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

AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D represent two extremes of GPU design, separated by nearly six years of architectural evolution. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark, but the specification gap between these cards tells a story of generational progress that goes far beyond that one test score. The RTX 5090 D is an active, current-generation product, while the Radeon Pro Vega 64X is end-of-life, and the benchmark results reflect this chasm clearly.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is not close. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D scores 310,674, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X manages 78,467. That translates to a delta of -74.7% for the AMD card, meaning the RTX 5090 D is roughly four times faster in this compute-oriented workload. This is a decisive victory for NVIDIA, and the margin is so large that it effectively defines the entire comparison.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the RTX 5090 D also shows strength in other tests not shared with the AMD card. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 14,326, and it posts a Passmark G3D score of 44,065. The AMD card has no corresponding data in these tests, but its OpenCL score of 78,467 versus the RTX 5090 D’s 310,674 in the same test is the most telling metric. The average benchmark score for the RTX 5090 D is 77,712, which is actually slightly lower than the AMD card’s 80,959 average — but this is misleading, as the averages are computed across different test suites. The AMD card’s average is pulled from only two Geekbench tests (Metal and OpenCL), while the RTX 5090 D’s average includes ten diverse tests, several of which (like Passmark G2D at 1,487) are not compute-heavy and drag the overall number down.

The nearest rivals for each card provide additional context. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X sits at 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with a 1.4% advantage over the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (not the D variant) and a 1.7% edge over the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB. The RTX 5090 D also holds a 92nd percentile ranking, but its nearest rivals are different: it trails the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT by 1.6% and the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 2.4%, while leading the RX 6650M XT by 1.1%. This suggests that in the aggregate of its benchmark suite, the RTX 5090 D performs similarly to mid-range mobile Radeon parts, despite its massive OpenCL advantage over the Vega 64X.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is generational. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X uses the Vega 10 chip, built on GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.3 million per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D uses the GB202 chip, based on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This chip contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, achieving a density of 122.9 million per mm² — nearly five times denser than the AMD part.

Memory technology is another major divergence. The Vega 64X uses 16 GB of HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s bandwidth — over three times the bandwidth of the AMD card. The RTX 5090 D also features 170 dedicated ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores, neither of which exist on the Vega 64X (both fields are null in the data). The shader counts are equally lopsided: 21,760 shading units on NVIDIA versus 4,096 on AMD, with 680 TMUs versus 256, and 176 ROPs versus 64.

Clock speeds reflect the process advantage. The Vega 64X has a base clock of 1250 MHz and boost of 1468 MHz, while the RTX 5090 D runs at 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost. The memory clocks differ as well: 2 Gbps effective for AMD versus 28 Gbps effective for NVIDIA. The FP32 compute throughput tells the story numerically: the RTX 5090 D hits 104.8 TFLOPS, versus 12.03 TFLOPS for the Vega 64X. Interestingly, the RTX 5090 D has 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio (104.8 TFLOPS), while the AMD card achieves 24.05 TFLOPS FP16 via a 2:1 ratio.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, which is more than three times the 512.0 GB/s of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X. This is due to faster GDDR7 memory (28 Gbps effective) on a 512-bit bus versus HBM2 (2 Gbps effective) on a 2048-bit bus.

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

A: No. The Vega 64X has no RT cores listed in the data, while the RTX 5090 D includes 170 ray tracing cores. This is a fundamental architectural difference between GCN 5.0 and Blackwell 2.0.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 5090 D has a TDP of 575 W and requires a 950 W suggested PSU, while the Vega 64X draws 250 W. The RTX 5090 D uses a 1x 16-pin power connector and is dual-slot, whereas the Vega 64X is an IGP with no power connectors.

Q: Which card has better OpenCL performance?

A: The RTX 5090 D scores 310,674 in Geekbench OpenCL, versus 78,467 for the Vega 64X — a 74.7% advantage for NVIDIA. This is the only head-to-head benchmark available and it is decisively in NVIDIA's favor.

Q: Are these cards from the same generation?

A: No. The Vega 64X was released on 2019-03-18 and is end-of-life, while the RTX 5090 D launched on 2025-01-29 and is active. The RTX 5090 D has a predecessor in GeForce 40 and a successor in GeForce 60, per the data.

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The RTX 5090 D contains 92,200 million transistors, versus 12,500 million in the Vega 64X. That is a 7.4x increase, enabled by the 5 nm process versus 14 nm.

Specification Differences

The most glaring difference is in compute units: the RTX 5090 D has 21,760 shading units versus 4,096 on the Vega 64X, and 680 TMUs versus 256. ROPs are 176 versus 64. The RTX 5090 D adds 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, while the Vega 64X has none. Process node is 5 nm versus 14 nm, and the foundries differ (TSMC for NVIDIA, GlobalFoundries for AMD). Transistor density is 122.9M/mm² versus 25.3M/mm².

Memory configuration is entirely different: 32 GB GDDR7 versus 16 GB HBM2, with bus widths of 512-bit versus 2048-bit, and bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s versus 512.0 GB/s. Clock speeds favor NVIDIA: 2017/2407 MHz versus 1250/1468 MHz. FP32 performance is 104.8 TFLOPS versus 12.03 TFLOPS. The RTX 5090 D supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the Vega 64X uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The RTX 5090 D has 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, while the Vega 64X is portable device dependent. Power requirements differ drastically: 575 W TDP with a 950 W suggested PSU versus 250 W TDP with no power connectors.

The RTX 5090 D has measurable dimensions (304 mm length, 137 mm height, 48 mm width) and is dual-slot, while the Vega 64X is an IGP with no dimensions listed. API support also differs: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus DirectX 12 (12_1), and Vulkan 1.4 versus 1.3. The RTX 5090 D has a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D wins every measurable category in the data. It has superior compute performance, as shown by the OpenCL benchmark (310,674 versus 78,467). It offers ray tracing and tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks entirely. It has double the memory (32 GB versus 16 GB) with more than triple the bandwidth (1.79 TB/s versus 512.0 GB/s). It has higher clock speeds, more shading units, more texture units, more ROPs, and a newer PCIe interface (5.0 versus 3.0). It also supports newer API versions (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4).

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X has no benchmark wins in the head-to-head data. However, it does have a higher average benchmark score (80,959 versus 77,712) when comparing each card’s own test suite averages. This is likely because the AMD card’s average is based on only two Geekbench tests, both of which are compute-oriented and score well, while the RTX 5090 D’s average includes several lower-scoring Passmark tests. The Vega 64X also has a lower TDP (250 W versus 575 W) and requires no external power connectors, making it suitable for integrated applications. Its smaller die size (495 mm² versus 750 mm²) and lower transistor count could imply lower manufacturing complexity, though this is speculative from the data itself.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the superior performer by a massive margin. Its 310,674 OpenCL score versus 78,467 for the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X represents a 74.7% advantage, and its architecture includes features — ray tracing cores, tensor cores, GDDR7 memory, PCIe 5.0 — that the Vega 64X simply does not have. Any workload that benefits from compute throughput, modern API support, or high-bandwidth memory will favor the RTX 5090 D overwhelmingly.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is an end-of-life product from 2019, built on a 14 nm process with GCN 5.0 architecture. It is an IGP with no power connectors and a 250 W TDP, making it a lower-power integrated solution. Its only advantage in the data is its higher average benchmark score (80,959 versus 77,712), which is an artifact of different test suites rather than true performance parity. Anyone building a system today should choose the RTX 5090 D if they need maximum performance, ray tracing, or AI acceleration. The Vega 64X might still be relevant for legacy integrated applications or power-constrained environments, but for any modern, performance-critical task, the RTX 5090 D is the clear choice based on every metric in the fact pack.