AMD Radeon Pro VII vs NVIDIA PG506-232 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison recorded in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA PG506-232 posts a score of 225,124, while the AMD Radeon Pro VII manages 90,148. That is a delta of 149.7 percent in favor of the NVIDIA part, making it more than double the AMD card's output in this specific workload. For context, the PG506-232 sits at the 99th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the Radeon Pro VII sits at the 93rd percentile. The gap between a 99th-percentile result and a 93rd-percentile result is substantial, and the raw numbers confirm it.

The NVIDIA part's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D at 219,827 (2.4 percent behind), the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB at 207,124 (8.7 percent behind), the NVIDIA L20 at 251,147 (10.4 percent ahead), and the NVIDIA RTX 6000D at 195,964 (14.9 percent behind). The PG506-232 slots neatly between the L20 and the W7900D, meaning it outperforms most of its immediate competition in this metric. The Radeon Pro VII, by contrast, has a much lower average benchmark score of 97,131, and its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7900M at 97,487 (0.4 percent ahead), the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 at 92,466 (5 percent behind), the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 at 101,872 (4.7 percent ahead), and the NVIDIA RTX A4500 at 91,671 (6 percent behind). The Radeon Pro VII is essentially trading blows with mid-range workstation cards from the previous generation, whereas the PG506-232 is competing with high-end accelerators.

The win count in the head-to-head section is one for NVIDIA and zero for AMD. The OpenCL result is the only recorded shared benchmark, and it is a landslide. There is no Vulkan or Metal comparison available for the PG506-232, as the database lists no API scores for that card, while the Radeon Pro VII does have recorded Vulkan and Metal scores (92,862 and 108,383 respectively). But without a matching NVIDIA score for those tests, the only apples-to-apples comparison is OpenCL, and that favors the PG506-232 overwhelmingly. The data does not show any metric where the Radeon Pro VII wins outright against the PG506-232.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the recorded measurements, the NVIDIA PG506-232 is the clear pick for compute-heavy workloads that rely on OpenCL. Its score of 225,124 is more than double the Radeon Pro VII's 90,148, and its 99th-percentile ranking places it among the top accelerators in the entire database. The Radeon Pro VII's 93rd-percentile ranking is respectable, but it is not in the same tier. If the task is raw OpenCL throughput, the NVIDIA card wins without qualification.

The Radeon Pro VII does have a few things going for it in the database. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, whereas the PG506-232 lists no API support at all. It also has six mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the PG506-232 has no display outputs whatsoever. For anyone needing to drive multiple monitors directly from the card, the Radeon Pro VII is the only option of the two. The PG506-232 is a compute accelerator with no video output, so it requires a separate GPU for display.

The Radeon Pro VII also has a higher boost clock (1700 MHz vs 1440 MHz), more shading units (3840 vs 3584), more texture mapping units (240 vs 224), and a wider memory bus (4096 bit vs 3072 bit). It also has higher memory bandwidth (1.02 TB/s vs 933.1 GB/s) and higher FP32 throughput (13.06 TFLOPS vs 10.32 TFLOPS). On paper, the AMD card looks like it should be faster in some scenarios. But the recorded OpenCL benchmark says otherwise. The PG506-232's advantage likely comes from its architecture and memory configuration, but the database only shows the final score, and that score is heavily in NVIDIA's favor.

For a buyer choosing between these two, the decision hinges on workload type. If the task is OpenCL compute, the PG506-232 is the superior product. If the task requires display outputs or a broader API feature set, the Radeon Pro VII has the edge. There is no scenario in the recorded data where the Radeon Pro VII beats the PG506-232 in a shared benchmark.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA PG506-232 is built on the GA100 chip using the Ampere architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 54,200 million transistors on a die size of 826 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 65.6 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon Pro VII uses the Vega 20 chip with the GCN 5.1 architecture, also on a 7 nm process at TSMC, but with only 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die, for a density of 40.0 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip is more than four times larger in transistor count and more than twice the die size, which explains its massive compute advantage in the OpenCL test.

The memory subsystems differ significantly. The PG506-232 has 24 GB of HBM2 with a 3072-bit bus and a bandwidth of 933.1 GB/s. The Radeon Pro VII has 16 GB of HBM2 with a wider 4096-bit bus and a higher bandwidth of 1.02 TB/s. The AMD card has more memory bandwidth per byte, but the NVIDIA card has more total memory capacity. The PG506-232 also has a higher effective memory clock at 2.4 Gbps versus 2.0 Gbps, though the AMD card's wider bus compensates in raw bandwidth.

The compute resources are structured differently. The PG506-232 has 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, 96 render output units, and 224 tensor cores. The Radeon Pro VII has 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, with no tensor cores. The NVIDIA card includes tensor cores, which are absent on the AMD side, indicating a focus on AI and deep learning workloads. The AMD card's FP16 throughput is 26.11 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the NVIDIA card's FP16 is 10.32 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), meaning the AMD card can process half-precision data at twice the rate of its FP32, while the NVIDIA card does not gain an advantage in FP16.

Clock speeds favor AMD. The Radeon Pro VII has a base clock of 1400 MHz and a boost clock of 1700 MHz, while the PG506-232 has a base clock of 930 MHz and a boost clock of 1440 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, the NVIDIA card achieves a higher OpenCL score, likely due to architectural efficiency and the tensor core array. The PG506-232 also has a much lower TDP at 165 W versus 250 W for the Radeon Pro VII, and it requires a single 8-pin EPS power connector, while the AMD card needs one 6-pin and one 8-pin. The suggested PSU is 450 W for NVIDIA and 600 W for AMD.

Physical dimensions are similar in height (112 mm for NVIDIA, 111 mm for AMD) but differ in length: the PG506-232 is 267 mm (10.5 inches), while the Radeon Pro VII is 305 mm (12 inches). Both are dual-slot cards. The PG506-232 has no display outputs, while the Radeon Pro VII has six mini-DisplayPort 1.4a connectors. The NVIDIA card supports PCIe 4.0 x16, and the AMD card also supports PCIe 4.0 x16.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA PG506-232 scores 225,124, while the AMD Radeon Pro VII scores 90,148. That is a 149.7 percent difference in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro VII support more display outputs?

A: Yes. The Radeon Pro VII has six mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the PG506-232 has no display outputs at all.

Q: Which card has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA PG506-232 has 24 GB of HBM2, while the AMD Radeon Pro VII has 16 GB of HBM2.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro VII has 13.06 TFLOPS of FP32, while the NVIDIA PG506-232 has 10.32 TFLOPS. Despite this, the NVIDIA card wins the OpenCL benchmark.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card have tensor cores?

A: Yes, the PG506-232 has 224 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon Pro VII has no tensor cores.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA PG506-232 has a TDP of 165 W, while the AMD Radeon Pro VII has a TDP of 250 W. The NVIDIA card also requires a lower suggested PSU at 450 W versus 600 W.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA PG506-232 wins in compute-heavy OpenCL workloads. Its score of 225,124 versus 90,148 is a 149.7 percent advantage, and its 99th-percentile ranking puts it in the top tier of all GPUs in the database. It also wins on memory capacity (24 GB vs 16 GB), transistor count (54,200 million vs 13,230 million), and power efficiency (165 W TDP vs 250 W TDP). It has tensor cores for AI tasks, a smaller physical footprint (267 mm vs 305 mm), and a higher memory clock (2.4 Gbps vs 2.0 Gbps). For anyone running OpenCL compute, large data sets, or machine learning workloads, the PG506-232 is the obvious choice.

The AMD Radeon Pro VII wins in scenarios that require display output. With six mini-DisplayPort 1.4a connectors, it can drive a multi-monitor setup directly, something the PG506-232 cannot do at all. It also supports a broader set of graphics APIs: DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, while the PG506-232 lists none. The Radeon Pro VII has higher raw compute specs in several areas: FP32 at 13.06 TFLOPS, FP16 at 26.11 TFLOPS, a wider 4096-bit memory bus, and higher memory bandwidth at 1.02 TB/s. It also has a higher boost clock (1700 MHz vs 1440 MHz) and more shading units (3840 vs 3584). For graphics rendering, display output, or workloads that leverage Vulkan or Metal, the Radeon Pro VII is the more versatile card.

The data does not show a single benchmark where the Radeon Pro VII beats the PG506-232. The only shared test is OpenCL, and NVIDIA dominates. But the AMD card's feature set, particularly its display outputs and API support, makes it a better fit for workstation tasks that blend compute and visualization. The PG506-232 is a pure accelerator, and the Radeon Pro VII is a hybrid workstation card. The choice comes down to whether the priority is raw OpenCL throughput or a broader feature set with display capability.