AMD Radeon 860M vs NVIDIA L20 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in overall benchmark performance?

A: The NVIDIA L20 records an average benchmark score of 251147 across all tests, while the AMD Radeon 860M records 26401. The L20 sits in the 99th percentile of all GPUs in the database, whereas the 860M sits in the 72nd percentile.

Q: Which GPU wins in the Geekbench OpenCL test, and by how much?

A: The NVIDIA L20 wins with a score of 274276 versus the AMD Radeon 860M's 22759. The delta is -91.7%, meaning the L20 delivers roughly 12 times the OpenCL score of the integrated part.

Q: Which GPU wins in the Geekbench Vulkan test, and by what margin?

A: The NVIDIA L20 also wins this test, scoring 228018 against the AMD Radeon 860M's 30043. The delta is -86.8%, indicating the L20's Vulkan score is approximately 7.6 times higher.

Q: What are the closest rivals to the AMD Radeon 860M in the database?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, which scores 26421 and is 0.1% ahead, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 at 26331 (0.3% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary at 26553 (0.6% ahead), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 at 26683 (1.1% ahead).

Q: What are the closest rivals to the NVIDIA L20 in the database?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA PG506-232 with an average score of 225124 (11.6% behind the L20), the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D at 219827 (14.2% behind), the NVIDIA L40 at 284111 (11.6% ahead), and the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation at 287237 (12.6% ahead).

Q: How many benchmark wins does each GPU record in the head-to-head comparison?

A: The NVIDIA L20 records 2 wins out of the 2 tests performed. The AMD Radeon 860M records 0 wins.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon 860M is an integrated graphics processor built on the Krackan Point chip, using the RDNA 3.5 architecture. It belongs to the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile and is fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The transistor count and die size are listed as unknown in the database. The GPU uses 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, 16 raster operation units, and 8 ray tracing cores. It has no dedicated tensor cores. The base clock is 600 MHz with a boost clock of 3000 MHz. Memory is system shared, with bandwidth described as system dependent.

The NVIDIA L20 is a discrete server GPU built on the AD102 chip, using the Ada Lovelace architecture. It belongs to the Server Ada (Lxx) generation and is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The database records 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 125.3M per mm². The L20 uses 11,776 shading units, 368 texture mapping units, 128 raster operation units, 92 ray tracing cores, and 368 tensor cores. The base clock is 1440 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. Memory consists of 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, providing 864.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The two GPUs differ fundamentally in their memory architecture. The 860M relies on system shared memory with bandwidth dependent on the host platform, while the L20 carries dedicated GDDR6 with a fixed bandwidth figure. The L20 also includes tensor cores, which the 860M lacks entirely. The shading unit count differs by a factor of 23, and the ray tracing core count differs by a factor of 11.5. Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 860M uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the L20 uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

The power characteristics differ substantially. The 860M has a TDP of 15 W and uses no power connectors, being an integrated part. The L20 has a TDP of 275 W, uses a single 16-pin power connector, and carries a suggested PSU rating of 600 W. The L20 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, with four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The 860M's display outputs are described as portable device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data covers two Geekbench tests. In OpenCL, the NVIDIA L20 scores 274276 against the AMD Radeon 860M's 22759. The delta of -91.7% expresses the 860M's score as a percentage of the L20's, meaning the L20 outperforms the integrated GPU by a factor of approximately 12. This is the larger margin of the two tests.

In Vulkan, the L20 scores 228018 against the 860M's 30043. The delta is -86.8%, meaning the L20 leads by a factor of approximately 7.6. The Vulkan margin is narrower than the OpenCL margin, but the L20 still wins decisively. The data shows that the L20's Vulkan score is lower than its OpenCL score, while the 860M's Vulkan score is higher than its OpenCL score. The 860M's Vulkan result of 30043 is 32% above its own OpenCL result, whereas the L20's Vulkan result is 17% below its OpenCL result.

The average benchmark score for the L20 is 251147, which is 9.5 times the 860M's average of 26401. The percentile difference is also stark: the L20 ranks in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the 860M ranks in the 72nd percentile. The nearest rival data confirms the positioning. The 860M sits within 1.1% of four rivals ranging from the RTX A4000 at 26683 to the RTX 5060 at 26331. The L20 sits between the PG506-232 at 225124 (11.6% behind) and the L40 at 284111 (11.6% ahead). The L20's closest rival above it, the RTX 6000 Ada Generation, is only 12.6% ahead, indicating the L20 is near the top of its segment.

The Verdict

The data shows a complete performance separation between these two GPUs. The NVIDIA L20 wins both head-to-head tests, records double the wins, and holds a 99th percentile ranking versus the 860M's 72nd percentile. The average benchmark score difference is approximately 9.5 times in favor of the L20.

The AMD Radeon 860M is positioned among low-end discrete GPUs. Its nearest rivals, the MX550, RTX 5060, RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, and RTX A4000, all sit within 1.1% of its average score. This places the 860M in a narrow performance band where small margins separate competitors. The 860M's 15 W TDP and integrated form factor indicate a part designed for power-constrained portable devices.

The NVIDIA L20 is positioned among high-end server accelerators. Its nearest rivals include the PG506-232, which is 11.6% slower, and the L40, which is 11.6% faster. The L20's 275 W TDP, dual-slot design, and 48 GB of GDDR6 memory indicate a professional compute workload orientation. The presence of tensor cores and 92 ray tracing cores further suggests deployment in AI inference and rendering tasks.

Users requiring maximum compute throughput, dedicated memory bandwidth, and server-grade features should select the NVIDIA L20. Users constrained by power envelopes, portable device integration, and modest graphics demands should select the AMD Radeon 860M. The 860M's Vulkan performance relative to its OpenCL performance is notably better, suggesting API-specific efficiency in its integrated architecture.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across every major specification category recorded in the database.

Process node: The 860M uses a 4 nm process; the L20 uses a 5 nm process. Both are fabricated by TSMC.

Transistors and die: The 860M's transistor count and die size are unknown. The L20 has 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, with a density of 125.3M per mm².

Clocks: The 860M has a 600 MHz base clock and a 3000 MHz boost clock. The L20 has a 1440 MHz base clock and a 2520 MHz boost clock.

Memory: The 860M uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The L20 uses 48 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Core configuration: The 860M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores. The L20 has 11,776 shading units, 368 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 92 ray tracing cores. The L20 also has 368 tensor cores; the 860M has none.

Rates: The 860M delivers 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 96.00 GTexel/s texture rate. The L20 delivers 322.6 GPixel/s and 927.4 GTexel/s.

Compute: The 860M offers 3.072 TFLOPS FP32 and 3.072 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1). The L20 offers 59.35 TFLOPS FP32 and 59.35 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1).

Power: The 860M has a 15 W TDP. The L20 has a 275 W TDP and a 600 W suggested PSU.

Physical: The 860M is an IGP with no slot width specification and no power connectors. The L20 is dual-slot, 267 mm long, 111 mm high, with a 1x 16-pin power connector.

Interface and outputs: The 860M uses PCIe 4.0 x8 with portable device dependent outputs. The L20 uses PCIe 4.0 x16 with 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Release dates: The 860M was released on 2025-02-28. The L20 was released on 2023-11-15.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA L20 wins in raw compute: The L20 leads in OpenCL by 91.7% and in Vulkan by 86.8%. Its FP32 throughput of 59.35 TFLOPS is 19.3 times the 860M's 3.072 TFLOPS. The pixel rate is 6.7 times higher, and the texture rate is 9.7 times higher.

NVIDIA L20 wins in memory capacity and bandwidth: The L20's dedicated 48 GB GDDR6 with 864.0 GB/s bandwidth stands in contrast to the 860M's shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. This gives the L20 a decisive advantage for large datasets and memory-intensive workloads.

NVIDIA L20 wins in professional features: The L20 includes 368 tensor cores and 92 ray tracing cores, while the 860M has no tensor cores and only 8 ray tracing cores. The L20's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface doubles the 860M's x8 interface bandwidth.

AMD Radeon 860M wins in power efficiency: The 860M's 15 W TDP is 18.3 times lower than the L20's 275 W TDP. For battery-powered portable devices, this difference is decisive.

AMD Radeon 860M wins in integration: As an IGP, the 860M requires no power connectors, no cooling solution beyond the host device's, and no expansion slot. The L20 requires a dual-slot chassis, a 16-pin power connector, and a 600 W suggested PSU.

AMD Radeon 860M wins in Vulkan scaling: The 860M's Vulkan score of 30043 is 32% above its OpenCL score of 22759. The L20's Vulkan score of 228018 is 17% below its OpenCL score of 274276. The 860M shows better relative API efficiency in Vulkan.

NVIDIA L20 wins in market positioning: The L20 ranks in the 99th percentile of all GPUs, while the 860M ranks in the 72nd. The L20's nearest rivals are all professional or high-end parts; the 860M's nearest rivals are entry-level discrete GPUs.