AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 vs Intel Arc A370M Comparison

The Intel Arc A370M and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions, but they represent fundamentally different design philosophies and eras. The benchmark data clearly favors the Intel part in cross-platform compute workloads, but the AMD part holds its own in Apple-specific environments. This analysis breaks down the head-to-head results, architectural disparities, and practical implications for each GPU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows a decisive victory for the Intel Arc A370M in the two shared benchmark tests. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the Intel Arc A370M scores 29,676 against the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20’s 26,679, resulting in an 11.2% performance advantage for Intel. This is a substantial margin, indicating that in raw compute throughput via OpenCL, the newer Intel architecture delivers significantly more performance per unit of work.

The Vulkan test tells a similar story, though with a slightly narrower gap. The Intel Arc A370M scores 28,673, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 26,410, giving Intel an 8.6% lead. This consistent victory across two different API frameworks suggests the Intel part’s advantage is not merely an artifact of a single driver or test condition, but rather a fundamental capability difference in general-purpose compute and graphics workloads that both APIs can access.

It is importantly the AMD part also has a Metal benchmark score of 30,427, which is not available for the Intel Arc A370M. This score is higher than both of the Intel’s OpenCL and Vulkan results, but since there is no comparable Metal result for the Intel GPU, it cannot be used for a direct head-to-head comparison. The data only permits a direct comparison on the two shared tests, and Intel wins both.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this picture. The Intel Arc A370M has an average benchmark score of 29,175, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 averages 27,839. This translates to a percentile ranking of 74 for Intel versus 73 for AMD among all GPUs. While the percentile difference is small, the raw score difference is meaningful, and the Intel part’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH (average score 29,197, delta -0.1%) and the AMD FirePro W8000 (average score 29,211, delta -0.1%), placing it in a slightly higher performance tier than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, whose closest competitors include the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (average score 27,883, delta -0.2%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (average score 28,020, delta -0.6%).

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on vastly different process nodes and architectures. The Intel Arc A370M uses the Xe-HPG architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses the older GCN 5.0 architecture on a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process. This process node difference is a major factor in performance and efficiency, as the 6 nm node allows for significantly higher transistor density and clock speeds. The Intel chip, DG2-128, contains 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 45.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The AMD part’s transistor count and die size are not listed, but the larger process node inherently limits its capabilities.

Clock speeds tell a clear story of this generational gap. The Intel Arc A370M has a base clock of 1550 MHz and a boost clock of 2050 MHz. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, by contrast, is significantly slower, with a base clock of 815 MHz and a boost clock of 1283 MHz. This is a massive difference in raw clock speed, and it directly contributes to the Intel part’s higher theoretical performance figures.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The Intel Arc A370M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 also has 4 GB of memory, but it uses HBM2 on a massive 1024-bit bus, providing 189.4 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a significant win for AMD in terms of memory bandwidth, which is crucial for certain compute and graphics workloads that are bandwidth-bound. The Intel part’s memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, while the AMD part’s memory clock is 740 MHz with 1480 Mbps effective.

Compute unit configurations also differ. The Intel Arc A370M has 1024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, along with 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 has more shading units at 1280, along with 80 TMUs and 32 ROPs, but it lacks any dedicated ray tracing hardware. This results in a higher pixel rate for Intel (65.60 GPixel/s versus 41.06 GPixel/s) and a higher texture rate (131.2 GTexel/s versus 102.6 GTexel/s). The AMD part’s higher shading unit count does not translate to a win in FP32 throughput, as Intel achieves 4.198 TFLOPS versus AMD’s 3.284 TFLOPS. The FP16 performance follows the same pattern, with Intel at 8.397 TFLOPS and AMD at 6.569 TFLOPS.

API support also differs. The Intel Arc A370M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The Intel part’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate is a significant feature advantage for modern gaming and graphics workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The Intel Arc A370M is faster, scoring 29,676 versus the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20’s 26,679. This gives Intel an 11.2% performance advantage in the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 have any benchmark where it wins?

A: The head-to-head data shows the Intel Arc A370M winning both shared tests (OpenCL and Vulkan). However, the AMD part has a Geekbench Metal score of 30,427, which is higher than Intel’s scores on other APIs, but no Metal score is available for the Intel GPU for a direct comparison.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between these two GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 189.4 GB/s, thanks to its HBM2 memory on a 1024-bit bus. The Intel Arc A370M has 112.0 GB/s of bandwidth from GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus.

Q: Does the Intel Arc A370M support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc A370M includes 8 dedicated ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 does not have any ray tracing cores.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Arc A370M has a significantly higher boost clock of 2050 MHz, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20’s boost clock of 1283 MHz.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Intel Arc A370M has an average benchmark score of 29,175, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 has an average score of 27,839. This places the Intel part at the 74th percentile versus the AMD part’s 73rd percentile.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two GPUs:

• Process Node: Intel Arc A370M is 6 nm (TSMC), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 14 nm (GlobalFoundries).
• Transistors: Intel Arc A370M has 7,200 million; AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is not listed.
• Die Size: Intel Arc A370M is 157 mm²; AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is not listed.
• Transistor Density: Intel Arc A370M is 45.9M / mm²; AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is not listed.
• Base Clock: Intel Arc A370M is 1550 MHz, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 815 MHz.
• Boost Clock: Intel Arc A370M is 2050 MHz, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1283 MHz.
• Memory Clock: Intel Arc A370M is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 740 MHz (1480 Mbps effective).
• Memory Type: Intel Arc A370M uses GDDR6, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses HBM2.
• Memory Bus Width: Intel Arc A370M is 64 bit, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1024 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: Intel Arc A370M is 112.0 GB/s, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 189.4 GB/s.
• Shading Units: Intel Arc A370M has 1024, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 has 1280.
• TMUs: Intel Arc A370M has 64, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 has 80.
• ROPs: Both have 32 (no difference).
• RT Cores: Intel Arc A370M has 8, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 has none.
• Pixel Rate: Intel Arc A370M is 65.60 GPixel/s, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 41.06 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: Intel Arc A370M is 131.2 GTexel/s, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 102.6 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: Intel Arc A370M is 4.198 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 3.284 TFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: Intel Arc A370M is 8.397 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 6.569 TFLOPS.
• TDP: Intel Arc A370M is 35 W, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 100 W.
• Bus Interface: Intel Arc A370M is PCIe 4.0 x8, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is PCIe 3.0 x16.
• DirectX Support: Intel Arc A370M supports 12 Ultimate (12_2), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 supports 12 (12_1).
• Vulkan Support: Intel Arc A370M supports 1.4, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 supports 1.3.
• Release Date: Intel Arc A370M was released on 2022-03-29, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 was released on 2018-11-13.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Arc A370M is the superior GPU for general compute and cross-platform graphics workloads. It wins both shared benchmarks by a comfortable margin, offers more than double the boost clock speed, and achieves higher FP32 and FP16 throughput despite having fewer shading units. Its 6 nm process node provides a clear efficiency advantage, as evidenced by its 35 W TDP versus the AMD part’s 100 W TDP. The Intel part also adds modern features like ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, which the AMD part completely lacks.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20’s only clear advantage is memory bandwidth, where its HBM2 setup delivers 189.4 GB/s versus Intel’s 112.0 GB/s. This could be a factor in specific bandwidth-hungry applications, but it does not translate to a win in the benchmark results available. Its higher Metal score of 30,427 is notable, but without a comparable Intel Metal score, it cannot be considered a head-to-head victory. The AMD part also has more shading units (1280 versus 1024) and TMUs (80 versus 64), but the Intel architecture extracts more performance from fewer resources.

For most users, the Intel Arc A370M is the better choice. It offers demonstrably higher performance in OpenCL and Vulkan, superior clock speeds, better power efficiency, and access to modern features like ray tracing. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is a legacy part from 2018, and its performance and feature set are simply outclassed by the newer Intel offering.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A370M wins in the following scenarios:

• General compute workloads: It has a 11.2% lead in OpenCL and an 8.6% lead in Vulkan.
• Modern gaming and graphics: Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support and ray tracing cores provide capabilities the AMD part lacks.
• Power-constrained environments: Its 35 W TDP is significantly lower than the AMD part’s 100 W TDP.
• High-clock-speed sensitive tasks: Its 2050 MHz boost clock is far higher than the AMD part’s 1283 MHz.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 wins in the following scenarios:

• Bandwidth-bound workloads: Its 189.4 GB/s memory bandwidth is substantially higher than Intel’s 112.0 GB/s, which could benefit certain data-heavy compute tasks.
• Apple ecosystem applications: Its Metal benchmark score of 30,427 is the highest single score between the two GPUs, suggesting strong performance in Metal-based environments.
• Legacy compatibility: Its support for older PCIe 3.0 x16 interface may be more compatible with older systems, though this is a practical consideration rather than a performance advantage.