AMD Radeon Pro 5600M vs NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear split between the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile, with NVIDIA taking 6 of the 9 benchmark comparisons. The most decisive NVIDIA victory comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX A2000 Mobile scores 56,518 against the AMD’s 47,783, a 15.5% lead. Vulkan follows a similar pattern: 53,146 versus 46,425, a 12.6% margin. These are the largest deltas in the entire head-to-head set, suggesting NVIDIA holds a commanding advantage in compute-heavy, cross-platform APIs.

DirectX 12 also favors NVIDIA, with the RTX A2000 Mobile posting 47 against AMD’s 39, a 17% gap, the single largest percentage difference in any test. DirectX 11 shows NVIDIA ahead by 13.2% (68 versus 59), and DirectX 10 is a narrower NVIDIA win at 8.8% (62 versus 57). In PassMark G3D, the overall gaming-oriented metric, NVIDIA wins by a modest 3.5% (9,611 versus 9,279), and in GPU Compute the margin is 7% (4,334 versus 4,031). These results indicate that NVIDIA’s advantage is consistent across modern graphics APIs, though the size of the lead varies from slim to substantial.

AMD’s three wins are concentrated in legacy and 2D workloads. The standout is PassMark G2D, where the Radeon Pro 5600M scores 679 against NVIDIA’s 491, a massive 38.3% advantage. This is the largest delta in either direction across all tests. AMD also wins DirectX 9 by a small 2.6% margin (118 versus 115) and DirectX 10 by 8.8% (62 versus 57). The DirectX 10 result is worth noting because it is the only modern API where AMD comes out ahead, and the margin is not trivial. However, the G2D win, while numerically enormous, reflects 2D rasterization performance, which is less relevant for most 3D workloads.

Looking at the aggregate picture, the RTX A2000 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 13,821 places it near the AMD Radeon 660M (13,812, a 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13,871, a 0.4% delta). The Radeon Pro 5600M’s average of 16,351 is strikingly different: it sits 0.1% below the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (16,361) and 0.3% below the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16,408). This is a curious inversion: the AMD card has a higher overall average score but loses most head-to-head tests, while the NVIDIA card has a lower average but wins the majority of direct comparisons. The explanation lies in the benchmark mix, the G2D and legacy DirectX wins inflate AMD’s average, while NVIDIA’s wins in compute and modern APIs carry more weight in real-world tasks.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins more head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile wins 6 of the 9 recorded tests, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M wins 3.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark G2D, where the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M leads by 38.3% (679 versus 491). The largest NVIDIA advantage is in PassMark DirectX 12, a 17% lead (47 versus 39).

Q: How do the two compare in compute workloads?

A: In PassMark GPU Compute, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile scores 4,334 versus AMD’s 4,031, a 7% lead. In Geekbench OpenCL, NVIDIA leads by 15.5% (56,518 versus 47,783).

Q: Which GPU has the higher overall average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M has a higher average benchmark score at 16,351, compared to the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile’s 13,821. However, this average is boosted by AMD’s strong legacy and 2D results.

Q: Are there any tests where the AMD GPU is clearly superior?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M wins PassMark G2D by 38.3%, DirectX 9 by 2.6%, and DirectX 10 by 8.8%. The G2D result is the most decisive single win in the entire comparison.

Q: How does each GPU rank relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M sits at the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (0.1% lower average score). The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile sits at the 55th percentile, with the AMD Radeon 660M as its nearest rival (0.1% higher average score).

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a straightforward conclusion: the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile is the stronger choice for modern 3D and compute workloads. It wins DirectX 11, DirectX 12, Vulkan, OpenCL, PassMark G3D, and GPU Compute. The margins in DirectX 12 (17%) and OpenCL (15.5%) are substantial, and even in the closely contested G3D test, NVIDIA edges ahead. For users running current games, rendering engines, or GPU-accelerated compute, the RTX A2000 Mobile delivers measurable performance advantages across the board.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, however, is not without merit. Its 38.3% lead in G2D is enormous, and it wins DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 by smaller margins. This makes it attractive for older software, 2D-heavy workflows, or applications that rely on legacy DirectX paths. The higher average benchmark score (16,351 versus 13,821) and the 59th percentile ranking versus NVIDIA’s 55th percentile suggest that, in a broader pool of GPUs, the AMD card holds its own. But the head-to-head data is unambiguous: NVIDIA wins the majority of tests, and it wins the tests that matter most for contemporary graphics.

The decision hinges on workload. If the priority is compatibility with modern APIs, compute throughput, and DirectX 12 performance, the RTX A2000 Mobile is the data-backed pick. If the workload is dominated by 2D tasks, legacy DirectX, or if the higher percentile ranking and average score carry more weight, the Radeon Pro 5600M is the one to choose. For most users, the NVIDIA card’s 6 wins, including the decisive OpenCL and DirectX 12 margins, tip the scale.

Specification Differences

The two mobile GPUs diverge sharply on memory and process technology. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 394.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s. That is a 2x advantage in memory capacity and a 2.05x advantage in bandwidth for AMD, a significant difference for memory-bound tasks. The process nodes also differ: AMD is on 7 nm at TSMC, while NVIDIA is on 8 nm at Samsung.

Clock speeds favor NVIDIA. The RTX A2000 Mobile has a base clock of 1,215 MHz and a boost of 1,687 MHz, compared to AMD’s 822 MHz base and 1,144 MHz boost. The memory clocks differ as well: NVIDIA runs at 1,500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), while AMD runs at 770 MHz (1,540 Mbps effective). The TDP gap is notable: NVIDIA is rated at 95 W, AMD at 50 W, meaning the AMD part draws 45 W less power, which could matter for thermal-constrained laptops.

The silicon itself is different: AMD uses the Navi 12 chip with 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while NVIDIA uses the GA107 with 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Despite the same shading unit count, the TMU and ROP differences explain why AMD’s texture rate is higher (183.0 GTexel/s versus 135.0 GTexel/s) but its pixel rate is lower (73.22 GPixel/s versus 80.98 GPixel/s). NVIDIA’s FP32 throughput is higher at 8.637 TFLOPS versus AMD’s 5.857 TFLOPS, a 47% advantage. AMD has a 2:1 FP16 ratio (11.71 TFLOPS), while NVIDIA runs FP16 at 1:1 (8.637 TFLOPS). NVIDIA adds 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores; AMD has none listed. The transistor count and die size are only specified for NVIDIA: 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die (43.5M per mm²).

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is fundamental. AMD’s Radeon Pro 5600M is built on RDNA 1.0, the first generation of AMD’s RDNA architecture, aimed at balancing performance and efficiency for gaming and prosumer workloads. NVIDIA’s RTX A2000 Mobile is built on Ampere, a generation that explicitly targets ray tracing and AI acceleration. The presence of 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores on the NVIDIA side is a hard functional difference: the RTX A2000 Mobile can execute hardware-accelerated ray tracing and tensor operations, while the AMD part has no such dedicated units in the database. This is a capability gap, not just a performance gap.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. AMD uses HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus, a design that prioritizes bandwidth and is typically found in high-end compute parts. NVIDIA uses GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus, a more conventional configuration for mobile GPUs. The bandwidth difference (394.2 GB/s versus 192.0 GB/s) reflects AMD’s strategy of eliminating memory bottlenecks at the cost of higher complexity and power. The process node disparity is also notable: 7 nm at TSMC for AMD versus 8 nm at Samsung for NVIDIA, which likely contributes to AMD’s lower 50 W TDP.

API support differs at the margins. NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The DirectX 12_2 versus 12_1 distinction is relevant for advanced features like ray tracing and mesh shaders, which align with NVIDIA’s RT core hardware. The release dates reflect the generational gap: AMD launched on 2020-06-14, NVIDIA on 2021-04-11, roughly ten months later. NVIDIA’s predecessor is Quadro Turing-M and its successor is Ada-MW, while AMD’s entry has no listed predecessor or successor in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M wins in 2D and legacy DirectX workloads. Its 38.3% lead in PassMark G2D is the single most decisive result in the entire comparison, making it the clear choice for applications that stress 2D rasterization, such as desktop compositing, vector graphics, or older UI frameworks. Its wins in DirectX 9 (2.6%) and DirectX 10 (8.8%) suggest compatibility and performance advantages for software written against those older APIs. The 8 GB HBM2 memory pool and 394.2 GB/s bandwidth also give AMD an edge in memory-capacity-sensitive tasks, even if the head-to-head compute benchmarks do not reflect that advantage. The lower 50 W TDP is a practical win for thin-and-light laptops where thermal headroom is scarce.

The NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile wins in modern 3D graphics and compute. Its OpenCL lead of 15.5% and Vulkan lead of 12.6% make it the stronger option for cross-platform compute and next-generation graphics APIs. The DirectX 12 win of 17% is the largest of any NVIDIA victory, cementing its position for current games and DirectX 12 applications. The PassMark G3D win (3.5%) and GPU Compute win (7%) round out a consistent pattern of superiority in the workloads that dominate contemporary software. The 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores add capabilities that AMD simply does not offer, making the RTX A2000 Mobile the only option for hardware-accelerated ray tracing or AI inference in this comparison. Its higher FP32 throughput (8.637 TFLOPS versus 5.857 TFLOPS) further reinforces its compute advantage.

In practical terms, the choice is between a GPU that wins on raw bandwidth, 2D performance, and power efficiency (AMD) versus one that wins on modern API performance, compute throughput, and feature completeness (NVIDIA). The data does not support a universal winner, but for any workload released after 2021, the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile is the safer bet. For legacy software or memory-heavy 2D pipelines, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M retains a measurable edge.