AMD Radeon PRO W6800 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D vs AMD Radeon PRO W6800

The data separates these two professional-grade GPUs by a wide margin in raw compute, but the story is more nuanced when considering memory capacity and workload fit. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D, built on Ada Lovelace, delivers an average benchmark score of 178,050, placing it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon PRO W6800, based on RDNA 2.0, posts an average score of 135,396, sitting in the 96th percentile. The 128.7% and 124.6% deltas in OpenCL and Vulkan respectively show a dominant NVIDIA lead, yet the W6800 counters with 32 GB of memory versus 24 GB, a factor that matters in memory-bound professional workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 D wins outright in every head-to-head benchmark recorded. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 278,621 against the W6800's 121,808, a 128.7% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the gap narrows slightly but remains enormous: 246,941 versus 109,961, a 124.6% lead. These are not marginal victories; they represent more than double the compute throughput in both API environments.

The W6800's only clear advantage is memory capacity. With 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, it offers 8 GB more than the RTX 4090 D's 24 GB of GDDR6X. However, the bandwidth story reverses: the 4090 D delivers 1.01 TB/s against the W6800's 512.0 GB/s. For workloads that fit within 24 GB, the 4090 D's bandwidth advantage is decisive. For datasets that exceed 24 GB, the W6800's larger pool becomes relevant, though its lower bandwidth means transfers take longer.

The RTX 4090 D also wins on raw throughput metrics. Its FP32 performance of 73.54 TFLOPS dwarfs the W6800's 17.83 TFLOPS, a fourfold difference. Pixel rate favors NVIDIA at 443.5 GPixel/s versus 222.9 GPixel/s, and texture rate shows a similar pattern at 1,149.1 GTexel/s against 557.3 GTexel/s. Shading units, TMUs, and ROPs all favor the 4090 D: 14,592 versus 3,840 shading units, 456 versus 240 TMUs, and 176 versus 96 ROPs.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap begins at the process node. NVIDIA uses a 5 nm TSMC process for the AD102 chip, while AMD's Navi 21 is fabricated on 7 nm TSMC. This translates to a massive transistor disparity: 76,300 million on the 4090 D versus 26,800 million on the W6800. Die sizes are closer — 609 mm² versus 520 mm² — but transistor density tells the real story: 125.3M per mm² for NVIDIA versus 51.5M per mm² for AMD.

Clock speeds show NVIDIA's efficiency advantage. The 4090 D has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz, while the W6800 runs at 1575 MHz base and 2322 MHz boost. The 4090 D's memory clock is 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective, compared to 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective on the W6800.

Feature sets diverge significantly. The RTX 4090 D includes 456 tensor cores and 114 RT cores; the W6800 has 60 RT cores and no tensor core equivalent. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is a wash. Display outputs differ: the 4090 D offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the W6800 provides 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, favoring AMD for multi-monitor setups.

Physical and power characteristics also contrast sharply. The 4090 D is a triple-slot card, 304 mm long, 137 mm tall, and 61 mm wide, drawing 425 W with a single 16-pin connector and an 800 W suggested PSU. The W6800 is a dual-slot card, 267 mm long, 120 mm tall, and 50 mm wide, consuming 250 W via one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector with a 600 W suggested PSU. The W6800 is more compact and power-efficient, but the 4090 D's thermal envelope enables its performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL result is the single largest win for NVIDIA. The 4090 D's 278,621 score versus 121,808 for the W6800 yields a 128.7% delta. This test exercises general-purpose compute, where the 4090 D's 73.54 FP32 TFLOPS and 1,149.1 GTexel/s texture rate overwhelm the W6800's 17.83 TFLOPS and 557.3 GTexel/s. The 7 nm process and lower transistor count simply cannot compete with Ada Lovelace's 5 nm density.

Vulkan benchmarks show a slightly smaller but still commanding lead. The 4090 D scores 246,941 against 109,961, a 124.6% difference. This suggests that while both cards handle the Vulkan API efficiently, the 4090 D's additional RT cores (114 versus 60) and higher memory bandwidth (1.01 TB/s versus 512.0 GB/s) provide compounding advantages in graphics-heavy workloads.

The W6800's lone benchmark, Geekbench Metal, shows a score of 174,420. That figure is not directly comparable to the 4090 D, which does not have a Metal result in the data. However, it is importantly the W6800's Metal score exceeds its Vulkan score by 58.6% and its OpenCL score by 43.2%, indicating AMD's architecture may favor Apple's API ecosystem. The 4090 D's absence from Metal testing means users in macOS environments would need to rely on the W6800 by default.

Average benchmark scores contextualize the gap further. The 4090 D's 178,050 average places it just 2.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell and 3.1% behind the A100 SXM4 80 GB. The W6800's 135,396 average sits nearly even with the NVIDIA A10M (0.1% ahead) and RTX 4000 Ada Generation (0.1% ahead). The 4090 D competes with data-center-class accelerators, while the W6800 trades blows with mid-range workstation cards.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance hierarchy: the RTX 4090 D is the superior compute card by a wide margin. Its 128.7% OpenCL and 124.6% Vulkan leads are not incremental; they represent a generational leap. For professionals running compute-heavy simulations, 3D rendering, or AI inference, the 4090 D's 73.54 FP32 TFLOPS and 456 tensor cores make it the obvious choice, provided the workload fits within 24 GB of memory.

The W6800 appeals to a narrower but real niche. Its 32 GB memory pool exceeds the 4090 D's 24 GB, which matters for large datasets, high-resolution texture sets, or multi-GPU configurations where memory per card is the bottleneck. Its 250 W TDP and dual-slot design also make it easier to deploy in dense systems, and the 6x mini-DisplayPort outputs support more simultaneous displays. The 7 nm process and 26,800 million transistors are dated, but the card remains competitive in its class, landing in the 96th percentile of all GPUs.

Budget-conscious buyers should note that the 4090 D's launch MSRP was 1,599 USD, while the W6800 launched at 2,249 USD. The NVIDIA card delivers more than double the performance at a lower price point, though the W6800's higher launch price reflects its workstation heritage and larger memory. Neither card is current — both are end-of-life — so availability and specific workload requirements should drive the decision.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D. Its FP32 throughput is 73.54 TFLOPS versus 17.83 TFLOPS for the AMD Radeon PRO W6800, and it leads by 128.7% in Geekbench OpenCL and 124.6% in Geekbench Vulkan.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 have any advantage?

A: Yes, in memory capacity. The W6800 offers 32 GB of GDDR6, which is 8 GB more than the RTX 4090 D's 24 GB of GDDR6X. It also has a lower TDP of 250 W versus 425 W and supports six mini-DisplayPort outputs versus four on the NVIDIA card.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The RTX 4090 D delivers 1.01 TB/s over a 384-bit bus, while the W6800 provides 512.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus. The NVIDIA card's bandwidth is roughly double that of the AMD card.

Q: What are the architectural differences?

A: The RTX 4090 D uses NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process with 76,300 million transistors. The W6800 uses AMD's RDNA 2.0 on a 7 nm TSMC process with 26,800 million transistors. The 4090 D also includes 456 tensor cores and 114 RT cores; the W6800 has 60 RT cores and no tensor cores.

Q: Which card is better for multi-display setups?

A: The AMD Radeon PRO W6800, based on display outputs. It provides 6x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RTX 4090 D offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Q: How does each card rank among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4090 D sits in the 98th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 178,050. The W6800 is in the 96th percentile with an average score of 135,396.