AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 vs NVIDIA CMP 50HX Comparison

The Verdict

The data separates these two clearly. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 wins both recorded benchmark comparisons outright, with a 26.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and a 56.3% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. The NVIDIA CMP 50HX does not win a single head-to-head test in the database. That makes the Pro Vega 64 the straightforward pick for anyone needing general compute or graphics workloads. The CMP 50HX, by contrast, is a mining-specific card with no display outputs and a PCIe 1.0 x4 interface, so its role is narrow by design. The verdict is simple: if you want a functional GPU that can render, compute, and output video, the Pro Vega 64 is the only rational choice from this pair. If you are assembling a dedicated mining rig where display output and gaming features are irrelevant, the CMP 50HX exists for that niche, but its benchmark scores do not justify it over the AMD card in any measured task.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different foundries and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 uses a Vega 10 chip built on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process, packing 12,500 million transistors into a 495 mm² die. The NVIDIA CMP 50HX uses a TU102 chip on TSMC's 12 nm process, with 18,600 million transistors on a much larger 754 mm² die. Transistor density is nearly identical: 25.3M per mm² for AMD versus 24.7M per mm² for NVIDIA, so the larger die simply holds more silicon.

Architecturally, AMD runs GCN 5.0 while NVIDIA runs Turing. The Pro Vega 64 has 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines. The CMP 50HX has 3584 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. NVIDIA adds 56 RT cores and 448 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the AMD card. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The CMP 50HX supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and a newer Vulkan 1.4. That newer API support matters only if the card ever runs software, but its lack of display outputs makes that impractical in most systems.

Memory technology diverges as well. AMD uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth. NVIDIA uses 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 320-bit bus, delivering 560.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card has higher raw bandwidth, but the AMD card has more capacity and a wider bus. The Pro Vega 64 is an integrated graphics package (IGP) with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The CMP 50HX is a dual-slot card requiring two 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU, with no display outputs at all. Both are rated at 250 W TDP, so power draw is identical on paper.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two benchmark comparisons between these cards, and the AMD card wins both by substantial margins. In Geekbench OpenCL, the Radeon Pro Vega 64 scores 71,094 against the CMP 50HX's 56,135. That is a 26.6% advantage for AMD. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap widens dramatically: the Pro Vega 64 scores 74,174 while the CMP 50HX manages only 47,445. That is a 56.3% lead, more than half again as fast in this API.

Looking at the broader recorded scores reinforces this. The Pro Vega 64 also has a Geekbench Metal score of 71,868, which the CMP 50HX cannot match because it lacks display outputs and Metal support is irrelevant to a mining card. The AMD card's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 72,379, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs in the database. The CMP 50HX averages 51,790 across its two recorded tests, sitting in the 86th percentile.

The nearest rivals in the database put these numbers in context. The Pro Vega 64 sits within 2.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE, 0.9% of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M, and 0.4% of the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal. It trails the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition by 1.4%. The CMP 50HX, despite its lower absolute scores, sits 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, 3.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, 3.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, and 4.1% ahead of the Intel Arc A550M. Those rival deltas show that the CMP 50HX's raw compute is not weak; it is simply outclassed by the Pro Vega 64 in the two tests they share.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The process node is 14 nm for AMD versus 12 nm for NVIDIA. The foundry is GlobalFoundries for AMD versus TSMC for NVIDIA. Transistor count is 12,500 million for AMD versus 18,600 million for NVIDIA. Die size is 495 mm² for AMD versus 754 mm² for NVIDIA. Transistor density is 25.3M per mm² for AMD versus 24.7M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Clock speeds favor NVIDIA. The CMP 50HX runs a 1350 MHz base clock and boosts to 1545 MHz. The Pro Vega 64 runs a 1250 MHz base and boosts to 1350 MHz. Memory clocks also favor NVIDIA: 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus AMD's 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective). Memory size favors AMD: 16 GB versus 10 GB. Memory type differs: HBM2 versus GDDR6. Bus width is 2048-bit for AMD versus 320-bit for NVIDIA. Bandwidth is 402.4 GB/s for AMD versus 560.0 GB/s for NVIDIA.

Compute resources differ. AMD has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. NVIDIA has 3584 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. NVIDIA adds 56 RT cores and 448 tensor cores, which AMD lacks entirely. Pixel rate is 86.40 GPixel/s for AMD versus 123.6 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rate is 345.6 GTexel/s for AMD versus 296.6 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 compute is nearly identical: 11.06 TFLOPS for AMD versus 11.07 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. FP16 is also close: 22.12 TFLOPS (2:1) for AMD versus 22.15 TFLOPS (2:1) for NVIDIA.

Form factor and connectivity diverge sharply. The Pro Vega 64 is an IGP with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The CMP 50HX is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm long, 116 mm tall, and 35 mm wide, requiring two 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for AMD versus PCIe 1.0 x4 for NVIDIA. API support: AMD has DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. NVIDIA has DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Release dates differ by four years: the Pro Vega 64 launched on 2017-06-26, the CMP 50HX on 2021-06-23. Both are end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA CMP 50HX has higher bandwidth at 560.0 GB/s, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64's 402.4 GB/s. However, the AMD card has more total memory at 16 GB versus 10 GB, and a wider 2048-bit bus versus 320-bit.

Q: Does the CMP 50HX support display output?

A: No. The NVIDIA CMP 50HX has no display outputs and is designed purely for mining workloads. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 has portable-device-dependent display outputs, meaning it can output video depending on the host system.

Q: Which card is faster in Vulkan?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 dominates, scoring 74,174 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 47,445 for the CMP 50HX. That is a 56.3% lead for AMD.

Q: How do their FP32 compute capabilities compare?

A: They are effectively identical. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 delivers 11.06 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA CMP 50HX delivers 11.07 TFLOPS. FP16 is also nearly equal: 22.12 TFLOPS versus 22.15 TFLOPS.

Q: What is the power requirement for each card?

A: Both are rated at 250 W TDP. The AMD card is an IGP with no power connectors, while the NVIDIA card is dual-slot with two 8-pin connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card has RT and tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA CMP 50HX has them, with 56 RT cores and 448 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 has none, as it predates ray tracing hardware in AMD's lineup.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 wins in every measured benchmark category. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 26.6%. In Geekbench Vulkan, it leads by 56.3%. It also has a Geekbench Metal score of 71,868, a test the CMP 50HX simply cannot run due to its lack of display outputs. The AMD card's average benchmark score of 72,379 places it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, versus the CMP 50HX's 86th percentile and 51,790 average. For any use case involving rendering, compute, or general GPU acceleration, the Pro Vega 64 is the clear winner.

The NVIDIA CMP 50HX wins only in areas the benchmarks do not measure. It has higher memory bandwidth (560.0 GB/s versus 402.4 GB/s), higher pixel rate (123.6 GPixel/s versus 86.40 GPixel/s), and more ROPs (80 versus 64). It also has a larger die, more transistors, and newer API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. Those advantages do not translate into benchmark wins, however. The card's PCIe 1.0 x4 interface and lack of display outputs make it unsuitable for general use, but its dual-slot design and standard power connectors fit a mining rig's physical requirements.

The use-case split is stark. The Pro Vega 64 suits any workload that needs a functional GPU with display output, broad API support across Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, and 16 GB of memory. The CMP 50HX suits only a dedicated mining operation where display output is irrelevant, PCIe bandwidth does not matter, and the newer API features go unused. The data shows no scenario where the CMP 50HX outperforms the Pro Vega 64 in a head-to-head test. If you are building a system that must do anything beyond mining, the AMD card wins without qualification. If you are building a mining rig and care only about raw compute per dollar of infrastructure, the CMP 50HX's identical 250 W TDP and higher bandwidth might matter, but the recorded benchmarks still favor the AMD card. The verdict is unambiguous: the Pro Vega 64 is the better GPU in every measured dimension.