AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Comparison

The Verdict

The data separates these two GPUs into entirely different performance classes. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the clear winner in every recorded head-to-head benchmark, delivering roughly 3.5x the OpenCL score and nearly 4x the Vulkan score of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56. If raw compute throughput is the priority, the RTX 4080 SUPER is the only rational choice.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 still holds relevance in one specific context: it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 210 W TDP and no power connectors, meaning it fits into systems where a discrete triple-slot card is physically impossible. The RTX 4080 SUPER, by contrast, is a triple-slot card measuring 310 mm in length, requiring a 16-pin connector and a 700 W suggested power supply.

For anyone building a new high-end workstation or gaming rig, the RTX 4080 SUPER is the obvious pick. The benchmark data shows a 71.7% deficit for the Vega 56 in OpenCL and a 74.6% deficit in Vulkan; those are not minor gaps, they are generational chasms. The Vega 56 belongs in legacy Mac Pro systems or compact builds where its IGP form factor is the deciding factor, not performance.

Architecture Differences

The manufacturing processes could not be more different. AMD built the Vega 10 chip on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, packing 12,500 million transistors into a 495 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.3 million per mm². NVIDIA fabricated the AD103 chip on a 5 nm process at TSMC, fitting 45,900 million transistors into a smaller 379 mm² die, achieving 121.1 million transistors per mm².

The Vega 56 uses GCN 5.0 architecture, which is a scalar design from 2017. It has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. There are no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. Its FP32 throughput is 8.960 TFLOPS, and FP16 is listed at 17.92 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio, meaning half-rate FP16.

The RTX 4080 SUPER runs Ada Lovelace architecture. It has 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Critically, it includes 80 dedicated ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores, which the Vega 56 completely lacks. FP32 throughput is 52.22 TFLOPS, and FP16 is also 52.22 TFLOPS at 1:1 ratio, meaning full-rate FP16.

Memory architecture is another major split. The Vega 56 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4080 SUPER uses 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the RTX 4080 SUPER has nearly double the memory bandwidth.

API support differs as well. The Vega 56 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RTX 4080 SUPER supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The newer DirectX 12 Ultimate tier includes features that the older GCN architecture cannot expose.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in raw compute benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER wins both recorded head-to-head tests. It scores 219,065 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 61,930 for the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, a 71.7% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 260,075 versus 66,004, a 74.6% advantage.

Q: Can the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 fit in a standard desktop PC?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The Vega 56 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors and a slot width listed as IGP, so it does not occupy a standard expansion slot in the traditional sense. The RTX 4080 SUPER is a triple-slot card measuring 310 mm by 140 mm by 61 mm.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The AD103 chip includes 80 dedicated ray tracing cores. The Vega 56 has no ray tracing cores at all, so hardware-accelerated ray tracing is not available on that card.

Q: Which GPU has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 56 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 402.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4080 SUPER doubles the capacity and nearly doubles the bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The Vega 56 has a 210 W TDP and requires no power connectors. The RTX 4080 SUPER has a 320 W TDP, uses a single 16-pin connector, and carries a 700 W suggested power supply rating.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Vega 56 has an average benchmark score of 63,693 across its three recorded tests, placing it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score of 54,209 across ten recorded tests, placing it in the 86th percentile. The lower average for the RTX 4080 SUPER reflects that its benchmark suite includes many different tests, not lower performance.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER |

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

| Process node | 14 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 12,500 million | 45,900 million |

| Die size | 495 mm² | 379 mm² |

| Transistor density | 25.3M / mm² | 121.1M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1138 MHz | 2295 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1250 MHz | 2550 MHz |

| Memory size | 8 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory type | HBM2 | GDDR6X |

| Memory bus | 2048 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 402.4 GB/s | 736.3 GB/s |

| Shading units | 3584 | 10240 |

| TMUs | 224 | 320 |

| ROPs | 64 | 112 |

| RT cores | None | 80 |

| Tensor cores | None | 320 |

| Pixel rate | 80.00 GPixel/s | 285.6 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 280.0 GTexel/s | 816.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.960 TFLOPS | 52.22 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 17.92 TFLOPS (2:1) | 52.22 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 210 W | 320 W |

| Slot width | IGP | Triple-slot |

| Power connectors | None | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not listed | 700 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

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

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | Not listed | 310 mm x 140 mm x 61 mm |

| Release date | 2017-08-13 | 2024-01-30 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Only two direct benchmark comparisons exist in the recorded data, and NVIDIA wins both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 219,065 against the Vega 56's 61,930. That is a delta of 71.7% in favor of NVIDIA. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 260,075 against 66,004, a delta of 74.6%.

These deltas are enormous and consistent across both APIs. The Vulkan gap is slightly larger than the OpenCL gap, suggesting the Ada Lovelace architecture scales better with modern low-level APIs. The Vega 56's GCN 5.0 architecture, despite its Vulkan 1.3 support, cannot keep pace with the RTX 4080 SUPER's newer hardware.

The RTX 4080 SUPER also wins decisively in derived specifications. Its pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s is 3.57x the Vega 56's 80.00 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s is 2.91x the Vega 56's 280.0 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput at 52.22 TFLOPS is 5.83x the Vega 56's 8.960 TFLOPS. These are not incremental improvements; they are multiple-generation leaps.

The Vega 56's only advantage in the recorded data is its average benchmark score of 63,693, which exceeds the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54,209. However, that comparison is misleading because the two cards were tested with different benchmark suites. The Vega 56 ran three Geekbench tests, while the RTX 4080 SUPER ran ten tests including Passmark DX9, DX10, DX11, DX12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute. The RTX 4080 SUPER's Passmark G3D score of 34,245 and GPU compute score of 19,822 are strong, but its DirectX 9 score of 381 and DirectX 10 score of 193 drag down the average. Those legacy API tests do not reflect modern workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 SUPER wins every scenario where performance matters. Its 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput, 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 320 tensor cores make it suitable for heavy compute workloads, modern gaming at high resolutions, and any ray-traced content. The 16 GB memory capacity provides ample headroom for large datasets or textures. The PCIe 4.0 interface doubles the bandwidth available to the host system compared to the Vega 56's PCIe 3.0.

The Vega 56 wins only in physical compatibility and power draw. Its IGP form factor with no power connectors means it can be integrated into systems that cannot accommodate a triple-slot 310 mm card. Its 210 W TDP is lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 320 W, and it has no suggested power supply requirement, whereas the RTX 4080 SUPER specifies 700 W. For a Mac Pro or a compact workstation where space and power delivery are constrained, the Vega 56 is the only option that fits.

The release dates tell a similar story. The Vega 56 launched in August 2017, the RTX 4080 SUPER in January 2024. That is six and a half years of architectural progress between the two. The Vega 56 is end-of-life, and so is the RTX 4080 SUPER, but the RTX 4080 SUPER has a successor in the GeForce 50 series, while the Vega 56 has neither predecessor nor successor listed.

For a builder choosing between these two today, the decision is simple. If the system can physically house a triple-slot, 310 mm, 16-pin card with a 700 W PSU, the RTX 4080 SUPER is superior in every benchmark and compute metric. If the system requires an integrated GPU with no power connectors, the Vega 56 is the fallback, but the performance data makes clear it is not a competitive alternative.