AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile and AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 represent two distinct approaches to professional graphics, separated by roughly four years of architectural evolution. The data shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD part, which wins 8 of 9 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, but the single NVIDIA win is substantial enough to warrant close inspection. This analysis walks through the benchmark results, identifies where each GPU excels, and clarifies the specification and architectural gaps that explain their performance profiles.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head data is the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile’s performance in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the NVIDIA card scores 88,144 against the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700’s 63,550, a delta of 38.7% in NVIDIA’s favor. This is the only test the RTX A5000 Mobile wins, and it wins by a wide margin. The Vulkan result suggests that NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture retains a significant advantage in low-level, cross-platform graphics APIs, likely due to its mature driver stack and specific scheduling optimizations. For any workload that leans heavily on Vulkan, this is a meaningful edge.

Every other benchmark in the comparison goes to the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700, and several of these wins are overwhelming. The largest delta is in Passmark DirectX 9, where AMD scores 363 against NVIDIA’s 169, a difference of 53.4%. This is an old API, but the magnitude of the win indicates that the AMD part’s raw rasterization throughput is far higher. The Passmark GPU Compute test tells a similar story: AMD scores 15,300 versus NVIDIA’s 6,945, a 54.6% advantage. That is the single biggest percentage gap in the entire dataset, and it underscores the AMD GPU’s superior compute throughput for general-purpose workloads.

The DirectX 11 result is nearly as lopsided. AMD’s score of 272 more than doubles NVIDIA’s 133, representing a 51.1% lead. In DirectX 10, AMD leads 155 to 115, a 25.8% margin. The DirectX 12 test is closer, with AMD ahead 83 to 72, a 13.3% delta, but the AMD part still wins. Even in the 2D graphics test, AMD dominates: 1,236 versus 629, a 49.1% advantage. The Passmark G3D score, which is a composite of 3D rendering performance, also goes to AMD decisively: 26,979 versus 15,779, a 41.5% lead.

The Geekbench OpenCL result is the closest of all, with AMD scoring 118,202 against NVIDIA’s 110,877, a slim 6.2% margin. This near-parity in OpenCL is notable because it suggests that while AMD has a massive lead in most synthetic rasterization and compute tests, the gap narrows considerably in heterogeneous computing workloads that are common in professional applications. Overall, the benchmark data paints a clear picture: the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the faster GPU in nearly every scenario, with particularly large advantages in legacy DirectX APIs and compute-heavy tasks, while the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile holds a specific, significant edge in Vulkan.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the benchmark results, the use-case split is straightforward. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile wins exclusively in Vulkan-based workloads. The 38.7% delta over the AMD part in Geekbench Vulkan is the kind of margin that would be noticeable in real-time rendering engines that use Vulkan as their primary API. This includes certain game engines, CAD visualizers, and scientific visualization tools that have adopted Vulkan for its low overhead and multi-threading efficiency. For professionals working in such environments, the RTX A5000 Mobile’s Vulkan performance is a concrete advantage that cannot be matched by the AMD card.

The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 wins everywhere else, and its wins are not marginal. The 54.6% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and the 53.4% lead in DirectX 9 indicate that this GPU is substantially better suited for compute-heavy tasks and for running applications that still rely on older DirectX versions. The 51.1% lead in DirectX 11 is equally important, as DirectX 11 remains a common rendering path in many professional and legacy applications. The 41.5% lead in Passmark G3D suggests that for general 3D rendering, the AMD part is the more capable choice. The AMD card also wins the OpenCL test, albeit narrowly, meaning that even in the compute arena where NVIDIA is traditionally strong, the AMD part comes out ahead. The 2D graphics win, while less critical for most professional workloads, further cements the AMD GPU’s overall superiority.

In practical terms, the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the GPU to choose for tasks like GPU-accelerated compute, machine learning inference (given its strong compute scores), and any software stack that relies on DirectX 11 or older. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is the better pick only for Vulkan-centric pipelines, where its 38.7% advantage could translate into smoother real-time performance.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile has a higher average benchmark score of 24,763, compared to the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700’s 23,315. However, this aggregate figure is heavily influenced by the NVIDIA card’s single, large Vulkan win and does not reflect the AMD card’s dominance in the majority of individual tests.

Q: How do the two GPUs rank against all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile sits in the 70th percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 sits in the 69th percentile. Despite the AMD card winning 8 of 9 head-to-head tests, their overall percentile rankings are nearly identical, indicating that both are positioned in the same broad performance tier.

Q: What is the closest rival for each GPU based on average score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 590, with a delta of only 0.1%. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 M290X, also with a delta of 0.2%. This suggests that both GPUs sit in a tightly contested performance bracket.

Q: In which benchmark does the NVIDIA card have its biggest lead?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile’s biggest lead is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it scores 88,144 against the AMD card’s 63,550, a 38.7% advantage. This is the only benchmark where the NVIDIA card wins.

Q: In which benchmark does the AMD card have its biggest lead?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700’s biggest lead is in the Passmark GPU Compute test, where it scores 15,300 against the NVIDIA card’s 6,945, a 54.6% advantage. The AMD card also leads by 53.4% in DirectX 9 and 51.1% in DirectX 11.

Q: What are the release dates and production statuses of the two GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile was released on 2021-04-11 and is marked as end-of-life. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 was released on 2025-07-22 and is marked as active in production.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for the two GPUs reveal substantial differences that explain the benchmark results. The most obvious disparity is in memory: the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, double the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile’s 16 GB. The AMD card also has a higher memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, compared to the NVIDIA card’s 448.0 GB/s, despite both using a 256-bit bus. The AMD GPU’s memory clock is 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA GPU runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

Clock speeds are also dramatically different. The AMD card has a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2350 MHz, and a boost clock of 2920 MHz. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 900 MHz and a boost clock of 1575 MHz. This clock speed advantage contributes directly to the AMD card’s higher theoretical throughput. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 delivers 47.84 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 performance, while the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile delivers 19.35 TFLOPS in both. The AMD card also has higher pixel and texture rates: 373.8 GPixel/s and 747.5 GTexel/s, versus 151.2 GPixel/s and 302.4 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA card.

The power and physical specifications differ sharply as well. The AMD card has a TDP of 300 W and requires a 1x 16-pin power connector with a suggested 700 W power supply. It is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length. The NVIDIA card, designed for mobile use, has a TDP of 150 W and uses no power connectors. The bus interface also differs: the AMD card uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the NVIDIA card uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs are another point of divergence, with the AMD card offering 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a, while the NVIDIA card’s outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between the two GPUs is generational. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA104 chip fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process. The die size is 392 mm² and contains 17,400 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 uses the newer RDNA 4.0 architecture, with the Navi 48 chip manufactured by TSMC on a 4 nm process. Its die is slightly smaller at 357 mm², but it packs far more transistors: 53,900 million, resulting in a transistor density of 151.0M per mm². This density advantage is a direct result of the more advanced process node.

The core configurations differ significantly. The NVIDIA card has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The AMD card has fewer shading units at 4,096, but more TMUs at 256 and more ROPs at 128. It also has 64 ray tracing cores. Notably, the AMD card has no tensor core count listed, while the NVIDIA card’s 192 tensor cores are a defining feature of the Ampere architecture. The NVIDIA GPU is part of the Ampere-MW (Ax000) generation, while the AMD GPU belongs to the Radeon Pro Navi (Navi IV Series). The NVIDIA card’s predecessor is the Quadro Turing-M, and its successor is Ada-MW; the AMD card’s predecessor is the Radeon Pro Vega. Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is not a differentiator.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear choice for most professional use cases: the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the superior GPU in raw performance. It wins 8 of 9 head-to-head benchmarks, with decisive leads in compute and legacy DirectX workloads. Its 47.84 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, 32 GB of memory, and 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth make it a formidable tool for compute-heavy tasks, large datasets, and modern rendering. The 54.6% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and the 51.1% lead in DirectX 11 are the kinds of margins that will be immediately noticeable in professional applications. The AMD card is also the newer product, released in 2025 and still in active production, whereas the NVIDIA card is end-of-life. For anyone prioritizing compute throughput, high-resolution textures, or multi-tasking across memory-intensive workloads, the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the data-backed winner.

However, the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile should not be dismissed. Its 38.7% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is a significant, specialized advantage. For software pipelines that are built around Vulkan, this GPU will deliver noticeably better frame rates and smoother interactions. Additionally, the NVIDIA card’s 150 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it suitable for mobile or power-constrained deployments, whereas the AMD card is a 300 W dual-slot desktop part. The NVIDIA card’s 192 tensor cores, a feature absent from the AMD card’s spec sheet, may also be relevant for certain AI-accelerated workloads that leverage these dedicated cores. Ultimately, the choice depends on the workload: the AMD GPU for general and compute-heavy performance, the NVIDIA GPU for Vulkan-specific and power-efficient scenarios. The benchmark data does not lie — the AMD part wins the majority, but the NVIDIA part wins where it counts for a niche set of users.