AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo vs NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile Comparison

NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile vs AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo

The benchmark data shows a clear overall winner: the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile takes both head-to-head tests, but the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo remains a formidable competitor with a strong showing in a test the NVIDIA card does not even participate in. The NVIDIA card leads in Geekbench OpenCL by 26.3% and in Geekbench Vulkan by 4.3%, while the AMD card counters with a Geekbench Metal score that sits above the NVIDIA card’s average benchmark score. This is not a rout; it is a split decision based on workload and API preference, with the NVIDIA card holding the performance crown in the shared tests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive result in the comparison is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile scores 124287 against the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo’s 98432. That is a 26.3% lead for NVIDIA, a massive gap that suggests the NVIDIA architecture is substantially more efficient in this compute workload. The NVIDIA card’s 22.27 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 22.27 TFLOPS of FP16 (1:1) throughput provide a raw compute advantage that shows up directly in this benchmark. The AMD card, with 14.09 TFLOPS FP32 and 28.18 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), actually has higher FP16 throughput, but that does not translate into an OpenCL win—the NVIDIA card’s higher FP32 rate and superior driver optimization for this API appear decisive.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin narrows considerably. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile scores 103601 versus the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo’s 99296, a 4.3% advantage. This is a much tighter race, indicating that the AMD card is more competitive in modern graphics APIs. The AMD card’s 1.02 TB/s memory bandwidth, delivered via a 4096-bit HBM2 interface, helps close the gap in memory-intensive scenarios, while its 440.3 GTexel/s texture rate and 110.1 GPixel/s pixel rate keep it within striking distance. However, NVIDIA still wins, and the data suggests that the RTX A5500 Mobile’s 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores provide additional acceleration that the AMD card, which has no dedicated RT or tensor cores, cannot match in Vulkan workloads.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo does have one benchmark result that the NVIDIA card lacks: a Geekbench Metal score of 122522. This is particularly relevant because the AMD card is designed for Apple MPX bus interface and lists 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt display outputs, indicating a Mac-oriented product. In the Metal API, the AMD card’s score exceeds the NVIDIA card’s average benchmark score of 113944 by 7.5%, and it even surpasses the NVIDIA card’s best Geekbench OpenCL result of 124287 by a slim margin. While this is not a head-to-head comparison—the NVIDIA card has no Metal score in the data—it is a critical data point for users in Apple ecosystems.

Looking at the overall averages, the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 113944, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo averages 106750. The NVIDIA card sits at the 94th percentile of all GPUs, and the AMD card matches that same 94th percentile, meaning both are elite performers in the broader GPU landscape. The NVIDIA card’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB (deltaPct -0.4%), NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation (deltaPct -2.7%), and NVIDIA GB10 (deltaPct -2.9%), while the AMD card’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X (deltaPct -0.6%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega II (deltaPct -2.6%), and AMD Radeon PRO W7900 (deltaPct -3.6%).

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for users who prioritize raw compute and modern graphics APIs: the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is the superior choice. It wins Geekbench OpenCL by 26.3% and Geekbench Vulkan by 4.3%, and its average benchmark score of 113944 is 6.7% higher than the AMD card’s 106750. The NVIDIA card also has a higher transistor density at 44.4M / mm² versus 40.0M / mm², and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD card only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. For professionals running OpenCL-heavy compute tasks or Vulkan-based applications, the NVIDIA card is the clear winner.

However, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo is not without its own strengths, and the data shows exactly where it excels. Its Geekbench Metal score of 122522 is higher than the NVIDIA card’s average benchmark score, and it offers a massive 32 GB of HBM2 memory with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth—double the memory capacity and double the bandwidth of the NVIDIA card’s 16 GB GDDR6 with 512.0 GB/s. For users in Apple environments where Metal is the primary API and memory capacity is critical for large datasets, the AMD card is the better fit. The AMD card also has a lower transistor count at 13,230 million versus 22,000 million, but it achieves this with a smaller die size of 331 mm² versus 496 mm², both on different process nodes (7 nm TSMC for AMD, 8 nm Samsung for NVIDIA).

The verdict depends on the platform and workload. If the user is on a Windows or Linux workstation running OpenCL or Vulkan, the NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is the data-backed recommendation. If the user is on a Mac with Metal-based software and needs maximum memory capacity, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo is the only choice that makes sense from this data. The NVIDIA card’s 2-0 head-to-head record is impressive, but the AMD card’s Metal score and memory advantages cannot be ignored.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 113944, compared to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo’s 106750. This represents a 6.7% advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: How big is the gap in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile scores 124287 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo scores 98432. The NVIDIA card leads by 26.3%, which is the largest margin in any shared benchmark.

Q: Does the AMD card have any benchmark where it outperforms the NVIDIA card?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo has a Geekbench Metal score of 122522, which is higher than the NVIDIA card’s average benchmark score of 113944. However, the NVIDIA card has no Metal score in the data, so this is not a direct head-to-head comparison.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo has 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, offering double the capacity and double the bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports newer API versions?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of percentile ranking?

A: Both GPUs are at the 94th percentile of all GPUs, indicating they are both high-end performers. The NVIDIA card’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB at -0.4% delta, while the AMD card’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro W6600X at -0.6% delta.

Specification Differences

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile and AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo differ across nearly every major specification. The NVIDIA card uses a GA103 chip on an 8 nm Samsung process with 22,000 million transistors on a 496 mm² die, while the AMD card uses a Vega 20 chip on a 7 nm TSMC process with 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die. The clock speeds tell a different story: the AMD card has a higher base clock of 1400 MHz and boost clock of 1720 MHz, compared to the NVIDIA card’s 975 MHz base and 1500 MHz boost. However, the NVIDIA card has more shading units (7424 versus 4096), more ROPs (96 versus 64), and dedicated RT cores (58) and tensor cores (232), while the AMD card has more TMUs (256 versus 232).

Memory is a major differentiator. The NVIDIA card has 16 GB GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the AMD card has 32 GB HBM2 with a 4096-bit bus and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth. The power requirements are starkly different: the NVIDIA card has a 165 W TDP with no power connectors, while the AMD card has a 475 W TDP, a quad-slot form factor, and requires an 850 W suggested PSU. The bus interface also differs, with the NVIDIA card using PCIe 4.0 x16 and the AMD card using Apple MPX. Display outputs are portable-device-dependent for the NVIDIA card, while the AMD card offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture, which includes hardware ray tracing cores (58) and tensor cores (232) for dedicated acceleration of RT and AI workloads. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo is built on the older GCN 5.1 architecture, which has no dedicated RT cores or tensor cores. This explains the NVIDIA card’s advantage in Vulkan, where ray tracing features are increasingly utilized. The NVIDIA card also has a higher FP32 throughput at 22.27 TFLOPS versus 14.09 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance is 22.27 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the AMD card’s FP16 is 28.18 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), meaning the AMD card’s FP16 is halved in effective throughput for compute tasks.

The process node difference is notable: the AMD card uses a 7 nm TSMC process, which is more advanced than the NVIDIA card’s 8 nm Samsung process. However, the NVIDIA card achieves higher transistor density at 44.4M / mm² versus 40.0M / mm², indicating a more efficient design despite the larger process node. The AMD card’s memory architecture is its key advantage, with HBM2 delivering 1.02 TB/s bandwidth—exactly double the NVIDIA card’s 512.0 GB/s—on a 4096-bit bus. This makes the AMD card particularly strong in memory-bound workloads, even though its raw compute is lower. The NVIDIA card’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 versus the AMD card’s DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3 also indicates a newer feature set for the NVIDIA card.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX A5500 Mobile wins in OpenCL compute workloads, taking a 26.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL. This is the most significant single benchmark result in the comparison, and it points to NVIDIA’s advantage in general-purpose GPU compute. The NVIDIA card also wins in Vulkan, albeit by a smaller 4.3% margin, suggesting it is better suited for modern cross-platform graphics applications. With 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, the NVIDIA card is the clear choice for ray-traced rendering and AI-assisted workloads, even though no specific benchmark in the data tests these features directly. Its higher average benchmark score of 113944 and 94th percentile ranking reinforce its position as the higher-performing card in shared tests.

The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo wins in the Apple ecosystem, where its Geekbench Metal score of 122522 is the highest single benchmark score in the entire comparison. This score exceeds the NVIDIA card’s average benchmark score by 7.5%, and it is only 1.4% below the NVIDIA card’s best OpenCL score. The AMD card’s 32 GB of HBM2 memory with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth is double the NVIDIA card’s memory capacity and bandwidth, making it the better choice for large datasets, 3D rendering scenes, or multi-display setups that require massive memory pools. Its Apple MPX bus interface and Thunderbolt display outputs are tailored for Mac Pro workstations, and its 4.8% lead over the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 in its nearest rival list shows it remains competitive among professional GPUs. The AMD card also has a higher texture rate at 440.3 GTexel/s versus 348.0 GTexel/s, giving it an edge in texture-heavy workloads.