AMD Radeon Pro VII vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Comparison

AMD Radeon Pro VII and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 are two very different graphics cards, separated by two years of architecture development and designed for different primary workloads. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the older AMD workstation card still holds specific advantages in memory bandwidth and connectivity that matter for certain professional tasks. This analysis relies entirely on recorded benchmark scores and specification data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The available head-to-head benchmark data is limited to two compute tests, and the results are decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon Pro VII scores 90,148, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 scores 255,416. This represents a delta of -64.7% for the AMD card, meaning the RTX 4090 is roughly 2.8 times faster in this test. In Geekbench Vulkan, the Pro VII scores 92,862 against the RTX 4090’s 271,631, a delta of -65.8%. Again, the NVIDIA card is over 2.9 times faster. The head-to-head tally shows 0 wins for the AMD Radeon Pro VII and 2 wins for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

These are not marginal differences. The RTX 4090’s compute advantage is overwhelming in raw OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. However, the average benchmark scores tell a more nuanced story. The AMD Radeon Pro VII has an average benchmark score of 97,131 across its three recorded tests (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), with a percentile rank of 93 among all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, with a much larger benchmark suite (ten tests including 3DMark, PassMark variants, and Geekbench), has an average score of 60,347 and a percentile rank of 88.

The discrepancy between the head-to-head results and the average scores stems from test selection. The RTX 4090’s average is dragged down by low PassMark scores (e.g., 150 for DirectX 12, 224 for DirectX 10, and 326 for DirectX 11), which are likely run under different driver or resolution conditions. The AMD card’s average is based solely on Geekbench tests, which are more compute-focused. Looking at nearest rivals, the AMD Radeon Pro VII sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 7900M (delta -0.4%) and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (delta -4.7%), while being 5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 and 6% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A4500. The RTX 4090, despite its high compute scores, has an average that places it near the Intel Arc Pro A60 (delta 0%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (delta 0.3%), and AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (delta -2.5%). This suggests that the RTX 4090’s average is not representative of its peak compute capability, but the head-to-head tests are unambiguous: in OpenCL and Vulkan, the RTX 4090 dominates.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is massive. The AMD Radeon Pro VII uses the Vega 20 chip built on GCN 5.1 architecture, manufactured on TSMC’s 7 nm process. It contains 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 40.0 million per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 uses the AD102 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, also from TSMC but on a 5 nm node. It packs 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, achieving a density of 125.3 million per mm². That is over three times the transistor density of the AMD chip.

Core counts differ drastically. The Pro VII has 3,840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. The RTX 4090 has 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. NVIDIA also adds 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the AMD card. Clock speeds reflect the newer process: the Pro VII runs at 1400 MHz base and 1700 MHz boost, while the RTX 4090 runs at 2235 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost. This leads to massive throughput differences: the RTX 4090’s pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s versus 108.8 GPixel/s for the Pro VII, and its texture rate is 1,290.2 GTexel/s versus 408.0 GTexel/s.

Compute performance is where the gap becomes extreme. The Pro VII delivers 13.06 TFLOPS FP32 and 26.11 TFLOPS FP16 (with a 2:1 ratio). The RTX 4090 delivers 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 and 82.58 TFLOPS FP16 (at a 1:1 ratio). That is roughly 6.3 times more FP32 performance and over 3 times more FP16 performance, with the RTX 4090 not halving its FP16 throughput as the AMD card does. The RTX 4090 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Pro VII only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Memory architecture is a key differentiator. The Pro VII uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus, delivering 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4090 uses 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s. The bandwidth is nearly identical, but the bus width is dramatically different. The Pro VII’s memory clock is 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4090’s is 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The HBM2 design gives the AMD card a much wider memory path, which can benefit certain access patterns, even if the total bandwidth is comparable.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the clear winner in raw compute benchmarks. It is 64.7% faster in Geekbench OpenCL and 65.8% faster in Geekbench Vulkan than the AMD Radeon Pro VII. Its FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS dwarfs the Pro VII’s 13.06 TFLOPS. For any workload that relies on compute shaders, physics simulation, or general GPU compute, the RTX 4090 is the superior choice, assuming the software can use its DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 features.

However, the AMD Radeon Pro VII is not without merit. Its 1.02 TB/s memory bandwidth, delivered over a 4096-bit HBM2 interface, essentially matches the RTX 4090’s 1.01 TB/s. For memory-bound tasks that benefit from wide buses rather than raw clock speed, the Pro VII can hold its own. It also offers six mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, which is far more display connectivity than the RTX 4090’s single HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Pro VII’s 600 W suggested PSU is lower than the RTX 4090’s 850 W, and it uses standard 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connectors rather than a 16-pin connector. The AMD card is also dual-slot versus triple-slot, making it easier to fit in dense workstation builds.

The verdict depends on the use case. For pure compute performance and modern API support, the RTX 4090 is the pick. For multi-display professional setups or scenarios where memory bus width matters more than compute throughput, the Pro VII has a place, despite being end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro VII has 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has 1.01 TB/s. The difference is negligible, but the Pro VII achieves this over a 4096-bit HBM2 bus, while the RTX 4090 uses a 384-bit GDDR6X bus.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX 4090 has 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon Pro VII has no ray tracing or tensor cores listed in its specifications.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro VII has an average benchmark score of 97,131 across its three Geekbench tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 averages 60,347 across its ten tests. However, the head-to-head OpenCL and Vulkan tests show the RTX 4090 is significantly faster.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RTX 4090 has a transistor density of 125.3 million per mm², compared to the Pro VII’s 40.0 million per mm². The RTX 4090 also uses a smaller 5 nm node versus the Pro VII’s 7 nm node.

Q: How many display outputs does each card have?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro VII has six mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: Which card requires a larger power supply?

A: The RTX 4090 has a suggested PSU of 850 W, while the AMD Radeon Pro VII suggests 600 W. The RTX 4090 also has a higher TDP at 450 W versus 250 W for the Pro VII.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 wins in every head-to-head benchmark recorded. It is 64.7% faster in Geekbench OpenCL and 65.8% faster in Geekbench Vulkan. Its FP32 compute is 82.58 TFLOPS versus 13.06 TFLOPS, and its FP16 compute is 82.58 TFLOPS versus 26.11 TFLOPS. The RTX 4090 also wins on API support, with DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 versus the Pro VII’s DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. It has more memory (24 GB versus 16 GB), more shading units (16,384 versus 3,840), more TMUs (512 versus 240), and more ROPs (176 versus 64). Its pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s versus 108.8 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 1,290.2 GTexel/s versus 408.0 GTexel/s. For any compute-heavy or gaming workload, the RTX 4090 is the winner.

The AMD Radeon Pro VII wins in specific areas not covered by the head-to-head compute tests. It has six mini-DisplayPort outputs, allowing up to six displays directly, whereas the RTX 4090 has only four outputs total. The Pro VII’s 4096-bit memory bus is four times wider than the RTX 4090’s 384-bit bus, even though total bandwidth is similar. This can be advantageous for certain HPC or visualization workloads that rely on memory access patterns tuned for wide buses. The Pro VII also has a lower TDP (250 W versus 450 W) and a lower suggested PSU (600 W versus 850 W), making it easier to integrate into existing systems with modest power budgets. Its dual-slot design is more compact than the RTX 4090’s triple-slot cooler.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the two cards:

• Process Node: AMD Radeon Pro VII: 7 nm; NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: 5 nm
• Transistors: Pro VII: 13,230 million; RTX 4090: 76,300 million
• Die Size: Pro VII: 331 mm²; RTX 4090: 609 mm²
• Transistor Density: Pro VII: 40.0M / mm²; RTX 4090: 125.3M / mm²
• Base Clock: Pro VII: 1400 MHz; RTX 4090: 2235 MHz
• Boost Clock: Pro VII: 1700 MHz; RTX 4090: 2520 MHz
• Memory Clock: Pro VII: 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective); RTX 4090: 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective)
• Memory Size: Pro VII: 16 GB; RTX 4090: 24 GB
• Memory Type: Pro VII: HBM2; RTX 4090: GDDR6X
• Memory Bus Width: Pro VII: 4096 bit; RTX 4090: 384 bit
• Shading Units: Pro VII: 3,840; RTX 4090: 16,384
• TMUs: Pro VII: 240; RTX 4090: 512
• ROPs: Pro VII: 64; RTX 4090: 176
• RT Cores: Pro VII: None; RTX 4090: 128
• Tensor Cores: Pro VII: None; RTX 4090: 512
• Pixel Rate: Pro VII: 108.8 GPixel/s; RTX 4090: 443.5 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: Pro VII: 408.0 GTexel/s; RTX 4090: 1,290.2 GTexel/s
• FP32 Performance: Pro VII: 13.06 TFLOPS; RTX 4090: 82.58 TFLOPS
• FP16 Performance: Pro VII: 26.11 TFLOPS (2:1); RTX 4090: 82.58 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: Pro VII: 250 W; RTX 4090: 450 W
• Slot Width: Pro VII: Dual-slot; RTX 4090: Triple-slot
• Power Connectors: Pro VII: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin; RTX 4090: 1x 16-pin
• Suggested PSU: Pro VII: 600 W; RTX 4090: 850 W
• Display Outputs: Pro VII: 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a; RTX 4090: 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
• DirectX Support: Pro VII: 12 (12_1); RTX 4090: 12 Ultimate (12_2)
• Vulkan Support: Pro VII: 1.3; RTX 4090: 1.4
• Dimensions: Pro VII: 305 mm length, 111 mm height; RTX 4090: 304 mm length, 137 mm height, 61 mm width
• Release Date: Pro VII: 2020-05-12; RTX 4090: 2022-09-19
• Production Status: Both are end-of-life
• Launch MSRP: Pro VII: 1,899 USD; RTX 4090: 1,599 USD