AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 is the clear performance leader in this comparison. The recorded data shows the Quadro RTX 6000 wins both head-to-head benchmark tests, with a 19.8% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL and a dominant 96.3% advantage in Geekbench Vulkan. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 does not win any of the shared tests, making the choice straightforward for users who prioritize raw compute throughput.

The Quadro RTX 6000 sits at the 94th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Radeon Pro Vega 56 sits at the 89th percentile. The average benchmark score of the Quadro RTX 6000 is 101,872, compared to 63,693 for the Radeon Pro Vega 56, a gap of roughly 60%. The Quadro RTX 6000 also has a far larger memory pool at 24 GB versus 8 GB, and it is built on a newer architecture with dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores, which the Vega 56 lacks entirely.

For professional workloads that stress OpenCL and Vulkan, the Quadro RTX 6000 is the only sensible pick from these two. The Radeon Pro Vega 56 does have a lower power draw at 210 W versus 260 W, and it is an integrated graphics processor with no external power connectors, which may suit specific compact Mac-based builds. However, the performance delta is so large that the Vega 56 can only be justified where its IGP form factor or lower power envelope is the deciding factor. The database records a Metal benchmark for the Vega 56 (63,145), but no Metal score exists for the Quadro RTX 6000, so users entrenched in Metal-only pipelines cannot compare the two directly on that API.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and foundries. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 uses the TU102 chip built on Turing architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 12 nm process. It packs 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 24.7 million transistors per mm². The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 uses the Vega 56 uses the Vega 10 chip running GCN 5.0 architecture, made by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. Its die is 495 mm² with 12,500 million transistors, giving it a slightly higher transistor density of 25.3 million transistors per mm² despite the older node.

The Quadro RTX 6000 includes 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores, features that are entirely absent from the Vega 56. These dedicated units accelerate ray tracing and AI inference workloads, which explains part of the large Vulkan gap. The Quadro RTX 6000 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Vega 56 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the Vulkan versions differ: the Quadro RTX 6000 reports Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 56 reports Vulkan 1.3.

Memory architecture is another major split. The Quadro RTX 6000 uses 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 56 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, yielding 402.4 GB/s. The Vega 56's HBM2 memory runs at 786 MHz with 1572 Mbps effective, while the Quadro RTX 6000's GDDR6 runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective. The Vega 56 has no power connectors and is classified as an integrated graphics processor, whereas the Quadro RTX 6000 is a dual-slot card requiring 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors with a 600 W suggested power supply.

The Quadro RTX 6000 also offers a USB Type-C display output alongside 4x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the Vega 56 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The release dates differ by roughly a year: the Quadro RTX 6000 launched on 2018-08-12, and the Vega 56 launched on 2017-08-13. Both are end-of-life products. The Quadro RTX 6000 had a launch MSRP of 6,299 USD; the Vega 56 has no recorded launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 on a 384-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 402.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 support ray tracing?

A: No. The Vega 56 has no RT cores and no tensor cores. The Quadro RTX 6000 has 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores.

Q: Which card wins in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The Quadro RTX 6000 scores 129,564 versus 66,004 for the Vega 56, a 96.3% advantage. This is the largest head-to-head margin recorded between the two.

Q: Is the Radeon Pro Vega 56 better in any API?

A: The database records a Geekbench Metal score of 63,145 for the Vega 56, but no Metal score exists for the Quadro RTX 6000, so no direct comparison is possible on that API.

Q: Which card has lower power consumption?

A: The Vega 56 has a TDP of 210 W and requires no power connectors. The Quadro RTX 6000 has a TDP of 260 W and needs 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The Quadro RTX 6000 has an average benchmark score of 101,872, while the Vega 56 has an average of 63,693. The Quadro RTX 6000 ranks at the 94th percentile among all GPUs, and the Vega 56 ranks at the 89th percentile.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification. The Quadro RTX 6000 uses a 12 nm process from TSMC, while the Vega 56 uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries. Transistor count is 18,600 million for the Quadro RTX 6000 versus 12,500 million for the Vega 56. Die size is 754 mm² versus 495 mm². Transistor density is nearly identical: 24.7M per mm² versus 25.3M per mm².

Clock speeds favor the Quadro RTX 6000. Its base clock is 1440 MHz and boost clock is 1770 MHz, while the Vega 56 runs at 1138 MHz base and 1250 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: the Quadro RTX 6000 runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, and the Vega 56 runs at 786 MHz with 1572 Mbps effective.

Compute resources scale accordingly. The Quadro RTX 6000 has 4608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The Vega 56 has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Quadro RTX 6000 also has 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores, which the Vega 56 does not have. Pixel rate is 169.9 GPixel/s versus 80.00 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 509.8 GTexel/s versus 280.0 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 16.31 TFLOPS versus 8.960 TFLOPS. FP16 throughput is 32.62 TFLOPS versus 17.92 TFLOPS, both at a 2:1 ratio.

Power and physical specifications also diverge. The Quadro RTX 6000 has a TDP of 260 W, is dual-slot, requires 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 600 W. The Vega 56 has a TDP of 210 W, is an IGP, requires no power connectors, and has no suggested PSU listed. The Quadro RTX 6000 is 267 mm long and 111 mm tall; the Vega 56 has no recorded dimensions.

DirectX support differs: 12 Ultimate (12_2) for the Quadro RTX 6000 versus 12 (12_1) for the Vega 56. Vulkan support is 1.4 versus 1.3. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a plus 1x USB Type-C on the Quadro RTX 6000, versus 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the Vega 56. The release dates are 2018-08-12 and 2017-08-13, respectively. The Quadro RTX 6000 has a recorded launch MSRP of 6,299 USD; the Vega 56 has none.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two shared benchmark tests between these cards. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Quadro RTX 6000 scores 74,179 against the Vega 56's 61,930, a 19.8% advantage. This margin is substantial but not overwhelming; it reflects the Quadro RTX 6000's higher shading unit count, higher clocks, and larger memory bandwidth, though the Vega 56's HBM2 stack keeps it competitive in raw compute terms.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens dramatically. The Quadro RTX 6000 scores 129,564 versus 66,004 for the Vega 56, a 96.3% advantage. This near-doubling of performance points to architectural advantages beyond raw compute: the presence of 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores, plus newer API support in Vulkan 1.4, likely amplifies the difference in Vulkan workloads. The Vega 56's GCN 5.0 architecture, designed before the Vulkan 1.4 era, cannot keep pace.

The Vega 56's only recorded benchmark without a Quadro RTX 6000 counterpart is Geekbench Metal, where it scores 63,145. This is close to its OpenCL score of 61,930, suggesting the card performs similarly across APIs. Looking at the broader database context, the Quadro RTX 6000's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, which scores 106,750 and beats it by 4.6%, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X, which scores 107,342 and beats it by 5.1%. On the other side, the Quadro RTX 6000 beats the AMD Radeon RX 7900M by 4.5% and the AMD Radeon Pro VII by 4.9%.

The Vega 56's nearest rivals are much closer in score. The AMD Radeon RX 7600M scores 63,775, a 0.1% gap; the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP scores 63,830, a 0.2% gap; and the NVIDIA CMP 30HX scores 63,842, also a 0.2% gap. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 scores 64,212, which is 0.8% higher. The Vega 56 is effectively grouped with mid-range cards, while the Quadro RTX 6000 sits in a higher performance tier.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 wins all shared benchmark comparisons. Its OpenCL lead of 19.8% makes it the better choice for general-purpose compute workloads that use OpenCL, such as rendering, simulation, and data processing. Its Vulkan lead of 96.3% makes it the clear pick for Vulkan-based applications, including modern game engines and compute-heavy Vulkan pipelines. The 24 GB memory capacity and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth further support large dataset workloads, and the presence of RT and tensor cores adds capability for ray tracing and AI inference that the Vega 56 cannot offer at all.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 wins in power efficiency and form factor. Its 210 W TDP is 50 W lower than the Quadro RTX 6000's 260 W, and it requires no power connectors, which makes it easier to install in systems with limited power delivery. As an IGP, it can be integrated into compact systems where a dual-slot card like the Quadro RTX 6000 will not fit. The Vega 56 also offers a Metal benchmark score of 63,145, which is the only recorded data point for Apple's Metal API in this comparison; users working exclusively in Metal have no direct performance comparison to the Quadro RTX 6000.

The Vega 56's HBM2 memory, despite the smaller 8 GB capacity, provides 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth on a 2048-bit bus, which is respectable but still 40% below the Quadro RTX 6000's 672.0 GB/s. The higher transistor density on the Vega 56's 14 nm process (25.3M per mm² versus 24.7M per mm²) suggests a slightly more efficient use of die area, but this does not translate into a performance advantage in the recorded benchmarks.

In practical terms, the Quadro RTX 6000 is the choice for users who need maximum compute throughput, large memory capacity, and modern API features. The Vega 56 is the choice for users who need a low-power, connector-free GPU that fits an integrated form factor and who primarily work within Metal-based ecosystems where no direct comparison data exists.