AMD Radeon 680M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data leaves no ambiguity about the performance hierarchy between these two parts. In every single benchmark test where both were measured, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 wins decisively. The database contains three head-to-head comparisons, and the RTX 4060 takes all three.

The most dramatic gap appears in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The RTX 4060 scores 2302, while the AMD Radeon 680M manages only 378. That is a 509% advantage for the NVIDIA part. This is not a close contest; it is a different performance class entirely. The 680M, as an integrated graphics processor, simply cannot keep pace with a discrete GPU in a modern DirectX 12 workload.

The Geekbench OpenCL results tell a similar story. The RTX 4060 scores 95057, dwarfing the 680M's 23468. This represents a 305% lead for NVIDIA. OpenCL is a compute-heavy benchmark, and the raw shading power of the RTX 4060, with its 3072 shading units versus 768, shows up clearly here.

Even in the Vulkan API test, where integrated graphics often fare better due to lower overhead, the RTX 4060 still dominates. Its score of 48643 beats the 680M's 21965 by 121.5%. While this is the smallest relative margin of the three tests, it is still a massive win. The data shows a clean sweep: 3 wins for the RTX 4060, 0 wins for the Radeon 680M.

Beyond the direct head-to-head, the average benchmark scores across the full database reinforce this picture. The RTX 4060 carries an average score of 17639, placing it at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The Radeon 680M averages 15270, which sits at the 57th percentile. While both are near the middle of the overall distribution, the gap between their average scores is substantial.

Looking at the nearest rivals puts this in perspective. The RTX 4060's closest competitors, based on average score, are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666 (a 0.2% difference), the AMD Radeon 780M at 17588 (0.3% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (0.5% ahead). The 680M, meanwhile, sits right next to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 at 15290, both within 0.1%. This means the 680M is performing at roughly the level of a much older discrete graphics card, while the RTX 4060 is competing in a league with significantly more modern hardware.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the superior performer in every measured category. Anyone who needs a dedicated graphics card for gaming or GPU-accelerated workloads should choose the RTX 4060 without hesitation.

The AMD Radeon 680M is a different kind of product entirely. It is an integrated graphics processor, designed to live inside a laptop or a compact system where power consumption and physical space are at a premium. Its 50 W TDP and IGP slot width reflect that design goal. It is not meant to compete head-to-head with a 115 W discrete card, and the benchmark results show exactly what happens when you try: the RTX 4060 wins by margins of 121.5% to 509%.

So the verdict depends on the use case. If the question is "which GPU delivers more raw performance," the answer is the RTX 4060, and it is not close. If the question is "which one can fit in a thin-and-light laptop without a power connector," the answer is the 680M. The database shows a performance hierarchy, not a value judgment. For a desktop build with a PCIe slot and a power supply, the RTX 4060 is the obvious choice. For an ultraportable device where the GPU must be integrated onto the processor, the 680M is the only option of these two.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from completely different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 uses the AD107 chip based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 18,900 million transistors into a die size of 159 mm², giving it a transistor density of 118.9 million per square millimeter.

The AMD Radeon 680M uses the Rembrandt+ chip based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, also built by TSMC but on a 6 nm process. It contains 13,100 million transistors across a larger die of 208 mm², yielding a lower density of 63.0 million per square millimeter. The larger die with fewer transistors reflects the fact that this is an integrated processor, sharing the package with CPU cores.

The architectural differences extend to the compute resources. The RTX 4060 has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines. It also includes 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. The 680M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with 12 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores at all.

These numbers explain the performance gap. The RTX 4060 has four times the shading units and double the TMUs and ROPs. Its FP32 throughput is 15.11 TFLOPS, while the 680M manages 3.379 TFLOPS. Interestingly, the FP16 numbers differ in ratio: the RTX 4060 does FP16 at the same 1:1 rate as FP32, while the 680M does FP16 at a 2:1 rate, giving it 6.758 TFLOPS in FP16.

Memory architecture is fundamentally different. The RTX 4060 has 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 680M uses System Shared memory, meaning it borrows from the host system's RAM. Its bandwidth is labeled "System Dependent" in the database, which means it varies based on the laptop's memory configuration.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4060 in DirectX 12 gaming?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the RTX 4060 scores 2302 versus 378 for the 680M, a 509% advantage. This is the single largest performance gap recorded between the two.

Q: Is the Radeon 680M competitive in any benchmark?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows 3 wins for the RTX 4060 and 0 for the 680M. The smallest margin of victory for NVIDIA is 121.5% in the Geekbench Vulkan test.

Q: What kind of memory does each GPU use?

A: The RTX 4060 uses 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 680M uses System Shared memory, with bandwidth that is System Dependent.

Q: Can the Radeon 680M do ray tracing?

A: Yes, it has 12 ray tracing cores, but the RTX 4060 has 24. The RTX 4060 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), as does the 680M.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115 W and requires a 300 W power supply with a 1x 12-pin connector. The 680M has a TDP of 50 W, uses no external power connectors, and is an IGP (integrated graphics processor).

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The 680M averages 15270, in the 57th percentile.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4060 wins in every scenario that requires raw graphics performance. Its 509% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 305% lead in OpenCL make it the clear choice for desktop gaming, 3D rendering, GPU compute, or any workload that can use a discrete graphics card. It also has the advantage of dedicated memory, with 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, which means it does not compete with the CPU for system RAM.

The Radeon 680M wins in scenarios where the RTX 4060 physically cannot be used. Its 50 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it can be built into a laptop or a compact system without a power connector. It requires no external power, uses System Shared memory, and its display outputs are Portable Device Dependent, meaning it works with the laptop's built-in screen. The RTX 4060, by contrast, is a dual-slot card with a 240 mm length, 111 mm height, and 40 mm width, requiring a PCIe slot and a 300 W power supply.

The 680M also wins on efficiency in a strict sense: it delivers its 3.379 TFLOPS of FP32 performance at 50 W, while the RTX 4060 delivers 15.11 TFLOPS at 115 W. The RTX 4060 is more efficient per watt in absolute terms, but the 680M's lower total power draw makes it viable in systems where 115 W is not available.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ on nearly every specification that matters. The process node is 5 nm for the RTX 4060 versus 6 nm for the 680M. Transistor count is 18,900 million versus 13,100 million. Die size is 159 mm² versus 208 mm².

Clock speeds: the RTX 4060 runs at a base of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz. The 680M has a higher base clock of 2000 MHz but a lower boost of 2200 MHz. Memory clocks are 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA versus System Shared for AMD.

Memory configuration is a major split: 8 GB GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth versus System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth. Compute resources differ sharply: 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs for NVIDIA; 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs for AMD. Ray tracing cores: 24 versus 12. Tensor cores: 96 versus none.

Pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s for the RTX 4060 versus 70.40 GPixel/s for the 680M. Texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s versus 105.6 GTexel/s. FP32 is 15.11 TFLOPS versus 3.379 TFLOPS. FP16 is 15.11 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 6.758 TFLOPS (2:1).

Power and physical specs diverge completely: 115 W TDP with a 1x 12-pin connector and 300 W suggested PSU versus 50 W TDP with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. Slot width is dual-slot versus IGP. Dimensions are 240 mm by 111 mm by 40 mm versus no recorded dimensions. The RTX 4060 has display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the 680M is Portable Device Dependent.

Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both use PCIe 4.0 x8. The RTX 4060 is end-of-life with a release date of May 2023 and a launch MSRP of 299 USD. The 680M is active, released in January 2023, with no MSRP recorded.