GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile and AMD Radeon HD 8950M represent two very different eras of mobile graphics, separated by eight years of architectural evolution. The data shows a generational chasm: the RTX A2000 Mobile leads by over 300% in both available cross-benchmarks, driven by a newer node, a larger die, and a feature set that includes dedicated ray tracing and tensor hardware. The HD 8950M, a GCN 2.0 part from 2013, is now firmly a legacy product, though its own benchmark profile indicates it remains a functional entry-level option in synthetic tests.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile than the AMD Radeon HD 8950M in OpenCL?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile scores 56,518 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the HD 8950M scores 13,772. This yields a deltaPct of 310.4%, meaning the NVIDIA part is roughly four times faster in this test.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon HD 8950M support ray tracing?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists no RT cores for the HD 8950M, while the RTX A2000 Mobile includes 20 RT cores. Furthermore, the AMD part supports DirectX 12 (12_0), whereas the NVIDIA part supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which is the feature level required for hardware ray tracing.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile has 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth, with 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M has 88.00 GB/s, with 2 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus width. The NVIDIA part offers more than double the bandwidth.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile is built on an 8 nm Samsung process with 8,700 million transistors in a 200 mm² die, resulting in 43.5M / mm². The HD 8950M uses TSMC's 28 nm process with 2,080 million transistors in a 160 mm² die, giving 13.0M / mm². The NVIDIA GPU packs over three times the density.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are marked as "End-of-life" in the FACT PACK. The RTX A2000 Mobile was released on 2021-04-11, while the HD 8950M was released on 2013-05-13.

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX A2000 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 13,821, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The HD 8950M averages 13,376, sitting at the 54th percentile. Despite the small average score gap, the individual tests show a huge performance disparity.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental split between these two GPUs is architectural generation. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm Samsung process with GA107 chip. It packs 8,700 million transistors into a 200 mm² die. The AMD Radeon HD 8950M uses the older GCN 2.0 architecture, with the Saturn chip on a 28 nm TSMC process, holding 2,080 million transistors in a 160 mm² die. The process node difference alone (8 nm vs 28 nm) explains much of the transistor density gap: 43.5M / mm² versus 13.0M / mm².

The compute resources differ dramatically. The RTX A2000 Mobile features 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The HD 8950M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA part also adds dedicated hardware absent from the AMD chip: 20 RT cores for ray tracing and 80 tensor cores for AI workloads. The HD 8950M lists no RT or tensor cores.

Feature support tells the same story. The RTX A2000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 8950M supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part's newer Vulkan version and higher DirectX feature level indicate support for modern rendering techniques that the GCN 2.0 part cannot handle. Memory technology also diverges: GDDR6 at 12 Gbps effective on the NVIDIA side versus GDDR5 at 5.5 Gbps effective on the AMD side.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Only two common benchmarks exist in the FACT PACK, and both show overwhelming NVIDIA dominance. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX A2000 Mobile scores 56,518 against 13,772 for the HD 8950M, a deltaPct of 310.4%. In Geekbench Vulkan, the NVIDIA part scores 53,146 versus 12,979, a deltaPct of 309.5%. The RTX A2000 Mobile wins both tests, giving it a 2–0 head-to-head record.

The scale of these wins is worth emphasizing. A 310% delta means the newer GPU delivers roughly 4.1 times the OpenCL performance. This is not a marginal generation-over-generation gain; it reflects the combined effect of a smaller process node, more than triple the shading units (2,560 vs 768), and nearly 5.2 times the FP32 throughput (8.637 TFLOPS vs 1.651 TFLOPS). The Vulkan gap is nearly identical, suggesting that the performance difference is consistent across compute APIs rather than being driver-specific.

The average benchmark scores tell a more muted story. The RTX A2000 Mobile averages 13,821 overall, while the HD 8950M averages 13,376. That is a mere 3.3% difference, despite the 300%+ margins in the two shared tests. This discrepancy arises because the average includes tests not run on both cards. The NVIDIA part has additional Passmark scores (DirectX 9: 115, DirectX 10: 57, DirectX 11: 68, DirectX 12: 47, G2D: 491, G3D: 9,611, GPU Compute: 4,334), while the HD 8950M only lists the two Geekbench results. The overall percentile ranking (55th vs 54th) is close, but this metric is skewed by the incomplete test coverage for the AMD part.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The process node is 8 nm Samsung for NVIDIA versus 28 nm TSMC for AMD. Transistor count is 8,700 million versus 2,080 million, with die sizes of 200 mm² versus 160 mm². Memory configuration: 4 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, versus 2 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 88.00 GB/s.

Compute units: 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, 48 ROPs for the RTX A2000 Mobile; 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, 16 ROPs for the HD 8950M. The NVIDIA part has 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores; the AMD part has none. Pixel rate is 80.98 GPixel/s versus 17.20 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 135.0 GTexel/s versus 51.60 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 8.637 TFLOPS versus 1.651 TFLOPS. FP16 is available on NVIDIA at 8.637 TFLOPS (1:1) but is listed as null for AMD.

Power and physical specs also differ. The RTX A2000 Mobile has a TDP of 95 W and is an IGP form factor with no power connectors. The HD 8950M has a TDP of 100 W and uses an MXM Module slot. Both use PCIe, but the NVIDIA part runs PCIe 4.0 x16 while the AMD part uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Clock behavior is distinct: the RTX A2000 Mobile has a base clock of 1215 MHz and boost of 1687 MHz, while the HD 8950M lists no base or boost clocks, only a memory clock of 1375 MHz (5.5 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA memory clock is 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective).

The Verdict

The data makes the choice unambiguous for any workload covered by the shared benchmarks. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile is categorically superior in raw compute, memory bandwidth, and feature support. It wins both head-to-head tests by over 300%, has more than double the memory bandwidth, and offers modern APIs (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4) that the HD 8950M cannot match. The HD 8950M's only nominal advantage is a 5 W lower TDP (95 W vs 100 W), but this is negligible given the performance gap.

For any user considering a GPU for current or near-current workloads, the RTX A2000 Mobile is the only rational choice from this data. The HD 8950M's 54th percentile ranking and lack of RT/tensor cores make it unsuitable for modern gaming or compute tasks that leverage those features. However, the HD 8950M's similar average score (13,376 vs 13,821) suggests that in older, less demanding applications, or those that do not scale with the NVIDIA part's massive shading unit count, the AMD card may still hold up. The data does not show the HD 8950M winning any test, so its case rests entirely on legacy compatibility.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile wins in every measured category. It dominates Geekbench OpenCL (56,518 vs 13,772) and Geekbench Vulkan (53,146 vs 12,979). Its 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores give it a clear edge in ray-traced rendering and AI-accelerated workloads, even though no specific benchmark for those features appears in the FACT PACK. The 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8.637 TFLOPS FP32 throughput make it the pick for compute-heavy tasks like scientific simulation or video encoding.

The AMD Radeon HD 8950M wins in no benchmark listed, but it has one practical edge: a lower power draw of 100 W TDP versus 95 W for the NVIDIA part, though this is marginal. Its MXM Module form factor may offer different upgrade paths in legacy laptops, but the data does not quantify that. For users constrained to a 2013-era system with a 100 W MXM slot, the HD 8950M is the only compatible option. Otherwise, the RTX A2000 Mobile's 310.4% OpenCL lead and 309.5% Vulkan lead leave no contest. The HD 8950M's niche is strictly historical: it is a functional GPU for retro software, not a competitor to the Ampere part.