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AMD Radeon R5 M255

AMD Radeon R5 M255

The AMD Radeon R5 M255 is an entry-level DirectX 12 graphics card for laptops, which is based on the Sun GPU (GCN architecture). The core is clocked at up to 940 MHz and the DDR3 graphics memory runs at 1000 MHz (64-bit interface).

Architecture

Compared to the Mars chip (e.g. HD 8570M), Sun offers less hardware units. The GPU integrates 320 shaders, 20 TMUs and 4 ROPs and is therefore located in the low-end segment.

Performance

The performance of the Radeon R5 M255 is similar to the HD 8500M series, e.g. the HD 8570M. Due to a slightly higher core clock, the M255 beats the R5 M230. Overall, the GPU performs a bit better than a GeForce 820M and beats Intels HD Graphics 4600. Current and demanding games of 2014 will run fluently only in low resolutions and detail settings.

The 320 shaders can be used with OpenCL 1.2 for general-purpose calculations (as 5 compute units). Compared to old TeraScale 2 chips, the GCN-based architecture offers improved performance in this framework.

Features

The R5 series also supports automatic graphics switching between the integrated GPU and discrete GPU. Called Enduro, the technology supersedes AMD's Dynamic Switchable Graphics and is similar to Nvidia's Optimus. Furthermore, the R5 M255 can directly support multiple monitors using Eyefinity technology.

Other features of the R5 series include ZeroCore for reducing power consumption when the display is turned off and Power Gating to power down areas of the chip that are not used. PowerTune allows automatic overclocking and underclocking of the graphics card as long as the GPU is within its TDP limit. For example, the chip may be underclocked when running FurMark and OCCT, but will overclock in certain games.

Power Consumption

The power consumption should be similar to slower models of the HD 8500M or 8600M series. As a result, the R5 M255 is suited for 13-inch notebooks or larger.

ManufacturerAMD
Radeon R5 M200 Series
Radeon R5 M255 320 @ 940 MHz64 Bit @ 1800 - 2000 MHz
Radeon R5 M240 (compare) 320 @ 1030 MHz64 Bit @ 1800 MHz
Radeon R5 M230 (compare) 320 @ 855 MHz64 Bit @ 1800 - 2000 MHz
CodenameTopaz Pro / Sun
ArchitectureGCN
Pipelines320 - unified
Core Speed940 MHz
Memory Speed1800 - 2000 MHz
Memory Bus Width64 Bit
Memory TypeDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory4096 MB
Shared Memoryno
DirectXDirectX 12, Shader 5.0
technology28 nm
FeaturesPCI Express 3.0 x8, App Acceleration, PowerPlay, PowerTune, ZeroCore, Enduro, Eyefinity, Mantle
Date of Announcement01.05.2014
Link to Manufacturer Pagehttp://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/NOTEBOOK/...

Benchmarks

3DMark - Cloud Gate Standard Score 1280x720
min: 4606     avg: 4885.3     median: 4883 (10%)     max: 5169 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Cloud Gate Standard Graphics 1280x720
min: 5936     avg: 6031.3     median: 6012.5 (4%)     max: 6164 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Fire Strike Score 1920x1080
min: 973     avg: 981.8     median: 980 (4%)     max: 994 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Fire Strike Graphics 1920x1080
min: 1068     avg: 1078.3     median: 1080.5 (3%)     max: 1084 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Ice Storm Standard Graphics 1280x720
min: 34939     avg: 42701.2     median: 44076.5 (6%)     max: 47713 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 11 - Performance 1280x720
min: 1866     avg: 1896.8     median: 1901.5 (7%)     max: 1918 points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 11 - Performance GPU 1280x720
min: 1717     avg: 1768.3     median: 1779 (3%)     max: 1798 points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   - Hide comparison chart
3DMark Vantage
P Result 1280x1024 +
P GPU no PhysX 1280x1024 +
3DMark 06 Standard 1280x1024 +
Unigine Heaven 2.1 - high, Tesselation (normal), DirectX11 1280x1024
18.7 fps (8%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPECviewperf 12
Solidworks (sw-03) 1900x1060 +
Siemens NX (snx-02) 1900x1060 +
Showcase (showcase-01) 1900x1060 +
Medical (medical-01) 1900x1060 +
Maya (maya-04) 1900x1060 +
Energy (energy-01) 1900x1060 +
Creo (creo-01) 1900x1060 +
Catia (catia-04) 1900x1060 +
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit +
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit +
Cinebench R15
OpenGL 64Bit +
Ref. Match 64Bit +
GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Offscreen OGL off screen
16.9 fps (3%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Onscreen OGL on screen
22.6 fps (6%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - Room GPUs-only
159 Samples/s (3%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - Sala GPUs-only
292 Samples/s (3%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
ComputeMark v2.1 - Normal, Score 1024x600
1073 Points (5%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailled information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

Ark Survival Evolved

Ark Survival Evolved

2017
low 1280x720
13.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
5  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
F1 2017

F1 2017

2017
low 1280x720
34  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
14  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds
low 1280x720
23.3  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
8.2  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2

2017
low 1280x720
77  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
60.5  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
40.5  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Dirt 4

Dirt 4

2017
low 1280x720
49.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
19.1  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
15.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Rocket League
low 1280x720
70.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
25.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Prey

Prey

2017
low 1280x720
30.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
12  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War III
low 1280x720
30.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
7.5  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Mass Effect Andromeda
low 1280x720
13.3  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Ghost Recon Wildlands
low 1280x720
18  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
7.4  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
For Honor

For Honor

2017
low 1280x720
29.3  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
17.1  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Resident Evil 7
low 1280x720
45  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
18.4  fps    + Compare