AMD Radeon R5 M420 vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

The AMD Radeon R5 M420 and the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation represent two vastly different eras of mobile graphics, separated by seven years of architectural evolution. The data shows that while the R5 M420 is an end-of-life, entry-level part from 2016, the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada is an active, high-end professional mobile GPU from 2023. Their benchmark scores, however, tell a surprisingly nuanced story that requires careful interpretation before drawing any conclusions.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking observation from the benchmark data is that these two GPUs cannot be compared directly on a single, common test. The AMD Radeon R5 M420’s only recorded benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 3956. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation’s sole benchmark is 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), where it scores 3596. Because these are entirely different workloads—OpenCL compute versus a modern DirectX 12 gaming/professional graphics test—a direct numerical comparison is not statistically meaningful.

However, examining the percentile ranks and nearest rivals reveals the broader context. The R5 M420 sits at the 23rd percentile of all GPUs, placing it squarely in the lower echelon of performance. Its nearest rivals in the Geekbench OpenCL test are the NVIDIA GeForce 830M (3957, 0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M (3953, 0.1% delta), the NVIDIA Quadro K2000 (3964, -0.2% delta), and the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 (3977, -0.5% delta). All of these are older, low-to-mid-range parts from the 2012-2014 era, confirming that the R5 M420 is roughly equivalent to a decade-old entry-level discrete GPU.

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation, on the other hand, holds a 21st percentile ranking, which is actually lower than the R5 M420’s 23rd percentile. This is a critical data point. Despite being a massive 16 GB, 9728-shader professional GPU, its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3596 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 (3594, 0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M (3616, -0.6% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (3629, -0.9% delta), and the AMD Radeon HD 6770 (3649, -1.5% delta). These rivals are all consumer-grade parts from the early-to-mid 2010s. The implication is that the Steel Nomad benchmark, which is a very demanding modern test, is extremely punishing on the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada, or that this specific mobile variant is heavily power-limited in its integrated form factor.

The key insight is that neither GPU has a clear "win" in a head-to-head sense because they are measured on different scales. What the data does show is that the R5 M420’s score aligns with its historical peers, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada’s score, relative to its peers, is surprisingly low for a product with such advanced specifications. This suggests that the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada’s raw compute capabilities are not being fully reflected in this particular benchmark, likely due to the nature of the 3DMark Steel Nomad test running on a mobile IGP with a 120 W TDP.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data provided, the choice between these two GPUs is not about performance parity—it is about workload relevance. The AMD Radeon R5 M420 is a legacy part that, as of its end-of-life status, is only relevant for basic compute tasks that align with its Geekbench OpenCL score of 3956. If a user has a workload that is exclusively OpenCL-based and similar to the Geekbench test, the R5 M420’s performance is well-understood and predictable, matching the GeForce 830M and GT 745M within a 0.1% margin. This makes it a known quantity for legacy applications.

The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is a different beast entirely. While its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3596 seems low, placing it in the same percentile band as the R5 M420, this benchmark is not representative of its architectural strengths. The data shows it is an active product with the latest feature set, including ray tracing cores and tensor cores. For any modern DirectX 12 Ultimate workload—such as real-time ray tracing, AI-accelerated rendering, or professional 3D visualization—the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada is the only viable option. The R5 M420 supports only DirectX 12 (11_1) and has no ray tracing or tensor core hardware whatsoever.

Therefore, the verdict is clear: For users running legacy OpenCL compute workloads on old systems, the R5 M420 is a functional, if unremarkable, choice, though its 23rd percentile ranking indicates it is far from capable. For anyone requiring modern graphics features, professional-grade performance, or future-proofing in a mobile workstation, the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada is the only sensible pick, despite its surprisingly low 3DMark Steel Nomad percentile. The data does not support choosing the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada for raw compute parity with the R5 M420; rather, it supports choosing it for its architectural advantages, which are not fully captured in the provided benchmark.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M420 has an average benchmark score of 3956, while the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has an average score of 3596. However, these scores are from different benchmark tests (Geekbench OpenCL vs. 3DMark Steel Nomad) and are not directly comparable.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M420 sits at the 23rd percentile, while the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation sits at the 21st percentile. This means both are in the lower half of all GPUs, though this ranking is influenced by the specific benchmark used.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has 9728 shading units, compared to the AMD Radeon R5 M420’s 320 shading units. This indicates a massive difference in parallel compute capacity.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a memory bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s (using a 256-bit GDDR6 bus), whereas the AMD Radeon R5 M420 has a bandwidth of 16.00 GB/s (using a 64-bit DDR3 bus). This represents a 36x difference in memory throughput.

Q: Which GPU supports hardware ray tracing?

A: Only the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation supports hardware ray tracing, featuring 76 RT cores. The AMD Radeon R5 M420 has no RT cores and its architecture predates hardware ray tracing.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon R5 M420 is marked as End-of-life, having been released in 2016. The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is marked as Active, with a release date of 2023.

Specification Differences

The specification gap between these two GPUs is immense, reflecting their different generations and market positions. The AMD Radeon R5 M420 features 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. In contrast, the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation packs 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The NVIDIA part also includes 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the AMD GPU.

Memory configurations differ drastically. The R5 M420 has 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding 16.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Clock speeds also diverge significantly: the R5 M420 runs at a base of 780 MHz with a boost of 850 MHz, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada operates at a base of 1425 MHz and boosts to 2115 MHz.

The bus interface is another differentiator. The AMD GPU uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the NVIDIA part uses the newer PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. Power delivery is also distinct: the R5 M420 has no listed TDP, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada has a TDP of 120 W and uses no external power connectors. Both are classified as integrated graphics (IGP) with portable-device-dependent display outputs.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is the primary reason for their performance and feature disparities. The AMD Radeon R5 M420 is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Jet chip, and fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This older process yields a die size of 56 mm² containing 690 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 12.3M / mm². The GCN 1.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD103 chip, and fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This modern process allows for a much larger die of 379 mm² containing 45,900 million transistors, achieving a transistor density of 121.1M / mm²—roughly ten times higher than the AMD part. The Ada Lovelace architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Crucially, it includes dedicated 76 RT cores for hardware ray tracing and 304 tensor cores for AI acceleration, features that are absent from the GCN 1.0-based R5 M420. The FP32 performance tells the story: the R5 M420 delivers 544.0 GFLOPS, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada delivers 41.15 TFLOPS, and also offers FP16 at a 1:1 ratio. The NVIDIA part also has a pixel rate of 236.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 643.0 GTexel/s, compared to the AMD’s 6.800 GPixel/s and 17.00 GTexel/s. These architectural differences underline that the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada is a fundamentally different class of processor, designed for modern, demanding workloads that the R5 M420 cannot even attempt.