NVIDIA GeForce MX330

The NVIDIA GeForce MX330 is a mobile graphics processor built on the Pascal architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at Samsung. The GP108B chip contains 1,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.3 million per square millimeter. It operates with a base clock of 1531 MHz and a boost clock of 1594 MHz, paired with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. The GPU reached end-of-life status, having been released in February 2020. With a 10 W TDP and an IGP slot width, it is designed for thin-and-light laptops, drawing power without external connectors. Benchmark data places it at the 44th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 9108 across Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests.

Memory Subsystem

The MX330 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 64-bit bus, producing a bandwidth of 56.06 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1752 MHz, which translates to 7 Gbps effective. This configuration is modest by contemporary standards. The 64-bit bus width and 2 GB capacity impose a hard ceiling on the amount of texture data that can be stored and accessed simultaneously. At higher resolutions, the frame buffer fills quickly, and the limited bandwidth becomes a bottleneck. The pixel rate of 25.50 GPixel/s and texture rate of 38.26 GTexel/s further indicate that the memory subsystem is balanced for entry-level 1080p gaming rather than high-resolution workloads. For users pushing beyond 1080p, the 2 GB capacity forces texture quality reductions, and the 56.06 GB/s bandwidth may struggle to feed the 384 shading units during complex scenes. The 64-bit interface is a clear constraint; even a modestly wider bus would alleviate pressure, but the design prioritizes low power and cost over raw throughput.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The MX330 does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Its Pascal architecture predates NVIDIA's RTX line, so hardware-accelerated ray tracing is entirely absent. The feature set relies on the standard graphics pipeline. The GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Vulkan 1.4 is a recent API revision, but without RT cores, any ray tracing effects must be computed via compute shaders, which is inefficient on this hardware. The lack of tensor cores also means no AI-accelerated features like DLSS. The shading units number 384, with 24 texture mapping units and 16 raster output units. The FP32 performance is 1,224.2 GFLOPS, while FP16 is severely reduced at 19.13 GFLOPS, reflecting a 1:64 ratio—indicating the GPU is not designed for compute-heavy tasks. The 10 W TDP and IGP slot width underscore its power-efficient, low-performance positioning. The absence of RT and tensor cores means the MX330 is strictly a rasterization engine, and its API support does not compensate for the missing hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The MX330 achieves a Geekbench OpenCL score of 9196 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9019, giving an average benchmark score of 9108. This places it at the 44th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms 44% of the database. Relative to its nearest rivals, the results are tightly clustered. The MX330 is 0.8% faster than the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition, which scores 9037. It is 1.2% slower than the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (9215) and 1.4% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (9233). Meanwhile, it leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 by 1.2% (9000). These deltas are small, often within run-to-run variance, but the pattern suggests the MX330 sits in a performance band around 9100 average points. The Vulkan score (9019) is slightly lower than OpenCL (9196), indicating that the driver's Vulkan path is not as optimized, though the difference is negligible in practical terms. The percentile rank of 44 confirms that the MX330 is a below-average GPU in the current database, yet it holds its own against a mix of integrated and older discrete parts.

FAQ

Q: Does the MX330 support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The GPU has no ray tracing cores, and its Pascal architecture does not include dedicated RT hardware.

Q: What memory configuration does the MX330 use?

A: It uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 56.06 GB/s.

Q: How does the MX330 compare to the AMD Radeon Vega 8?

A: The MX330's average benchmark score is 9108, which is 1.2% lower than the Vega 8's 9215.

Q: What is the transistor count and die size?

A: The GP108B chip contains 1,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, fabricated on a 14 nm process.

Q: Which APIs are supported?

A: The MX330 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: Is the MX330 still in production?

A: No, it is listed as end-of-life, with a release date of February 2020.

How It Compares

Against the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition, the MX330 is marginally faster by 0.8%, with scores of 9108 versus 9037. Despite the TITAN V's high-end positioning, the benchmark results put them in the same performance class for these specific tests. The TITAN V's massive compute resources are not reflected in these Geekbench workloads, which may favor memory bandwidth and driver efficiency.

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 edges out the MX330 by 1.2%, scoring 9215. This integrated GPU from AMD is a direct competitor in the low-power mobile segment, and the data shows the MX330 is essentially on par, with a slight deficit. For laptop buyers, the difference between a dedicated MX330 and a well-implemented Vega 8 may be imperceptible in real-world gaming.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, a desktop card from an older generation, trails the MX330 by 1.2% (9000 vs 9108). The MX330's newer architecture and higher memory bandwidth contribute to its lead, but the margin is slim. The GTX 660 has a wider memory bus and more ROPs, yet the MX330's higher clock speeds and architectural efficiency compensate.

The AMD Radeon RX 5500M is the fastest of the four rivals, beating the MX330 by 1.4% with a score of 9233. The delta is small, but the RX 5500M also offers more memory capacity, which is not reflected in this particular benchmark. In gaming scenarios that exceed 2 GB, the RX 5500M would likely pull further ahead.

Who Should Consider It

Given its 44th percentile ranking and benchmark scores around 9100, the MX330 is suited for users who need basic 3D acceleration for light gaming or media tasks. At 1080p with low to medium settings, the GPU can handle older titles or esports games, but the 2 GB memory and 56.06 GB/s bandwidth will quickly become limiting at higher resolutions or with modern texture-heavy games. The lack of ray tracing and tensor cores means no future-proofing for those features. The 10 W TDP makes it ideal for thin-and-light laptops where power efficiency is critical, but users who expect high frame rates in demanding titles should look at the RX 5500M, which is only 1.4% faster in this metric. Alternatively, the MX330's performance is nearly identical to integrated Vega 8—so a dedicated GPU may not offer a substantial upgrade over good integrated graphics. In short, the MX330 is a capable entry-level solution for casual use, but not for high-resolution or ray-traced workloads. Its end-of-life status means it is now found in older budget laptops, where it can still provide a smooth experience for light productivity and 2D applications, provided the user manages expectations regarding modern 3D titles.