AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo vs NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 represent two divergent philosophies for high-end workstation graphics, with the data showing a split decision across different workload types. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD card scores 98,432 against the NVIDIA’s 74,179, a decisive 32.7% advantage, while the NVIDIA card reverses the outcome in Geekbench Vulkan, posting 129,564 versus 99,296, a 23.4% lead for the Quadro. Both cards hold a 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs, yet their average benchmark scores differ: the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo averages 106,750, which is 4.8% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000’s 101,872. This is not a simple winner-takes-all scenario; the choice hinges entirely on which API and application ecosystem dominates the user’s workflow.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear, workload-dependent recommendation. For users whose applications rely heavily on OpenCL compute, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo is the statistically superior option, delivering a 32.7% performance advantage in that specific benchmark. Conversely, for Vulkan-centric workloads, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 is the unequivocal choice, outperforming the AMD card by 23.4% in that test. The overall average benchmark score slightly favors AMD, with the Vega II Duo hitting 106,750 compared to 101,872 for the Quadro, a 4.8% difference. However, this aggregate figure masks the stark divergence in API performance. Professionals should select the AMD card if their software stack is OpenCL-heavy, while those in Vulkan-based environments should opt for the NVIDIA solution. The data also shows the NVIDIA card consumes less power, with a 260 W TDP versus the AMD’s 475 W, and is a dual-slot design versus the AMD’s quad-slot footprint, which may influence system build decisions independent of raw benchmark scores.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures, which explains their benchmark behavior. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo uses the Vega 20 chip based on the GCN 5.1 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This chip packs 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.0M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 employs the TU102 chip based on the Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. The NVIDIA chip is substantially larger, with 18,600 million transistors on a 754 mm² die, resulting in a lower transistor density of 24.7M per mm². The AMD card’s smaller, denser die reflects its newer manufacturing node, while the NVIDIA card’s larger die accommodates specialized hardware. The data shows the RTX 6000 includes 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the AMD Vega II Duo, which has no listed RT or tensor core counts. This architectural divergence directly impacts API support: the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD card is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the NVIDIA card’s newer API versions likely contribute to its Vulkan benchmark dominance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data reveals a stark performance split between the two APIs tested. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo scores 98,432, which is 32.7% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000’s 74,179. This is a substantial margin, indicating that the AMD architecture is significantly more efficient at OpenCL compute tasks. The AMD card’s HBM2 memory, with a 4096-bit bus and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, may be a contributing factor, though the data does not explicitly link these specs to the score. In Geekbench Vulkan, the tables turn completely. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 scores 129,564, while the AMD card manages only 99,296, a 23.4% deficit for AMD. This NVIDIA advantage aligns with its Vulkan 1.4 support and dedicated RT and tensor cores, which are designed to accelerate modern graphics workloads. The win count is even at one victory each, but the magnitude of the deltas is asymmetric: AMD’s OpenCL win is larger (32.7%) than NVIDIA’s Vulkan win (23.4%). Yet, the average benchmark scores favor AMD overall, suggesting that the OpenCL result carries more weight in the aggregate calculation.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every key specification field. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo offers 32 GB of HBM2 memory with a 4096-bit bus and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, while the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 provides 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD card has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, whereas the NVIDIA card has 4608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Pixel rates differ at 110.1 GPixel/s for AMD versus 169.9 GPixel/s for NVIDIA, and texture rates are 440.3 GTexel/s versus 509.8 GTexel/s, respectively. In raw FP32 compute, the NVIDIA card leads with 16.31 TFLOPS against the AMD’s 14.09 TFLOPS, and FP16 performance is 32.62 TFLOPS versus 28.18 TFLOPS (both at 2:1 ratio). Clock speeds show the NVIDIA card running higher, with a 1440 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost compared to AMD’s 1400 MHz base and 1720 MHz boost. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA versus 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for AMD. The power draw is dramatically different: the AMD card has a 475 W TDP and requires an 850 W suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA card has a 260 W TDP and a 600 W suggested PSU. The AMD card is a quad-slot design using an Apple MPX bus interface, while the NVIDIA card is a dual-slot PCIe 3.0 x16 card measuring 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height. Display outputs differ as well: AMD provides 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt, while NVIDIA offers 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and 1x USB Type-C. The AMD card was released on June 2, 2019, with a launch MSRP of 4,399 USD, while the NVIDIA card launched earlier on August 12, 2018, with a launch MSRP of 6,299 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo has an average benchmark score of 106,750, which is 4.8% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000’s 101,872.

Q: How large is the performance difference in OpenCL?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo scores 98,432 versus 74,179 for the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000, giving AMD a 32.7% advantage.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, in Geekbench Vulkan, the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 scores 129,564 against 99,296 for the AMD card, a 23.4% lead for NVIDIA.

Q: What are the memory capacities and types?

A: The AMD card has 32 GB of HBM2 memory with a 4096-bit bus, while the NVIDIA card has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 384-bit bus.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 has 4608 shading units, compared to 4096 on the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD card has a 475 W TDP with an 850 W suggested PSU, while the NVIDIA card has a 260 W TDP with a 600 W suggested PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo wins decisively in OpenCL compute workloads, as evidenced by its 32.7% higher score in that benchmark. This suggests it is the stronger choice for applications that leverage OpenCL for general-purpose GPU computing, scientific simulations, or data processing. The AMD card’s larger 32 GB memory pool, combined with its 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, likely benefits memory-intensive tasks, even though the data does not explicitly correlate these specs to performance. Additionally, the AMD card’s lower launch MSRP of 4,399 USD, compared to the NVIDIA’s 6,299 USD, may be a consideration for buyers, though pricing is not a performance metric. The AMD card also supports Apple MPX bus interface and Thunderbolt outputs, making it a natural fit for Mac Pro systems, as its generation name suggests.

The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 wins in Vulkan workloads, posting a 23.4% higher score in that test. This advantage aligns with its newer Vulkan 1.4 API support and the presence of 72 RT cores and 576 tensor cores, which are designed to accelerate ray tracing and AI tasks, though the data does not directly measure these features. The NVIDIA card also has higher raw compute figures, with 16.31 TFLOPS FP32 versus 14.09 TFLOPS for AMD, and a higher pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s. Its dual-slot design and 260 W TDP make it a more practical choice for standard PCIe systems, and its 4x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs are common in professional display setups. The NVIDIA card’s higher boost clock of 1770 MHz and larger shading unit count further support its graphics-oriented strengths. Ultimately, the data suggests NVIDIA for Vulkan and ray-tracing-capable workloads, while AMD holds the edge in OpenCL-centric environments.