AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a decisive advantage across the recorded head-to-head benchmark data. In the single shared test, Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4090 scores 255,416 against the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X's 78,467, a 69.3% margin. This is the only direct comparison available, so the RTX 4090 wins the head-to-head outright, 1 win to 0.

Looking at the broader database averages, the RTX 4090 also presents a more versatile profile. Its average benchmark score sits at 60,347, which places it at the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The Radeon Pro Vega 64X, by contrast, holds a 92nd percentile ranking with an average score of 80,959. That percentile difference is notable: the Vega 64X is in the top 8% of all GPUs ever recorded, while the RTX 4090 sits in the top 12%. The Vega 64X's higher percentile despite a lower raw head-to-head score reflects its narrower benchmark set, which includes only Geekbench Metal and OpenCL results, both of which are strong for that card.

For users focused on compute workloads through OpenCL, the RTX 4090 is the clear pick. For those relying on Apple-oriented Metal performance, the Vega 64X's Geekbench Metal score of 83,450 is its standout result, though the database does not provide a direct RTX 4090 Metal score for comparison. The RTX 4090's other recorded tests, including Passmark G3D (38,194), Passmark GPU Compute (26,613), and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (9,223), show strength across rasterization, compute, and modern DX12 workloads. The Vega 64X has no comparable entries in those tests, so its wins are confined to the two Geekbench APIs it was measured on.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different eras and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X uses the Vega 10 chip on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, employing GCN 5.0 architecture. It packs 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.3 million per mm². It is a 2019-era part, released in March of that year, and is now end-of-life.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 uses the AD102 chip on a 5 nm process from TSMC, built on Ada Lovelace architecture. It contains 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, giving a density of 125.3 million per mm². It launched in September 2022, also now end-of-life, and is the predecessor to the GeForce 50 series. The process node difference is stark: 5 nm versus 14 nm, which explains the massive transistor density gap. The RTX 4090 also includes dedicated hardware that the Vega 64X lacks entirely: 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The Vega 64X has no RT or tensor core counts listed, indicating no dedicated hardware for those tasks.

The memory architectures are equally divergent. The Vega 64X uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, achieving 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4090 uses 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, with over double the bandwidth at 1.01 TB/s. The RTX 4090 also runs a much faster core clock, with a base of 2235 MHz and boost of 2520 MHz, versus the Vega 64X's 1250 MHz base and 1468 MHz boost. The Vega 64X's memory clock is 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4090's memory clock is 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective).

The feature sets differ as well. The Vega 64X 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, adding the newer DirectX feature level and a slightly newer Vulkan revision. The RTX 4090 also has a triple-slot cooler, a 16-pin power connector, and a suggested 850 W PSU, while the Vega 64X is an integrated graphics package (IGP) with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent outputs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head result in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The RTX 4090 scores 255,416, while the Vega 64X scores 78,467. The delta is -69.3% for the Vega 64X, meaning the RTX 4090 outperforms it by a factor of roughly 3.25. This is the largest single-test gap in either card's recorded comparisons.

There are no other shared tests between the two. The RTX 4090's other results, such as Geekbench Vulkan (271,631) and Passmark G3D (38,194), have no corresponding Vega 64X scores. The Vega 64X's Geekbench Metal score of 83,450 and OpenCL score of 78,467 are its only entries. The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60,347 is lower than the Vega 64X's 80,959, but that is an artifact of the RTX 4090 being tested across more demanding and varied workloads, including DX9, DX10, DX11, DX12, and 2D tests, which drag down its average relative to the Vega's focused compute tests.

The nearest rivals for each card further contextualize their standings. The Vega 64X's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon PRO W6600, which scores 81,995, just 1.3% higher. The RTX 4090's nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326, a 0% delta, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60,140, a 0.3% delta. These numbers show that the RTX 4090's average score, while lower than the Vega 64X's, is tightly clustered with professional workstation cards, whereas the Vega 64X sits among high-end compute accelerators like the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants.

Specification Differences

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

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

| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 5 nm |

| 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 | 1468 MHz | 2520 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus | 2048 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 512.0 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 | 93.95 GPixel/s | 443.5 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 375.8 GTexel/s | 1,290.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 12.03 TFLOPS | 82.58 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 24.05 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 | Not listed | 850 W |

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

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

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2019-03-18 | 2022-09-19 |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more raw compute throughput?

A: The RTX 4090 leads overwhelmingly. It delivers 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 (1:1 ratio), while the Vega 64X offers 12.03 TFLOPS FP32 and 24.05 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The RTX 4090 has roughly 6.9 times the FP32 throughput.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The RTX 4090's GDDR6X memory provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth over a 384-bit bus. The Vega 64X's HBM2 provides 512.0 GB/s over a 2048-bit bus. The RTX 4090 has roughly double the bandwidth.

Q: Does the Vega 64X support ray tracing?

A: No. The database lists no RT cores for the Vega 64X. The RTX 4090 includes 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores, making it the only one of the two with dedicated ray tracing and AI acceleration hardware.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The Vega 64X ranks at the 92nd percentile, while the RTX 4090 ranks at the 88th percentile. Despite the RTX 4090's dominant head-to-head OpenCL score, the Vega 64X's limited benchmark set (only Metal and OpenCL, both high-scoring) pushes its percentile higher.

Q: What is the difference in their power requirements?

A: The RTX 4090 has a 450 W TDP, requires a 16-pin power connector, and a suggested 850 W PSU. The Vega 64X has a 250 W TDP, uses no power connectors, and is built as an integrated graphics package (IGP), so its power comes through the host system.

Q: What is the release date gap between them?

A: The Vega 64X launched on March 18, 2019. The RTX 4090 launched on September 19, 2022. That is a gap of roughly 3.5 years.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for anyone choosing between these two for general compute or gaming: the RTX 4090 is the superior performer. Its 255,416 OpenCL score crushes the Vega 64X's 78,467, and it offers more than six times the FP32 throughput, double the memory bandwidth, and dedicated RT and tensor cores. It also supports newer APIs (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4) and uses a far more advanced 5 nm node with over six times the transistor density.

The Vega 64X is only preferable in a narrow context. Its 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus is an unusual configuration, and its Geekbench Metal score of 83,450 is its best recorded result. For users specifically working in Apple's Metal API environment, that score matters. The Vega 64X's 92nd percentile ranking also indicates that, within its tested workloads, it punches above its weight relative to the entire GPU database. It is also a lower-power part at 250 W versus 450 W, and it requires no external power connectors, which could simplify integration in certain portable or embedded systems.

However, for anyone running OpenCL workloads, 3D rendering, DX12 games, or any task that leverages tensor or RT cores, the RTX 4090 is the only rational choice. The launch MSRP for the RTX 4090 was 1,599 USD, and its current end-of-life status means it is no longer in production. The Vega 64X is also end-of-life and had no listed launch MSRP. Both are legacy parts, but the RTX 4090 remains a far more capable one. The delta of -69.3% in the only shared test is not a close call; it is a generational gap.