AMD Radeon 840M vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains no head-to-head benchmark entries for this pairing. The database lists zero wins for either part in direct comparisons, and the average benchmark score for both the AMD Radeon 840M and the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation is recorded as zero. With no measured performance deltas available, the head-to-head comparison rests entirely on architectural specifications and theoretical throughput figures rather than observed application results.

The raw compute gap between the two is substantial. The RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation delivers 23.04 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, while the Radeon 840M reaches 1,484.8 GFLOPS, which converts to approximately 1.48 TFLOPS. That places the NVIDIA part at roughly 15.5 times the raw shader throughput of the AMD IGP. Pixel throughput tells a similar story: the RTX 3500 reaches 144.0 GPixel/s versus 23.20 GPixel/s for the Radeon 840M, a 6.2x advantage. Texture rate favors NVIDIA even more decisively at 360.0 GTexel/s compared to 46.40 GTexel/s, an 7.8x margin.

Memory bandwidth amplifies the separation. The RTX 3500 uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s. The Radeon 840M relies on system-shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent. In any configuration where the host platform provides conventional DDR5 memory, the dedicated GDDR6 implementation will hold a commanding bandwidth advantage, though the exact figure depends on the host system's memory configuration.

Clock behavior differs in an interesting way. The Radeon 840M has a lower base clock of 400 MHz but boosts to 2900 MHz, a 7.25x range between idle and peak. The RTX 3500 runs a base of 1725 MHz and boosts to 2250 MHz, a much tighter 1.3x range. The AMD part's wide clock envelope reflects its nature as a low-power integrated GPU that can drop to very low frequencies when idle, while the NVIDIA part operates closer to a sustained frequency band.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 840M wins in power efficiency and integration simplicity. Its thermal design power is recorded at 15 W, compared to 100 W for the RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation. That 85 W difference makes the Radeon suitable for thin-and-light portable devices where cooling capacity and battery life dominate design constraints. The Radeon 840M also uses no power connectors and requires no suggested PSU rating, whereas the RTX 3500 lists a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Radeon's system-shared memory eliminates the need for dedicated VRAM components, reducing board complexity and bill-of-materials cost for the overall platform.

The Radeon 840M also carries a newer manufacturing process. It uses a 4 nm node from TSMC, while the RTX 3500 uses 5 nm. The smaller node gives the AMD part a density and efficiency advantage at the transistor level, though the RTX 3500 compensates with far more silicon. The RTX 3500 integrates 35,800 million transistors across a 294 mm² die, with a density of 121.8M transistors per mm². The Radeon 840M's transistor count and die size are recorded as unknown, so no direct density comparison is possible.

The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation wins in every raw performance category. Its 5,120 shading units dwarf the Radeon's 256. Texture mapping units stand at 160 versus 16, and render output units at 64 versus 8. The NVIDIA part also brings 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores, while the Radeon 840M includes 4 ray tracing cores and has no tensor core count recorded. For ray-traced workloads, the RTX 3500's 40 dedicated RT cores provide hardware acceleration that the Radeon's 4 RT cores cannot match in sheer throughput.

The RTX 3500 also wins on memory configuration. Its 12 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth is a fixed resource not shared with the CPU. The Radeon 840M's system-shared memory means the GPU must compete with the processor for the same memory pool, and the available bandwidth fluctuates with the host platform's memory subsystem.

Architecture Differences

The two parts come from different architectural lineages. The AMD Radeon 840M is built on RDNA 3.5, part of the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile. Its chip is designated Krackan Point. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 uses Ada Lovelace architecture on the AD104 chip, belonging to the Ada-MW generation. The AMD part's predecessor is listed as Navi II IGP, while the NVIDIA part's predecessor is Ampere-MW and its successor is Blackwell-MW.

Process technology differs by one node step. TSMC fabricates the Radeon 840M at 4 nm, while the RTX 3500 uses TSMC's 5 nm process. Both parts use PCIe 4.0, but with different lane widths: the Radeon 840M connects via x8, the RTX 3500 via x16. The wider interface doubles the potential host-to-device bandwidth for the NVIDIA part, though the Radeon's system-shared memory architecture relies on that interface for all data movement.

The compute resource allocation reveals the fundamental design split. The Radeon 840M allocates 256 shading units, 16 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The RTX 3500 allocates 5,120 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The NVIDIA part's ratio of TMUs to shading units is 1:32, identical to the Radeon's 16:256 ratio. ROP ratios differ: the RTX 3500 has 64 ROPs against 5,120 shaders (1:80), while the Radeon has 8 ROPs against 256 shaders (1:32), giving the AMD part relatively more ROP throughput per shader.

Ray tracing hardware differs by an order of magnitude. The RTX 3500 carries 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores. The Radeon 840M carries 4 RT cores and no recorded tensor core count. The tensor core absence means the AMD part cannot accelerate AI workloads through dedicated tensor hardware, while the RTX 3500's 160 tensor cores provide substantial matrix math throughput for machine learning inference and training tasks.

Both parts support the same API level: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. FP16 throughput matches FP32 at a 1:1 ratio on both parts, meaning neither has a half-rate FP16 penalty. The Radeon 840M lists display outputs as portable device dependent, while the RTX 3500 lists no outputs, reflecting its role as an embedded part that renders frames for other hardware to display.

The release timeline separates the two by nearly two years. The RTX 3500 launched on 2023-03-20, while the Radeon 840M launched on 2025-02-28. Both remain in active production status.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw FP32 compute?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation delivers 23.04 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, which is approximately 15.5 times the 1,484.8 GFLOPS (1.48 TFLOPS) of the AMD Radeon 840M.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes. Both parts support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The Radeon 840M has a 15 W TDP with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The RTX 3500 has a 100 W TDP, no power connectors, and lists a suggested PSU of 300 W.

Q: Can the Radeon 840M perform hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, it includes 4 ray tracing cores. The RTX 3500 includes 40 ray tracing cores, a 10x difference in RT core count.

Q: What memory does each GPU use?

A: The Radeon 840M uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. The RTX 3500 uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has tensor cores?

A: The RTX 3500 has 160 tensor cores. The Radeon 840M has no tensor core count recorded, indicating no dedicated tensor hardware.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon 840M | NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 3.5 | Ada Lovelace |

| Chip | Krackan Point | AD104 |

| Generation | Navi III IGP (Strix Point Mobile) | Ada-MW |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | Unknown | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | Unknown | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | Not recorded | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 400 MHz | 1725 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2900 MHz | 2250 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 256 | 5120 |

| TMUs | 16 | 160 |

| ROPs | 8 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 4 | 40 |

| Tensor Cores | Not recorded | 160 |

| Pixel Rate | 23.20 GPixel/s | 144.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 46.40 GTexel/s | 360.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Throughput | 1,484.8 GFLOPS | 23.04 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Throughput | 1,484.8 GFLOPS (1:1) | 23.04 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 15 W | 100 W |

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

| Release Date | 2025-02-28 | 2023-03-20 |

| Predecessor | Navi II IGP | Ampere-MW |

| Successor | Not recorded | Blackwell-MW |

The two GPUs share identical API support, production status, slot width (IGP), power connector configuration (none), and FP16 to FP32 ratio (1:1). They diverge across every other recorded specification, with the RTX 3500 holding the advantage in compute resources, memory, and throughput, while the Radeon 840M counters with lower power draw, a newer process node, and a later release date.