AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 vs AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE Comparison

FAQ

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20?

A: The RX 7900 GRE has an average benchmark score of 32456, while the Pro Vega 20 scores 27839. This puts the RX 7900 GRE 16.6% higher in average score, and it sits in the 77th percentile versus the Pro Vega 20's 73rd percentile.

Q: Does the RX 7900 GRE win in every head-to-head benchmark?

A: Yes, the head-to-head data records two tests, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and the RX 7900 GRE wins both. It leads by 558.8% in OpenCL and 278.1% in Vulkan. The Pro Vega 20 records zero wins in this comparison.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 7900 GRE has 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Pro Vega 20 provides 189.4 GB/s. The difference comes from the newer GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus versus the older HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each GPU in the database?

A: For the RX 7900 GRE, the nearest rival is the AMD FirePro S10000, which is only 0.2% behind in average score. For the Pro Vega 20, the AMD Radeon RX 7800M is 0.2% behind, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is 1% ahead.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The RX 7900 GRE is listed as "Active" production, while the Pro Vega 20 is "End-of-life". The RX 7900 GRE was released on 2023-07-26, and the Pro Vega 20 on 2018-11-13.

Q: Does the Pro Vega 20 have any benchmark where it outperforms the RX 7900 GRE?

A: The recorded head-to-head benchmarks only include Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, and the Pro Vega 20 loses both. The Pro Vega 20 does have a Geekbench Metal score of 30427, but the RX 7900 GRE has no Metal result in the database, so no direct comparison is possible for that API.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations entirely. The RX 7900 GRE uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, while the Pro Vega 20 is built on the older GCN 5.0 architecture with a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process. This node difference is a major factor in performance: the 5 nm process allows for 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 109.1M per mm². The Pro Vega 20 has no transistor count or die size recorded in the database, but its 14 nm node suggests a less dense design.

The chip names reflect the generation gap: the RX 7900 GRE uses Navi 31 with the codename "Plum Bonito", part of the Navi III (RX 7000) generation. The Pro Vega 20 uses Vega 12, belonging to the "Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series)" generation. The RX 7900 GRE has a predecessor listed as "Navi II" and a successor as "Navi IV", while the Pro Vega 20 has neither predecessor nor successor recorded.

Compute resources differ dramatically. The RX 7900 GRE packs 5120 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 160 raster operation units. It also includes 80 dedicated ray tracing cores. The Pro Vega 20 has only 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores listed. The RX 7900 GRE's pixel rate is 359.2 GPixel/s versus 41.06 GPixel/s for the Pro Vega 20, and its texture rate is 718.4 GTexel/s versus 102.6 GTexel/s.

The RX 7900 GRE supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro Vega 20 only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan, but the RX 7900 GRE has Vulkan 1.4 versus the Pro Vega 20's Vulkan 1.3. The RX 7900 GRE also has a higher base clock (1287 MHz) and boost clock (2245 MHz) compared to the Pro Vega 20's 815 MHz base and 1283 MHz boost.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are lopsided. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900 GRE scores 175758, while the Pro Vega 20 manages only 26679. That is a 558.8% advantage for the RX 7900 GRE. This is not a small gap: the RX 7900 GRE is roughly 6.6 times faster in this compute workload. The OpenCL test typically stresses raw shader throughput and memory bandwidth, both of which heavily favor the newer card.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 7900 GRE scores 99850, and the Pro Vega 20 scores 26410. The delta is 278.1% in favor of the RX 7900 GRE, meaning it is about 3.8 times faster. Vulkan workloads often benefit from driver maturity and hardware feature support; the RX 7900 GRE's newer architecture with ray tracing cores and higher memory bandwidth likely explains the larger relative margin in OpenCL versus Vulkan.

The wins tally is 2 for the RX 7900 GRE and 0 for the Pro Vega 20. There is no benchmark in the database where the Pro Vega 20 is competitive with the RX 7900 GRE. The Pro Vega 20's only recorded scores are Geekbench Metal (30427), OpenCL (26679), and Vulkan (26410). The Metal score cannot be directly compared because the RX 7900 GRE has no Metal benchmark in the database.

For context on the RX 7900 GRE's standing, its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro S10000 (0.2% behind), the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.3% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (0.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro 570X (0.9% behind). These deltas are tiny, meaning the RX 7900 GRE sits in a tightly packed performance cluster. The Pro Vega 20's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (0.5% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (0.6% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (1% behind). The RTX 3090 being only 1% behind the Pro Vega 20 in average score is notable, given the RTX 3090's reputation as a high-end card.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The RX 7900 GRE has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, while the Pro Vega 20 has 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus. Despite the wider bus, the Pro Vega 20's memory bandwidth is 189.4 GB/s, far below the RX 7900 GRE's 576.0 GB/s. Memory clocks also differ: the RX 7900 GRE runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the Pro Vega 20 runs at 740 MHz (1480 Mbps effective).

The RX 7900 GRE is a dual-slot card requiring 2x 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU, with a TDP of 260 W. The Pro Vega 20 is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 100 W TDP and no power connectors or suggested PSU recorded. The RX 7900 GRE measures 276 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 51 mm in width; the Pro Vega 20 has no dimensions recorded.

The bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RX 7900 GRE versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Pro Vega 20. Display outputs also diverge: the RX 7900 GRE offers 1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, and 1x USB Type-C, while the Pro Vega 20's outputs are "Portable Device Dependent". The RX 7900 GRE has a launch MSRP of 549 USD, while the Pro Vega 20 has no launch MSRP in the database.

The FP32 compute performance is 45.98 TFLOPS for the RX 7900 GRE versus 3.284 TFLOPS for the Pro Vega 20. The FP16 rates are 91.96 TFLOPS (2:1) and 6.569 TFLOPS (2:1) respectively. These raw compute figures explain the massive OpenCL delta.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 in every recorded head-to-head benchmark, and the margins are enormous. The RX 7900 GRE is 558.8% ahead in OpenCL and 278.1% ahead in Vulkan. Its average benchmark score of 32456 places it in the 77th percentile of all GPUs, while the Pro Vega 20's 27839 places it in the 73rd percentile.

The Pro Vega 20 is an end-of-life product from 2018, built on a 14 nm process with GCN 5.0 architecture, 4 GB of HBM2, and no ray tracing support. The RX 7900 GRE is an active product from 2023, built on 5 nm RDNA 3.0, with 16 GB of GDDR6, 80 ray tracing cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support. Every architectural advantage, from process node to memory bandwidth to shading units, favors the RX 7900 GRE.

If the question is which GPU to choose for modern workloads, the RX 7900 GRE is the only rational pick. The Pro Vega 20's only niche would be systems that specifically require its IGP form factor or its Metal support, but even then, its compute scores are far lower. The RX 7900 GRE's percentile ranking (77 versus 73) confirms that it sits in a higher performance tier overall.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7900 GRE wins in all compute-heavy scenarios. Its OpenCL score of 175758 versus 26679 means it dominates tasks that rely on general-purpose GPU compute, such as rendering, simulation, or machine learning workloads that use OpenCL. Its Vulkan score of 99850 versus 26410 gives it a clear edge in Vulkan-based games and applications. The 576.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 45.98 TFLOPS FP32 performance make it suitable for high-resolution gaming and content creation.

The Pro Vega 20 has no recorded wins in the head-to-head comparison. Its only advantage is its form factor: as an IGP with a 100 W TDP, it is designed for portable or integrated systems where a dual-slot 260 W card cannot fit. The Pro Vega 20's 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus is unusual, but the bandwidth is still only 189.4 GB/s, limiting its performance. Its Geekbench Metal score of 30427 indicates it can run Metal-based applications, but the RX 7900 GRE has no Metal benchmark in the database, so a direct comparison in that API is not possible.

For users with a standard desktop chassis and a 600 W PSU, the RX 7900 GRE is the clear choice. For users constrained to an IGP form factor, the Pro Vega 20 is the only option in this comparison, but the performance cost is severe. The data does not support any scenario where the Pro Vega 20 is competitive on raw performance metrics.