AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X vs NVIDIA Quadro P6000 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 are both end-of-life professional workstation GPUs, but they represent fundamentally different design philosophies from their respective manufacturers. The data shows the AMD card leads in average benchmark score, while the NVIDIA card offers a larger memory pool and a different feature set. This analysis will break down their specifications and performance based solely on the provided facts.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X has an average benchmark score of 80959, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA Quadro P6000 scores 69986, which puts it in the 90th percentile.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the only head-to-head benchmark available?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scored 78467, while the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 scored 66382. This gives AMD an 18.2% performance advantage in this specific test.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity and type between the two cards?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X comes with 16 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA Quadro P6000 offers a larger 24 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.8 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P6000 has a higher boost clock at 1645 MHz, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X's boost clock of 1468 MHz. The NVIDIA card also has a higher base clock at 1506 MHz versus 1250 MHz.

Q: Are there differences in the supported APIs between the two graphics cards?

A: Both cards support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6. However, they differ in Vulkan support, with the AMD card supporting Vulkan 1.3 and the NVIDIA card supporting the newer Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What are the physical size and power requirements for the NVIDIA Quadro P6000?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro P6000 is a dual-slot card with dimensions of 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height. It requires a single 8-pin power connector and has a suggested power supply of 600 W. The AMD card, in contrast, is an IGP with no power connectors.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different architectures and manufacturing processes, which explains their distinct characteristics. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is based on the Vega 10 chip using the GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 12,500 million transistors on a die size of 495 mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 uses the GP102 chip with the Pascal architecture, built on a 16 nm process at TSMC. It has 11,800 million transistors on a slightly smaller die of 471 mm². The transistor densities are very similar, with the AMD card at 25.3M / mm² and the NVIDIA card at 25.1M / mm².

The memory subsystems are radically different. The AMD card utilizes 16 GB of HBM2 memory with a 2048-bit bus, achieving a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card uses 24 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 432.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This means the AMD card has a wider and faster memory interface, while the NVIDIA card offers more total capacity.

The compute resources also differ. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The NVIDIA Quadro P6000 has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. While the AMD card has more shading units and TMUs, the NVIDIA card has more ROPs. This leads to different theoretical fill rates, with the NVIDIA card achieving a pixel rate of 157.9 GPixel/s versus 93.95 GPixel/s for the AMD card. The texture rates are closer, at 394.8 GTexel/s for NVIDIA and 375.8 GTexel/s for AMD.

The FP32 compute performance is nearly identical, with the AMD card at 12.03 TFLOPS and the NVIDIA card at 12.63 TFLOPS. A major difference appears in FP16 performance, where the AMD card delivers 24.05 TFLOPS (at a 2:1 ratio), while the NVIDIA card is severely limited at 197.4 GFLOPS (at a 1:64 ratio). This indicates the AMD architecture is far more capable for workloads that can leverage half-precision arithmetic.

The Verdict

Based on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is the stronger performer in compute tasks. Its average benchmark score of 80959 is significantly higher than the NVIDIA Quadro P6000's 69986, and it also wins the only direct head-to-head test by 18.2%. The AMD card's advantage in FP16 performance and higher memory bandwidth suggests it is better suited for compute-heavy professional workloads.

The NVIDIA Quadro P6000, however, has its own strengths. It offers 24 GB of memory, which is 50% more than the AMD card's 16 GB, making it a better choice for tasks that require extremely large datasets or models that must fit entirely in VRAM. Its higher pixel rate also suggests a potential advantage in certain rendering tasks. The NVIDIA card also supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer API version than the AMD card's Vulkan 1.3.

For users prioritizing raw compute performance and memory bandwidth, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is the clear choice. For those needing maximum memory capacity and a more traditional dual-slot form factor with external power, the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 is the appropriate option. The data does not indicate a universal winner; the choice depends on the specific workload.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The process node differs, with the AMD card on 14 nm and the NVIDIA card on 16 nm. The transistor count is 12,500 million for AMD and 11,800 million for NVIDIA, with die sizes of 495 mm² and 471 mm² respectively.

Clock speeds are higher on the NVIDIA card, with a base of 1506 MHz and boost of 1645 MHz, compared to the AMD card's 1250 MHz base and 1468 MHz boost. Memory configuration is a major differentiator: the AMD card uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, while the NVIDIA card uses 24 GB of GDDR5X on a 384-bit bus. This results in higher bandwidth for AMD (512.0 GB/s) versus NVIDIA (432.8 GB/s).

The compute units are configured differently, with AMD having 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while NVIDIA has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The pixel rate is much higher on NVIDIA (157.9 GPixel/s) than on AMD (93.95 GPixel/s), while the texture rate is comparable (375.8 GTexel/s for AMD, 394.8 GTexel/s for NVIDIA). FP32 performance is near-identical, but FP16 performance is dramatically different, with the AMD card capable of 24.05 TFLOPS versus the NVIDIA card's 197.4 GFLOPS.

The physical and power characteristics also diverge. The AMD card is an IGP with no power connectors, while the NVIDIA card is a dual-slot unit with a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 600 W suggested PSU. The NVIDIA card has specific dimensions of 267 mm length and 111 mm height, while the AMD card has none listed. Display outputs also differ, with the AMD card being "Portable Device Dependent" and the NVIDIA card offering 1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X demonstrates a decisive victory. The AMD card scores 78467, while the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 scores 66382, resulting in an 18.2% advantage for AMD. This is a substantial margin that reflects the AMD card's stronger compute architecture and higher memory bandwidth.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the AMD card also holds a significant lead in average score. Its average of 80959 is 15.7% higher than the NVIDIA card's 69986. The AMD card's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon PRO W6600, scores 81995, which is 1.3% higher, indicating the Vega 64X sits at the edge of a performance tier. The NVIDIA Quadro P6000's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200, scores 69870, just 0.2% behind, showing the P6000 is more competitive within its immediate performance class.

The percentile rankings further contextualize these numbers. The AMD card's 92nd percentile placement, compared to the NVIDIA card's 90th, means the AMD card outperforms a larger percentage of all GPUs. This suggests that while both are high-end professional cards, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is performing at a slightly more elite level in the aggregate.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X wins in compute-oriented workloads. Its 18.2% lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test is the clearest evidence of this strength. The card's FP16 capability, delivering 24.05 TFLOPS versus the NVIDIA card's meager 197.4 GFLOPS, makes it dramatically more suitable for machine learning inference and other half-precision compute tasks. Its higher memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s also gives it an edge in memory-intensive compute workloads that require high throughput.

The NVIDIA Quadro P6000 wins in scenarios requiring maximum memory capacity. Its 24 GB of GDDR5X memory is a full 8 GB more than the AMD card's 16 GB, allowing it to handle larger datasets, bigger textures, or more complex scenes without swapping to system memory. The NVIDIA card's higher pixel rate of 157.9 GPixel/s, compared to the AMD card's 93.95 GPixel/s, suggests it may have a performance advantage in traditional rasterization and pixel-heavy rendering workloads. Its dual-slot design with a dedicated power connector and a 600 W suggested PSU also makes it a standard component for traditional workstation builds.

In terms of API support, the NVIDIA card has a newer Vulkan version (1.4 versus 1.3), which may provide better compatibility or performance in newer applications that leverage the latest Vulkan features. The NVIDIA card also has a defined set of display outputs (1x DVI and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a), making it a predictable choice for multi-monitor setups, whereas the AMD card's outputs are dependent on the host device.

The data ultimately shows a split decision. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is the superior choice for pure compute performance and memory bandwidth. The NVIDIA Quadro P6000 is the superior choice for memory capacity, pixel throughput, and as a conventional add-in card with standard power and display connections.