AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X vs NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X occupy very different positions in the workstation GPU landscape. The RTX 4000 Ada is a current, actively produced card built on a modern 5 nm process, while the Vega 64X is an end-of-life integrated graphics solution from 2019. The recorded benchmark data shows a clear performance gap, but the two cards also differ fundamentally in architecture, memory technology, and intended use case. This analysis walks through the measurable differences using only the database records.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head benchmark data contains one recorded test: Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation scores 146593, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 78467. This gives the RTX 4000 Ada an 86.8% advantage in that single test, and it claims the only win in the head-to-head comparison. The Vega 64X has no wins recorded against the RTX 4000 Ada.

Looking at the broader benchmark picture, the RTX 4000 Ada also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 123842, which is not a test the Vega 64X can participate in, as the Vega 64X has no Vulkan benchmark recorded. Instead, the Vega 64X has a Geekbench Metal score of 83450, a test absent from the RTX 4000 Ada's records. This split suggests the two cards are aimed at different software ecosystems. The RTX 4000 Ada's recorded data covers OpenCL and Vulkan, while the Vega 64X's recorded data covers OpenCL and Metal, reflecting its origin as a Radeon Pro Mac part.

The average benchmark score reinforces the separation. The RTX 4000 Ada averages 135218 across its recorded tests, placing it in the 95th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The Vega 64X averages 80959, placing it in the 92nd percentile. On average, the RTX 4000 Ada is roughly 67% ahead, but the percentile gap is narrower, indicating that the Vega 64X still sits above most GPUs in the database despite its age. The RTX 4000 Ada wins the compute-heavy OpenCL test decisively, and it also has the Vulkan result to show broader API coverage.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is substantial. The RTX 4000 Ada uses the AD104 chip built on NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. The Vega 64X uses the Vega 10 chip with AMD's GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The process node difference alone, 5 nm versus 14 nm, explains a large part of the efficiency and density gap.

Transistor counts tell the story of design philosophy. The RTX 4000 Ada packs 35,800 million transistors onto a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.8 million transistors per square millimeter. The Vega 64X has 12,500 million transistors on a much larger 495 mm² die, giving it just 25.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The RTX 4000 Ada fits nearly five times more transistors per area, which is a direct consequence of the newer process.

The feature sets diverge even further. The RTX 4000 Ada includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, while the Vega 64X has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores recorded. The RTX 4000 Ada supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 64X is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The Vega 64X does offer a 2:1 FP16 ratio, delivering 24.05 TFLOPS of FP16 performance, while the RTX 4000 Ada runs FP16 at 1:1 with 26.73 TFLOPS, so the Ada card is still ahead in raw FP16 throughput despite the Vega's dedicated ratio advantage.

The memory subsystems are completely different. The RTX 4000 Ada uses 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 360.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 64X uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 64X has a much wider bus and higher bandwidth, but the RTX 4000 Ada has more capacity. The memory clock records show 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the Ada card versus 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for the Vega, which reflects the different memory types and generations.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation has an average benchmark score of 135218, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X has an average score of 80959. The Ada card is roughly 67% higher on average.

Q: Does the Vega 64X support ray tracing?

A: No. The database records no ray tracing cores for the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation has 48 ray tracing cores.

Q: What memory types do the two cards use?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada uses 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 360.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Vega 64X uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card is still in production?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation has an Active production status. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is recorded as End-of-life.

Q: How do the two cards compare in the OpenCL benchmark?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada scores 146593, and the Vega 64X scores 78467. The Ada card leads by 86.8% in that single head-to-head test.

Q: Which card has the better percentile ranking?

A: The RTX 4000 Ada sits in the 95th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the Vega 64X sits in the 92nd percentile.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every recorded specification. The RTX 4000 Ada is built on a 5 nm process by TSMC, while the Vega 64X uses a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries. Transistor counts are 35,800 million versus 12,500 million, and die sizes are 294 mm² versus 495 mm². Transistor density is 121.8 million per mm² versus 25.3 million per mm².

Clock speeds differ as well. The RTX 4000 Ada has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 2175 MHz, while the Vega 64X has a base clock of 1250 MHz and a boost clock of 1468 MHz. Memory clocks are 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the Ada card versus 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for the Vega.

The compute resources are not directly comparable due to different architectures. The RTX 4000 Ada has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Vega 64X has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The Ada card has more shading units, while the Vega has more texture units. The RTX 4000 Ada includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores; the Vega 64X has none.

Performance rates reflect the compute gap. The RTX 4000 Ada delivers 139.2 GPixel/s pixel rate, 417.6 GTexel/s texture rate, and 26.73 TFLOPS FP32. The Vega 64X delivers 93.95 GPixel/s, 375.8 GTexel/s, and 12.03 TFLOPS FP32. In FP16, the Ada card hits 26.73 TFLOPS at 1:1, while the Vega reaches 24.05 TFLOPS at 2:1.

Power and physical specs also differ. The RTX 4000 Ada has a TDP of 130 W, is a single-slot card, uses a 1x 16-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Vega 64X has a TDP of 250 W, is recorded as an integrated graphics processor (IGP), and has no power connectors. The Ada card is 245 mm long and 112 mm tall. The Vega 64X has no dimensions recorded. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for the Ada card versus PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Vega. Display outputs are 4x DisplayPort 1.4a for the Ada card, while the Vega 64X is listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

Release dates are far apart. The RTX 4000 Ada was released on 2023-08-08, while the Vega 64X was released on 2019-03-18. The Ada card has a recorded predecessor, Workstation Ampere, and a successor, Blackwell PRO W. The Vega 64X has neither recorded.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation scores 146593, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 78467. The delta is 86.8% in favor of the Ada card. That is the single largest and only comparative data point between these two specific cards.

To contextualize the Vega 64X's OpenCL score, the database places its average at 80959, and its nearest rivals are all within a few percent. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 scores 81995, which is 1.3% higher than the Vega 64X. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 scores 79842, which is 1.4% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, 1.7% lower, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, 2% lower. So the Vega 64X sits in a tight cluster of cards around the 80,000 mark, and its OpenCL score of 78467 is actually below its own average, meaning that particular test is one of its weaker recorded results.

The RTX 4000 Ada, by contrast, has an average of 135218, and its nearest rivals are all within 1% of that figure. The NVIDIA A10M scores 135230 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 scores 135396 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo scores 135774 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon PRO V620 scores 136472 (0.9% higher). The Ada card's OpenCL score of 146593 is well above its own average, indicating that OpenCL is a strong test for it. The 86.8% OpenCL gap between the two cards is consistent with the overall average gap of roughly 67%, but the OpenCL test amplifies the difference.

The RTX 4000 Ada also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 123842, which is lower than its OpenCL score but still substantial. The Vega 64X has a Geekbench Metal score of 83450, which is higher than its OpenCL score of 78467. This suggests the Vega 64X performs relatively better under Metal, likely reflecting its Mac-oriented design, while the RTX 4000 Ada performs better under OpenCL and also covers Vulkan.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for most users. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation wins the only direct benchmark comparison by 86.8%, has a higher average score by roughly 67%, and ranks in the 95th percentile of all GPUs versus the 92nd percentile for the Vega 64X. It is also an active product with a modern 5 nm process, ray tracing cores, tensor cores, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. The Vega 64X is end-of-life, lacks ray tracing and tensor cores, and supports only DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.

The Vega 64X does have some notable strengths in the recorded data. It offers higher memory bandwidth at 512.0 GB/s versus 360.0 GB/s, a wider 2048-bit bus versus 160-bit, and a 2:1 FP16 ratio that brings it to 24.05 TFLOPS, close to the Ada card's 26.73 TFLOPS. It also has more texture units, 256 versus 192. Its Metal score of 83450 shows it can still perform respectably in Apple-oriented workloads. For users constrained to a Mac environment where the Vega 64X is the integrated option, those characteristics matter.

For everyone else, the RTX 4000 Ada Generation is the stronger card by every measurable compute metric in the database. It has more shading units, more memory capacity, higher clock speeds, lower power draw at 130 W versus 250 W, and a much smaller die with far higher transistor density. The single head-to-head OpenCL result, the 86.8% delta, is the simplest summary of the relationship between these two products. The Vega 64X is a capable older part that holds its own against contemporaries from its era, but it does not compete with the Ada generation on raw compute performance. Users needing the highest recorded OpenCL or Vulkan scores should select the RTX 4000 Ada. Users specifically requiring Metal support or the Vega 64X's higher memory bandwidth may still find it relevant, but the benchmark record favors the NVIDIA card across the board.