AMD Radeon Pro 455 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive picture across all three shared tests. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 wins every head-to-head comparison, with margins that range from substantial to overwhelming.

In the geekbench_metal test, the GTX 1080 scores 23,824 against the Radeon Pro 455's 15,916. That represents a 33.2% advantage for the NVIDIA card. While the Pro 455's Metal score is respectable for a mobile-oriented part, the GTX 1080's result places it in a different performance tier entirely.

The gap widens dramatically in geekbench_opencl. The GTX 1080 delivers 51,204 points, while the Radeon Pro 455 manages only 10,336. The delta reaches 79.8%, meaning the NVIDIA card scores nearly five times higher in this compute-oriented workload. This is the single largest margin between the two in any benchmark. The OpenCL result highlights a fundamental difference in raw compute throughput that cannot be bridged by architectural efficiency alone.

The geekbench_vulkan test shows a 59.7% advantage for the GTX 1080, with scores of 30,398 versus 12,240. This places the NVIDIA card firmly ahead in modern graphics API performance, a category that increasingly matters for both gaming and professional visualization workloads.

The overall win tally is 3-0 in favor of the GTX 1080. The Radeon Pro 455 fails to claim a single benchmark victory. However, context matters: the Pro 455's average benchmark score of 12,831 places it at the 52nd percentile among all GPUs, while the GTX 1080's average of 11,960 sits at the 51st percentile. The average scores are influenced by the GTX 1080's broader benchmark suite, which includes several Passmark tests where it scores relatively low (93 in DirectX 10, 55 in DirectX 12, 124 in DirectX 11). These older API tests drag down its average despite its strong Geekbench showings.

Looking at nearest rivals for each card provides additional perspective. The Radeon Pro 455's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 with a delta of 0%, followed by the AMD FirePro W5100 at -0.1% and the AMD Radeon 740M at -0.3%. The GTX 1080's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A at -0.3%, with the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT at 1% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 at 2.4%. Neither card dominates its immediate competitive neighborhood; both sit in densely packed performance bands.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear separation of use cases. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is the superior performer in every shared benchmark, with margins ranging from 33.2% to 79.8%. For any workload that stresses compute throughput, OpenCL, or Vulkan rendering, the GTX 1080 is the obvious choice from these numbers alone.

The Radeon Pro 455 cannot compete on raw performance. Its best result relative to the GTX 1080 comes in Metal, where it trails by "only" 33.2%. That said, the Pro 455's 35 W TDP versus the GTX 1080's 180 W TDP tells a story of power efficiency. The Pro 455 consumes roughly one-fifth the power of the GTX 1080 while delivering between 20% and 67% of its performance depending on the test. For thermally constrained or battery-powered systems, the Pro 455 may be the only viable option regardless of performance.

The GTX 1080 is the pick for desktop workstations and high-performance laptops where power budget is not the primary constraint. Its 8 GB of GDDR5X memory versus 2 GB of GDDR5 means it can handle larger datasets and higher-resolution textures without swapping. The Pro 455 suits scenarios where the MXM module form factor and 35 W envelope are requirements, and where Metal API performance is the priority.

Neither card is current production; both are marked end-of-life. The GTX 1080 launched on 2016-05-26 with a launch MSRP of 599 USD. The Pro 455 followed on 2016-10-29 with no launch MSRP listed.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different foundries and process nodes. The AMD Radeon Pro 455 uses the Baffin chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 uses the GP104 chip on Pascal architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 16 nm process. Both are 2016-era designs, but they represent distinct engineering philosophies.

Transistor counts differ substantially. The GTX 1080 packs 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die, while the Pro 455 has 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. Transistor density is actually slightly higher on the smaller AMD chip: 24.4M per mm² versus 22.9M per mm². The GTX 1080 simply has more silicon to work with.

Core configurations reflect the transistor budget. The GTX 1080 has 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The Pro 455 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has over three times the shading units and four times the ROPs. This translates directly to pixel rate (110.9 GPixel/s versus 13.68 GPixel/s) and texture rate (277.3 GTexel/s versus 41.04 GTexel/s).

Memory subsystems are equally divergent. The GTX 1080 uses 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus, yielding 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pro 455 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 81.28 GB/s. The bandwidth gap is nearly 4x, which compounds the core count differences in memory-intensive workloads.

FP32 compute tells a similar story: the GTX 1080 delivers 8.873 TFLOPS versus 1,313.3 GFLOPS for the Pro 455. Notably, the Pro 455 offers a 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio, while the GTX 1080 has a 1:64 ratio (138.6 GFLOPS FP16). This makes the AMD card potentially more interesting for workloads that can leverage FP16, despite its overall lower throughput.

API support shows minor differences. Both support DirectX 12, but the GTX 1080 implements feature level 12_1 while the Pro 455 is at 12_0. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 1080 supports Vulkan 1.4 versus Vulkan 1.3 for the Pro 455.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 455 has an average benchmark score of 12,831, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 averages 11,960. However, the GTX 1080 was tested across a wider range of benchmarks, including several older DirectX tests where it scores low.

Q: How much faster is the GTX 1080 in OpenCL?

A: The GTX 1080 scores 51,204 in geekbench_opencl versus 10,336 for the Pro 455, a difference of 79.8% in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro 455 win any head-to-head benchmark?

A: No. Across the three shared tests — geekbench_metal, geekbench_opencl, and geekbench_vulkan — the GTX 1080 wins all three.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The GTX 1080 has 320.3 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR5X on a 256-bit bus. The Pro 455 has 81.28 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which card has higher transistor density?

A: The Radeon Pro 455 has a density of 24.4M transistors per mm², slightly higher than the GTX 1080's 22.9M per mm², despite having fewer total transistors (3,000 million vs 7,200 million).

Q: Are both cards still in production?

A: No. Both the AMD Radeon Pro 455 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 are marked as end-of-life products.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 wins in every performance metric measured in the head-to-head tests. Its advantages are most pronounced in OpenCL (79.8% faster), followed by Vulkan (59.7% faster) and Metal (33.2% faster). The GTX 1080 also offers 4x the memory capacity and 3.94x the memory bandwidth, which matters for large textures, high-resolution rendering, and compute workloads that exceed the Pro 455's 2 GB frame buffer.

The AMD Radeon Pro 455 wins in power efficiency and form factor. At 35 W TDP with no power connectors required, it fits into an MXM module that can be integrated into compact or portable systems. The GTX 1080 requires 180 W and a dual-slot cooler with an 8-pin power connector, plus a suggested 450 W power supply. The Pro 455 also has a 1:1 FP16 ratio, which could benefit specific compute tasks that NVIDIA's 1:64 ratio handles poorly.

For Metal-specific workloads, the Pro 455's 15,916 score is not embarrassing; it trails the GTX 1080 by a smaller margin than in other tests. The GTX 1080's 23,824 Metal score still wins decisively, but the Pro 455's relative strength in Metal suggests macOS or Metal-optimized applications close the gap somewhat.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro 455 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 |

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

| Process Node | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) | 16 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 3,000 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 314 mm² |

| Memory Size | 2 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR5X |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 81.28 GB/s | 320.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 2,560 |

| TMUs | 48 | 160 |

| ROPs | 16 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 13.68 GPixel/s | 110.9 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 41.04 GTexel/s | 277.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 1,313.3 GFLOPS | 8.873 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 1,313.3 GFLOPS (1:1) | 138.6 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 35 W | 180 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Memory Clock | 1270 MHz / 5.1 Gbps effective | 1251 MHz / 10 Gbps effective |

| Release Date | 2016-10-29 | 2016-05-26 |

| Launch MSRP | None listed | 599 USD |

The GTX 1080 has a base clock of 1607 MHz and boost clock of 1733 MHz; the Pro 455 has no listed base or boost clocks. The GTX 1080 measures 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 40 mm in width; the Pro 455 has no listed dimensions. Display outputs also differ: the GTX 1080 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Pro 455's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent."