AMD Radeon 8060S vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and the AMD Radeon 8060S represent two vastly different approaches to graphics hardware: one is a flagship desktop add-in board designed for maximum throughput, while the other is a mobile-class integrated graphics processor (IGP) built for efficiency. The benchmark data shows a complete sweep for the RTX 4090 across all three shared tests, with margins that underscore the performance gulf between a 450 W discrete GPU and a 55 W IGP. However, the Radeon 8060S holds its own in percentile ranking, suggesting that its target workloads and efficiency profile tell a different story than raw score comparisons alone.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victory for the RTX 4090 comes in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, a modern DirectX 12 workload that stresses geometry, ray tracing, and compute. Here, the RTX 4090 scores 9,223 against the Radeon 8060S’s 2,162, a delta of 326.6% in favor of NVIDIA. This means the RTX 4090 delivers over four times the performance in this specific test, reflecting its 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores compared to the AMD part’s 2,560 shading units and 40 RT cores. The 8060S’s score is not negligible—it places in the 87th percentile of all GPUs—but the absolute gap is the largest of any shared benchmark.

In compute-oriented workloads, the margin narrows but remains lopsided. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the RTX 4090 at 255,416 versus the 8060S’s 84,626, a 201.8% advantage. This aligns with the raw FP32 throughput figures: the RTX 4090 is rated at 82.58 TFLOPS while the 8060S manages 14.85 TFLOPS. The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story, with the RTX 4090 scoring 271,631 against 80,483, a 237.5% lead. Vulkan results are particularly interesting because both cards support the same API version (1.4), so the difference is purely a function of hardware capability—the RTX 4090’s 512 tensor cores and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth versus the 8060S’s system-shared memory with dependent bandwidth.

While the RTX 4090 wins all three head-to-head tests, the Radeon 8060S’s average benchmark score of 55,757 is remarkably close to the RTX 4090’s 60,347 when normalized across a broader benchmark suite. This is because the 8060S only has three benchmark results in the data set, all of which are modern API tests, whereas the RTX 4090’s average includes older DirectX 9, 10, and 11 workloads where its architecture may not scale linearly. The percentile rankings reinforce this: the RTX 4090 sits at the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the 8060S is at the 87th—a difference of just one percentile point despite the massive per-test deltas. This suggests that the 8060S, in its intended mobile context, is proportionally much stronger than its raw numbers against a desktop flagship imply.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347, while the AMD Radeon 8060S averages 55,757. That is a difference of roughly 8% in favor of the RTX 4090, though the 8060S’s average is based on only three tests compared to the RTX 4090’s ten.

Q: How do the two cards compare in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 9,223 versus the 8060S’s 2,162, giving NVIDIA a 326.6% advantage. This is the largest margin in any shared benchmark and reflects the RTX 4090’s much higher shading unit count and dedicated RT cores.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the Radeon 8060S wins?

A: No. In the three head-to-head tests—3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan—the RTX 4090 wins all of them, with deltas ranging from 201.8% to 326.6%.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each card among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4090 ranks in the 88th percentile, while the Radeon 8060S ranks in the 87th percentile. Despite the large performance gap in shared tests, both cards sit within one percentile point of each other, indicating the 8060S is a strong performer in its class.

Q: How does the memory configuration differ between the two?

A: The RTX 4090 uses 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The 8060S uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth, meaning its memory performance is tied to the host system’s RAM rather than dedicated VRAM.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RTX 4090 has a TDP of 450 W and uses a single 16-pin power connector, while the 8060S has a TDP of 55 W and requires no power connectors, as it is an integrated GPU. The RTX 4090 also suggests an 850 W power supply, whereas the 8060S has no such recommendation.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 4090 is the superior performer in every shared benchmark, with leads of 201.8% to 326.6%. For any workload that prioritizes raw frame rates, compute throughput, or ray tracing performance, the RTX 4090 is the only logical choice. Its 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 rating and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth are in a different league from the 8060S’s 14.85 TFLOPS and system-shared memory. The RTX 4090 also holds a slight edge in percentile ranking at 88 versus 87, though the difference is marginal.

However, the Radeon 8060S is not a failure by any measure. Its average benchmark score of 55,757 places it within 8% of the RTX 4090’s 60,347, and its 87th percentile ranking means it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs. The 8060S achieves this with a 55 W TDP and no power connectors, making it suitable for thin-and-light portable devices where the RTX 4090’s 450 W TDP and triple-slot cooler are physically impossible. The RTX 4090 is end-of-life, while the 8060S is an active product, so longevity favors AMD. For a desktop builder seeking maximum performance, the RTX 4090 is the clear winner. For a mobile user who needs capable integrated graphics, the 8060S is the data-backed choice.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every physical and electrical specification. The RTX 4090 is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, while the 8060S uses a 4 nm process at the same foundry with a 308 mm² die and an unknown transistor count. The RTX 4090’s die is nearly twice the size, which aligns with its higher shading unit count (16,384 versus 2,560) and TMU count (512 versus 160). The ROP count also differs significantly: 176 on the RTX 4090 versus 64 on the 8060S.

Clock speeds tell a contrasting story. The RTX 4090 has a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, while the 8060S has a lower base of 1295 MHz but a much higher boost of 2900 MHz. This suggests the 8060S relies on aggressive boost behavior to compensate for fewer cores. Memory is another stark divide: the RTX 4090 offers 24 GB of GDDR6X with a 384-bit bus and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, whereas the 8060S uses system-shared memory with dependent bandwidth. The RTX 4090 also has dedicated tensor cores (512), while the 8060S has none listed.

Physical dimensions and power requirements are equally divergent. The RTX 4090 is a 304 mm long, 137 mm tall, 61 mm wide triple-slot card with a 16-pin connector and an 850 W suggested PSU. The 8060S is an IGP with no dimensions, no slot width beyond "IGP," and no power connectors. Bus interfaces differ as well: PCIe 4.0 x16 on the RTX 4090 versus PCIe 5.0 x16 on the 8060S. Display outputs also vary, with the RTX 4090 offering 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the 8060S’s outputs are portable-device dependent.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is fundamental. The RTX 4090 is based on NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD102 chip, and belongs to the GeForce 40 generation. The 8060S uses AMD’s RDNA 3.5 architecture on the Strix Halo chip, part of the Navi Mobile (RX 8000M) generation. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API-level features are identical, but the underlying hardware implementations differ substantially.

The RTX 4090’s Ada Lovelace architecture includes 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS. The 8060S has 40 RT cores but no tensor cores listed, meaning it lacks NVIDIA’s dedicated AI acceleration hardware. The process node difference is notable: the RTX 4090 uses 5 nm while the 8060S uses 4 nm, both from TSMC, but the 8060S’s smaller node allows for tighter integration in a mobile context. The transistor density reflects this: the RTX 4090 has 125.3M transistors per mm², while the 8060S’s density is not listed.

Cache hierarchies and memory subsystems are also architecturally distinct. The RTX 4090’s dedicated 24 GB GDDR6X pool with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is a fixed resource, whereas the 8060S’s system-shared memory means its performance scales with the host laptop’s RAM configuration. The RTX 4090’s pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s dwarf the 8060S’s 185.6 GPixel/s and 464.0 GTexel/s, respectively. These figures stem from the core count differences—the RTX 4090 has 512 TMUs against the 8060S’s 160—and directly impact fill-rate-bound workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 wins in every scenario that demands absolute performance. Its 326.6% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 makes it the clear choice for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, especially with ray tracing enabled, given its 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. The 201.8% OpenCL and 237.5% Vulkan leads position it strongly for GPU compute tasks such as rendering, machine learning inference, and scientific simulations. Its 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth is critical for large dataset workloads that would bottleneck on system-shared memory. For desktop users with an 850 W PSU and space for a triple-slot card, the RTX 4090 is the data-backed winner in all benchmarks.

The Radeon 8060S wins in scenarios where power efficiency and physical footprint are paramount. Its 55 W TDP is a fraction of the RTX 4090’s 450 W, and its IGP form factor means it requires no additional power connectors or cooling space. The 4 nm process and 308 mm² die make it suitable for portable devices where the RTX 4090’s 304 mm length and 61 mm width are impossible. In its nearest-rival context, the 8060S’s average score of 55,757 is within 0.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and 2.8% ahead of the RTX 4080, indicating that it competes with desktop discrete GPUs from a generation ago. Its 87th percentile ranking means it outperforms most integrated and entry-level discrete GPUs, making it the winner for thin-and-light laptops that need solid 1080p gaming or modest compute without a dGPU. The 8060S also has a production status of "Active," while the RTX 4090 is end-of-life, so the AMD part is the forward-looking option for new mobile designs.