GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 and AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 are both end-of-life workstation accelerators, but they target different workloads. The data shows a clear split: the AMD card leads in OpenCL compute, while the NVIDIA card dominates in Vulkan graphics. This guide breaks down their benchmark results, architectural differences, and practical implications based strictly on the provided specifications.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results show a decisive division of labor between these two cards. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 92,488, while the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 129,564. The margin in Vulkan is substantial: NVIDIA is 40.2% ahead of AMD in that test. Conversely, AMD is 19.8% ahead of NVIDIA in OpenCL. This suggests that the MI60 is optimized for general-purpose compute tasks that leverage OpenCL, while the RTX 6000 is better suited for graphics rendering and applications that use the Vulkan API.

Looking at the aggregate data, the NVIDIA card holds a higher average benchmark score of 101,872, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The AMD card’s average is 92,466, which puts it in the 93rd percentile. The RTX 6000’s overall lead is driven entirely by its Vulkan performance, which more than compensates for its OpenCL deficit. For users whose primary workload is compute-heavy and OpenCL-based, the MI60 is the stronger choice. For those running Vulkan-based graphics or compute workloads, the RTX 6000 is clearly superior.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 uses the TU102 chip based on the Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 24.7M per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 uses the Vega 20 chip based on GCN 5.1, fabricated on a more advanced 7 nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 13,230 million transistors into a much smaller 331 mm² die, achieving a significantly higher transistor density of 40.0M per mm².

The memory subsystems are also radically different. The RTX 6000 comes with 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The MI60 offers 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a massive 4096-bit bus, providing 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. This gives the AMD card a 53% advantage in raw memory bandwidth, which likely contributes to its OpenCL lead. The NVIDIA card compensates with higher clock speeds: its base clock is 1440 MHz and boost is 1770 MHz, compared to the MI60’s 1200 MHz base and 1800 MHz boost.

Feature-wise, the RTX 6000 includes 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores, which the MI60 lacks entirely. The NVIDIA card also has more shading units (4608 vs 4096), more texture mapping units (288 vs 256), and more ROPs (96 vs 64). The MI60 does support PCIe 4.0, while the RTX 6000 is limited to PCIe 3.0, giving AMD a potential advantage in data transfer speeds.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test is a clear win for the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60, scoring 92,488 against the RTX 6000’s 74,179. That is a delta of -19.8% for NVIDIA, meaning AMD is roughly 20% faster in this workload. This result aligns with the MI60’s superior memory bandwidth of 1.02 TB/s, which is 53% higher than the RTX 6000’s 672.0 GB/s. The MI60’s higher peak FP32 throughput of 14.75 TFLOPS versus 16.31 TFLOPS for NVIDIA suggests that memory bandwidth, not raw compute, is the limiting factor in this test.

The Geekbench Vulkan test flips the result dramatically. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 scores 129,564, while the MI60 scores 92,444. This gives NVIDIA a 40.2% advantage. The RTX 6000’s dedicated RT cores and tensor cores likely accelerate Vulkan workloads that use ray tracing or AI-based features. Its higher pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s (vs 115.2 GPixel/s for AMD) and higher texture rate of 509.8 GTexel/s (vs 460.8 GTexel/s) also contribute to better graphics performance.

In the broader context, the RTX 6000’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo (avg score 106,750, delta -4.6%) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X (avg score 107,342, delta -5.1%). This means the RTX 6000 is slightly behind those top-tier cards. The MI60’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (avg score 91,671, delta 0.9%), showing that it performs nearly identically to that NVIDIA card on average.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better overall average benchmark performance?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 has a higher average benchmark score of 101,872, compared to 92,466 for the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60. This places NVIDIA in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, versus the 93rd percentile for AMD.

Q: Why does the MI60 win in OpenCL but lose in Vulkan?

A: The MI60’s 1.02 TB/s memory bandwidth and 32 GB HBM2 memory provide a significant advantage in OpenCL compute tasks. The RTX 6000’s dedicated RT cores and tensor cores, along with higher pixel and texture rates, give it a 40.2% lead in Vulkan workloads.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The RTX 6000 uses 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The MI60 uses 32 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, offering 53% more bandwidth and 33% more capacity.

Q: Which card has a more advanced manufacturing process?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 uses a 7 nm process with a transistor density of 40.0M per mm². The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 uses a 12 nm process with a density of 24.7M per mm², making AMD’s process node more advanced.

Q: Does either card support hardware ray tracing?

A: Only the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 has RT cores (72 of them) and tensor cores (576). The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 has no RT cores or tensor cores, indicating no dedicated hardware for ray tracing or AI acceleration.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RTX 6000 has a TDP of 260 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The MI60 has a TDP of 300 W and a suggested PSU of 700 W. Both are dual-slot cards requiring a single 6-pin and a single 8-pin power connector.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward choice based on workload. For OpenCL-based compute, scientific simulation, or machine learning tasks that rely on massive memory bandwidth, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 is the clear winner. Its 32 GB of HBM2 memory and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth are unmatched by the RTX 6000, and its 19.8% OpenCL lead reflects this advantage. This card is also better suited for data-center environments where PCIe 4.0 support can reduce data transfer bottlenecks.

For graphics rendering, real-time visualization, or any workload that uses the Vulkan API, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 is the superior choice. Its 40.2% Vulkan lead is decisive, and its RT cores and tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and AI features that the MI60 simply cannot offer. The higher pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 509.8 GTexel/s further cement its graphics dominance.

Users who need a single card for mixed workloads should note that the RTX 6000 has a higher average benchmark score (101,872 vs 92,466) and higher percentile ranking (94 vs 93). However, the overall average masks the stark dichotomy: neither card is a generalist. The MI60 is a compute specialist, while the RTX 6000 is a graphics specialist. The correct pick depends entirely on which API and workload dominates your environment.

Specification Differences

• Process Node: NVIDIA uses 12 nm, AMD uses 7 nm.
• Transistors: NVIDIA has 18,600 million, AMD has 13,230 million.
• Die Size: NVIDIA is 754 mm², AMD is 331 mm².
• Transistor Density: NVIDIA is 24.7M / mm², AMD is 40.0M / mm².
• Base Clock: NVIDIA is 1440 MHz, AMD is 1200 MHz.
• Boost Clock: NVIDIA is 1770 MHz, AMD is 1800 MHz.
• Memory Size: NVIDIA is 24 GB, AMD is 32 GB.
• Memory Type: NVIDIA uses GDDR6, AMD uses HBM2.
• Memory Bus Width: NVIDIA is 384 bit, AMD is 4096 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: NVIDIA is 672.0 GB/s, AMD is 1.02 TB/s.
• Memory Clock: NVIDIA is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), AMD is 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective).
• Shading Units: NVIDIA has 4608, AMD has 4096.
• TMUs: NVIDIA has 288, AMD has 256.
• ROPs: NVIDIA has 96, AMD has 64.
• RT Cores: NVIDIA has 72, AMD has none.
• Tensor Cores: NVIDIA has 576, AMD has none.
• Pixel Rate: NVIDIA is 169.9 GPixel/s, AMD is 115.2 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: NVIDIA is 509.8 GTexel/s, AMD is 460.8 GTexel/s.
• FP32: NVIDIA is 16.31 TFLOPS, AMD is 14.75 TFLOPS.
• FP16: NVIDIA is 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1), AMD is 29.49 TFLOPS (2:1).
• TDP: NVIDIA is 260 W, AMD is 300 W.
• Suggested PSU: NVIDIA is 600 W, AMD is 700 W.
• Bus Interface: NVIDIA is PCIe 3.0 x16, AMD is PCIe 4.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: NVIDIA has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C, AMD has 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a.
• DirectX: NVIDIA supports 12 Ultimate (12_2), AMD supports 12 (12_1).
• Vulkan: NVIDIA supports 1.4, AMD supports 1.3.
• Release Date: NVIDIA is 2018-08-12, AMD is 2018-11-17.
• Launch MSRP: NVIDIA is 6,299 USD, AMD has no listed MSRP.