AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 occupy very different positions in the hardware landscape, despite both being end-of-life products released in late 2018. The RTX 2080 Ti is a desktop enthusiast card built on Turing architecture, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 is a mobile integrated GPU for Apple Mac systems based on GCN 5.0. The benchmark data shows a stark performance chasm between them, with the RTX 2080 Ti delivering roughly 4 to 5 times the performance in shared compute tests, yet the Radeon Pro Vega 20 holds its own in its specific niche due to its integration and power profile.

FAQ

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti compare to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 in OpenCL performance?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti scores 128,171 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 26,679. This represents a 380.4% advantage for the NVIDIA card, making it over 4.8 times faster in this workload.

Q: What is the difference in Vulkan benchmark scores between the two cards?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 2080 Ti achieves 132,930 points versus 26,410 for the Radeon Pro Vega 20. The delta is 403.3%, meaning the NVIDIA card is more than 5 times faster in this API.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score and what do their percentiles indicate?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29,783, placing it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 averages 27,839, sitting in the 73rd percentile. Despite the large performance gap in individual tests, their overall percentile rankings are surprisingly close.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each card according to the data?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti's closest competitors include the RTX 5070 Mobile (delta -0.5%), RTX 3070 Ti (delta -0.5%), and RX 6800 (delta -1%). The Radeon Pro Vega 20's nearest rivals are the RX 7800M (delta -0.2%), Radeon Pro W5500X (delta -0.5%), and GTX 980 Ti (delta -0.6%).

Q: How do the memory configurations differ between the two GPUs?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti uses 11 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 352-bit bus with 616.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses 4 GB of HBM2 memory on a much wider 1024-bit bus but with only 189.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the power consumption difference between these two cards?

A: The RTX 2080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W suggested PSU with 2x 8-pin connectors. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 has a TDP of just 100 W and is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no separate power connectors listed.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is fundamental. The RTX 2080 Ti is built on NVIDIA's Turing architecture using the TU102 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.7M per mm². The Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses AMD's GCN 5.0 architecture with the Vega 12 chip, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries; its transistor count and die size are not listed in the data.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The RTX 2080 Ti packs 4,352 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 88 ROPs. It also includes 68 dedicated RT cores and 544 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the Radeon Pro Vega 20, which has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs with no RT or tensor core equivalents. This gives the NVIDIA card a raw FP32 throughput of 13.45 TFLOPS versus 3.284 TFLOPS for the AMD part.

Clock speeds and memory reveal different design philosophies. The RTX 2080 Ti runs at a base of 1350 MHz and boost of 1545 MHz, paired with 11 GB of GDDR6 at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The Radeon Pro Vega 20 operates at a much lower 815 MHz base and 1283 MHz boost, using 4 GB of HBM2 at 740 MHz (1480 Mbps effective). The NVIDIA card's memory bandwidth of 616.0 GB/s dwarfs the AMD card's 189.4 GB/s, even though the Vega 20 uses a 1024-bit bus compared to 352-bit on the RTX 2080 Ti.

Feature support also differs. The RTX 2080 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the NVIDIA card has Vulkan 1.4 support versus Vulkan 1.3 on the AMD card. The RTX 2080 Ti offers display outputs including 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, whereas the Radeon Pro Vega 20's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance hierarchy, but the intended use cases are entirely different. The RTX 2080 Ti is overwhelmingly faster in every shared benchmark, with a 380.4% lead in OpenCL and a 403.3% lead in Vulkan. Its average benchmark score of 29,783 versus 27,839 for the Radeon Pro Vega 20, combined with its 75th versus 73rd percentile ranking, confirms that even a significantly older high-end desktop card outperforms a mobile integrated solution.

However, the Radeon Pro Vega 20's classification as an IGP with a 100 W TDP and no power connectors makes it suitable for portable systems where the RTX 2080 Ti's 250 W TDP, dual-slot design, and 2x 8-pin power requirements are simply not feasible. The RTX 2080 Ti requires a 600 W PSU and measures 267 mm in length, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 has no listed dimensions or PSU requirements, reflecting its integration into a host system.

For raw compute and gaming performance, the RTX 2080 Ti is the clear choice from the data. For mobile professional workloads in a Mac environment, the Radeon Pro Vega 20's existence in that form factor is the deciding factor. The RTX 2080 Ti launched at an MSRP of 999 USD, while no launch MSRP is listed for the AMD card, further indicating their different market positions.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two GPUs based on the data provided:

• Architecture: Turing (RTX 2080 Ti) versus GCN 5.0 (Radeon Pro Vega 20)
• Process Node: 12 nm versus 14 nm
• Foundry: TSMC versus GlobalFoundries
• Transistors: 18,600 million versus not listed
• Die Size: 754 mm² versus not listed
• Transistor Density: 24.7M / mm² versus not listed
• Base Clock: 1350 MHz versus 815 MHz
• Boost Clock: 1545 MHz versus 1283 MHz
• Memory Clock: 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps effective versus 740 MHz / 1480 Mbps effective
• Memory Size: 11 GB versus 4 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6 versus HBM2
• Memory Bus: 352 bit versus 1024 bit
• Memory Bandwidth: 616.0 GB/s versus 189.4 GB/s
• Shading Units: 4,352 versus 1,280
• TMUs: 272 versus 80
• ROPs: 88 versus 32
• RT Cores: 68 versus not listed
• Tensor Cores: 544 versus not listed
• Pixel Rate: 136.0 GPixel/s versus 41.06 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 420.2 GTexel/s versus 102.6 GTexel/s
• FP32: 13.45 TFLOPS versus 3.284 TFLOPS
• FP16: 26.90 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 6.569 TFLOPS (2:1)
• TDP: 250 W versus 100 W
• Slot Width: Dual-slot versus IGP
• Power Connectors: 2x 8-pin versus not listed
• Suggested PSU: 600 W versus not listed
• Display Outputs: 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C versus Portable Device Dependent
• DirectX Support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus 12 (12_1)
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 versus 1.3
• Dimensions: 267 mm x 116 mm x 35 mm versus not listed
• Release Date: 2018-09-19 versus 2018-11-13
• Launch MSRP: 999 USD versus not listed

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison consists of only two shared benchmark tests, and the results are lopsided. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2080 Ti scores 128,171 against the Radeon Pro Vega 20's 26,679. This yields a delta of 380.4% in favor of NVIDIA. The magnitude of this gap is substantial: the RTX 2080 Ti delivers nearly five times the OpenCL compute performance.

The Vulkan results tell a similar story. The RTX 2080 Ti achieves 132,930 points, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 manages 26,410. The delta here is even larger at 403.3%, meaning the NVIDIA card is over five times faster in Vulkan. The RTX 2080 Ti's score is actually higher in Vulkan than in OpenCL, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20's scores are nearly identical across both APIs.

These benchmark results align with the architectural differences. The RTX 2080 Ti's 4,352 shading units and 13.45 TFLOPS FP32 throughput give it a massive compute advantage over the Radeon Pro Vega 20's 1,280 shading units and 3.284 TFLOPS. The memory bandwidth difference of 616.0 GB/s versus 189.4 GB/s further compounds the performance gap in memory-intensive workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 2080 Ti wins decisively in all shared benchmark categories, with both head-to-head tests going to the NVIDIA card. Its wins total 2 out of 2 in the head-to-head comparison, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 records 0 wins. The RTX 2080 Ti's strengths lie in raw compute throughput, higher clock speeds, and significantly more memory bandwidth, making it suitable for demanding desktop workloads such as high-resolution gaming, rendering, and compute-heavy applications.

The Radeon Pro Vega 20's advantage is not in benchmark scores but in its form factor and power efficiency. As an IGP with a 100 W TDP and no power connectors, it fits into portable Mac systems where the RTX 2080 Ti's dual-slot 267 mm length and 250 W power draw are impossible. Its 73rd percentile ranking versus the RTX 2080 Ti's 75th percentile shows that despite the massive performance delta, the AMD card is not a slouch in its class—it sits close to the RTX 3090 in its nearest rivals list with a delta of 1%.

The RTX 2080 Ti also wins on features with RT cores, tensor cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, which the Radeon Pro Vega 20 lacks entirely. For users needing ray tracing or AI acceleration, the RTX 2080 Ti is the only option between these two. The Radeon Pro Vega 20's HBM2 memory on a 1024-bit bus provides a wide interface, but the lower clock speeds and reduced bandwidth limit its effectiveness. Ultimately, the RTX 2080 Ti wins on every measurable performance metric, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 wins only on portability and integration.