AMD Radeon 8060S vs AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Comparison

The AMD Radeon 8060S and AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 represent two distinct eras of AMD graphics, separated by nearly a decade of architectural evolution. The data shows the 8060S, a modern integrated graphics processor, decisively outperforms the older flagship discrete GPU across every benchmark recorded. The 8060S wins all three head-to-head comparisons, with margins ranging from 20.1% to 35.3%. Its average benchmark score of 55757 places it 11.5% above the Vega 64's 50001, though both cards occupy similar overall performance percentiles (87th for the 8060S, 86th for the Vega 64). This indicates the Vega 64 remains competitive in the broader GPU landscape, but the newer architecture delivers superior raw performance per unit of work.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most substantial victory for the AMD Radeon 8060S comes in the Geekbench OpenCL compute test, where it scores 84626 against the Vega 64's 62552. This represents a 35.3% advantage, the largest delta between the two cards. OpenCL performance reflects general-purpose compute workloads, and the 8060S's RDNA 3.5 architecture clearly excels in this area. The Vega 64's older GCN 5.0 design, while still capable, cannot match the throughput of the newer shader design.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the 8060S scores 2162, beating the Vega 64's 1669 by 29.5%. This is a modern DirectX 12 gaming workload, and the 8060S's 12 Ultimate (12_2) API support gives it a structural advantage. The Vega 64, limited to DirectX 12 (12_1), lacks some of the feature-level optimizations that newer games utilize. The 8060S also wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 80483 versus 67032, a 20.1% margin. This consistent win across all three APIs — OpenCL, DX12, and Vulkan — indicates the 8060S has a fundamental performance advantage that is not workload-specific.

The closest relative comparison for the 8060S is the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which scores 55698, a mere 0.1% behind. The Vega 64's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, scores 49957, just 0.1% behind the Vega 64. Interestingly, the 8060S is also 2.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (score 54247) in its nearestRivals list, while the Vega 64 is 3.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (score 48477). This shows the 8060S competes with much newer high-end discrete GPUs, while the Vega 64 is aligned with mid-range and previous-generation hardware.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental difference lies in the process node and architecture generation. The 8060S uses a 4 nm process at TSMC, while the Vega 64 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This process shrink is the primary driver of the 8060S's efficiency and performance gains. The 8060S's chip, codenamed Strix Halo, is built on RDNA 3.5 architecture, a significant evolution from the Vega 64's GCN 5.0. The transistor counts reflect this: the Vega 64 packs 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, while the 8060S's die size is 308 mm² with an unknown transistor count. The Vega 64's transistor density is listed as 25.3M / mm², which is a measure of its older, less dense design.

The 8060S is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a slot width of "IGP" and no power connectors, meaning it shares system memory. The Vega 64 is a dual-slot discrete card with 2x 8-pin power connectors and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The 8060S has a TDP of 55 W, while the Vega 64 draws 295 W. This 5.4x difference in power consumption explains why the 8060S can achieve higher performance despite being integrated — it is simply far more efficient per watt. The 8060S also supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Vega 64 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16, doubling the potential bandwidth for data transfer.

Feature support differs significantly. The 8060S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The 8060S also has 40 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature the Vega 64 lacks entirely. Shader model support is implicitly higher on the newer card due to the 12_2 feature level. The 8060S's pixel rate is 185.6 GPixel/s versus the Vega 64's 98.94 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 464.0 GTexel/s versus 395.8 GTexel/s — both metrics favor the 8060S.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 8060S wins in every benchmark category recorded. In compute-heavy OpenCL workloads, it leads by 35.3%, making it the clear choice for GPGPU tasks like data processing or scientific simulations. In gaming, its 29.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 indicates superior DirectX 12 performance, and its 20.1% lead in Vulkan shows strength across modern graphics APIs. The 8060S's ray tracing cores provide hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which is essential for modern AAA games with ray-traced effects — a feature completely absent from the Vega 64.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 does not win a single recorded benchmark. Its only potential advantages are qualitative. It has 8 GB of dedicated HBM2 memory with a 2048-bit bus width and 483.8 GB/s bandwidth. The 8060S uses System Shared memory, meaning its bandwidth is "System Dependent" and could be lower or higher depending on the system's RAM configuration. In scenarios where dedicated memory bandwidth is critical and the system RAM is slow, the Vega 64 might perform relatively better, but the benchmark data does not support this hypothesis. The Vega 64 also has more shading units (4096) and TMUs (256) than the 8060S (2560 shading units, 160 TMUs), but the 8060S's higher clock speeds (2900 MHz boost versus 1546 MHz boost) and architectural efficiency overcome this raw count disadvantage.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The 8060S has a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz; the Vega 64 runs at 1247 MHz base and 1546 MHz boost. Memory is the most stark difference: the 8060S uses System Shared memory with a System Dependent bus width and bandwidth, while the Vega 64 uses 8 GB of HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus and 483.8 GB/s bandwidth. The 8060S has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs; the Vega 64 has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The 8060S has 40 RT cores; the Vega 64 has none.

FP32 performance is 14.85 TFLOPS for the 8060S versus 12.66 TFLOPS for the Vega 64. FP16 performance is identical at 14.85 TFLOPS for the 8060S (1:1 ratio) versus 25.33 TFLOPS for the Vega 64 (2:1 ratio). The Vega 64's FP16 advantage is a legacy of its GCN design, but modern workloads rarely benefit from this. The 8060S has a TDP of 55 W and is an IGP with no power connectors; the Vega 64 has a TDP of 295 W, is dual-slot, and requires 2x 8-pin power connectors. The 8060S is 280 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide (11 x 4.4 x 1.6 inches); the 8060S's dimensions are listed as null, as it is an integrated part. The 8060S's display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," while the Vega 64 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The 8060S is Active with a release date of 2025-01-05, while the Vega 64 is End-of-life with a release date of 2017-08-06. The Vega 64 had a launch MSRP of 499 USD; the 8060S has no launch MSRP listed.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon 8060S leads in FP32 performance with 14.85 TFLOPS versus the Vega 64's 12.66 TFLOPS. However, the Vega 64 has higher FP16 performance at 25.33 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) compared to the 8060S's 14.85 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

Q: Does the Vega 64 have more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The Vega 64 has 8 GB of HBM2 memory with a 2048-bit bus and 483.8 GB/s bandwidth. The 8060S uses System Shared memory, where bandwidth is "System Dependent" and not fixed.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the AMD Radeon 8060S supports hardware ray tracing, featuring 40 dedicated RT cores. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has no RT cores and lacks this capability entirely.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The 8060S has a TDP of 55 W and requires no power connectors, as it is an integrated processor. The Vega 64 has a TDP of 295 W and requires 2x 8-pin power connectors with a suggested 600 W PSU.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking for each card?

A: The 8060S ranks in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, while the Vega 64 ranks in the 86th percentile. Despite the 8060S's higher average benchmark score (55757 vs 50001), the percentile difference is minimal.

Q: Which card has better API support?

A: The 8060S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The 8060S's newer API support enables features not available on the Vega 64.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon 8060S outperforms the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 in every recorded test. With a 29.5% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a 35.3% lead in OpenCL, and a 20.1% lead in Vulkan, the 8060S is the superior choice for modern gaming and compute workloads. Its architectural advantages — RDNA 3.5 versus GCN 5.0, 4 nm versus 14 nm process, DirectX 12 Ultimate versus 12_1, and dedicated ray tracing cores — make it a more future-proof solution. The Vega 64's only technical advantages are its dedicated 8 GB HBM2 memory with high bandwidth and its higher FP16 throughput, but these do not translate into benchmark wins.

For users building a new system, the 8060S's integrated nature means it replaces a discrete GPU entirely, offering top-tier performance at a fraction of the power draw (55 W versus 295 W). For those with an existing Vega 64, the data suggests an upgrade to a system with an 8060S would yield significant performance gains across all modern APIs. The Vega 64, while still ranking in the 86th percentile and competitive with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (0.1% delta), is end-of-life and cannot keep pace with the 8060S's efficiency and feature set. The choice is clear: the 8060S is the better performer, the better efficiency story, and the better platform for future software. The Vega 64 remains a historical footnote, a powerful card in its day that has been decisively surpassed by integrated silicon nearly a decade later.