AMD Radeon 8040S vs AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the architectural generation difference between the AMD Radeon 8040S and the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU?

A: The Radeon 8040S uses RDNA 3.5 architecture on the Strix Halo chip, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU uses RDNA 3.0 architecture on the Hawk Point chip. Both are built on TSMC's 4 nm process node.

Q: How do the core counts compare between the two GPUs?

A: The Radeon 8040S has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, 32 ROPs, and 16 ray tracing cores. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The Radeon 8040S has a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2800 MHz. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has a base clock of 800 MHz and a boost clock of 2700 MHz.

Q: How does memory configuration differ?

A: The Radeon 8040S uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU has 16 GB of dedicated LPDDR5X memory on a 128-bit bus with 119.9 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The Radeon 8040S has a TDP of 55 W, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU has a TDP of 28 W. The Radeon 8040S is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, and the Ryzen Z2 GPU also has no power connectors.

Q: Which GPU has a higher theoretical compute throughput?

A: The Ryzen Z2 GPU delivers 8.294 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is significantly higher than the Radeon 8040S's 5.734 TFLOPS. Both achieve a 1:1 ratio for FP16.

Architecture Differences

The Radeon 8040S and the Ryzen Z2 GPU represent two distinct design approaches within AMD's mobile and console GPU lineup. The Radeon 8040S is built on the Strix Halo chip using RDNA 3.5 architecture, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU uses the Hawk Point chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture. Both are fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm process, but the similarities end there.

The Radeon 8040S has a larger die at 308 mm², while the Ryzen Z2 GPU's die measures 178 mm². The Ryzen Z2 GPU has a disclosed transistor count of 25,390 million and a transistor density of 142.6M / mm², whereas the Radeon 8040S's transistor count is listed as unknown. This size difference reflects the Radeon 8040S's higher core count: 1024 shading units versus 768, 64 TMUs versus 48, and 16 ray tracing cores versus 12. Both GPUs have 32 ROPs.

The clock behavior also diverges. The Radeon 8040S operates at a base clock of 1295 MHz and boosts to 2800 MHz. The Ryzen Z2 GPU starts at a lower 800 MHz base and reaches 2700 MHz boost. Despite the lower core count and clocks, the Ryzen Z2 GPU achieves higher FP32 throughput at 8.294 TFLOPS compared to the Radeon 8040S's 5.734 TFLOPS. This efficiency likely stems from architectural refinements in the Hawk Point design.

Memory handling represents a fundamental difference. The Radeon 8040S relies entirely on system shared memory, with its bandwidth described as system dependent. The Ryzen Z2 GPU uses 16 GB of dedicated LPDDR5X memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 119.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock for the Ryzen Z2 GPU is 937 MHz (7.5 Gbps effective), while the Radeon 8040S has no dedicated memory clock.

The Radeon 8040S connects through PCIe 5.0 x16, whereas the Ryzen Z2 GPU has no listed bus interface. Display outputs differ as well: the Radeon 8040S is portable device dependent, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU offers 1x USB Type-C. The Radeon 8040S is classified as an IGP with a 55 W TDP, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU draws 28 W.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between these two GPUs. The Ryzen Z2 GPU is the compute-oriented part, delivering 8.294 TFLOPS of FP32 performance from a 28 W envelope. It offers dedicated 16 GB LPDDR5X memory with 119.9 GB/s bandwidth, making it a self-contained graphics solution. The Radeon 8040S, by contrast, relies on system shared memory and produces 5.734 TFLOPS, but it does so with a larger core configuration and a higher 55 W TDP.

For applications that benefit from raw shader throughput and dedicated memory bandwidth, the Ryzen Z2 GPU holds the advantage. Its FP32 output is roughly 45% higher than the Radeon 8040S. The Radeon 8040S counters with more shading units, more TMUs, and more ray tracing cores, which could benefit workloads that scale with those resources rather than raw FLOPs.

The Radeon 8040S sits in the 17th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2440. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce 710M at 2433 (0.3% ahead), the Intel HD Graphics 610 at 2425 (0.6% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710M at 2422 (0.7% ahead). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 7400 by 1.1%, which scores 2467. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no recorded benchmark scores and no nearest rivals in the database, so direct measured comparisons are unavailable.

The choice depends on the target platform. The Ryzen Z2 GPU suits a console-style device with fixed memory and modest power draw. The Radeon 8040S fits a portable system where shared memory and a higher TDP are acceptable, and where the extra ray tracing cores and TMUs may matter.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measured specification. The Radeon 8040S uses RDNA 3.5 architecture on the Strix Halo chip, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU uses RDNA 3.0 on Hawk Point. Both are 4 nm TSMC parts, but the die size differs: 308 mm² for the Radeon 8040S versus 178 mm² for the Ryzen Z2 GPU. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has a disclosed transistor count of 25,390 million and a density of 142.6M / mm²; the Radeon 8040S's transistor count is unknown.

Clock speeds show the Radeon 8040S running at 1295 MHz base and 2800 MHz boost, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU runs at 800 MHz base and 2700 MHz boost. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has a memory clock of 937 MHz (7.5 Gbps effective), while the Radeon 8040S's memory clock is system shared. Memory capacity is 16 GB LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus for the Ryzen Z2 GPU, with 119.9 GB/s bandwidth; the Radeon 8040S uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Core counts favor the Radeon 8040S: 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 16 RT cores, versus 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 12 RT cores for the Ryzen Z2 GPU. Pixel rates are close at 89.60 GPixel/s for the Radeon 8040S and 86.40 GPixel/s for the Ryzen Z2 GPU, but texture rates differ more substantially at 179.2 GTexel/s versus 129.6 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 both sit at 5.734 TFLOPS for the Radeon 8040S and 8.294 TFLOPS for the Ryzen Z2 GPU.

Power and connectivity also diverge. The Radeon 8040S has a 55 W TDP, is an IGP, uses PCIe 5.0 x16, and has portable device dependent display outputs. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has a 28 W TDP, no slot width listed, no bus interface listed, and 1x USB Type-C display output. Both have no power connectors and support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons between the Radeon 8040S and the Ryzen Z2 GPU. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no recorded benchmark scores, an average benchmark score of 0, and an empty nearest rivals list. This means any direct performance comparison must rely on the recorded specifications and the Radeon 8040S's standalone measurements.

The Radeon 8040S's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 10578, a Passmark G2D score of 1052, and a Passmark GPU compute score of 5138. Its DirectX legacy scores are 134 for DirectX 9, 80 for DirectX 11, 48 for DirectX 10, and 47 for DirectX 12. The average benchmark score across all tests is 2440.

The Ryzen Z2 GPU's higher FP32 throughput of 8.294 TFLOPS versus 5.734 TFLOPS suggests it would outperform the Radeon 8040S in compute-heavy workloads, but without recorded benchmark data, this remains a specification-based inference. The Radeon 8040S's higher texture rate of 179.2 GTexel/s versus 129.6 GTexel/s indicates an advantage in texture-bound scenarios, and its higher pixel rate of 89.60 GPixel/s versus 86.40 GPixel/s gives it a slight edge in fill-rate-limited tasks.

The Radeon 8040S's nearest rival data places it in a narrow performance band. It is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 710M, 0.6% ahead of the Intel HD Graphics 610, and 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710M, while sitting 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7400. These deltas are small, indicating that the Radeon 8040S performs in a tightly contested segment.

Where Each One Wins

The Ryzen Z2 GPU wins on raw compute throughput. Its 8.294 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance exceeds the Radeon 8040S's 5.734 TFLOPS by a substantial margin. This advantage makes it the stronger choice for shader-heavy workloads, general-purpose GPU compute, and applications that scale with FLOPs rather than texture units. The dedicated 16 GB LPDDR5X memory with 119.9 GB/s bandwidth provides predictable, consistent memory performance, whereas the Radeon 8040S's system shared memory is system dependent.

The Radeon 8040S wins on geometry and texture processing. Its 64 TMUs deliver 179.2 GTexel/s, a 38% advantage over the Ryzen Z2 GPU's 129.6 GTexel/s. The 16 ray tracing cores versus 12 give it more hardware resources for ray-traced effects, and the 1024 shading units versus 768 provide more parallel lanes for workloads that use them efficiently. The higher boost clock of 2800 MHz versus 2700 MHz and the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface offer additional bandwidth for data transfer in systems that support it.

The power envelope favors the Ryzen Z2 GPU. At 28 W, it uses less than half the power of the Radeon 8040S's 55 W TDP while delivering higher FP32 throughput. This makes it more suitable for power-constrained devices like handheld consoles. The Radeon 8040S's higher TDP and IGP form factor suit larger portable devices where power is less constrained.

The Radeon 8040S has recorded benchmark results and a percentile ranking of 17, placing it in the lower range of all GPUs. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no recorded benchmarks, so its percentile of 50 is a placeholder rather than a measured result. For users who rely on database scores, the Radeon 8040S offers verifiable numbers; for those who prioritize theoretical compute and memory bandwidth, the Ryzen Z2 GPU presents a compelling specification sheet.