AMD Radeon 860M vs AMD Radeon AI PRO 9600D Comparison

The AMD Radeon 860M and the AMD Radeon AI PRO 9600D represent two distinct extremes within AMD's current mobile and professional lineups. The 860M is a low-power integrated graphics processor (IGP) designed for thin-and-light laptops, while the AI PRO 9600D is a high-performance, single-slot discrete workstation card. The database records show no direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons between the two, but their architectural blueprints, performance ceilings, and specification sheets paint a clear picture of their intended roles.

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon 860M wins in scenarios where power efficiency and physical footprint are the primary constraints. As an IGP with a 15 W TDP and no power connectors, it is designed to be integrated directly onto a motherboard, sharing system memory. Its benchmark results, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 22759 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 30043, indicate it is a capable performer for an integrated solution. The database places its average benchmark score at 26401, which puts it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, a surprisingly strong position for a chip that consumes so little power. It is the only option for ultra-portable systems where a discrete card cannot physically fit.

The Radeon AI PRO 9600D wins in raw compute, memory capacity, and bandwidth. With a boost clock of 2020 MHz, 3072 shading units, and 48 ray tracing cores, it delivers substantially higher peak throughput. The card’s 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth, a figure that dwarfs the system-shared memory of the 860M. This makes it suited for professional workloads like large dataset manipulation, AI inference, and high-resolution rendering, where the 860M would run out of memory and compute resources quickly. The AI PRO 9600D’s 150 W TDP and single-slot cooler allow it to sustain high clocks for extended periods, something a 15 W IGP cannot do.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different generations of AMD’s RDNA architecture. The Radeon 860M uses RDNA 3.5, a refined version of the previous generation, and is part of the Navi III IGP (Strix Point Mobile) generation. The Radeon AI PRO 9600D uses RDNA 4.0, the latest architecture, and belongs to the Radeon Pro Navi (Navi IV Series) generation. Both are fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The underlying chips are entirely different. The 860M is based on the Krackan Point chip, while the AI PRO 9600D uses the Navi 48 chip. The Navi 48 is a massive die, measuring 357 mm² and containing 53,900 million transistors, with a transistor density of 151.0M per mm². The 860M’s chip details are not recorded in the database, but its much lower core count and power envelope imply a significantly smaller die. The AI PRO 9600D’s architecture also introduces a new feature set, including a different ray tracing implementation, though specific details of that implementation are not listed in the database.

The memory architecture is a fundamental split. The 860M uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it borrows from the host system’s RAM, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." The AI PRO 9600D has dedicated 32 GB of GDDR6 memory with a fixed 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. This distinction affects not just capacity but also latency and consistency, as the discrete card’s memory is not shared with the CPU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the Radeon 860M and the Radeon AI PRO 9600D, and the wins count for each is zero. However, the recorded performance figures for the 860M allow for a meaningful comparison against its own nearest rivals, which provides context for its standing in the market.

The 860M’s average benchmark score of 26401 places it in a tight competitive cluster. It sits just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, which scores 26421. It is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, which scores 26331. Against the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, the 860M is 0.6% behind, as that card scores 26553. The largest gap is against the NVIDIA RTX A4000, where the 860M trails by 1.1%, with the A4000 scoring 26683. These deltas are all within a narrow 1.4% band, indicating that the 860M delivers performance nearly identical to those discrete and older-generation cards, despite being an integrated solution.

The AI PRO 9600D has no recorded benchmarks or rivals in the database, so its absolute performance level cannot be quantified relative to other cards. Its specifications, however, suggest it operates in a different performance class entirely. Its pixel rate of 193.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 387.8 GTexel/s are roughly four times the 48.00 GPixel/s and 96.00 GTexel/s of the 860M. Its FP32 compute of 24.82 TFLOPS is over eight times the 860M’s 3.072 TFLOPS. These are not marginal gains; they represent a step change in throughput.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for the two products diverge on nearly every measurable field.

• Shading Units: The 860M has 512, while the AI PRO 9600D has 3072.
• Texture Mapping Units (TMUs): The 860M has 32, while the AI PRO 9600D has 192.
• Render Output Units (ROPs): The 860M has 16, while the AI PRO 9600D has 96.
• Ray Tracing Cores: The 860M has 8, while the AI PRO 9600D has 48.
• Base Clock: The 860M runs at 600 MHz, while the AI PRO 9600D runs at 1080 MHz.
• Boost Clock: The 860M boosts to 3000 MHz, while the AI PRO 9600D boosts to 2020 MHz. The 860M’s higher boost clock does not compensate for its much lower core count.
• Memory Size: The 860M uses System Shared, while the AI PRO 9600D has 32 GB.
• Memory Type: The 860M uses System Shared, while the AI PRO 9600D uses GDDR6.
• Memory Bus Width: The 860M uses System Shared, while the AI PRO 9600D has a 256 bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: The 860M is System Dependent, while the AI PRO 9600D has 576.0 GB/s.
• FP32 Performance: The 860M delivers 3.072 TFLOPS, while the AI PRO 9600D delivers 24.82 TFLOPS.
• Pixel Rate: The 860M is 48.00 GPixel/s, while the AI PRO 9600D is 193.9 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: The 860M is 96.00 GTexel/s, while the AI PRO 9600D is 387.8 GTexel/s.
• TDP: The 860M is rated at 15 W, while the AI PRO 9600D is rated at 150 W.
• Slot Width: The 860M is an IGP, while the AI PRO 9600D is Single-slot.
• Power Connectors: The 860M has None, while the AI PRO 9600D has 1x 16-pin.
• Suggested PSU: The 860M has none listed, while the AI PRO 9600D suggests a 450 W PSU.
• Bus Interface: The 860M uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the AI PRO 9600D uses PCIe 5.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: The 860M is Portable Device Dependent, while the AI PRO 9600D has 1x DisplayPort 2.1a.
• Dimensions: The 860M has no recorded dimensions, while the AI PRO 9600D measures 241 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 19 mm in width.
• Release Date: The 860M was released on 2025-02-28, while the AI PRO 9600D was released on 2025-12-10.
• Predecessor: The 860M’s predecessor is Navi II IGP, while the AI PRO 9600D’s predecessor is Radeon Pro Vega.
• Memory Clock: The AI PRO 9600D runs its memory at 2250 MHz, or 18 Gbps effective. The 860M’s memory clock is system dependent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M has a higher boost clock at 3000 MHz, compared to the AMD Radeon AI PRO 9600D’s boost of 2020 MHz.

Q: How much memory does the AMD Radeon AI PRO 9600D have?

A: The AI PRO 9600D has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the TDP of the AMD Radeon 860M?

A: The Radeon 860M has a TDP of 15 W and uses no power connectors, functioning as an integrated GPU.

Q: Which architecture does each GPU use?

A: The Radeon 860M uses RDNA 3.5, while the Radeon AI PRO 9600D uses RDNA 4.0.

Q: How does the Radeon 860M compare to the NVIDIA GeForce MX550?

A: The database shows the Radeon 860M has an average benchmark score of 26401, which is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce MX550’s score of 26421.

Q: What is the FP32 compute performance of the AI PRO 9600D?

A: The AI PRO 9600D delivers 24.82 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, compared to the 860M’s 3.072 TFLOPS.