.
Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the GTX 780M?
A: The card has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s, with a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective).
Q: What power connector does the GTX 780M require?
A: The card uses no auxiliary power connectors; it draws power entirely through the MXM-B (3.0) module interface, with a TDP of 122 W.
Q: Which production status does the GTX 780M have?
A: The card is marked as End-of-life, with a release date of May 10, 2013, and its successor is the GeForce 800M series.
Benchmark Performance
The Geekbench results show the GTX 780M scoring 7582 in Metal, 12758 in OpenCL, and 12696 in Vulkan, with the average of these three tests (11012) driving its position in the database. The Metal score is notably lower than the OpenCL and Vulkan scores, indicating that Apple's Metal API may not be as well optimized for this Kepler GPU, or that the Metal test stresses different compute paths. In OpenCL, the card achieves 12758, which is 68% higher than its Metal score, suggesting strong raw compute throughput when accessed through OpenCL's more general interface. The Vulkan score of 12696 is nearly identical to OpenCL, differing by only 0.5%, which shows consistent performance across cross-platform compute APIs. Against rivals, the 780M's average score of 11012 trails the GTX 870M (11173) by 1.4%; this delta is within typical run-to-run variance for mobile GPUs, so the 780M should feel equivalent in practice. The AMD FirePro W4300 (11187) leads by 1.6%, and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (11228) leads by 1.9%, but the 780M beats the AMD Radeon Pro 450 (10828) by 1.7%. These margins are so slim that the 780M's performance class is best described as "indistinguishable from its nearest peers," with any single benchmark run potentially flipping the ranking. The percentile rank of 49 means the card beats 49% of all GPUs in the database, which is a mediocre position for a mobile part, but it reflects the age of the Kepler architecture rather than a defect in this specific SKU.
Who Should Consider It
The GTX 780M's benchmark scores indicate it is suitable for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings in titles from its release era (2013), but modern games would require reduced settings and possibly lower resolutions. Given the OpenCL score of 12758 and Vulkan score of 12696, the card can handle compute-heavy workloads like video encoding or modest machine learning inference, though the lack of tensor cores limits AI acceleration. Users with this card should target older games or e-sports titles, where the 2.448 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 102.0 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for smooth frame rates. For high-resolution gaming (1440p or 4K), the 160.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 32 ROPs are bottlenecks, so the card is not recommended beyond 1080p. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p textures, but it may cause stuttering in games with high-resolution texture packs that require more than 4 GB. The card's end-of-life status and 28 nm process mean that driver support may be limited, so users should not expect optimization for the latest game releases. In essence, the GTX 780M is a legacy part best suited for older game libraries, emulation, or as a secondary compute device where its OpenCL and Vulkan scores are competitive.
Memory Subsystem
The memory subsystem of the GTX 780M consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 memory operating at 1250 MHz, which translates to 5 Gbps effective data rate. The memory interface is 256 bits wide, producing a total bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is modest by modern standards but was competitive for a high-end mobile GPU in 2013. At 1080p, 160.0 GB/s is sufficient to feed the 1536 shading units without causing significant bottlenecks in most titles. However, at higher resolutions like 1440p or 4K, the memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor, as larger frame buffers require more data to be moved per second. The 4 GB capacity is generous for the card's era, allowing high-resolution textures at 1080p without exceeding the VRAM budget. The pixel rate of 25.50 GPixel/s, derived from the 32 ROPs and the boost clock of 797 MHz, means the card can fill 25.5 million pixels per second, which is adequate for 1080p but not for multi-monitor setups. The memory type GDDR5 is standard for this generation, and the 256-bit bus width is a balanced choice that provides more bandwidth than a 128-bit bus while keeping power consumption within the 122 W TDP. For compute workloads, the memory bandwidth directly impacts OpenCL and Vulkan scores, which is why the 780M's OpenCL score of 12758 reflects the 160.0 GB/s throughput. Overall, the memory subsystem is well-matched to the GPU's compute capabilities, but it caps performance at 1080p, making the card unsuitable for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming.
The AMD Equivalent of GeForce GTX 780M
Looking for a similar graphics card from AMD? The AMD Radeon RX 480 offers comparable performance and features in the AMD lineup.
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