AMD Radeon 820M vs AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data presents two AMD integrated graphics solutions aimed at different segments. The AMD Radeon 820M, a 4 nm RDNA 3.5 part from the Krackan Point 2 chip, is positioned as a low-power IGP with a 15 W TDP. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU, a 6 nm RDNA 2.0 part from the Rembrandt+ chip, is a console-class GPU with a 28 W TDP and 16 GB of dedicated LPDDR5 memory.

Based strictly on the available specifications, the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU is the substantially stronger part. It delivers 4.147 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 716.8 GFLOPS for the Radeon 820M, which translates to roughly 5.8 times the raw shader throughput. The Z2 Go also has 768 shading units against 128, 48 texture mapping units against 8, and 32 ROPs against 4. Its pixel rate of 86.40 GPixel/s is roughly 7.7 times higher than the 11.20 GPixel/s of the 820M, and its texture rate of 129.6 GTexel/s is about 5.8 times higher than 22.40 GTexel/s.

The Radeon 820M does hold architectural advantages in node technology and feature set. It uses a smaller 4 nm process versus 6 nm, and it is built on newer RDNA 3.5 versus RDNA 2.0. Its boost clock is higher at 2800 MHz versus 2700 MHz, and it has 2 ray tracing cores compared to 12 on the Z2 Go, though the 820M's ray tracing cores operate within a much smaller overall pipeline.

The data indicates a clear performance hierarchy. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU would be the choice for workloads requiring substantial graphics throughput, such as higher-resolution rendering or more demanding gaming. The Radeon 820M would be chosen for low-power, thin-and-light mobile designs where battery life and thermal headroom take priority over raw performance. Both parts share the same API support, including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so software compatibility is equivalent.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different generations of AMD graphics architecture. The Radeon 820M is built on RDNA 3.5, part of the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU uses RDNA 2.0 from the older Rembrandt+ chip. This architectural gap explains several key differences in how each part is constructed and operated.

The manufacturing process differs significantly. The Radeon 820M uses a 4 nm TSMC node, while the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU uses a 6 nm TSMC node. The Z2 Go provides additional physical data: it contains 13,100 million transistors on a 208 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 63.0M per mm². The 820M lists its transistor count and die size as unknown, so no direct density comparison can be made from the database.

Clock behavior differs in both base and boost frequencies. The Radeon 820M has a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2800 MHz. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has a higher base clock of 800 MHz but a lower boost clock of 2700 MHz. The Z2 Go also reports a memory clock of 800 MHz with 6.4 Gbps effective transfer, whereas the 820M uses system shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent.

Memory configuration is a major differentiator. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 820M uses system shared memory, meaning its capacity, bus width, and bandwidth all depend on the host platform rather than being fixed specifications. This gives the Z2 Go a predictable memory performance profile, while the 820M's memory behavior varies with the system it is installed in.

Compute resources scale accordingly. The Z2 Go has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. The 820M has 128 shading units, 8 TMUs, 4 ROPs, and 2 ray tracing cores. The FP16 throughput also differs in ratio: the 820M delivers 716.8 GFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio to FP32, while the Z2 Go delivers 8.294 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, indicating a more heavily optimized FP16 path on the console-class part.

Power delivery and integration also differ. The Radeon 820M is an IGP with a 15 W TDP, a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface, and no power connectors. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has a 28 W TDP and no power connectors, and its display output is listed as a single USB Type-C port, whereas the 820M's display outputs are described as portable device dependent. The Z2 Go lists no bus interface in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark scores for these two GPUs, and neither part has individual benchmark results recorded. The analysis must therefore rely on the fixed specification values, which are fully documented.

The largest advantage for the Ryzen Z2 Go GPU appears in pixel throughput. Its 86.40 GPixel/s pixel rate is 7.7 times the 11.20 GPixel/s of the Radeon 820M. This indicates a substantial difference in fill-rate-bound workloads, such as high-resolution rendering with heavy overdraw. The Z2 Go's 32 ROPs versus 4 ROPs directly drives this gap.

Texture throughput shows a similar pattern. The Z2 Go delivers 129.6 GTexel/s against 22.40 GTexel/s for the 820M, a factor of 5.8. With 48 TMUs versus 8, the Z2 Go can handle far more texture-heavy scenes before becoming limited. The 820M's higher boost clock of 2800 MHz versus 2700 MHz narrows the per-clock gap slightly, but the 6:1 TMU ratio is too large to overcome.

Compute throughput follows the same trend. The Z2 Go's 4.147 TFLOPS FP32 performance is 5.8 times the 820M's 716.8 GFLOPS. In FP16 workloads, the Z2 Go reaches 8.294 TFLOPS, which is 11.6 times the 820M's 716.8 GFLOPS, because the Z2 Go uses a 2:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio while the 820M uses a 1:1 ratio. This makes the Z2 Go particularly dominant in mixed-precision compute tasks.

Memory bandwidth heavily favors the Z2 Go. Its fixed 102.4 GB/s over a 128-bit LPDDR5 interface contrasts with the 820M's system dependent shared memory. In practice, the 820M's bandwidth will be constrained by the host platform's memory configuration, which the database does not specify. The Z2 Go's dedicated 16 GB allocation removes this variable.

The Radeon 820M does win on clock speed. Its 2800 MHz boost is 100 MHz higher than the Z2 Go's 2700 MHz. Its base clock of 400 MHz is half the Z2 Go's 800 MHz, but the 820M's boost ceiling is higher. This higher boost clock helps the 820M extract more performance per shader, but the Z2 Go's 6:1 shader count advantage makes the per-clock efficiency irrelevant in overall throughput comparisons.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more raw compute power?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU. It delivers 4.147 TFLOPS FP32 and 8.294 TFLOPS FP16, while the AMD Radeon 820M delivers 716.8 GFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16.

Q: What are the TDP differences between these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon 820M has a 15 W TDP. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has a 28 W TDP. The Z2 Go consumes 13 W more but provides roughly 5.8 times the FP32 throughput.

Q: How does memory configuration differ?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon 820M uses system shared memory, with its size, bus width, and bandwidth dependent on the host system.

Q: Which architecture is newer?

A: The AMD Radeon 820M uses RDNA 3.5 on a 4 nm process. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU uses RDNA 2.0 on a 6 nm process. The 820M is from the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile, while the Z2 Go is from the Console GPU generation.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon 820M is also listed with a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface, while the Z2 Go has no bus interface listed.

Q: Which GPU has more ray tracing cores?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU has 12 ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon 820M has 2 ray tracing cores. The Z2 Go also has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, compared to 128 shading units, 8 TMUs, and 4 ROPs on the 820M.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go GPU wins decisively in every throughput category recorded in the database. It has 6 times the shading units, 6 times the TMUs, 8 times the ROPs, and 6 times the ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate of 86.40 GPixel/s is 7.7 times the 820M's 11.20 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 129.6 GTexel/s is 5.8 times the 820M's 22.40 GTexel/s. Its FP32 output of 4.147 TFLOPS is 5.8 times the 820M's 716.8 GFLOPS. Its FP16 output of 8.294 TFLOPS is 11.6 times the 820M's 716.8 GFLOPS. The 16 GB LPDDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides a fixed, high-bandwidth memory pool that the 820M cannot match with system dependent shared memory.

The AMD Radeon 820M wins on integration efficiency and process technology. It uses a smaller 4 nm node versus 6 nm, which typically allows lower power draw for a given workload. Its 15 W TDP is 13 W lower than the Z2 Go's 28 W TDP. It also has a higher boost clock of 2800 MHz versus 2700 MHz, and it is built on newer RDNA 3.5 architecture, which includes a more advanced feature set than RDNA 2.0. The 820M is an IGP with a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, designed for portable devices where the display output is dependent on the host platform.

For use cases, the data supports a clear split. The Ryzen Z2 Go GPU is suited for scenarios demanding high fill rates, heavy texture work, or substantial compute throughput, such as gaming at higher resolutions or running graphics-intensive applications. Its 16 GB dedicated memory and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth make it self-contained. The Radeon 820M is suited for low-power mobile devices where 15 W TDP and the 4 nm process are priorities. Its higher boost clock and newer architecture provide respectable per-shader performance, but its 128 shading units and 4 ROPs limit it to lighter workloads. The Z2 Go's 28 W TDP and console GPU classification indicate it targets a different, more performance-oriented product segment.