AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits cleanly along API lines. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT wins every head-to-head test in the database, taking all three Geekbench entries (Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 records zero wins in direct comparisons. That is not a narrow margin either; the RX 6800 XT leads by 45.8% to 60.4% depending on the test.

The Pro Vega 64 still holds its own in absolute terms. Its average benchmark score of 72,379 places it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs in the database, which is higher than the RX 6800 XT's 85th percentile and 48,477 average. The explanation is dataset composition. The RX 6800 XT has a much broader benchmark profile, including Passmark DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests plus 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, while the Pro Vega 64 only has Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan entries. Those additional tests drag its average down even though it wins every shared workload.

For compute-centric APIs, the RX 6800 XT is the clear choice. The largest margin appears in Geekbench Metal, where the RX 6800 XT scores 181,337 against the Pro Vega 64's 71,868, a 60.4% deficit for the older card. Geekbench OpenCL shows a 58.5% gap (171,304 versus 71,094), and Geekbench Vulkan shows a 45.8% gap (136,875 versus 74,174). The Pro Vega 64's best relative showing is in Vulkan, but even there it trails by nearly half.

The RX 6800 XT also carries hardware features that the Pro Vega 64 lacks entirely, including 72 ray tracing cores. That makes it the only one of the two with dedicated RT hardware, a relevant differentiator for any workload that uses DirectX Raytracing or Vulkan ray tracing extensions. The Pro Vega 64 has no RT core count recorded in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different foundries, process nodes, and architectural generations. The Pro Vega 64 uses the Vega 10 chip built on GCN 5.0 architecture, produced by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The RX 6800 XT uses the Navi 21 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, produced by TSMC on a 7 nm process. That process jump is substantial: the RX 6800 XT packs 26,800 million transistors into a 520 mm² die, while the Pro Vega 64 fits 12,500 million transistors into a 495 mm² die. Transistor density nearly doubles, from 25.3 million per mm² to 51.5 million per mm².

Memory subsystems diverge completely. The Pro Vega 64 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800 XT also has 16 GB, but uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s. The RX 6800 XT wins on bandwidth despite a much narrower bus, thanks to a far higher memory clock: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective) for the Pro Vega 64.

Shader and rasterization resources favor the RX 6800 XT across the board. It has 4608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 ROPs, against the Pro Vega 64's 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Pixel rate is 288.0 GPixel/s versus 86.40 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 648.0 GTexel/s versus 345.6 GTexel/s. Floating-point throughput tells the same story: the RX 6800 XT reaches 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 and 41.47 TFLOPS FP16, while the Pro Vega 64 reaches 11.06 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.12 TFLOPS FP16.

Clock behavior also differs. The Pro Vega 64 has a 1250 MHz base and 1350 MHz boost, while the RX 6800 XT starts at 1825 MHz base, has a 2015 MHz game clock, and boosts to 2250 MHz. The RX 6800 XT is the faster card at every clock step.

Power and physical design point to different usage models. The Pro Vega 64 is an integrated graphics package (IGP) with no power connectors and a 250 W TDP, designed for portable devices with device-dependent display outputs. The RX 6800 XT is a dual-slot card 267 mm long, 120 mm tall, 50 mm wide, with two 8-pin power connectors, a 300 W TDP, and a 700 W suggested power supply. It also uses PCIe 4.0 x16 versus the Pro Vega 64's PCIe 3.0 x16.

API support differs at the DirectX level. The RX 6800 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Pro Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Ray tracing hardware exists only on the RX 6800 XT with its 72 RT cores.

The Verdict

The data points to one conclusion: the RX 6800 XT is the faster GPU in every shared benchmark. Its Geekbench Metal score is 2.5 times the Pro Vega 64's score (181,337 versus 71,868). OpenCL is 2.4 times higher (171,304 versus 71,094). Vulkan is 1.8 times higher (136,875 versus 74,174). Anyone choosing between these two for raw performance should pick the RX 6800 XT without hesitation.

The Pro Vega 64 still has a niche. It is an integrated part with no external power connectors, a 250 W TDP, and a form factor suited to portable devices. It also holds a higher percentile ranking (91st versus 85th) and a higher average score (72,379 versus 48,477) because the database records fewer, more compute-focused tests for it. For users constrained by the Pro Vega 64's integration requirements, it remains a capable performer in Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan workloads.

The RX 6800 XT is the choice for discrete desktop builds. It offers more memory bandwidth (512.0 GB/s versus 402.4 GB/s), more shading units, more ROPs, higher clocks, ray tracing cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support. It requires a dual-slot footprint, two 8-pin connectors, and a 700 W power supply, which the Pro Vega 64 does not need. The trade-off is straightforward: maximum performance and modern features versus integrated simplicity and lower power draw.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 has an average benchmark score of 72,379, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT has 48,477. The Pro Vega 64 also ranks in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, versus the RX 6800 XT's 85th percentile.

Q: Does the RX 6800 XT beat the Pro Vega 64 in every head-to-head test?

A: Yes. The RX 6800 XT wins all three recorded head-to-head tests: Geekbench Metal (181,337 versus 71,868), Geekbench OpenCL (171,304 versus 71,094), and Geekbench Vulkan (136,875 versus 74,174). The Pro Vega 64 records zero wins.

Q: What memory configurations do the two cards use?

A: Both have 16 GB, but the Pro Vega 64 uses HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 402.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 6800 XT uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does either GPU support ray tracing?

A: Only the RX 6800 XT has dedicated ray tracing hardware, with 72 RT cores. The Pro Vega 64 has no RT core count recorded in the database. The RX 6800 XT also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: What are the power requirements of each card?

A: The Pro Vega 64 has a 250 W TDP, an integrated form factor, and no power connectors. The RX 6800 XT has a 300 W TDP, requires two 8-pin power connectors, and lists a 700 W suggested power supply.

Q: Which card has better compute throughput?

A: The RX 6800 XT reaches 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 and 41.47 TFLOPS FP16, compared to the Pro Vega 64's 11.06 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.12 TFLOPS FP16. The RX 6800 XT also has higher texture rate (648.0 GTexel/s versus 345.6 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (288.0 GPixel/s versus 86.40 GPixel/s).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The three shared benchmarks all favor the RX 6800 XT, but the margins vary meaningfully. Geekbench Metal shows the largest gap. The RX 6800 XT scores 181,337 against the Pro Vega 64's 71,868, a 60.4% difference. This test is particularly relevant for macOS and iOS ecosystems, where Metal is the primary graphics API. The RX 6800 XT's lead here suggests its RDNA 2 architecture translates exceptionally well into Metal compute and rendering performance.

Geekbench OpenCL shows a similar pattern. The RX 6800 XT scores 171,304, the Pro Vega 64 scores 71,094, a 58.5% gap. OpenCL is a cross-platform compute standard, so this result generalizes across operating systems. The RX 6800 XT's advantage comes from its higher shader count (4608 versus 4096), higher clocks (2250 MHz boost versus 1350 MHz boost), and more than double the FP32 throughput (20.74 TFLOPS versus 11.06 TFLOPS).

Geekbench Vulkan is the closest contest of the three. The RX 6800 XT scores 136,875 against 74,174, a 45.8% difference. Vulkan is the lowest-level graphics API in the comparison, and the Pro Vega 64's relative performance improves here, but it still loses by almost half. The RX 6800 XT's Vulkan 1.4 support versus the Pro Vega 64's Vulkan 1.3 may contribute to the margin, along with the hardware advantages already noted.

The RX 6800 XT's nearest rivals in the database provide context for its standing. Its average score of 48,477 sits 1.5% above the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile (47,743) and 2.5% below the Intel Arc A550M (49,737). The Pro Vega 64, by contrast, sits 0.4% above the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal (72,098) and 1.4% below the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition (73,370). Neither card dominates its immediate peer group, but the RX 6800 XT's wider benchmark suite includes Passmark DirectX tests and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which the Pro Vega 64 lacks.

The Pro Vega 64's nearest rival list includes the AMD Radeon RX 6650M at 71,768 (0.9% below the Pro Vega 64) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE at 70,829 (2.2% below the Pro Vega 64). These deltas are all within a few percentage points, indicating that the Pro Vega 64's compute-focused test profile clusters tightly with other AMD parts and the TITAN X Pascal.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification category. The Pro Vega 64 uses the Vega 10 chip on GCN 5.0 architecture, while the RX 6800 XT uses the Navi 21 chip on RDNA 2.0. The process node moves from 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) to 7 nm (TSMC). Transistor count more than doubles from 12,500 million to 26,800 million, while die size grows slightly from 495 mm² to 520 mm². Transistor density rises from 25.3M per mm² to 51.5M per mm².

Clock speeds are substantially higher on the RX 6800 XT: 1825 MHz base, 2015 MHz game, and 2250 MHz boost, versus 1250 MHz base and 1350 MHz boost. Memory clocks jump from 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective) to 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). Memory type changes from HBM2 to GDDR6, bus width drops from 2048-bit to 256-bit, but bandwidth rises from 402.4 GB/s to 512.0 GB/s.

Compute resources favor the RX 6800 XT: 4608 shading units versus 4096, 288 TMUs versus 256, 128 ROPs versus 64. The RX 6800 XT adds 72 RT cores; the Pro Vega 64 has none. Pixel rate rises from 86.40 GPixel/s to 288.0 GPixel/s, texture rate from 345.6 GTexel/s to 648.0 GTexel/s, FP32 from 11.06 TFLOPS to 20.74 TFLOPS, and FP16 from 22.12 TFLOPS to 41.47 TFLOPS.

Power and physical specs diverge sharply. The Pro Vega 64 is an integrated package (IGP) with no power connectors, a 250 W TDP, and device-dependent display outputs. The RX 6800 XT is a dual-slot card with two 8-pin connectors, a 300 W TDP, a 700 W suggested PSU, and dimensions of 267 mm by 120 mm by 50 mm. The RX 6800 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16, the Pro Vega 64 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs on the RX 6800 XT include one HDMI 2.1, two DisplayPort 1.4a, and one USB Type-C.

API levels also differ. DirectX support is 12 Ultimate (12_2) on the RX 6800 XT versus 12 (12_1) on the Pro Vega 64. Vulkan support is 1.4 versus 1.3. OpenGL is 4.6 on both. The RX 6800 XT launched on 2020-10-27 with a launch MSRP of 649 USD, while the Pro Vega 64 launched on 2017-06-26 with no recorded MSRP. Both are end-of-life products.