AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 vs NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 wins both recorded head-to-head tests against the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, and it does so by substantial margins in one case. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card scores 53,757 against 48,703 for the NVIDIA, a 10.4% advantage. The gap widens considerably in Geekbench Vulkan, where the AMD part posts 57,653 versus 46,782, translating to a 23.2% lead. Across both tests, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 takes 2 wins, with the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile recording zero.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the AMD card sits at 60,140, which places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile averages 47,743, good for the 85th percentile. The absolute difference of roughly 12,400 points in average score is meaningful, but the percentile gap, only 3 points, suggests that both parts occupy a similar tier relative to the entire GPU landscape. The AMD part is closer to desktop-class performance in the database's ranking, while the NVIDIA mobile part trails by a modest percentile margin.

The Vulkan result deserves particular attention. A 23.2% delta is not a marginal difference; it indicates the AMD architecture handles Vulkan workloads with considerably more efficiency relative to its own OpenCL showing. The AMD card's Vulkan score of 57,653 is actually higher than its OpenCL score of 53,757, while the NVIDIA part scores lower in Vulkan (46,782) than in OpenCL (48,703). This pattern suggests the AMD driver stack and GCN architecture extract more from Vulkan's explicit API model.

For context within their respective peer groups, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48's nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 at 60,347 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon PRO V710 at 58,657 (2.5% higher than the Vega 48), and the NVIDIA P102-100 at 58,528 (2.8% higher). The fact that a 2019 professional mobile GPU trades blows with an RTX 4090 in this specific average benchmark speaks to the database's weighting and the Vega 48's strong compute characteristics. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT at 48,477 (1.5% lower than the A1000), the AMD Radeon RX 6550M at 46,702 (2.2% higher), the Intel Arc A530M at 46,614 (2.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5600M at 46,601 (2.5% higher). The A1000 Mobile sits in a cluster where the delta between rivals is tight, all within 2.5% of each other.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 wins decisively in compute-heavy, API-diverse scenarios. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 57,653 is 10,871 points higher than the NVIDIA part's best result in either test. The OpenCL advantage of 5,054 points is smaller but still consistent. For workloads that rely on OpenCL, such as certain rendering engines, scientific computation, or media processing pipelines, the AMD card delivers a 10.4% performance uplift. For Vulkan-based applications, which include modern game engines and some compute frameworks, the AMD card's 23.2% lead makes it the clear choice if raw throughput is the priority.

The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile wins in none of the recorded tests, but the data reveals strengths that are not captured by raw compute scores. The NVIDIA part has 16 dedicated ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48. The database does not include ray tracing or tensor-specific benchmarks for these parts, so the data cannot quantify those workloads. However, the architecture itself, Ampere with RT and tensor hardware, suggests that any application leveraging those units would favor the NVIDIA part. The AMD card relies solely on its 3,072 shading units and 192 texture mapping units for all work.

The AMD card also wins on memory bandwidth. With 402.4 GB/s over a 2048-bit HBM2 interface, it offers more than double the 176.0 GB/s of the NVIDIA part's 128-bit GDDR6 bus. Bandwidth-sensitive workloads, such as large data sets in scientific visualization or high-resolution texture streaming, will favor the AMD part. The NVIDIA card's 4 GB memory capacity is half the AMD's 8 GB, which could constrain workloads exceeding 4 GB working sets.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies and generations. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 uses the Vega 10 chip on GCN 5.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 12,500 million transistors into a 495 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.3 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile uses the GA107 chip on Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It contains 8,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, achieving a much higher transistor density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA part is more than twice as dense, reflecting the newer process node and more compact design.

Memory configurations could not be more different. The AMD card uses 8 GB of HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus and 402.4 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card uses 4 GB of GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus and 176.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card's memory clock is listed at 786 MHz with 1572 Mbps effective, while the NVIDIA card runs at 1375 MHz with 11 Gbps effective. The AMD card's HBM2 approach trades higher latency for massive bandwidth, while the NVIDIA card's GDDR6 is more conventional and power-efficient per bit.

Compute resources also differ sharply. The AMD card has 3,072 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has 2,048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The AMD card's pixel rate is 76.80 GPixel/s versus 36.48 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, and texture rate is 230.4 GTexel/s versus 72.96 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 7.373 TFLOPS for AMD versus 4.669 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. FP16 performance is also asymmetric: AMD offers 14.75 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio, while NVIDIA provides 4.669 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. The AMD card's FP16 advantage is substantial, nearly 10 TFLOPS, which matters for workloads using mixed precision.

The NVIDIA card includes 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks entirely. The AMD card's GCN architecture has no dedicated hardware for ray tracing or tensor operations. The NVIDIA card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the NVIDIA card supports Vulkan 1.4 versus AMD's 1.3. The NVIDIA card uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the AMD card uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The NVIDIA card has a listed TDP of 60 W; the AMD card has no TDP listed in the database. Both are integrated into portable devices with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs.

The NVIDIA part has base and boost clocks of 630 MHz and 1140 MHz, respectively. The AMD card has no base or boost clock listed, only memory clock. The NVIDIA card's release date is 2022-03-29, while the AMD card was released 2019-03-18, a three-year gap. The AMD card is end-of-life, as is the NVIDIA part. The NVIDIA card's predecessor is Quadro Turing-M and its successor is Ada-MW; the AMD card has no listed predecessor or successor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 averages 60,140 across all benchmark tests, compared to 47,743 for the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile. The AMD part sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA part sits in the 85th percentile.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 57,653 against 46,782 for the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, a 23.2% advantage for the AMD card. This is the largest delta recorded in the head-to-head tests.

Q: Does the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile have any hardware features the AMD card lacks?

A: Yes. The NVIDIA card includes 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 has no RT cores and no tensor cores, as its GCN 5.0 architecture predates dedicated hardware for these functions.

Q: What are the memory capacity and bandwidth differences?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 has 8 GB of HBM2 memory with a 2048-bit bus and 402.4 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 176.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card offers more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer DirectX version?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The NVIDIA card also supports Vulkan 1.4 versus AMD's Vulkan 1.3.

Q: What are the FP32 and FP16 compute throughput figures?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 delivers 7.373 TFLOPS FP32 and 14.75 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile delivers 4.669 TFLOPS FP32 and 4.669 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio). The AMD card leads in both, with a particularly large FP16 advantage.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for general compute and rasterization workloads: the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, holds a 10.4% OpenCL lead and a 23.2% Vulkan lead, and has a significantly higher average score of 60,140 versus 47,743. Its memory subsystem, 8 GB HBM2 with 402.4 GB/s, is categorically superior to the NVIDIA card's 4 GB GDDR6 at 176.0 GB/s. For any workload that stresses bandwidth or exceeds 4 GB of memory usage, the AMD card is the only viable option of the two.

The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile's case rests entirely on features not measured in the database's recorded tests. Its 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI inference, which the AMD card cannot match. The NVIDIA card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, offering newer API feature sets. If the target applications specifically use ray tracing or tensor operations, the NVIDIA part is the logical choice despite its compute deficit.

The transistor density comparison, 43.5M per mm² for NVIDIA versus 25.3M per mm² for AMD, reflects the NVIDIA part's newer 8 nm process. However, the AMD card compensates with a larger die and more raw compute resources. The AMD card's 14 nm process from 2019 is older, but its 12,500 million transistors on 495 mm² deliver more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs than the NVIDIA part's 8,700 million transistors on 200 mm².

For users prioritizing raw compute, memory bandwidth, and API-agnostic throughput, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is the data-supported pick. For users requiring ray tracing, tensor acceleration, or the latest DirectX feature level, the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile is the only option that provides those capabilities, even if its measured compute performance is lower.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 | NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile |

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | Samsung |

| Transistors | 12,500 million | 8,700 million |

| Die Size | 495 mm² | 200 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.3M / mm² | 43.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not listed | 630 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not listed | 1140 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 786 MHz, 1572 Mbps effective | 1375 MHz, 11 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 2048 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 402.4 GB/s | 176.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 3072 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 192 | 64 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| RT Cores | Not listed | 16 |

| Tensor Cores | Not listed | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 76.80 GPixel/s | 36.48 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 230.4 GTexel/s | 72.96 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 7.373 TFLOPS | 4.669 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 14.75 TFLOPS (2:1) | 4.669 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | Not listed | 60 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

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

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2019-03-18 | 2022-03-29 |

| Predecessor | Not listed | Quadro Turing-M |

| Successor | Not listed | Ada-MW |