AMD Radeon PRO W7500 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Comparison

The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti represent two very different generations of GPU design, and the benchmark data reflects that divide clearly. The GTX 1080 Ti wins 7 of the 9 head-to-head comparisons, but the W7500's victories are decisive and point toward a specific workload advantage. The data shows a classic split: the older, power-hungry flagship retains raw rasterization dominance, while the modern workstation card offers a massive lead in modern API performance and 2D efficiency.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the entire comparison is the Geekbench Vulkan test. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 scores 68,634, which is 69.4% higher than the GTX 1080 Ti's 40,511. This is not a marginal win; it is a generational gap in API efficiency. The W7500's RDNA 3.0 architecture is clearly optimized for modern, low-level graphics APIs, while the Pascal-based GTX 1080 Ti struggles to keep pace in this specific workload.

However, the GTX 1080 Ti takes its revenge across the Passmark suite. In the Passmark G3D test, the NVIDIA card scores 18,600 against the AMD card's 13,368, a 28.1% advantage. This is the headline gaming and general 3D performance metric, and the older card wins it comfortably. The GTX 1080 Ti also leads in Passmark GPU Compute, scoring 9,632 versus 5,910, a 38.6% margin. This suggests that for raw compute throughput in legacy or non-Vulkan workloads, the NVIDIA card's larger silicon and higher transistor count still matter.

The DirectX tests are a clean sweep for the GTX 1080 Ti, though the margins vary. In Passmark DirectX 10, the NVIDIA card scores 118 versus 65, a 44.9% lead. The DirectX 11 test shows a narrower 17.2% gap, with scores of 151 and 125. DirectX 12 results favor the GTX 1080 Ti by 30.3% (66 vs 46), and even the legacy DirectX 9 test shows a 13.4% advantage for the older card (231 vs 200). These results indicate that the GTX 1080 Ti remains a stronger performer in traditional Microsoft graphics APIs.

The one area where the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 wins outright, besides Vulkan, is the Passmark G2D test. The AMD card scores 1,174 against the GTX 1080 Ti's 939, a 25% advantage. This measures 2D graphics performance and desktop compositing, suggesting the W7500 is more efficient at basic display output tasks. The Geekbench OpenCL test also goes to NVIDIA, with the GTX 1080 Ti scoring 67,929 versus 58,213, a 14.3% lead. This shows that in general-purpose GPU compute via OpenCL, the older card still holds an edge.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is the clear winner in modern API adoption and 2D efficiency. The 69.4% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is its flagship result, indicating that software leveraging Vulkan will run dramatically better on this card. The 25% win in Passmark G2D also points to a card that handles desktop environments more smoothly. These are the workloads where the W7500's 6nm process node and modern architecture shine, even with significantly fewer shading units (1,792 vs 3,584).

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti dominates traditional 3D rendering and compute. Its 28.1% lead in Passmark G3D is the most important metric for users running older games or DirectX-based applications. The 38.6% advantage in GPU Compute indicates that for tasks like video encoding, physics simulation, or other non-Vulkan compute, the GTX 1080 Ti is the stronger workhorse. The NVIDIA card also wins every DirectX iteration tested (9, 10, 11, 12), making it the safer choice for legacy software compatibility and performance.

The split is clear: the W7500 is a forward-looking card for modern APIs, while the GTX 1080 Ti is a brute-force performer for established workloads. The GTX 1080 Ti's wins in G3D and Compute carry more weight for mainstream users, but the W7500's Vulkan advantage suggests it will age better as more software moves to that API.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 uses the Navi 33 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 6nm process at TSMC. It has 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 65.2M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti uses the GP102 chip with Pascal architecture, also made by TSMC but on a much older 16nm process. It has 11,800 million transistors on a massive 471 mm² die, with a transistor density of just 25.1M per mm².

These architectural differences explain the benchmark results. The W7500's RDNA 3.0 architecture includes 28 ray tracing cores, which the GTX 1080 Ti completely lacks. The AMD card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA card is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). This modern feature set is why the W7500 excels in Vulkan and is positioned for future software. The GTX 1080 Ti's Pascal architecture is older but features a wider memory bus (352-bit vs 128-bit) and more shading units (3,584 vs 1,792), which drives its raw rasterization performance.

The memory subsystems also diverge sharply. The W7500 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 1080 Ti uses 11 GB of GDDR5X with a 352-bit bus, delivering 484.4 GB/s. This nearly 2x bandwidth advantage is a major reason the NVIDIA card wins in G3D and Compute. The W7500 compensates with faster clock speeds (1,700 MHz boost vs 1,582 MHz) and a much lower power envelope.

The power and physical design differences are stark. The W7500 has a TDP of 70 W, is single-slot, and requires no external power connectors. The GTX 1080 Ti has a 250 W TDP, is dual-slot, and requires both a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector. The AMD card is also shorter at 216 mm versus 267 mm for the NVIDIA card. This makes the W7500 far easier to integrate into compact or power-constrained systems.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 has an average benchmark score of 16,415, which is higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti's 15,548. The W7500 also ranks at the 59th percentile versus the GTX 1080 Ti's 58th percentile.

Q: How big is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: In Geekbench Vulkan, the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 scores 68,634, which is 69.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti's score of 40,511. This is the largest margin of victory in any test.

Q: Does the GTX 1080 Ti have ray tracing support?

A: No. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has no ray tracing cores listed, while the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 includes 28 ray tracing cores. The AMD card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA card is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: Which card requires more power?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has a TDP of 250 W and uses dual-slot cooling with a 6-pin and 8-pin power connector. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 has a TDP of only 70 W, is single-slot, and requires no external power connectors.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has a memory bandwidth of 484.4 GB/s, which is nearly double the AMD Radeon PRO W7500's 256.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card uses an 11 GB GDDR5X memory pool on a 352-bit bus, while the AMD card uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: How do they compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test with a score of 66, which is 30.3% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W7500's score of 46. This is despite the AMD card supporting the newer DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon PRO W7500 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | Pascal |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 13,300 million | 11,800 million |

| Die Size | 204 mm² | 471 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 65.2M / mm² | 25.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1500 MHz | 1481 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1700 MHz | 1582 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 11 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5X |

| Memory Bus | 128 bit | 352 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 484.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 3584 |

| TMUs | 112 | 224 |

| ROPs | 64 | 88 |

| RT Cores | 28 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 12.19 TFLOPS | 11.34 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 24.37 TFLOPS (2:1) | 177.2 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| Pixel Rate | 108.8 GPixel/s | 139.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 190.4 GTexel/s | 354.4 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 70 W | 250 W |

| Slot Width | Single-slot | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 600 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.1 | 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Length | 216 mm | 267 mm |

| Height | 115 mm | 112 mm |

| Width | 20 mm | 40 mm |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2023-08-02 | 2017-03-09 |

The Verdict

The data makes a clear case for different buyers. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is the better choice for anyone working with modern, Vulkan-based software or running in a power-constrained environment. Its 69.4% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is decisive, and its 70 W TDP with no power connectors makes it a plug-and-play solution for compact workstations. The 25% win in Passmark G2D also ensures a snappy desktop experience. The W7500's active production status and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and DisplayPort 2.1 suggest it is built for current and future software.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is the better choice for raw 3D performance and legacy compute, but its data shows it is a product of a bygone era. It wins Passmark G3D by 28.1% and GPU Compute by 38.6%, making it superior for older games and DirectX-based applications. However, its 250 W TDP, dual-slot design, and end-of-life production status are significant drawbacks. The GTX 1080 Ti also lacks ray tracing cores and is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1), meaning it cannot take advantage of modern graphics features.

If the priority is maximum performance in existing DirectX and general compute workloads, the GTX 1080 Ti's benchmark results justify its selection. If the priority is efficiency, modern API support, and future-proofing, the W7500 is the data-backed winner. The 16,415 average benchmark score for the W7500 versus 15,548 for the GTX 1080 Ti confirms that the AMD card is the better overall package when all tests are weighted equally. The GTX 1080 Ti's wins are real but concentrated in legacy workloads; the W7500's wins are in the areas that will define the next several years of GPU usage.