AMD Radeon Pro 575 vs NVIDIA A2 Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon Pro 575 and NVIDIA A2 are two end-of-life workstation accelerators aimed at fundamentally different use cases. The recorded data shows a split decision: the AMD Radeon Pro 575 wins in Vulkan compute by 11.3%, while the NVIDIA A2 wins in OpenCL by 2.2%. For users prioritizing Vulkan workloads, the AMD card is the clear choice. For OpenCL environments, the NVIDIA A2 offers a modest edge. However, the NVIDIA A2 brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, 10 ray tracing cores, and 40 tensor cores, features the AMD card lacks entirely. The AMD Radeon Pro 575, with its 4 GB GDDR5 frame buffer and GCN 4.0 architecture, is better suited for legacy display-centric workflows. The NVIDIA A2, being a single-slot, 60 W card with no display outputs, targets headless compute and inference deployments. The data suggests neither card is universally superior; selection depends entirely on software stack and workload requirements.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon Pro 575 is built on the Ellesmere chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. The die measures 232 mm² and contains 5,700 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA A2 uses the GA107 chip with Ampere architecture, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. Its die is smaller at 200 mm² but packs 8,700 million transistors, yielding a density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. This represents a significant density advantage for the NVIDIA part.

The AMD card features 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations units. The NVIDIA A2 has 1,280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Critically, the A2 includes 10 ray tracing cores and 40 tensor cores, hardware that the Radeon Pro 575 does not have. These tensor cores enable accelerated AI inference, a workload where the AMD card cannot compete. The Radeon Pro 575 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the A2 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6, but the A2 supports Vulkan 1.4 versus Vulkan 1.3 on the AMD part.

Process technology differences are stark. The 8 nm Samsung node allows the A2 to achieve higher clock speeds: 1440 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost, compared to no listed base or boost clocks for the Radeon Pro 575. The AMD card's memory runs at 1695 MHz (6.8 Gbps effective), while the A2's GDDR6 runs at 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective). Despite the higher effective memory speed, the A2's narrower 128-bit bus yields 200.1 GB/s bandwidth, slightly less than the Radeon Pro 575's 217.0 GB/s from a 256-bit interface.

Power and physical design diverge dramatically. The Radeon Pro 575 has a 150 W TDP and uses an MXM module form factor with no power connectors. The A2 sips 60 W, is single-slot, also has no power connectors, and lists a suggested PSU of 250 W. The AMD card has display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent," while the A2 has no display outputs at all. This confirms the A2's role as a compute-only accelerator.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two benchmark comparisons between these cards. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA A2 scores 35,357 against the AMD Radeon Pro 575's 34,596. This represents a 2.2% advantage for the A2. The margin is small but consistent with the A2's higher FP32 throughput of 4.531 TFLOPS versus 4.489 TFLOPS for the AMD card. The A2 also achieves a higher pixel rate of 56.64 GPixel/s compared to 35.07 GPixel/s for the Radeon Pro 575, despite having the same 32 ROPs. This is attributable to the A2's higher clock speeds.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon Pro 575 turns the tables decisively. It scores 37,878 versus the A2's 34,023, a commanding 11.3% victory. This is a surprising result given the AMD card's older GCN architecture and lower clock rates. The Radeon Pro 575's texture rate of 140.3 GTexel/s, nearly double the A2's 70.80 GTexel/s, likely contributes to this Vulkan advantage. The AMD card's larger 256-bit memory bus provides 217.0 GB/s bandwidth, which helps in memory-intensive Vulkan compute workloads.

The average benchmark scores reflect these mixed results. The Radeon Pro 575 averages 39,555 across all recorded tests, while the A2 averages 34,690. This puts the AMD card at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs in the database, versus the 79th percentile for the A2. However, the A2 was only tested in OpenCL and Vulkan, while the Radeon Pro 575 adds a Geekbench Metal score of 46,192, which inflates its average. The A2's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB (0.4% behind), AMD Radeon HD 7970 (0.4% behind), NVIDIA TITAN V (1% behind), and NVIDIA RTX A1000 (1.4% behind). The Radeon Pro 575's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 575X (1.1% ahead for the 575), AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (1.3% behind), and AMD Radeon Pro 580 (1.9% behind).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The Radeon Pro 575 uses GDDR5 memory, while the A2 uses GDDR6. Memory capacity differs by 12 GB: 4 GB on the AMD card versus 16 GB on the NVIDIA card. Bus widths are 256-bit and 128-bit respectively. Bandwidth favors the AMD card at 217.0 GB/s versus 200.1 GB/s.

Clock speeds are only listed for the NVIDIA A2: 1440 MHz base, 1770 MHz boost, and 1563 MHz memory. The AMD card's memory clock is 1695 MHz with 6.8 Gbps effective transfer rate. The A2's memory runs at 12.5 Gbps effective. Shading units favor AMD at 2,048 versus 1,280. Texture mapping units favor AMD at 128 versus 40. ROPs are equal at 32 each. The A2 has 10 ray tracing cores and 40 tensor cores; the AMD card has none.

Pixel rate favors the A2 at 56.64 GPixel/s versus 35.07 GPixel/s. Texture rate favors the AMD card at 140.3 GTexel/s versus 70.80 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance are nearly identical: 4.489 TFLOPS for AMD and 4.531 TFLOPS for NVIDIA, both with 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratios.

Process nodes differ: 14 nm for AMD, 8 nm for NVIDIA. Transistor counts are 5,700 million versus 8,700 million. Die sizes are 232 mm² versus 200 mm². Transistor density is 24.6M per mm² versus 43.5M per mm². TDP is 150 W versus 60 W. The Radeon Pro 575 uses an MXM module; the A2 is single-slot. Bus interfaces differ: PCIe 3.0 x16 for AMD, PCIe 4.0 x8 for NVIDIA.

APIs differ in DirectX support: 12 (12_0) for AMD, 12 Ultimate (12_2) for NVIDIA. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Vulkan support differs: 1.3 for AMD, 1.4 for NVIDIA. The AMD card has display outputs (portable device dependent); the A2 has none. The AMD card was released in June 2017; the A2 in November 2021. The A2 lists a predecessor (Quadro Turing) and successor (Workstation Ada); the AMD card lists neither.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better overall benchmark performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 575 has a higher average benchmark score of 39,555 across all tests, compared to 34,690 for the NVIDIA A2. The AMD card also sits at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs versus the 79th percentile for the A2.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 575 wins decisively in Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 37,878 versus 34,023 for the NVIDIA A2. This represents an 11.3% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA A2 wins in Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 35,357 versus 34,596 for the AMD Radeon Pro 575. This is a 2.2% margin in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: Does the NVIDIA A2 support ray tracing or tensor operations?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA A2 includes 10 ray tracing cores and 40 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon Pro 575 has no such hardware. The A2 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What are the memory capacity and bandwidth differences?

A: The NVIDIA A2 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 200.1 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro 575 has 4 GB of GDDR5 with a 256-bit bus and 217.0 GB/s bandwidth. Despite the larger capacity, the A2 has lower raw bandwidth.

Q: Which card has lower power consumption?

A: The NVIDIA A2 has a 60 W TDP, less than half the 150 W TDP of the AMD Radeon Pro 575. The A2 is also single-slot with no display outputs, while the AMD card uses an MXM module and has display outputs dependent on the portable device.