AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo vs NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo records an average benchmark score of 106750, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile records 70140. The AMD part sits at the 94th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the NVIDIA part sits at the 91st percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the OpenCL benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo scores 98432 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 24.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile's 79091.

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

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo has 32 GB of HBM2 memory with a 4096-bit bus and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus and 264.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile includes 32 RT cores and 128 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo has no RT cores or tensor cores listed in the database.

Q: What is the thermal design power difference between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo has a TDP of 475 W and requires a suggested PSU of 850 W. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has a TDP of 70 W and lists no power connectors or suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU has the higher boost clock speed?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo boosts to 1720 MHz, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile boosts to 1230 MHz.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo is built on the Vega 20 chip using GCN 5.1 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile uses the GA104 chip with Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The process node difference is significant: 7 nm versus 8 nm, which partly explains the transistor density gap. AMD packs 13,230 million transistors into a 331 mm² die, yielding 40.0M transistors per mm². NVIDIA packs 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, yielding 44.4M transistors per mm².

The compute resources differ markedly in configuration. Both have 4096 shading units, but AMD allocates 256 texture mapping units versus NVIDIA's 128, while both have 64 ROPs. The AMD card has no ray tracing or tensor cores, whereas the NVIDIA card includes 32 RT cores and 128 tensor cores, reflecting the Ampere generation's focus on accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The AMD card's FP16 throughput is 28.18 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), double its FP32 rate of 14.09 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA card's FP16 and FP32 rates are identical at 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), meaning it does not gain a throughput advantage in half-precision work.

Memory architecture is another point of divergence. AMD uses 32 GB of HBM2 with a 4096-bit bus, achieving 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. NVIDIA uses 6 GB of GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus, achieving 264.0 GB/s. The memory clock rates also differ: AMD's memory runs at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective), while NVIDIA's runs at 1375 MHz (11 Gbps effective). The AMD part interfaces with the host via Apple MPX, while the NVIDIA part uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs differ as well: AMD offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt, while NVIDIA's outputs are portable device dependent.

API support shows a generational difference. AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA card's DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 support indicate a more modern feature set, while AMD's older GCN architecture tops out at DirectX 12_1.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo wins in both recorded head-to-head benchmark tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 98432 against 79091 for the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile, a 24.5% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 99296 against 61189, a 62.3% advantage. The AMD card also has a substantial lead in average benchmark score: 106750 versus 70140, a difference of roughly 52%.

The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile's strengths lie in features the database records, not in raw benchmark scores. It has ray tracing cores and tensor cores, which the AMD card lacks entirely. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, newer API versions than the AMD card's DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.3. For workloads that rely on those API features or on tensor core acceleration, the NVIDIA part would be the only option between the two.

The AMD part wins on raw compute throughput, memory capacity, and memory bandwidth. Its FP32 rate of 14.09 TFLOPS exceeds NVIDIA's 10.08 TFLOPS by roughly 40%. Its 32 GB memory capacity is more than five times the NVIDIA card's 6 GB, and its 1.02 TB/s bandwidth is nearly four times the NVIDIA card's 264.0 GB/s. These advantages show up directly in the benchmark scores.

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ according to the database.

| Specification | AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo | NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile |

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

| Chip | Vega 20 | GA104 |

| Architecture | GCN 5.1 | Ampere |

| Generation | Radeon Pro Mac (Vega Series) | Ampere-MW (Ax000) |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 13,230 million | 17,400 million |

| Die Size | 331 mm² | 392 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 40.0M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1400 MHz | 600 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1720 MHz | 1230 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective) | 1375 MHz (11 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 32 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 4096 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.02 TB/s | 264.0 GB/s |

| TMUs | 256 | 128 |

| RT Cores | None | 32 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 128 |

| Pixel Rate | 110.1 GPixel/s | 78.72 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 440.3 GTexel/s | 157.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 14.09 TFLOPS | 10.08 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 28.18 TFLOPS (2:1) | 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 475 W | 70 W |

| Slot Width | Quad-slot | Not specified |

| Power Connectors | Not specified | None |

| Suggested PSU | 850 W | Not specified |

| Bus Interface | Apple MPX | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 4x Thunderbolt | Portable Device Dependent |

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

| Vulkan | 1.3 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2019-06-02 | 2021-04-11 |

| Launch MSRP | 4,399 USD | Not specified |

| Predecessor | Not specified | Quadro Turing-M |

| Successor | Not specified | Ada-MW |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two head-to-head benchmark comparisons between these GPUs, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo wins both.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card scores 98432 against 79091 for the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile. That is a 24.5% advantage. The OpenCL test typically stresses raw compute throughput and memory bandwidth, areas where the AMD card's 14.09 TFLOPS FP32 rate and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth give it a clear edge. The NVIDIA card's 10.08 TFLOPS and 264.0 GB/s cannot close that gap.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin widens considerably. The AMD card scores 99296 against 61189, a 62.3% advantage. The nearly 40-point gap between the two scores in this test suggests that the AMD card's memory subsystem and texture throughput are particularly impactful in Vulkan workloads. The AMD card's texture rate of 440.3 GTexel/s is nearly three times the NVIDIA card's 157.4 GTexel/s, which likely drives much of this result.

The average benchmark scores reinforce the same picture. The AMD card averages 106750, while the NVIDIA card averages 70140. In the database's nearest rival comparisons, the AMD card sits within 3.6% of the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 and 2.6% of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II, while leading the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 by 4.8%. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile, by contrast, sits within 1.7% of the NVIDIA CMP 90HX and within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE, with its closest neighbor being the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 at a 0.2% delta.

The pixel rate comparison also favors AMD: 110.1 GPixel/s versus 78.72 GPixel/s. The texture rate comparison is even more lopsided: 440.3 GTexel/s versus 157.4 GTexel/s. These fillrate advantages translate directly into the benchmark deltas observed.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on workload and form factor. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo is the stronger compute performer by a wide margin. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, leads in average score by roughly 52%, and holds advantages in FP32 throughput, texture rate, pixel rate, memory bandwidth, and memory capacity. Its 94th percentile ranking versus the NVIDIA card's 91st percentile confirms that the AMD part sits higher in the overall GPU distribution. For any task that stresses raw compute, large memory working sets, or memory bandwidth, the AMD card is the choice indicated by the recorded data.

The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile, however, offers capabilities that the AMD card does not have at all. It includes 32 RT cores and 128 tensor cores, making it the only option between the two for ray tracing workloads or tensor-accelerated AI inference. It also supports newer API versions: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, versus DirectX 12_1 and Vulkan 1.3 for the AMD card. Its 70 W TDP, versus 475 W for the AMD card, also reflects a fundamentally different deployment scenario. The NVIDIA card is a mobile part with no power connectors, while the AMD card is a quad-slot desktop part requiring an 850 W suggested PSU.

The release dates also frame the comparison. The AMD card launched in 2019, while the NVIDIA card launched in 2021. The NVIDIA card has a recorded predecessor (Quadro Turing-M) and successor (Ada-MW), while the AMD card lists neither. Both are marked end-of-life in the database.

The verdict from the data is straightforward. Users who need maximum compute throughput, large memory capacity, or high bandwidth should select the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo. Users who need ray tracing, tensor core acceleration, or the newer API feature set should select the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile. The benchmark scores do not show a scenario where the NVIDIA card outperforms the AMD card, but the feature set differences mean the NVIDIA card remains the only viable option for certain workloads.