AMD Radeon R5 Graphics vs AMD Radeon Vega 3 Comparison

AMD Radeon Vega 3 and AMD Radeon R5 Graphics are both end-of-life integrated graphics processors from AMD, but they represent different generations of the company's IGP design. The data shows a split decision: the R5 Graphics wins decisively in OpenCL compute workloads, while the Vega 3 dominates in Vulkan performance by a wide margin. Their average benchmark scores are close enough to place them in adjacent performance percentiles, but the underlying architectural differences explain why each part excels in different scenarios.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two available head-to-head benchmark results reveal a clear performance split based on the API used. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics scores 5183, while the AMD Radeon Vega 3 trails at 3963. This represents a 23.5% deficit for the Vega 3, a substantial margin that indicates the older R5 part has a significant advantage in general-purpose compute workloads that leverage OpenCL. The R5’s advantage here is likely tied to its larger shader array, as it carries 256 shading units versus the Vega 3’s 192, despite the latter’s newer architecture.

The situation reverses sharply in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the AMD Radeon Vega 3 scores 3961, while the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics manages only 2582. The Vega 3 leads by 53.4%, which is an even larger margin than the R5’s OpenCL win. This suggests that the Vega 3’s GCN 5.0 architecture has substantially better driver optimization and hardware support for modern graphics APIs like Vulkan. The R5’s GCN 2.0 design, with its Vulkan 1.2.170 support, appears to be at a significant disadvantage in this test relative to the Vega 3’s Vulkan 1.3 implementation.

The average benchmark score tells a more nuanced story. The Vega 3 averages 4268 across its three benchmark runs (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), while the R5 averages 3883 from its two runs (OpenCL and Vulkan). The Vega 3’s average is 9.9% higher, but this is partly due to the inclusion of a Geekbench Metal score of 4880, which is the highest individual result for either GPU. The R5 has no Metal benchmark recorded, so its average is pulled down by the weak Vulkan result. It is also importantly the Vega 3’s OpenCL score of 3963 is lower than its Metal and Vulkan scores, indicating that its compute performance is not uniform across APIs.

Looking at the nearest rivals for each GPU provides additional context. The Vega 3’s average score of 4268 places it within a tight cluster: it is 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (4282), 0.6% behind the AMD FirePro W2100 (4295), and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M (4241). It is 1.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 (4335), which is a remarkable data point suggesting that in these synthetic benchmarks, the modern flagship NVIDIA card is only marginally faster than this entry-level IGP. The R5 Graphics, with its 3883 average, is 0.4% behind the NVIDIA Quadro 2000 (3898), 0.9% behind the NVIDIA Quadro K2000D (3919), and 1.2% behind the NVIDIA Quadro 2000D (3930), while leading the NVIDIA GeForce MX110 (3834) by 1.3%.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Radeon Vega 3 is the better overall GPU. Its average benchmark score of 4268 is higher than the R5’s 3883, and it holds a 25th percentile ranking versus the R5’s 23rd percentile among all GPUs. The Vega 3 also demonstrates superior performance in the more modern Vulkan API, which is increasingly relevant for gaming and graphics workloads. The 53.4% lead in Vulkan is a decisive advantage that outweighs the R5’s 23.5% lead in OpenCL, particularly because Vulkan is the API more likely to be used for real-time rendering.

However, the R5 Graphics is not without its merits. The data clearly shows that for compute-heavy tasks that rely on OpenCL, the R5 is the better choice. Its 5183 OpenCL score is not only 23.5% ahead of the Vega 3 but also higher than any individual benchmark score the Vega 3 achieves, including the Metal test. Users who primarily run OpenCL-based applications, such as certain scientific computing or video encoding tools, would find the R5 to be the faster part.

The choice between these two depends entirely on the workload. For general graphics, gaming, or any application that benefits from Vulkan, the Vega 3 is the clear winner. For OpenCL compute tasks, the R5 offers superior performance. The Vega 3’s higher average score and better modern API support make it the more future-proof option, but the R5 remains competitive in its specific niche.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon Vega 3 is built on the Picasso chip using the GCN 5.0 architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This chip contains 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 23.5 million per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 1100 MHz. It features 192 shading units, 12 texture mapping units, and 4 raster output units. The pixel rate is 4.400 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 13.20 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is rated at 422.4 GFLOPS for FP32 and 844.8 GFLOPS for FP16, with the FP16 rate achieved at a 2:1 ratio. The GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

The AMD Radeon R5 Graphics uses the Spectre SL chip with the older GCN 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process, also at GlobalFoundries. This chip packs 2,410 million transistors on a larger 245 mm² die, resulting in a much lower transistor density of 9.8 million per mm². The R5 does not have listed base or boost clocks, but it does feature more shading units at 256, along with 16 TMUs and 4 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 3.032 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 12.13 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 388.1 GFLOPS, with no FP16 performance listed. The R5 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The architectural differences are stark. The Vega 3 uses a much denser 12 nm process and a smaller die, while the R5 uses a larger 28 nm die with fewer transistors. Despite having fewer shading units and TMUs, the Vega 3 achieves higher pixel and texture rates, and higher FP32 throughput. This confirms the efficiency gains of GCN 5.0 over GCN 2.0. The Vega 3 also supports a newer version of DirectX (12_1 vs 12_0) and a newer Vulkan version (1.3 vs 1.2.170), along with FP16 support that the R5 lacks. Both GPUs have a TDP of 15 W, use system-shared memory with a system-dependent bandwidth, and are integrated into the motherboard with no power connectors or dedicated memory.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 3 has an average benchmark score of 4268, which is higher than the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics’ average of 3883.

Q: How much faster is the Radeon R5 in OpenCL?

A: The Radeon R5 scores 5183 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the Vega 3’s 3963, giving the R5 a 23.5% advantage.

Q: What is the Vega 3’s lead in Vulkan performance?

A: The Vega 3 scores 3961 in Geekbench Vulkan versus the R5’s 2582, a 53.4% lead for the Vega 3.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same number of shading units?

A: No, the Radeon R5 Graphics has 256 shading units, while the Radeon Vega 3 has 192 shading units.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of Vulkan?

A: The Radeon Vega 3 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the Radeon R5 Graphics supports Vulkan 1.2.170.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No, both the AMD Radeon Vega 3 and the AMD Radeon R5 Graphics are marked as end-of-life in the production status.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Vega 3 wins in scenarios that prioritize modern graphics API performance. Its 53.4% lead in Vulkan is the single largest performance gap between the two GPUs in any benchmark. This makes the Vega 3 the better choice for any workload that leverages Vulkan, which includes many contemporary games and graphics applications. The Vega 3 also wins on raw efficiency metrics: it achieves higher pixel rate (4.400 GPixel/s vs 3.032 GPixel/s), higher texture rate (13.20 GTexel/s vs 12.13 GTexel/s), and higher FP32 throughput (422.4 GFLOPS vs 388.1 GFLOPS). Its higher average score and better percentile ranking (25th vs 23rd) reinforce its status as the stronger overall part.

The AMD Radeon R5 Graphics wins specifically in OpenCL compute workloads. Its 5183 Geekbench OpenCL score is 23.5% higher than the Vega 3’s, and it is the highest single benchmark score recorded for either GPU. This suggests that the R5 is superior for applications that are optimized for OpenCL, such as certain types of scientific computation, video encoding, or other general-purpose GPU computing tasks. The R5 also has more shading units (256 vs 192) and more TMUs (16 vs 12), which may contribute to its compute advantage despite its older architecture. For users whose primary workload is OpenCL-based, the R5 Graphics is the better-performing option, even though the Vega 3 is the better all-around GPU.