AMD Radeon 860M vs NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark database splits these two mobile graphics processors by use case rather than by direct competition. The AMD Radeon 860M, an integrated graphics solution, records two benchmark scores: 22,759 in Geekbench OpenCL and 30,043 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its average benchmark score is 26,401, placing it at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation, a discrete embedded part, has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, with an average score of 0 and a percentile ranking of 50. This means the Radeon 860M has concrete, measurable performance data while the RTX 3500 Embedded does not, so the integrated part wins the available benchmark comparisons by default.

The Radeon 860M's nearest rivals provide context for its positioning. It sits within 1.1% of the NVIDIA RTX A4000, which scores 26,683 and represents a -1.1% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26,553, a -0.6% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26,421, a -0.1% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 scores 26,331, a +0.3% delta. These numbers indicate the Radeon 860M performs within a narrow band of discrete mobile and desktop GPUs, despite being an integrated part with shared system memory. Its Vulkan score of 30,043 is notably higher than its OpenCL score of 22,759, suggesting the RDNA 3.5 architecture handles Vulkan workloads more efficiently than OpenCL in the recorded tests.

The RTX 3500 Embedded has no wins in any category because no benchmark data exists for it. Its percentile ranking of 50 sits below the Radeon 860M's 72nd percentile, but this ranking is based on the absence of scores rather than measured performance. The database indicates the RTX 3500 Embedded belongs to the Ada-MW generation, with a predecessor of Ampere-MW and a successor of Blackwell-MW, but without recorded scores, its real-world performance cannot be compared directly.

Architecture Differences

The two processors use fundamentally different architectures and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon 860M uses the Krackan Point chip with RDNA 3.5 architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm process. It belongs to the Navi III IGP generation for Strix Point Mobile. The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process, and belongs to the Ada-MW generation within the GeForce 30-series family. Both use TSMC as the foundry, but the process nodes differ: 4 nm for AMD versus 5 nm for NVIDIA.

The RTX 3500 Embedded has a transistor count of 35,800 million on a die size of 294 mm², yielding a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The Radeon 860M's transistor count and die size are listed as unknown, so no density figure can be calculated. The NVIDIA part also carries explicit specifications for its compute resources: 5,120 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, 64 raster output units, 40 ray tracing cores, and 160 tensor cores. The AMD part has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and 8 ray tracing cores, with no tensor cores listed. This is a 10:1 ratio in shading units, 5:1 in TMUs, 4:1 in ROPs, and 5:1 in ray tracing cores in favor of the NVIDIA part.

Clock behavior diverges sharply. The Radeon 860M has a base clock of 600 MHz and a boost clock of 3,000 MHz. The RTX 3500 Embedded has a base clock of 1,725 MHz and a boost clock of 2,250 MHz. The AMD part boosts 750 MHz higher but starts 1,125 MHz lower. Memory configurations are entirely different: the Radeon 860M uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, while the RTX 3500 Embedded has 12 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 2,250 MHz, running at 18 Gbps effective.

Compute throughput numbers reflect the resource disparity. The Radeon 860M delivers 3.072 TFLOPS FP32 and 3.072 TFLOPS FP16 with a 1:1 ratio. The RTX 3500 Embedded delivers 23.04 TFLOPS FP32 and 23.04 TFLOPS FP16, also with a 1:1 ratio. That is a 7.5x difference in raw compute. Pixel rates are 48.00 GPixel/s for AMD versus 144.0 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, a 3x difference. Texture rates are 96.00 GTexel/s versus 360.0 GTexel/s, a 3.75x difference.

Power envelopes differ substantially. The Radeon 860M has a TDP of 15 W, while the RTX 3500 Embedded has a TDP of 100 W. The NVIDIA part also lists a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the AMD part has no suggested PSU. Both use PCIe 4.0, but the Radeon 860M uses an x8 interface while the RTX 3500 Embedded uses x16. Display outputs differ: the Radeon 860M is portable device dependent, while the RTX 3500 Embedded has no outputs. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M has an average benchmark score of 26,401, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation has an average score of 0 due to no recorded benchmarks.

Q: What is the difference in shading units between the two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded has 5,120 shading units, while the AMD Radeon 860M has 512 shading units, a 10:1 difference.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon 860M uses system shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M has a boost clock of 3,000 MHz, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded has a boost clock of 2,250 MHz.

Q: What are the process nodes for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M uses TSMC's 4 nm process, while the NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded uses TSMC's 5 nm process.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same APIs?

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

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon 860M | NVIDIA RTX 3500 Embedded Ada Generation |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 3.5 | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | Unknown | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | Unknown | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | N/A | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 600 MHz | 1,725 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 3,000 MHz | 2,250 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 | 512 | 5,120 |

| TMUs | 32 | 160 |

| ROPs | 16 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 8 | 40 |

| Tensor Cores | N/A | 160 |

| Pixel Rate | 48.00 GPixel/s | 144.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 96.00 GTexel/s | 360.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 3.072 TFLOPS | 23.04 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 3.072 TFLOPS (1:1) | 23.04 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 15 W | 100 W |

| Suggested PSU | N/A | 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 | N/A | Blackwell-MW |

The release dates show the Radeon 860M launched later by nearly two years. The production status for both is active. Both have no launch MSRP recorded in the database. Both are integrated form factors with no power connectors and no dimensions listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark entries between these two GPUs, with both wins counters at zero. However, the available individual scores for the Radeon 860M allow for indirect comparison through its nearest rivals. The Radeon 860M's Geekbench Vulkan score of 30,043 is its stronger result, exceeding its OpenCL score of 22,759 by 7,284 points, a 32% margin within its own results. This Vulkan strength aligns with its 72nd percentile ranking, which places it above the RTX 3500 Embedded's 50th percentile.

In the nearest rival comparisons for the Radeon 860M, the closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 with an average score of 26,421, only 0.1% behind the Radeon 860M's 26,401. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 scores 26,331, which is 0.3% ahead of the Radeon 860M, meaning the Radeon 860M trails that part by a marginal amount. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26,553, a 0.6% advantage over the Radeon 860M. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 scores 26,683, a 1.1% advantage. These deltas show the Radeon 860M sits in a competitive band where the largest gap to any rival is just over one percentage point.

For the RTX 3500 Embedded, no benchmark scores exist, so no nearest rivals are listed and no deltas can be computed. The database records its raw specifications, which indicate substantially higher theoretical throughput: 23.04 TFLOPS FP32 versus 3.072 TFLOPS for the Radeon 860M, 144.0 GPixel/s versus 48.00 GPixel/s, and 360.0 GTexel/s versus 96.00 GTexel/s. These numbers suggest the NVIDIA part has a large theoretical advantage in compute-heavy workloads, but without recorded benchmark results, the database cannot confirm real-world performance. The Radeon 860M, despite its lower theoretical specifications, has measurable scores that place it within 1.1% of discrete GPUs like the RTX A4000, indicating its integrated design with high boost clocks compensates partially for fewer compute resources.