AMD Radeon 860M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q Comparison

AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q occupy opposite ends of the mobile graphics spectrum. The 860M is an integrated processor from AMD’s Krackan Point line, built on RDNA 3.5 architecture and rated at a 15 W TDP. The RTX 4090 Max-Q is a discrete GeForce 40-series part using Ada Lovelace architecture, with an 80 W TDP. Direct head-to-head benchmark comparisons are not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies on their individual specifications and the 860M’s measured performance data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no shared benchmark results for these two GPUs. The AMD Radeon 860M has recorded scores in two tests: 22,759 in Geekbench OpenCL and 30,043 in Geekbench Vulkan, giving an average benchmark score of 26,401. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, so a direct numerical comparison of application performance is not possible.

The 860M’s average score places it at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 at 26,421 (0.1% behind the 860M), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 at 26,331 (0.3% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary at 26,553 (0.6% behind), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 at 26,683 (1.1% behind). These narrow margins show that the 860M sits in a competitive mid-range performance cluster, trading places with a range of discrete and integrated solutions.

The RTX 4090 Max-Q lacks comparable data. Its percentile ranking is 50, and its average benchmark score is listed as zero, which reflects missing measurements rather than a hardware failure. Without recorded scores, the database cannot confirm how the RTX 4090 Max-Q performs relative to the 860M or any other GPU.

Architecture Differences

The two chips use fundamentally different designs. The AMD Radeon 860M is an integrated graphics processor based on the Krackan Point chip, using RDNA 3.5 architecture from the Navi III IGP generation. It is fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 4090 Max-Q uses the AD103 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture from the GeForce 40 Mobile generation, manufactured on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC.

Compute resources differ dramatically. The 860M has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, 16 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, and 76 ray tracing cores. The RTX 4090 Max-Q also includes 304 tensor cores, a feature class absent from the 860M’s specification list.

Clock speeds show a different pattern. The 860M runs at a base clock of 600 MHz and a boost clock of 3000 MHz. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has a higher base clock of 930 MHz but a much lower boost clock of 1455 MHz. These figures reflect the different power envelopes and thermal designs of the two parts.

Memory architecture is one of the clearest separations. The 860M uses system shared memory, with its bandwidth listed as system dependent. The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256 bit bus, providing 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth, with a memory clock of 2250 MHz or 18 Gbps effective.

The transistor counts also differ substantially. The RTX 4090 Max-Q contains 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, with a transistor density of 121.1M per mm². The 860M’s transistor count and die size are listed as unknown.

Power delivery differs as well. The 860M is rated at 15 W TDP, while the RTX 4090 Max-Q is rated at 80 W TDP. Both use the PCIe 4.0 interface, but the 860M connects via x8 lanes while the RTX 4090 Max-Q uses x16 lanes.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon 860M is positioned for efficiency. Its 15 W TDP allows it to operate as an integrated processor without a separate power connector, and its system shared memory design simplifies laptop construction. The recorded benchmark scores, with a Vulkan result of 30,043 and an OpenCL result of 22,759, show that it can handle general graphics workloads despite its integrated nature. Its 72nd percentile ranking and close margins against rivals like the MX550 and RTX 5060 indicate that it competes with entry-level discrete GPUs in compute tasks.

The RTX 4090 Max-Q is positioned for raw capability. Its 9,728 shading units, 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores give it a far larger execution resource pool than the 860M. The 16 GB GDDR6 frame buffer with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth provides dedicated memory bandwidth that the 860M cannot match with shared system memory. The RTX 4090 Max-Q’s 28.31 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 163.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are substantially higher than the 860M’s 3.072 TFLOPS and 48.00 GPixel/s.

The boost clock difference works in the 860M’s favor. A 3000 MHz boost clock on the 860M versus 1455 MHz on the RTX 4090 Max-Q suggests that the integrated part can reach higher frequencies, though this is offset by the RTX 4090 Max-Q’s massive advantage in execution units.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4090 Max-Q has 9,728 shading units, while the AMD Radeon 860M has 512.

Q: What is the memory configuration of each GPU?

A: The RTX 4090 Max-Q uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 860M uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.

Q: How do their power ratings compare?

A: The 860M is rated at 15 W TDP, and the RTX 4090 Max-Q is rated at 80 W TDP.

Q: What benchmark data exists for the AMD Radeon 860M?

A: The 860M scores 22,759 in Geekbench OpenCL and 30,043 in Geekbench Vulkan, with an average benchmark score of 26,401.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 Max-Q have any recorded benchmark scores?

A: No, the database lists no benchmark scores for the RTX 4090 Max-Q, and its average benchmark score is recorded as zero.

Q: What are the ray tracing core counts?

A: The 860M has 8 ray tracing cores, and the RTX 4090 Max-Q has 76.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear separation of roles. The AMD Radeon 860M is an integrated solution with a 15 W TDP, system shared memory, and an active production status. Its measured performance in OpenCL and Vulkan places it at the 72nd percentile, with rivals within a 1.1% margin, indicating that it delivers usable compute performance for a low-power integrated part.

The RTX 4090 Max-Q is a discrete mobile GPU with a much larger execution resource pool: 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 76 ray tracing cores, and 304 tensor cores. Its 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth and 28.31 TFLOPS FP32 throughput put it in a different performance class on paper. The absence of benchmark scores for the RTX 4090 Max-Q means its real-world standing cannot be confirmed from the database, but its specifications indicate a substantial hardware advantage.

Users who need a low-power integrated GPU for general tasks should consider the 860M. Users who need maximum mobile graphics capability on paper should consider the RTX 4090 Max-Q, based on its far larger compute and memory resources.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon 860M | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Max-Q |

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

| Chip | Krackan Point | AD103 |

| Architecture | RDNA 3.5 | Ada Lovelace |

| Generation | Navi III IGP (Strix Point Mobile) | GeForce 40 Mobile |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | unknown | 45,900 million |

| Die Size | unknown | 379 mm² |

| Base Clock | 600 MHz | 930 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 3000 MHz | 1455 MHz |

| Memory Size | System Shared | 16 GB |

| Memory Type | System Shared | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | System Shared | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | System Dependent | 576.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 9,728 |

| TMUs | 32 | 304 |

| ROPs | 16 | 112 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 8 | 76 |

| Tensor Cores | null | 304 |

| Pixel Rate | 48.00 GPixel/s | 163.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 96.00 GTexel/s | 442.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.072 TFLOPS | 28.31 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 15 W | 80 W |

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

| Release Date | 2025-02-28 | 2023-01-02 |

| Predecessor | Navi II IGP | GeForce 30 Mobile |

| Successor | null | GeForce 50 Mobile |