AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 occupy different corners of the GPU market, but the benchmark data leaves no ambiguity about their relative performance. In the two directly comparable compute tests, the RTX 5060 dominates the older Vega 20 by a wide margin, while the Vega 20’s only statistical advantage is a slightly higher percentile ranking against all GPUs. This is a generational mismatch: a 2018 mobile-class workstation part versus a 2025 desktop gaming card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are stark. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5060 scores 112,787 against the Vega 20’s 26,679. That is a delta of -76.3%, meaning the Vega 20 trails by over three-quarters of the RTX 5060’s score. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap is nearly identical: the RTX 5060 posts 113,321 while the Vega 20 manages 26,410, a -76.7% delta. The RTX 5060 wins both available head-to-head tests, and it wins them decisively.

These aren’t marginal wins. The RTX 5060’s OpenCL result is roughly 4.2 times higher than the Vega 20’s, and its Vulkan result is roughly 4.3 times higher. For context, the Vega 20’s average benchmark score across all tests is 27,839, which places it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 5060’s average score is 26,331, good for the 72nd percentile. So despite the RTX 5060’s massive per-test lead, the aggregate average is actually slightly lower than the Vega 20’s — this is because the RTX 5060’s benchmark suite includes several low-scoring DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 legacy tests that drag down its average.

Looking at the nearest rivals clarifies the picture further. The Vega 20’s closest competitors by average score are the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (27,883, -0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (27,973, -0.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020, -0.6%). It also sits just 1% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27,565). The RTX 5060’s rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (26,401, -0.3%), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26,421, -0.3%), and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26,553, -0.8%), with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT 1.2% behind. In other words, the Vega 20 trades blows with high-end cards from 2015-2020, while the RTX 5060 sits in a lower average tier — but the individual compute tests show the RTX 5060 is in a completely different performance class.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two is wide. The Vega 20 uses AMD’s GCN 5.0 architecture on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, with a Vega 12 chip. The RTX 5060 uses NVIDIA’s Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm process from TSMC, with a GB206 chip. The process node difference alone — 14 nm versus 5 nm — explains much of the efficiency and clock speed gap.

The RTX 5060 packs 21,900 million transistors into a 181 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 121.0 million per mm². The Vega 20’s transistor count and die size are not listed in the data, but the density advantage of the newer part is clear from the process node and clock speeds. The RTX 5060 has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, versus the Vega 20’s 815 MHz base and 1283 MHz boost. That’s roughly a 1.8x advantage in boost clock.

Memory architecture is equally divergent. The Vega 20 uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, delivering 189.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5060 uses 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s. Despite having one-eighth the bus width, the RTX 5060 has 2.4x the bandwidth thanks to faster GDDR7 memory. The Vega 20’s memory runs at 740 MHz (1480 Mbps effective), while the RTX 5060’s runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

Compute resources also favor the RTX 5060 heavily. It has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, versus the Vega 20’s 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RTX 5060 also adds 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores — features the Vega 20 lacks entirely. Pixel rate is 119.9 GPixel/s versus 41.06 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 299.6 GTexel/s versus 102.6 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS versus 3.284 TFLOPS, a 5.8x advantage. FP16 is also 19.18 TFLOPS on the RTX 5060 (1:1 ratio) versus 6.569 TFLOPS on the Vega 20 (2:1 ratio).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in compute benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5060 wins both head-to-head tests. It scores 112,787 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 26,679 for the Vega 20, and 113,321 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 26,410. The delta is -76.3% and -76.7% respectively.

Q: Does the Vega 20 have any performance advantage?

A: The Vega 20 has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 27,839 versus the RTX 5060’s 26,331, and a higher percentile ranking of 73rd versus 72nd. However, this is driven by the RTX 5060’s inclusion of low-scoring legacy DirectX tests, not by any per-test superiority.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The Vega 20 uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus with 189.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5060 uses 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth — more capacity and 2.4x the bandwidth despite a much narrower bus.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The RTX 5060 has a base clock of 2280 MHz and boost of 2497 MHz. The Vega 20 has a base of 815 MHz and boost of 1283 MHz. The RTX 5060’s boost clock is roughly 1.8x higher.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 support ray tracing?

A: Yes. It has 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores. The Vega 20 has no RT or tensor cores, and its DirectX support is limited to 12 (12_1) versus the RTX 5060’s 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Q: Which GPU has a higher power draw?

A: The RTX 5060 has a TDP of 145 W with a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Vega 20 has a TDP of 100 W and is listed as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with portable-device-dependent outputs.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The Vega 20 is built on 14 nm by GlobalFoundries; the RTX 5060 uses 5 nm by TSMC. The RTX 5060 has 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die with a density of 121.0M per mm²; the Vega 20’s figures are not listed. Clock speeds: 815 MHz base and 1283 MHz boost versus 2280 MHz base and 2497 MHz boost. Memory: 4 GB HBM2 on 1024-bit with 189.4 GB/s versus 8 GB GDDR7 on 128-bit with 448.0 GB/s. Compute units: 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs versus 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs. The RTX 5060 adds 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores; the Vega 20 has none. Pixel rate: 41.06 GPixel/s versus 119.9 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 102.6 GTexel/s versus 299.6 GTexel/s. FP32: 3.284 TFLOPS versus 19.18 TFLOPS. FP16: 6.569 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 19.18 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP: 100 W versus 145 W. Slot width: IGP versus dual-slot. Power connector: none listed versus 1x 8-pin. Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 5.0 x8. Display outputs: portable device dependent versus 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. DirectX: 12 (12_1) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2). Vulkan: 1.3 versus 1.4. Physical dimensions: not listed for the Vega 20; the RTX 5060 is 241 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. Production status: end-of-life versus active. Release date: 2018-11-13 versus 2025-05-18.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5060 wins in every computational workload measured by the head-to-head tests. Its 4x+ lead in OpenCL and Vulkan makes it the clear choice for any modern compute task, and its 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores enable ray tracing and AI acceleration that the Vega 20 simply cannot do. The 8 GB GDDR7 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is more suitable for contemporary games and larger datasets. The RTX 5060 also benefits from newer API support — DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 versus the Vega 20’s DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3 — and a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface versus PCIe 3.0 x16.

The Vega 20’s wins are narrower and more situational. Its 100 W TDP is 45 W lower than the RTX 5060’s 145 W, and its IGP form factor means it is designed for portable, integrated deployments where a dual-slot, 241 mm card with an 8-pin connector won’t fit. Its 1024-bit HBM2 bus, while slower in total bandwidth, offers a different memory profile that may suit specific workstation tasks. Its higher average benchmark score (27,839 versus 26,331) and better percentile ranking (73rd versus 72nd) show that in the broader benchmark suite, it holds its own against the RTX 5060’s aggregate — but that is largely due to the RTX 5060’s weak legacy DirectX results, not any real compute advantage.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. For any user who needs raw compute performance, modern API support, ray tracing, or AI features, the RTX 5060 is the only rational choice. Its 4.2x OpenCL lead and 4.3x Vulkan lead over the Vega 20 are not close; the newer card is in a different performance class entirely. The 5 nm process, 3840 shading units, 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32, and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth make it a capable modern GPU for gaming and general compute.

For users constrained by power or physical form factor, the Vega 20 has a niche. Its 100 W TDP and IGP design suit portable or compact systems where a dual-slot, 145 W card with an external power connector won’t fit. Its 73rd percentile ranking and average score of 27,839 show it was a solid performer for its generation, and its HBM2 memory on a 1024-bit bus offers a unique memory architecture. But the production status tells the story: the Vega 20 is end-of-life, released in 2018, while the RTX 5060 is active, released in 2025. If you’re building a new system or upgrading for performance, the RTX 5060 is the obvious pick. If you’re maintaining an existing portable workstation with a 100 W power budget, the Vega 20 remains serviceable — just don’t expect it to compete with modern discrete GPUs on any compute benchmark that matters.