AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, with the data showing a decisive performance gap. The RTX 4090 wins both shared benchmarks by margins exceeding 72%, but the Vega 64 still holds a higher overall percentile ranking, illustrating that benchmark averages and raw peak performance tell different stories.

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 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 averages 60,347. This places the Vega 64 in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, compared to the RTX 4090’s 88th percentile.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 255,416 versus the Vega 64’s 71,094, representing a 72.2% advantage for NVIDIA. This is the largest delta of the two shared benchmarks.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The Vega 64 uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 402.4 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4090 features 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4090 has 16,384 shading units, exactly four times the 4,096 found on the Vega 64. The RTX 4090 also has 512 TMUs and 176 ROPs versus 256 TMUs and 64 ROPs on the AMD card.

Q: What are the production statuses of these two GPUs?

A: Both are marked as end-of-life. The Vega 64 was released on 2017-06-26, while the RTX 4090 launched on 2022-09-19.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 have dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: Yes, the RTX 4090 includes 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The Vega 64 has no such dedicated hardware, as its GCN 5.0 architecture lacks these features.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental architectural gap is vast. The Vega 64 is built on GCN 5.0 with the Vega 10 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The RTX 4090 uses Ada Lovelace with the AD102 chip, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This process difference is stark: the Vega 64 packs 12,500 million transistors across a 495 mm² die, yielding a density of 25.3M transistors per mm². The RTX 4090 contains 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, achieving 125.3M per mm² — nearly five times the density.

Clock speeds reflect the architectural leap. The Vega 64 runs at a 1250 MHz base and 1350 MHz boost, while the RTX 4090 operates at 2235 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost. Memory technology also diverges: the Vega 64 uses HBM2 at 1572 Mbps effective, whereas the RTX 4090 employs GDDR6X at 21 Gbps effective.

The compute capabilities are in different leagues. The Vega 64 delivers 11.06 TFLOPS FP32 and 22.12 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio). The RTX 4090 produces 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 and 82.58 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio) — roughly 7.5 times the FP32 throughput. Pixel rate is 86.40 GPixel/s for AMD versus 443.5 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rate shows 345.6 GTexel/s for the Vega 64 versus 1,290.2 GTexel/s for the RTX 4090.

API support differs: the Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RTX 4090 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 4090 also adds dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the Vega 64’s design.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 4090 is the superior performer in raw compute. It wins both shared benchmarks decisively — 72.2% in OpenCL and 72.7% in Vulkan. Its architectural advantages in process node, transistor count, clock speed, and memory bandwidth translate directly into massive performance leads.

However, the Vega 64’s higher average benchmark score (72,379 vs 60,347) and better percentile ranking (91st vs 88th) complicate the picture. This suggests the RTX 4090’s average is dragged down by its broader benchmark suite, which includes DirectX 9, 10, and 2D tests where its strengths are less relevant. The Vega 64’s benchmark set is limited to compute-focused tests (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan), inflating its average relative to the NVIDIA card’s more diverse workload coverage.

For users prioritizing raw compute in OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the RTX 4090 is the clear choice — its scores are 3.5 to 3.6 times higher. For legacy or specialized applications where the Vega 64’s HBM2 memory and specific compute characteristics matter, the AMD card remains competitive, as evidenced by its 91st percentile standing. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth also make it more suitable for large datasets, while the Vega 64’s 16 GB and 402.4 GB/s may suffice for lighter workloads.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 |

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

| Process Node | 14 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

| Transistors | 12,500 million | 76,300 million |

| Die Size | 495 mm² | 609 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 25.3M / mm² | 125.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1250 MHz | 2235 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1350 MHz | 2520 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1572 Mbps effective | 21 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus | 2048 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 402.4 GB/s | 1.01 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 4096 | 16384 |

| TMUs | 256 | 512 |

| ROPs | 64 | 176 |

| RT Cores | None | 128 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 512 |

| Pixel Rate | 86.40 GPixel/s | 443.5 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 345.6 GTexel/s | 1,290.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 11.06 TFLOPS | 82.58 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 22.12 TFLOPS (2:1) | 82.58 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 250 W | 450 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Triple-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | None | 850 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

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

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2017-06-26 | 2022-09-19 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two shared benchmarks tell a consistent story of NVIDIA dominance. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4090 scores 255,416 against the Vega 64’s 71,094. This 72.2% delta means the RTX 4090 delivers roughly 3.6 times the OpenCL performance. The Vega 64’s closest rival in its own benchmark pool, the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition, averages 73,370 — just 1.4% higher — showing the Vega 64 sits at the top of its own performance tier.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 4090 scores 271,631 versus 74,174 for the Vega 64, a 72.7% margin. This is actually the larger percentage win for NVIDIA, despite the OpenCL test showing a slightly smaller absolute gap. The Vega 64’s Vulkan score of 74,174 is its best benchmark result, exceeding its OpenCL score of 71,094 and its Metal score of 71,868. The RTX 4090’s Vulkan score of 271,631 is also its best compute result, outpacing its OpenCL score of 255,416.

The RTX 4090 wins both head-to-head tests, giving it a 2-0 record. The Vega 64 has zero wins in this comparison. However, the Vega 64’s nearest rivals in its own benchmark pool — the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal at 72,098 (0.4% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6650M at 71,768 (0.9% lower) — show that the AMD card is closely competitive within its own generation. The RTX 4090’s nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326, is virtually identical (0% delta), suggesting the RTX 4090’s average benchmark score is not representative of its peak capability.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 wins decisively in compute-heavy workloads. Its OpenCL score of 255,416 and Vulkan score of 271,631 make it the clear choice for general-purpose GPU compute, machine learning inference, or any application leveraging OpenCL or Vulkan APIs. The 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware acceleration that the Vega 64 simply cannot match. The 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth also gives the RTX 4090 an advantage in memory-intensive tasks like large model loading or high-resolution texture streaming.

The Vega 64’s wins are more subtle. Its 91st percentile ranking versus the RTX 4090’s 88th indicates that within its own benchmark suite, it performs exceptionally well. The Vega 64’s HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus, while lower bandwidth overall (402.4 GB/s vs 1.01 TB/s), offers different characteristics that may benefit certain workloads. Its IGP slot width and lack of power connectors suggest it was designed for integrated or specialized systems, where the RTX 4090’s triple-slot size and 450 W TDP would be impractical.

For users running Metal-based applications on macOS, the Vega 64’s Geekbench Metal score of 71,868 demonstrates solid performance, though no direct comparison exists for the RTX 4090 in this test. The Vega 64 also has a lower TDP at 250 W versus 450 W, making it more suitable for power-constrained environments. The RTX 4090’s suggested PSU of 850 W indicates substantial system power requirements, whereas the Vega 64 requires no external power connectors.

In terms of production status, both are end-of-life, but the RTX 4090’s successor (GeForce 50) and predecessor (GeForce 30) are documented, while the Vega 64 has no listed successor. The RTX 4090 also carries a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD, a figure stated once here for reference. The Vega 64 has no launch MSRP data available.