AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by nearly eight years of architectural evolution. The benchmark data shows a generational chasm: the RTX 5090 D wins both head-to-head tests decisively, with the Vulkan gap reaching a staggering 408.1%. However, the Radeon Pro Vega 64 still holds its own in the percentile rankings, sitting at 91st percentile versus the 5090 D's 92nd, indicating that while the newer card is faster, the older one remains a competent performer in its own right.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head comparisons leave no ambiguity about performance hierarchy. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 5090 D scores 376,915 against the Radeon Pro Vega 64's 74,174, delivering a delta of 408.1% in favor of the NVIDIA card. This is not merely a marginal improvement; the newer architecture processes over five times the workload in the same time frame. The OpenCL test tells a similar story, with the RTX 5090 D posting 310,674 versus 71,094 for the AMD card, a 337% advantage.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this dominance. The RTX 5090 D averages 77,712 across all tests, while the Radeon Pro Vega 64 averages 72,379 — a difference of roughly 7.4%. Yet this aggregate figure understates the gap in modern workloads because the AMD card's benchmarks are limited to three Geekbench tests (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan), while the NVIDIA card has ten results including DirectX and Passmark suites. The RTX 5090 D's Passmark G3D score of 44,065 and GPU compute score of 28,396 show strength across multiple API environments, whereas the Radeon Pro Vega 64 has no corresponding data.

Looking at nearest rivals provides context beyond the direct comparison. The RTX 5090 D's closest competitor in average score is the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940, just 1.6% ahead, while the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB sits 2.4% behind. This places the 5090 D in a tight cluster of high-end cards. The Radeon Pro Vega 64's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition at 73,370, which is 1.4% faster, while the NVIDIA TITAN X Pascal trails by just 0.4% at 72,098. The data suggests both cards occupy similar percentile territory despite their generational divide.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is monumental. The RTX 5090 D uses the GB202 chip built on TSMC's 5 nm process, packing 92,200 million transistors into a 750 mm² die for a density of 122.9 million transistors per square millimeter. In contrast, the Radeon Pro Vega 64 uses the Vega 10 chip on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process, with 12,500 million transistors across 495 mm² — a density of just 25.3M/mm². The newer process allows NVIDIA to fit over seven times more transistors despite only a 51.5% larger die.

Memory architecture differs fundamentally. The RTX 5090 D features 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. The Radeon Pro Vega 64 counters with 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, but achieves only 402.4 GB/s due to slower memory clocks (786 MHz base versus 1750 MHz for the GDDR7). The raw bus width is four times wider on the AMD card, yet the NVIDIA solution still provides 4.4 times the bandwidth.

Compute resources tell a similar story. The RTX 5090 D has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, alongside 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. The Radeon Pro Vega 64 has 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with no dedicated RT or tensor cores. This translates to 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance for NVIDIA versus 11.06 TFLOPS for AMD — a 9.5x difference. The FP16 rates are also lopsided: 104.8 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio) for the 5090 D versus 22.12 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) for the Vega 64.

The Verdict

The data makes the choice straightforward for anyone needing maximum performance. The RTX 5090 D is the clear winner in every benchmark category, with 337% higher OpenCL scores and 408.1% higher Vulkan scores. Its architecture supports modern features like DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Radeon Pro Vega 64 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. The presence of RT and tensor cores in the NVIDIA card enables ray tracing and AI workloads that the AMD card simply cannot handle.

The Radeon Pro Vega 64 retains relevance in specific scenarios. Its 91st percentile ranking shows it still outperforms most GPUs in the database, and its nearest rival cluster (TITAN X Pascal, RX 6650M) includes cards that are still actively used. The AMD card's IGP slot width and lack of power connectors suggest it was designed for integrated systems like Macs, where its 250 W TDP fits within thermal constraints. The RTX 5090 D, with a 575 W TDP and 1x 16-pin power connector, requires a 950 W power supply and a dual-slot physical footprint.

For users prioritizing raw compute, gaming at high resolutions, or professional workloads that leverage ray tracing, the RTX 5090 D is the only rational choice. For those constrained by system integration or needing a lower-power option, the Radeon Pro Vega 64 remains functional but severely outdated. The production status confirms this: the RTX 5090 D is active, while the Radeon Pro Vega 64 is end-of-life.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 |

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

| Process Node | 5 nm (TSMC) | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) |

| Transistors | 92,200 million | 12,500 million |

| Die Size | 750 mm² | 495 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 122.9M / mm² | 25.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2017 MHz | 1250 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2407 MHz | 1350 MHz |

| Memory Size | 32 GB GDDR7 | 16 GB HBM2 |

| Memory Bus | 512 bit | 2048 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.79 TB/s | 402.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 21,760 | 4,096 |

| TMUs | 680 | 256 |

| ROPs | 176 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 170 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 680 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 423.6 GPixel/s | 86.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 1,636.8 GTexel/s | 345.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 104.8 TFLOPS | 11.06 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 104.8 TFLOPS (1:1) | 22.12 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 575 W | 250 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

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

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

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

| Release Date | 2025-01-29 | 2017-06-26 |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D scores 376,915 versus 74,174 for the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64, a 408.1% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between these cards?

A: The RTX 5090 D contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, while the Radeon Pro Vega 64 has 12,500 million on 495 mm².

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 support ray tracing?

A: No. The Radeon Pro Vega 64 has no RT cores, whereas the RTX 5090 D includes 170 RT cores.

Q: How does memory bandwidth compare?

A: The RTX 5090 D achieves 1.79 TB/s with 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus. The Radeon Pro Vega 64 delivers 402.4 GB/s with 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5090 D averages 77,712, while the Radeon Pro Vega 64 averages 72,379. Both rank in the 91st-92nd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The RTX 5090 D has a 575 W TDP with a 1x 16-pin power connector and requires a 950 W suggested PSU. The Radeon Pro Vega 64 has a 250 W TDP with no power connectors, using an IGP slot design.