Notebookcheck

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 320 @ 1030 MHz64 Bit @ 1800 MHz
Radeon R5 M230 320 @ 855 MHz64 Bit @ 1800 - 2000 MHz
CodenameTopaz Pro / Sun
ArchitectureGCN
Pipelines320 - unified
Core Speed *940 MHz
Memory Speed *1800 - 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/...
* The specified clock rates are only guidelines for the manufacturer and can be altered by them.

Benchmarks

GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Offscreen OGL off screen
0%
100%
min: 16.9     avg: 16.9 (3%)     median: 16.9 (3%)     max: 16.9 fps
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
GFXBench 3.0 - Manhattan Onscreen OGL on screen
0%
100%
min: 22.6     avg: 22.6 (10%)     median: 22.6 (10%)     max: 22.6 fps
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
Cinebench R15
Ref. Match 64Bit +
OpenGL 64Bit +
3DMark - Fire Strike Graphics 1920x1080
0%
100%
min: 1068     avg: 1078.3 (3%)     median: 1080.5 (3%)     max: 1084 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Fire Strike Score 1920x1080
0%
100%
min: 973     avg: 981.8 (4%)     median: 980 (4%)     max: 994 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Cloud Gate Standard Graphics 1280x720
0%
100%
min: 5936     avg: 6031.3 (4%)     median: 6012.5 (4%)     max: 6164 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Cloud Gate Standard Score 1280x720
0%
100%
min: 4606     avg: 4885.3 (10%)     median: 4883 (10%)     max: 5169 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark - Ice Storm Standard Graphics 1280x720
0%
100%
min: 34939     avg: 42701.2 (6%)     median: 44076.5 (6%)     max: 47713 Points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
ComputeMark v2.1 - Normal, Score 1024x600
0%
100%
min: 1073     avg: 1073 (5%)     median: 1073 (5%)     max: 1073 Points
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - Room GPUs-only
0%
100%
min: 159     avg: 159 (3%)     median: 159 (3%)     max: 159 Samples/s
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit - Sala GPUs-only
0%
100%
min: 292     avg: 292 (3%)     median: 292 (3%)     max: 292 Samples/s
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 11 - Performance GPU 1280x720
0%
100%
min: 1717     avg: 1768.3 (3%)     median: 1779 (3%)     max: 1798 points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   - Hide comparison chart
3DMark 11 - Performance 1280x720
0%
100%
min: 1866     avg: 1896.8 (7%)     median: 1901.5 (7%)     max: 1918 points
+ 4 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark Vantage
P GPU no PhysX 1280x1024 +
P Result 1280x1024 +
3DMark 06 Standard 1280x1024 +
Unigine Heaven 2.1 - high, Tesselation (normal), DirectX11 1280x1024
0%
100%
min: 18.7     avg: 18.7 (8%)     median: 18.7 (8%)     max: 18.7 fps
+ 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 R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit +
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit +
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card

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.

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

Rocket League

2017
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

Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War III

2017
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

Mass Effect Andromeda

2017
low 1280x720
13.3  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Ghost Recon Wildlands

Ghost Recon Wildlands

2017
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
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Watch Dogs 2
low 1280x720
18.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
15.3  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Dishonored 2
low 1280x720
10.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
9.3  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare
low 1280x720
28.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
23.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
12.9  fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Titanfall 2
low 1280x720
41.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
29.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
11  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Farming Simulator 17
low 1280x720
93.8  fps    + Compare