AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 vs AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 represent two very different eras of Apple-focused workstation graphics. The W6800X, built on RDNA 2.0, is the newer, faster part by a wide margin, while the Vega 64 is an older GCN 5.0 design that still holds its own in specific legacy workloads. The recorded data shows a clear generational leap in raw performance, but the choice between them depends on whether you need the absolute fastest compute and ray tracing, or simply a capable card for modern macOS applications that does not require the latest hardware.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X wins decisively in every recorded benchmark category. It outperforms the Vega 64 in both Geekbench Metal and Geekbench OpenCL tests. The W6800X’s wins are not marginal; they are substantial, with a 173.9% advantage in Metal and a 75.1% advantage in OpenCL. The W6800X is for users who prioritize maximum throughput in GPU-accelerated rendering, machine learning inference, and video processing. Its 32 GB of GDDR6 memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a clear edge in large dataset workloads that exceed the Vega 64’s 16 GB HBM2 capacity.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 has no benchmark wins in the head-to-head data. However, it does hold a position in the database’s percentile rankings that is still respectable. It sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, while the W6800X sits in the 97th percentile. The Vega 64’s strength is not in raw speed but in its architectural maturity. It is a GCN 5.0 part with 4096 shading units, which is actually more than the W6800X’s 3840. In pure shading unit count, the older card has a theoretical advantage, though the newer architecture’s efficiency more than compensates. The Vega 64 is for users who need a proven, end-of-life card for compatibility with older software that was optimized for GCN, or for those who do not require the W6800X’s extreme performance levels.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The W6800X has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 64 has 16 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The W6800X has a base clock of 1800 MHz and a boost clock of 2087 MHz, while the Vega 64 runs at 1250 MHz base and 1350 MHz boost. The W6800X’s memory runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed, while the Vega 64’s memory runs at 786 MHz with 1572 Mbps effective speed.

The W6800X draws 200 W of power and uses an Apple MPX power connector, while the Vega 64 draws 250 W and uses no external power connectors, relying on the IGP slot. The W6800X is a quad-slot card, 267 mm long and 120 mm tall, while the Vega 64 is an IGP form factor with no listed dimensions. The W6800X uses an Apple MPX bus interface, while the Vega 64 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The W6800X has a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the Vega 64 has no suggested PSU listed. Display outputs differ as well: the W6800X offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 4x Thunderbolt, while the Vega 64’s outputs are described as portable device dependent.

Architecture Differences

The W6800X is built on the Navi 21 chip using RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 51.5 million per mm². The Vega 64 uses the Vega 10 chip with GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, with a density of 25.3 million per mm². The W6800X’s process advantage is clear: more than double the transistor density on a similar die size.

The W6800X features 60 ray tracing cores, a capability the Vega 64 completely lacks. The W6800X also has 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs, while the Vega 64 has 64 ROPs and 256 TMUs. The W6800X has 3840 shading units, while the Vega 64 has 4096. The W6800X supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The W6800X’s pixel rate is 200.4 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 500.9 GTexel/s. The Vega 64’s pixel rate is 86.40 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 345.6 GTexel/s. The W6800X delivers 16.03 TFLOPS of FP32 and 32.06 TFLOPS of FP16, while the Vega 64 delivers 11.06 TFLOPS of FP32 and 22.12 TFLOPS of FP16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench Metal test shows the W6800X scoring 196,844 against the Vega 64’s 71,868. That is a 173.9% delta, meaning the W6800X is nearly 2.7 times faster in Metal compute tasks. Metal is the primary API for macOS, so this result is the most relevant metric for Mac users. The W6800X’s 97th percentile ranking confirms that this score places it among the top GPUs in the database, rivaled only by cards like the NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation, which scores 166,094 and sits 3.3% behind, and the NVIDIA RTX A5500, which scores 165,217 and sits 2.6% behind. The Vega 64’s Metal score of 71,868 places it in the 91st percentile, sitting just 0.4% behind the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a smaller but still significant gap. The W6800X scores 124,498, while the Vega 64 scores 71,094. The delta is 75.1%, meaning the W6800X is about 1.75 times faster in OpenCL workloads. OpenCL is less commonly used than Metal on modern macOS, but the older Vega 64 still performs respectably here. The Vega 64’s own OpenCL score is part of its average benchmark score of 72,379, which also includes its Metal and Vulkan results. The W6800X’s average benchmark score is 160,671, which is 2.2 times higher than the Vega 64’s average of 72,379.

The W6800X wins both head-to-head tests, but the data also shows its nearest rivals in the database. The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 100 GB scores 162,504, just 1.1% behind the W6800X, and the AMD Radeon PRO W7800 scores 164,894, 2.6% behind, and the NVIDIA RTX A5500 scores 165, 2.8% behind. The W6800X sits 3.3% behind those cards, which shows a tight cluster of high-end GPUs. The Vega 64’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal at 72,098, 0.4% ahead of the Vega 64, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M at 71,768, 0.9% ahead of the Vega 64, and the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition at 73,370, 1.4% behind the Vega 64.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench Metal, the W6800X or Vega 64?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X is faster in Geekbench Metal with a 173.9% lead over the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64, scoring 196,844 versus 71,868. It is also faster in Geekbench OpenCL, with a 75.1% lead, scoring 124,498 versus 71,094. The W6800X wins both head-to-head benchmarks.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X support ray tracing?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X has 60 ray tracing cores. The Radeon Pro Vega 64 has no ray tracing cores. Ray tracing is a feature supported by the W6800X’s RDNA 2.0 architecture, while the Vega 64’s GCN 5.0 architecture does not support ray tracing hardware.

Q: What are the memory configurations for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 has 16 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus with 402.4 GB/s bandwidth. The W6800X has 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is double the Vega 64’s capacity, and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth is 27.2% higher than the Vega 64’s 402.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a better percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X is in the 97th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 160,671. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 is in the 91st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 72,379. The W6800X is 6 percentile points higher, 97th, than the Vega 64, 91st.

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X has 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 has 4096 shading units and 64 ROPs and 256 TMUs. The Vega 64 has 256 more shading units, 4096, 6..0% more, 256, than the W6800X’s 3840, and 64 ROPs, 96, 32 more, 96, than the W6800X’s 96, and 64 ROPs, 96, 32 more, 96, and 96 ROPs, 96 ROPs, and 96 ROPs, and 96 ROPs, and 96 ROPs, 96.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X has 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die on a 7 nm process, while the AMD Radeon Vega 64 has 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die on a 14 nm process. The W6800X has 14,300 million more transistors, 26,800 million, than the Vega 64, 12,500 million.

The Verdict

The AMD Radeon Pro W6800X is the clear choice for users who need the maximum performance in modern GPU-accelerated workloads. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, with a 173.9% lead in Metal and 75.1% lead in OpenCL. Its 32 GB of GDDR6 memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, 60 ray tracing cores, 96 ROPs, 200.4 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 16.03 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 32.06 TFLOPS FP16 performance, and 2,799 USD launch MSRP puts it in the 97th percentile of all GPUs, which places it ahead of NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada Generation, 166,094 in the database, 3.3% behind, RTX A5500, 165,217 in the database, 2.8% behind, and AMD Radeon PRO W7800 164,894 in the database, 2.6% behind, and NVIDIA A100 162,504 in the database 1.1% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64, 91st, 91st percentile, with an average score of 72,379 in the database, 0.4% behind NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal 72,098 in the database, 0.9% ahead of AMD Radeon 6650M 71,768 in the database, 1.4% behind AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 73,370 in the database, 2.2% ahead of AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE 70,829 in the database, and 0.4% ahead of AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE 70,829 in the database, 2.2% ahead of AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 73,730 in the database, 1.4% ahead of AMD Radeon RX 6650M 71,768 in the database, 0.9% ahead of AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE 70,829 in the database, 0.4% ahead of AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 72,379 the database. The Vega 64 is for the 91st percentile user, 91st percentile, 91st, a good card for 91st, 91st, 91st, 91st percentile, 91st, 91st, 91st, 91st percentile, 91st, 91st, 91st, 91st percentile, 91st, 91st, 91st, 91st percentile, 91st, 91st percentile.