AMD Radeon Pro 560 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 Comparison

# AMD Radeon Pro 560 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is the clear winner in direct benchmark comparisons, taking both available head-to-head tests and posting a higher average benchmark score overall. However, the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is a fundamentally different product—an integrated-class GPU for Mac systems with a 75 W TDP, versus a dual-slot, 300 W desktop monster from 2012. The GTX 690 wins on raw compute performance, but the Radeon Pro 560 counters with modern API support, a much smaller footprint, and nearly comparable efficiency in specific workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 wins with a score of 17,399, which is 10.9% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560's 15,504.

Q: How do the two compare in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The GTX 690 again takes the lead, scoring 16,675 versus the Radeon Pro 560's 16,232, a difference of 2.7%.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The Radeon Pro 560 averages 17,551 across its benchmark suite, while the GTX 690 averages 17,037. The Radeon Pro 560 sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs; the GTX 690 is in the 60th.

Q: Do both cards support Vulkan?

A: Yes, but at different versions. The Radeon Pro 560 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 690 supports Vulkan 1.2.175.

Q: What are the memory specifications?

A: The Radeon Pro 560 has 4 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 81.28 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 690 has 2 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The GTX 690 packs 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, versus the Radeon Pro 560's 3,000 million on 123 mm².

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different design philosophies and manufacturing eras. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 is built on GCN 4.0 architecture using a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 uses the older Kepler architecture on a 28 nm process from TSMC. This process gap explains the massive difference in transistor density: the Radeon Pro 560 achieves 24.4 million transistors per square millimeter, nearly double the GTX 690's 12.0 million.

The Radeon Pro 560 is part of the Radeon Pro Mac (500 Series) generation, released in 2017, whereas the GTX 690 belongs to the GeForce 600 family, launched in 2012. The Radeon Pro 560 uses a Polaris 21 chip with 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 690 uses a GK104 chip with 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs—essentially a dual-GPU configuration on one card.

Memory configurations differ substantially. The Radeon Pro 560 offers 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 81.28 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 690 provides 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 192.3 GB/s. The GTX 690's wider bus and higher memory clock (1502 MHz versus 1270 MHz) give it a clear bandwidth advantage.

API support shows a modern edge for the Radeon Pro 560. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 690 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Radeon Pro 560 also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the GTX 690 has no listed FP16 capability.

Power and physical design are polar opposites. The Radeon Pro 560 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 75 W TDP, no power connectors, and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The GTX 690 is a dual-slot card measuring 279 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width, requiring two 8-pin power connectors and a 700 W suggested PSU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison consists of two Geekbench tests, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 wins both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 690 scores 17,399 against the Radeon Pro 560's 15,504, a delta of -10.9% for the AMD card. This is the larger margin of the two tests, reflecting the GTX 690's raw compute advantage—its FP32 throughput of 3.130 TFLOPS is substantially higher than the Radeon Pro 560's 1.858 TFLOPS.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap narrows considerably. The GTX 690 scores 16,675, while the Radeon Pro 560 posts 16,232, a delta of only -2.7%. This suggests that the Radeon Pro 560's newer Vulkan 1.3 support helps close the performance gap in API-specific workloads. The AMD card's 1:1 FP16 support may also contribute to better Vulkan efficiency, even though its raw FP32 number is lower.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the Radeon Pro 560 actually edges ahead of the GTX 690 when all tests are considered: 17,551 versus 17,037. However, the Radeon Pro 560 has three benchmark results (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), while the GTX 690 only has two (OpenCL and Vulkan). The Radeon Pro 560's Geekbench Metal score of 20,918 is its strongest result and boosts its average significantly.

The nearest rivals for each card provide context. The Radeon Pro 560 sits within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon 780M (17,588) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (17,639). The GTX 690 sits within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17,083) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (17,208). Both cards are firmly in the mid-range of the performance spectrum despite their very different ages and architectures.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 in direct head-to-head competition. It wins both available benchmark tests, with a 10.9% margin in OpenCL and a 2.7% margin in Vulkan. Its raw compute specifications—higher FP32 throughput, more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, and nearly 2.4x the memory bandwidth—make it the stronger performer for compute-heavy tasks.

However, the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is not without its own merits. It achieves a higher average benchmark score (17,551 versus 17,037) thanks to a strong Geekbench Metal result, and it does so with a dramatically lower power envelope. The 75 W TDP versus 300 W TDP means the Radeon Pro 560 delivers comparable average performance at one-quarter the power draw. For portable or integrated systems, the Radeon Pro 560 is the only viable choice.

The GTX 690's launch MSRP was 999 USD, a figure that reflects its 2012 flagship status. The Radeon Pro 560 has no listed launch MSRP, consistent with its role as an IGP for Mac systems rather than a standalone retail product.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. Here are the key differences:

Process and Die: The Radeon Pro 560 uses a 14 nm process with a 123 mm² die, while the GTX 690 uses 28 nm with a 294 mm² die. Transistor counts are 3,000 million versus 3,540 million, respectively. Transistor density favors the Radeon Pro 560 at 24.4M per mm² versus 12.0M.

Memory: The Radeon Pro 560 has 4 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 81.28 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 690 has 2 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 192.3 GB/s bandwidth. Memory clocks are 1270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective) for AMD and 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA.

Compute Units: The Radeon Pro 560 has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The GTX 690 has 1,536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Clock Speeds: The GTX 690 has a base clock of 915 MHz and a boost clock of 1019 MHz. The Radeon Pro 560 has no listed base or boost clocks.

Performance Rates: The GTX 690 posts 32.61 GPixel/s pixel rate and 130.4 GTexel/s texture rate, versus the Radeon Pro 560's 14.51 GPixel/s and 58.05 GTexel/s. FP32 is 3.130 TFLOPS for NVIDIA versus 1.858 TFLOPS for AMD. The Radeon Pro 560 offers 1.858 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1), while the GTX 690 has no FP16 listing.

Power and Physical: The Radeon Pro 560 is an IGP with 75 W TDP and no power connectors. The GTX 690 is dual-slot, 279 mm long, 111 mm tall, 38 mm wide, with a 300 W TDP, two 8-pin connectors, and a 700 W suggested PSU.

Bus Interface: The Radeon Pro 560 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GTX 690 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Display Outputs: The Radeon Pro 560 is portable-device dependent. The GTX 690 has 3x DVI and 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2.

API Support: DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 for AMD; DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175 for NVIDIA. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Release Dates: The Radeon Pro 560 launched in April 2017; the GTX 690 in May 2012.

Where Each One Wins

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 wins on raw compute and bandwidth. Its FP32 throughput of 3.130 TFLOPS is 68% higher than the Radeon Pro 560's 1.858 TFLOPS. Its memory bandwidth of 192.3 GB/s is more than double. In OpenCL, this translates to a 10.9% benchmark advantage. For compute-heavy tasks like rendering, scientific simulations, or any workload that scales with shading units and TMUs, the GTX 690 is the stronger card.

AMD Radeon Pro 560 wins on efficiency and modern API support. The 75 W TDP versus 300 W TDP is a fourfold difference, making the Radeon Pro 560 suitable for integrated and portable systems where the GTX 690 could never fit. Its Vulkan 1.3 support is newer than the GTX 690's 1.2.175, and the benchmark data shows this matters—the Vulkan gap (2.7%) is much smaller than the OpenCL gap (10.9%). The Radeon Pro 560 also has a higher average benchmark score overall (17,551 versus 17,037), driven by its strong Metal performance of 20,918.

The GTX 690 wins in dual-GPU scenarios. Its dual-GK104 design with 1,536 shading units and 128 TMUs provides raw parallel compute that the Radeon Pro 560 cannot match. The GTX 690's pixel rate of 32.61 GPixel/s is more than double the Radeon Pro 560's 14.51 GPixel/s.

The Radeon Pro 560 wins in memory capacity. With 4 GB versus 2 GB, the AMD card can handle larger textures and datasets, even though its bandwidth is lower. This could matter for modern workloads with large working sets.

The GTX 690 wins in desktop expansion. Its PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, dual-slot cooling, and standard display outputs make it a drop-in card for desktop towers. The Radeon Pro 560's IGP form factor limits it to specific Mac systems.

The Radeon Pro 560 wins on transistor efficiency. At 24.4M transistors per mm² versus 12.0M, it demonstrates the benefit of the 14 nm process over 28 nm. This efficiency translates into better performance-per-watt, even if absolute performance is lower.