AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800S Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive picture: the AMD Radeon RX 6800S wins all three direct comparisons, leaving the Radeon Pro Vega 20 without a single head-to-head victory. The largest margin appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RX 6800S scores 81,272 against the Pro Vega 20's 26,410, a delta of -67.5% from the loser's perspective. This indicates the RX 6800S delivers more than double the performance in this API workload.

In Geekbench Metal, the RX 6800S records 85,256 versus 30,427 for the Pro Vega 20, translating to a -64.3% delta. The OpenCL results follow the same pattern: 73,202 for the RX 6800S and 26,679 for the Pro Vega 20, a -63.6% gap. Across all three tests, the RX 6800S maintains a consistent advantage of roughly 2.7x to 3.1x the raw score of its older counterpart.

The database's aggregate metrics reinforce this hierarchy. The Pro Vega 20 holds an average benchmark score of 27,839 and sits at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6800S averages 24,063 and ranks at the 69th percentile. Interestingly, the Pro Vega 20's average score is actually higher than the RX 6800S, despite losing every head-to-head test. This discrepancy stems from the different benchmark suites recorded for each card: the Pro Vega 20's three Geekbench results are all relatively close (26,679 to 30,427), while the RX 6800S includes several PassMark scores (ranging from 65 in DirectX 12 to 200 in DirectX 9) that drag its average downward. The head-to-head tests, however, leave no ambiguity about relative performance in compute and graphics APIs.

When placing these scores in context, the Pro Vega 20's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (average 27,883, delta -0.2%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (average 27,973, delta -0.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (average 28,020, delta -0.6%). It also sits within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (average 27,565, delta 1%). For the RX 6800S, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (average 24,170, delta -0.4%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (average 24,236, delta -0.7%), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 (average 23,877, delta 0.8%). These proximity values show that while the RX 6800S outperforms the Pro Vega 20 in direct tests, its aggregate standing places it in a different performance tier relative to modern and legacy hardware.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench Metal test?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800S wins decisively with a score of 85,256 versus 30,427 for the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, a -64.3% delta for the loser.

Q: How large is the performance gap in Vulkan?

A: The RX 6800S scores 81,272 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the Pro Vega 20 manages 26,410, making the RX 6800S roughly 3.1 times faster in this workload.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The RX 6800S supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro Vega 20 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). This reflects the newer architecture of the RX 6800S.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each card?

A: The Pro Vega 20 has an average benchmark score of 27,839, while the RX 6800S averages 24,063. The Pro Vega 20's higher average is due to its narrower set of benchmark results, not superior performance.

Q: Which GPU has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The Pro Vega 20 ranks at the 73rd percentile, while the RX 6800S sits at the 69th percentile. Despite this, the RX 6800S wins all direct head-to-head comparisons.

Q: Are there any tests where the Pro Vega 20 wins?

A: No. The recorded head-to-head benchmarks show zero wins for the Pro Vega 20 and three wins for the RX 6800S.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon RX 6800S is the clear winner in every measured scenario. It dominates in Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, making it the superior choice for compute-heavy workloads, graphics rendering, and cross-platform API performance. The RX 6800S also offers broader API support with DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which positions it better for modern games and applications that leverage these features. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth provides a substantial capacity and speed advantage over the Pro Vega 20's 4 GB HBM2 at 189.4 GB/s, which is relevant for texture-heavy scenes and larger datasets.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, by contrast, has no benchmark wins to claim. Its only advantage lies in its aggregate percentile ranking (73rd versus 69th) and its higher average benchmark score (27,839 versus 24,063), but these are artifacts of the different test suites recorded in the database. In actual head-to-head comparisons, it trails by roughly 64% to 68% in every test. For users constrained to older APIs or specific macOS environments where the Pro Vega 20 was designed (the generation is listed as "Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series)"), it may still function adequately, but the data shows no scenario where it outperforms the RX 6800S.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The Pro Vega 20 uses a Vega 12 chip built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the RX 6800S uses a Navi 23 chip on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The RX 6800S has 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, with a transistor density of 46.7M per mm²; the Pro Vega 20's transistor count and die size are not recorded in the database.

Clock speeds show a significant gap: the Pro Vega 20 runs at an 815 MHz base and 1283 MHz boost, while the RX 6800S operates at 1800 MHz base, 2100 MHz boost, and a 1975 MHz game clock. Memory clocks also differ: the Pro Vega 20 uses 740 MHz (1480 Mbps effective) HBM2, whereas the RX 6800S uses 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) GDDR6. Memory capacity favors the RX 6800S at 8 GB versus 4 GB, with a wider 1024-bit bus on the Pro Vega 20 but lower bandwidth (189.4 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s).

The RX 6800S has more execution resources: 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray tracing cores. The Pro Vega 20 has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores. Pixel rate and texture rate follow suit: the RX 6800S achieves 134.4 GPixel/s and 268.8 GTexel/s, compared to 41.06 GPixel/s and 102.6 GTexel/s for the Pro Vega 20. FP32 compute is 8.602 TFLOPS versus 3.284 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 17.20 TFLOPS versus 6.569 TFLOPS (both at 2:1 ratio).

Power consumption is identical at 100 W TDP, and both are listed as IGP slot width with portable-device-dependent display outputs. The RX 6800S uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the Pro Vega 20 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The RX 6800S has no power connectors; the Pro Vega 20's power connector info is null. API support differs: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1), and Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.3. Release dates are 2022-01-03 for the RX 6800S and 2018-11-13 for the Pro Vega 20.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these GPUs is stark. The Pro Vega 20 is built on GCN 5.0 (Vega architecture), a design that dates back to AMD's pre-RDNA era. The RX 6800S employs RDNA 2.0, a substantially newer architecture that introduces hardware ray tracing (32 dedicated cores) and a redesigned compute unit layout for higher efficiency per clock. The 7 nm TSMC process versus 14 nm GlobalFoundries explains part of the performance gap, as the smaller node allows higher clock speeds (2100 MHz boost versus 1283 MHz) while maintaining the same 100 W TDP.

Memory architecture also diverges fundamentally. The Pro Vega 20 uses HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, which was innovative for its time but limited to 4 GB capacity. The RX 6800S uses GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, achieving higher bandwidth (256.0 GB/s versus 189.4 GB/s) through faster data rates. The RX 6800S's 32 ray tracing cores indicate support for real-time ray-traced effects, a feature entirely absent from the GCN 5.0 design. The Vulkan version difference (1.4 versus 1.3) and DirectX 12 Ultimate support on the RX 6800S further reflect its modern feature set, including variable rate shading and mesh shaders that the older architecture cannot offer.

The Pro Vega 20's generation is listed as "Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series)", suggesting it was tailored for Apple's Mac platform with specific driver optimizations, while the RX 6800S belongs to the "Navi Mobile (RX 6000M)" generation, targeting Windows-based gaming laptops. The RX 6800S's predecessor is listed as Polaris Mobile, marking a clear generational leap from older GCN-based mobile GPUs.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6800S is the superior GPU in every head-to-head benchmark recorded. It wins by margins of 63.6% to 67.5% across Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, making it the appropriate choice for anyone prioritizing raw performance in modern APIs. Its 8 GB memory, higher bandwidth, ray tracing support, and newer architecture provide a foundation for longer-term relevance in gaming and compute workloads.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, despite its higher aggregate percentile (73rd versus 69th) and average score (27,839 versus 24,063), cannot match the RX 6800S in direct comparison. Its 4 GB HBM2 memory and GCN 5.0 architecture limit its utility for current-generation software, and its 2018 release date places it firmly in a previous hardware generation. The Pro Vega 20 may still serve legacy macOS environments or applications that specifically require its HBM2 memory characteristics, but the recorded benchmarks show no workload where it outperforms the RX 6800S.

For users choosing between these two, the RX 6800S is the data-supported pick for nearly all scenarios: gaming, compute, and modern API support. The Pro Vega 20's only measurable advantage is its percentile ranking, which reflects the limited benchmark suite recorded for it rather than actual performance superiority. The verdict, based strictly on the numbers, is that the RX 6800S delivers substantially higher performance across the board, and the Pro Vega 20 should only be considered for niche compatibility needs.