Radeon RX 540 vs R9 M385

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon R9 M385 and Radeon RX 540, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

R9 M385
2015
4 GB GDDR5
5.35

RX 540 outperforms R9 M385 by a substantial 35% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking614542
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Power efficiencyno data9.92
ArchitectureGCN 2.0 (2013−2017)GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)
GPU code nameStratoLexa
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date5 May 2015 (9 years ago)11 November 2017 (7 years ago)

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores896512
Core clock speed900 MHz1124 MHz
Boost clock speed1100 MHz1219 MHz
Number of transistors2,080 million2,200 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm14 nm
Power consumption (TDP)no data50 Watt
Texture fill rate56.0039.01
Floating-point processing power1.792 TFLOPS1.248 TFLOPS
ROPs1616
TMUs5632

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizemedium sizedlarge
Bus supportPCIe 3.0no data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x8
Supplementary power connectorsno dataNone

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount4 GB2 GB
Memory bus width128 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speed1500 MHz1500 MHz
Memory bandwidth76.8 GB/s96 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsNo outputsNo outputs
Eyefinity+-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

FreeSync++
HD3D+-
PowerTune+-
DualGraphics+-
TrueAudio+-
ZeroCore+-
Switchable graphics+-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectXDirectX® 1212 (12_0)
Shader Model6.36.4
OpenGL4.44.6
OpenCLNot Listed2.0
Vulkan-1.2.131
Mantle+-

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

R9 M385 5.35
RX 540 7.24
+35.3%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

R9 M385 2060
RX 540 2788
+35.3%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD16−18
−43.8%
23
+43.8%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
−22.2%
10−12
+22.2%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
−28.6%
18−20
+28.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 6−7
−50%
9−10
+50%
Battlefield 5 14−16
−50%
21−24
+50%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
−36.4%
14−16
+36.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
−22.2%
10−12
+22.2%
Far Cry 5 12−14
−8.3%
13
+8.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
−33.3%
20−22
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
−41.2%
45−50
+41.2%
Hitman 3 10−12
−27.3%
14−16
+27.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 30−35
−23.5%
40−45
+23.5%
Metro Exodus 12−14
−61.5%
21−24
+61.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
−42.9%
20−22
+42.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 18−20
−111%
40
+111%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
−12.5%
50−55
+12.5%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
−28.6%
18−20
+28.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 6−7
−50%
9−10
+50%
Battlefield 5 14−16
−50%
21−24
+50%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
−36.4%
14−16
+36.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
−22.2%
10−12
+22.2%
Far Cry 5 12−14
+20%
10
−20%
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
−33.3%
20−22
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
−41.2%
45−50
+41.2%
Hitman 3 10−12
−27.3%
14−16
+27.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 30−35
−23.5%
40−45
+23.5%
Metro Exodus 12−14
−61.5%
21−24
+61.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
−42.9%
20−22
+42.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 18−20
−26.3%
24−27
+26.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
−22.2%
21−24
+22.2%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
−12.5%
50−55
+12.5%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
−28.6%
18−20
+28.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 6−7
−50%
9−10
+50%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
−36.4%
14−16
+36.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
−22.2%
10−12
+22.2%
Far Cry 5 12−14
+71.4%
7
−71.4%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
−41.2%
45−50
+41.2%
Hitman 3 10−12
−27.3%
14−16
+27.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 30−35
−23.5%
40−45
+23.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 18−20
−26.3%
24−27
+26.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+157%
7
−157%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
−12.5%
50−55
+12.5%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
−42.9%
20−22
+42.9%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 10−11
−40%
14−16
+40%
Far Cry New Dawn 8−9
−37.5%
10−12
+37.5%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 0−1 3−4
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
−50%
3−4
+50%
Far Cry 5 6−7
−33.3%
8−9
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 12−14
−100%
24−27
+100%
Hitman 3 9−10
−22.2%
10−12
+22.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
−25%
14−16
+25%
Metro Exodus 3−4
−167%
8−9
+167%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 4−5
−50%
6−7
+50%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−35.3%
45−50
+35.3%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
−20%
12−14
+20%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 4−5
−50%
6−7
+50%
Far Cry New Dawn 4−5
−25%
5−6
+25%
Hitman 3 1−2
−200%
3−4
+200%
Horizon Zero Dawn 10−11
−130%
21−24
+130%
Metro Exodus 2−3
−100%
4−5
+100%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 1−2
−300%
4−5
+300%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 3−4
−33.3%
4−5
+33.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 2−3
−50%
3−4
+50%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2−3
−50%
3−4
+50%
Cyberpunk 2077 0−1 1−2
Far Cry 5 3−4
−33.3%
4−5
+33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
−60%
8−9
+60%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 6−7
−16.7%
7−8
+16.7%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Shadow of the Tomb Raider 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Shadow of the Tomb Raider 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%

This is how R9 M385 and RX 540 compete in popular games:

  • RX 540 is 44% faster in 1080p

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the R9 M385 is 157% faster.
  • in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the RX 540 is 300% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • R9 M385 is ahead in 3 tests (4%)
  • RX 540 is ahead in 64 tests (91%)
  • there's a draw in 3 tests (4%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.35 7.24
Recency 5 May 2015 11 November 2017
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 14 nm

R9 M385 has a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount.

RX 540, on the other hand, has a 35.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 540 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 M385 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Radeon R9 M385
Radeon R9 M385
AMD Radeon RX 540
Radeon RX 540

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


5 1 vote

Rate Radeon R9 M385 on a scale of 1 to 5:

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3.7 157 votes

Rate Radeon RX 540 on a scale of 1 to 5:

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.