AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 vs NVIDIA TITAN RTX Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive performance gap between the NVIDIA TITAN RTX and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 across the two shared benchmark workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, the TITAN RTX scores 144,858 against 26,679 for the Radeon Pro Vega 20, a delta of 443%. The Vulkan result follows the same pattern: the TITAN RTX reaches 136,073 while the AMD card manages 26,410, a 415.2% advantage.

These are not marginal differences. The TITAN RTX outperforms the Radeon Pro Vega 20 by more than a factor of five in both compute-focused APIs. To contextualize these scores, the TITAN RTX sits at the 76th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 31,676. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (31,532, 0.5% behind), the Intel Arc Pro A30M (31,894, 0.7% ahead), the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q (31,220, 1.5% behind), and the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (31,206, 1.5% behind). The Radeon Pro Vega 20, by contrast, holds the 73rd percentile with an average score of 27,839. Its closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 7800M (27,883, 0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (27,973, 0.5% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (28,020, 0.6% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27,565, 1% behind).

The head-to-head delta of 443% in OpenCL and 415.2% in Vulkan reflects an enormous compute advantage, but the percentile data tells a subtler story. The TITAN RTX's average score of 31,676 is only about 14% higher than the Radeon Pro Vega 20's 27,839. This discrepancy arises because the two cards share only two benchmark tests in the database, and those tests are compute-heavy workloads where the TITAN RTX's architecture excels. The AMD card's average score is pulled up by its Geekbench Metal result of 30,427, which the TITAN RTX does not have a comparable measurement for. The data does not include a Metal score for the NVIDIA card, so a direct comparison in that API is not possible.

The TITAN RTX wins both shared tests, giving it a 2-0 record in head-to-head comparisons. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 has no wins in any shared benchmark. This is a clean sweep, but the limited overlap in test coverage means the full picture requires examining the individual benchmark suites each card participates in.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA TITAN RTX uses the TU102 chip built on the Turing architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 12 nm process. It packs 18,600 million transistors into a 754 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.7 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses the Vega 12 chip based on GCN 5.0, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The AMD card's transistor count and die size are not recorded in the database, and no density figure is available.

The core configuration differs dramatically. The TITAN RTX features 4,608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. It also includes 72 ray tracing cores and 576 tensor cores, reflecting Turing's dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI acceleration. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It lists no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, consistent with GCN 5.0 lacking dedicated hardware for those workloads.

Clock speeds follow the architectural split. The TITAN RTX runs at a base clock of 1350 MHz and boosts to 1770 MHz. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 operates at 815 MHz base and 1283 MHz boost, substantially lower. Memory configurations also diverge sharply. The TITAN RTX uses 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, providing 189.4 GB/s. The AMD card's wider bus cannot compensate for its smaller capacity and lower effective speed (1480 Mbps versus 14 Gbps effective).

The TITAN RTX supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA card's DirectX 12_2 feature level includes capabilities the AMD card's 12_1 level does not, such as hardware ray tracing support. Power consumption reflects the performance gap: the TITAN RTX has a TDP of 280 W and requires dual 8-pin power connectors plus a 600 W suggested PSU, while the Radeon Pro Vega 20 draws 100 W and is listed as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors or PSU recommendation.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA TITAN RTX has 4,608 shading units, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 has 1,280, a 3.6x difference.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The TITAN RTX delivers 672.0 GB/s from 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 provides 189.4 GB/s from 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro Vega 20 support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The database records no ray tracing cores for the AMD card, while the TITAN RTX includes 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The TITAN RTX boosts to 1770 MHz, compared to 1283 MHz for the Radeon Pro Vega 20.

Q: What is the transistor density of each chip?

A: The TITAN RTX's TU102 has a density of 24.7 million transistors per square millimeter. The Radeon Pro Vega 20's Vega 12 chip has no recorded density figure.

Q: Which API level does each card support?

A: The TITAN RTX supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ according to the database records.

| Specification | NVIDIA TITAN RTX | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | TU102 | Vega 12 |

| Architecture | Turing | GCN 5.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 20 | Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series) |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 18,600 million | Not recorded |

| Die Size | 754 mm² | Not recorded |

| Transistor Density | 24.7M / mm² | Not recorded |

| Base Clock | 1350 MHz | 815 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1770 MHz | 1283 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz, 14 Gbps effective | 740 MHz, 1480 Mbps effective |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM2 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 1024 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 672.0 GB/s | 189.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4608 | 1280 |

| TMUs | 288 | 80 |

| ROPs | 96 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 72 | Not recorded |

| Tensor Cores | 576 | Not recorded |

| Pixel Rate | 169.9 GPixel/s | 41.06 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 509.8 GTexel/s | 102.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 16.31 TFLOPS | 3.284 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1) | 6.569 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 280 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | Not recorded |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | Not recorded |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Dimensions | 267 mm x 116 mm x 35 mm | Not recorded |

| Release Date | 2018-12-17 | 2018-11-13 |

| Launch MSRP | 2,499 USD | Not recorded |

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear conclusion: the NVIDIA TITAN RTX is the dominant performer in every shared workload. Its OpenCL score of 144,858 is 443% higher than the Radeon Pro Vega 20's 26,679, and its Vulkan score of 136,073 is 415.2% higher than 26,410. The TITAN RTX also holds a higher average benchmark score (31,676 versus 27,839) and a higher percentile ranking (76th versus 73rd) among all GPUs.

The Radeon Pro Vega 20 offers no recorded benchmark win over the TITAN RTX. However, the AMD card's strengths lie outside the shared test suite. Its Geekbench Metal score of 30,427 is its best recorded result, and Metal is an API the TITAN RTX does not have a comparable score for. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 also draws 100 W versus 280 W, making it a lower-power option, and its HBM2 memory on a 1024-bit bus provides a different memory profile despite lower bandwidth.

For users who prioritize raw compute performance in OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the TITAN RTX is overwhelmingly superior. For those constrained by power consumption or requiring an integrated graphics solution, the Radeon Pro Vega 20's 100 W TDP and IGP form factor may be relevant considerations. The data does not show any performance scenario where the AMD card outpaces the NVIDIA card in a shared test.

Where Each One Wins

The TITAN RTX wins in compute-heavy, cross-platform APIs. Its OpenCL result of 144,858 versus 26,679 represents a 443% lead, and its Vulkan result of 136,073 versus 26,410 shows a 415.2% advantage. These are the only two benchmarks where both cards have recorded scores, and the TITAN RTX wins both outright. The card's 4,608 shading units, 72 RT cores, and 576 tensor cores provide the hardware foundation for these results. Its FP32 throughput of 16.31 TFLOPS and FP16 throughput of 32.62 TFLOPS (2:1) dwarf the AMD card's 3.284 TFLOPS and 6.569 TFLOPS (2:1).

The Radeon Pro Vega 20 wins in no shared benchmark, but it has a unique strength recorded in the database: its Geekbench Metal score of 30,427. This is its highest individual result, and the TITAN RTX has no Metal score listed, so direct comparison is impossible. The AMD card also holds advantages in power efficiency (100 W versus 280 W TDP) and memory architecture (HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus), which may matter in specific use cases such as portable devices, given its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent" and its slot width is IGP.

The use-case split is straightforward. The TITAN RTX is the choice for OpenCL or Vulkan compute workloads, AI inference with tensor cores, or ray-traced rendering with RT cores. The Radeon Pro Vega 20 is the choice for Metal-based workflows on portable systems where a 100 W power draw and integrated form factor are priorities, and where the 4 GB HBM2 pool is sufficient. The data does not suggest any crossover where the AMD card outperforms the NVIDIA card in a shared test.