AMD Radeon Pro Vega II vs NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits cleanly between these two GPUs based on workload type. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II wins both of the head-to-head benchmark comparisons, but those wins are heavily concentrated in API-specific workloads rather than representing a universal sweep. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile, despite losing both direct comparisons, carries strengths that are not captured in the raw Geekbench scores, particularly around modern feature support and power efficiency.

In OpenCL compute, the AMD card posts a score of 99,048 against the NVIDIA's 79,091, a delta of 25.2%. This is a substantial lead in general-purpose compute. The gap widens dramatically in Vulkan, where the AMD scores 99,621 versus the NVIDIA's 61,189, a 62.8% advantage. These numbers indicate that the Radeon Pro Vega II is the stronger performer in raw throughput, especially when the workload scales across the GPU's wide memory bus and high shader count.

However, the use-case split is not simply "AMD wins everything." The RTX A3000 Mobile offers dedicated ray tracing cores (32) and tensor cores (128), features the AMD card lacks entirely. The AMD part has no RT cores and no tensor cores in the recorded specifications. This means the NVIDIA card has a clear functional advantage in ray-traced rendering and AI-accelerated workloads, even though its raw compute scores are lower. The database shows the RTX A3000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). For modern game engines or DXR-based applications, the NVIDIA card is the only one of the two with hardware acceleration for these paths.

The power envelope is another major split. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II draws 475 W and requires an 850 W suggested power supply, while the RTX A3000 Mobile is a 70 W mobile part with no external power connectors. The use case for the NVIDIA card is clearly mobile workstations where battery life, thermals, and space are constrained. The AMD card is a quad-slot desktop accelerator designed for maximum compute density in a Mac Pro chassis, not for portability.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear conclusion: the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II is the superior choice for raw compute throughput, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile is the superior choice for modern rendering features and mobile deployment. The AMD card's average benchmark score of 109,617 places it at the 94th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA card's average of 70,140 sits at the 91st percentile. The AMD part is 56.2% higher in average score, a massive gap.

For users who prioritize raw OpenCL or Vulkan performance, the AMD card wins by 25.2% and 62.8% respectively. The 32 GB of HBM2 memory with 825.3 GB/s of bandwidth dwarfs the NVIDIA's 6 GB GDDR6 at 264.0 GB/s. For large datasets, rendering scenes, or compute kernels that saturate memory bandwidth, the AMD is the clear pick.

The RTX A3000 Mobile, however, is the only viable option for those who need a laptop GPU. Its 70 W TDP, lack of power connectors, and portable device dependent display outputs make it a mobile workstation part. It also adds ray tracing and tensor cores, which the AMD card cannot offer. The NVIDIA part supports Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the AMD card tops out at Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_1).

The verdict is not ambiguous. If the workload is compute-heavy and runs on a desktop, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II is the winner. If the workload requires ray tracing, AI features, or must run in a mobile chassis, the RTX A3000 Mobile is the only choice between the two.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains two Geekbench tests, and the AMD card wins both. The OpenCL result shows the AMD at 99,048 against the NVIDIA at 79,091, a 25.2% lead. This is a meaningful margin, indicating that the Radeon Pro Vega II's 4096 shading units and 256 TMUs deliver more compute throughput than the RTX A3000 Mobile's 4096 shading units and 128 TMUs. The AMD card's texture rate of 440.3 GTexel/s versus the NVIDIA's 157.4 GTexel/s reinforces this. The AMD also leads in pixel rate: 110.1 GPixel/s against 78.72 GPixel/s.

The Vulkan test is even more lopsided. The AMD scores 99,621, the NVIDIA 61,189, a 62.8% delta. Vulkan is a lower-level API that stresses raw hardware throughput, and the AMD card's wider memory bus (4096 bit versus 192 bit) and higher bandwidth (825.3 GB/s versus 264.0 GB/s) likely contribute heavily to this result. The AMD card also has a higher boost clock (1720 MHz versus 1230 MHz) and a much higher base clock (1574 MHz versus 600 MHz), which helps in latency-sensitive workloads.

The FP32 compute figures confirm this trend. The AMD card reaches 14.09 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA card reaches 10.08 TFLOPS, a 39.8% difference. In FP16, the AMD doubles to 28.18 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the NVIDIA stays at 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). For mixed-precision compute, the AMD card is dramatically faster. The RTX A3000 Mobile does have tensor cores that can accelerate certain AI operations, but the recorded FP16 throughput is not listed for those cores, so the comparison is limited to the raw shader-based numbers.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II has an average benchmark score of 109,617, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has an average of 70,140. The AMD card sits at the 94th percentile of all GPUs, the NVIDIA at the 91st.

Q: Does the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The RTX A3000 Mobile has 32 dedicated ray tracing cores and 128 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores in its recorded specifications.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II has 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 825.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 264.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU is designed for a mobile workstation?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile is a mobile part with a 70 W TDP, no power connectors, and display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent." The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II is a quad-slot desktop accelerator with a 475 W TDP and an 850 W suggested power supply.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II scores 99,621 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile scores 61,189. The AMD card leads by 62.8%.

Q: What is the difference in manufacturing process?

A: The AMD card is built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, with 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die. The NVIDIA card is built on an 8 nm process at Samsung, with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural generations and design philosophies. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II uses the GCN 5.1 architecture on the Vega 20 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture on the GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The AMD chip packs 13,230 million transistors into a 331 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 40.0 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip has 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, for a density of 44.4 million per mm².

The most significant architectural difference is the presence of dedicated hardware in the NVIDIA card. The RTX A3000 Mobile includes 32 ray tracing cores and 128 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI inference. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II has neither. The AMD card relies entirely on its 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs for all workloads. The NVIDIA card also has 4096 shading units and 64 ROPs, but only 128 TMUs, half the AMD count.

The API support reflects this architectural split. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like DXR and mesh shaders, while the AMD card only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1). The NVIDIA card also supports Vulkan 1.4, a newer version than the AMD card's Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

The memory architecture is radically different. The AMD card uses HBM2 with a 4096-bit bus and 32 GB capacity, while the NVIDIA card uses GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus and 6 GB capacity. The AMD card's memory runs at 806 MHz (1612 Mbps effective), while the NVIDIA's runs at 1375 MHz (11 Gbps effective). Despite the NVIDIA's higher memory clock, the AMD card's much wider bus gives it over three times the bandwidth.

The bus interface also differs. The AMD card uses Apple MPX, a proprietary connector for Mac Pro systems, while the NVIDIA card uses standard PCIe 4.0 x16.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards, based on the recorded data:

• Process Node: AMD uses 7 nm at TSMC; NVIDIA uses 8 nm at Samsung.
• Transistors: AMD has 13,230 million; NVIDIA has 17,400 million.
• Die Size: AMD is 331 mm²; NVIDIA is 392 mm².
• Transistor Density: AMD is 40.0M / mm²; NVIDIA is 44.4M / mm².
• Base Clock: AMD is 1574 MHz; NVIDIA is 600 MHz.
• Boost Clock: AMD is 1720 MHz; NVIDIA is 1230 MHz.
• Memory Clock: AMD is 806 MHz (1612 Mbps effective); NVIDIA is 1375 MHz (11 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: AMD is 32 GB; NVIDIA is 6 GB.
• Memory Type: AMD uses HBM2; NVIDIA uses GDDR6.
• Memory Bus Width: AMD is 4096 bit; NVIDIA is 192 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: AMD is 825.3 GB/s; NVIDIA is 264.0 GB/s.
• TMUs: AMD has 256; NVIDIA has 128.
• RT Cores: AMD has none; NVIDIA has 32.
• Tensor Cores: AMD has none; NVIDIA has 128.
• Pixel Rate: AMD is 110.1 GPixel/s; NVIDIA is 78.72 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: AMD is 440.3 GTexel/s; NVIDIA is 157.4 GTexel/s.
• FP32: AMD is 14.09 TFLOPS; NVIDIA is 10.08 TFLOPS.
• FP16: AMD is 28.18 TFLOPS (2:1); NVIDIA is 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1).
• TDP: AMD is 475 W; NVIDIA is 70 W.
• Slot Width: AMD is quad-slot; NVIDIA is not specified.
• Power Connectors: AMD is not specified; NVIDIA has none.
• Suggested PSU: AMD is 850 W; NVIDIA is not specified.
• Bus Interface: AMD uses Apple MPX; NVIDIA uses PCIe 4.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: AMD has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 4x Thunderbolt; NVIDIA is "Portable Device Dependent".
• DirectX Support: AMD is 12 (12_1); NVIDIA is 12 Ultimate (12_2).
• Vulkan Support: AMD is 1.3; NVIDIA is 1.4.
• Release Date: AMD is 2019-06-02; NVIDIA is 2021-04-11.
• Launch MSRP: AMD is 2,199 USD; NVIDIA has no recorded launch MSRP.
• Predecessor: AMD has none; NVIDIA is the successor to Quadro Turing-M.
• Successor: AMD has none; NVIDIA's successor is Ada-MW.