AMD Radeon R6 M255DX vs AMD Radeon Vega 3 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison recorded in the database is the Geekbench Vulkan test, and the result is decisive. The AMD Radeon R6 M255DX scores 4867 points, while the AMD Radeon Vega 3 scores 3961 points. That is a 22.9% advantage for the older R6 M255DX in this specific API workload. This is not a marginal gap; it is a substantial lead that places the two parts in clearly different performance tiers for Vulkan-based applications.

Looking at the broader database averages, the R6 M255DX holds an average benchmark score of 4867, which places it at the 28th percentile of all GPUs. The Vega 3, by contrast, averages 4268 across its recorded tests, sitting at the 25th percentile. The average score gap of roughly 599 points reflects the fact that the R6 M255DX only has a Vulkan result recorded, while the Vega 3 has three recorded benchmarks. Even with that caveat, the Vulkan head-to-head shows the R6 M255DX is the stronger choice for that workload.

The nearest rivals for each part further contextualize these scores. The R6 M255DX sits within 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB, which scores 4901, and is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M at 4855. It also beats the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (4844) by 0.5%. The Vega 3, meanwhile, trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 (4335) by 1.5%, is 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M (4282), and is 0.6% behind the AMD FirePro W2100 (4295). The R6 M255DX's closest rivals are all clustered within a tight 1% band, which suggests its Vulkan score is highly competitive for its generation. The Vega 3's rivals are similarly clustered, but the absolute scores are lower across the board.

It is importantly the Vega 3 has additional recorded results in Metal (4880) and OpenCL (3963), which the R6 M255DX lacks. Those scores are not directly comparable to the R6 M255DX because the database has no corresponding measurements for that GPU. The only apples-to-apples comparison is Vulkan, and there the R6 M255DX wins outright.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras despite sharing the AMD brand. The Radeon R6 M255DX is built on GCN 1.0, using the Jet chip, and belongs to the "Gem System Hybrid (Rx M200)" generation. The Vega 3 uses GCN 5.0, built on the Picasso chip, and sits in the "Vega IGP (Picasso)" generation. The process nodes differ significantly: the R6 M255DX uses a 28 nm process from TSMC, while the Vega 3 uses a 12 nm process from GlobalFoundries. That process advantage helps explain the Vega 3's higher transistor density: 23.5 million transistors per square millimeter versus 12.3 million for the R6 M255DX.

The raw transistor counts tell a striking story. The Vega 3's Picasso die contains 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die. The R6 M255DX's Jet chip has just 690 million transistors on a 56 mm² die. That is a massive difference in complexity, roughly seven times more transistors on the Vega 3. However, the Vega 3 is not a discrete GPU; it is an integrated processor die that includes CPU cores, which explains the large transistor budget. The R6 M255DX is also an IGP, but its smaller die and older architecture result in a far simpler design.

Shader resources favor the R6 M255DX. It has 320 shading units, 20 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The Vega 3 has 192 shading units, 12 TMUs, and only 4 ROPs. Despite having fewer transistors overall, the R6 M255DX dedicates more of its silicon to graphics execution resources. The compute throughput reflects this: the R6 M255DX delivers 547.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Vega 3 delivers 422.4 GFLOPS. The Vega 3 does add FP16 support at 844.8 GFLOPS (2:1 rate), which the R6 M255DX lacks entirely.

Clock speeds also differ substantially. The R6 M255DX has a base clock of 780 MHz and a boost of 855 MHz. The Vega 3 starts much lower at 300 MHz base but boosts to 1100 MHz. The Vega 3's higher boost clock partially compensates for its fewer shaders, but not enough to overcome the R6 M255DX's raw shading advantage in the Vulkan test.

Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern. The R6 M255DX achieves 6.840 GPixel/s and 17.10 GTexel/s, while the Vega 3 manages 4.400 GPixel/s and 13.20 GTexel/s. In every throughput metric recorded, the R6 M255DX leads.

Where Each One Wins

The R6 M255DX wins the only direct head-to-head test available: Vulkan compute and graphics. Its 22.9% lead in that benchmark makes it the clear choice for any workload that relies on Vulkan. The shading unit count, TMU count, ROP count, pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 throughput all favor the R6 M255DX. For older DirectX 11-era workloads or Vulkan titles, the data points squarely to the R6 M255DX.

The Vega 3 has no recorded head-to-head wins in the database, but it does have strengths worth acknowledging. Its API support is newer: DirectX 12 (12_1) versus DirectX 12 (11_1) for the R6 M255DX, and Vulkan 1.3 versus Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vega 3 also supports FP16 compute at 844.8 GFLOPS, which the R6 M255DX cannot do. Its 15 W TDP is explicitly recorded, whereas the R6 M255DX has no TDP figure in the database, making the Vega 3 the only one of the two with a confirmed low power envelope. The Vega 3's Metal score of 4880 is its best recorded result, suggesting it handles Apple's Metal API well, though no Metal score exists for the R6 M255DX to compare against.

For users prioritizing the newest API feature sets, the Vega 3 has the edge. For raw performance in the one benchmark where both were measured, the R6 M255DX is superior.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every recorded specification. The R6 M255DX uses the Jet chip on GCN 1.0 architecture from the Gem System Hybrid (Rx M200) generation, while the Vega 3 uses Picasso on GCN 5.0 from the Vega IGP (Picasso) generation. Process node: 28 nm TSMC for the R6 M255DX, 12 nm GlobalFoundries for the Vega 3. Transistors: 690 million versus 4,940 million. Die size: 56 mm² versus 210 mm². Transistor density: 12.3M / mm² versus 23.3M / mm² (the database lists 23.5M / mm²). Base clock: 780 MHz versus 300 MHz. Boost clock: 855 MHz versus 1100 MHz. Shading units: 300 versus 192. TMUs: 20 versus 12. ROPs: 8 versus 4. Pixel rate: 6.840 GPixel/s versus 4.4 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 17.10 GTexel/s versus 13.20 GTexel/s. FP32: 547.2 GFLOPS versus 422.4 GFLOPS. FP16 is absent on the R6 M255DX and 844.8 GFLOPS (2:1) on the Vega 3. TDP: not recorded for the R6 M255DX, 15 W for the Vega 3. Power connectors: none listed for the R6 M255DX, "None" for the Vega 3. Display outputs: "Portable Device Dependent" for the R6 M255DX, "Motherboard Dependent" for the Vega 3. API levels differ in DirectX (12 (11_1) versus 12 (12_1)) and Vulkan (1.2.170 versus 1.3). OpenGL is 4.6 for both. Release dates: 2014-01-06 for the R6 M255DX, 2019-11-19 for the Vega 3. Both are end-of-life and use system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. Neither has a launch MSRP recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Vulkan benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon R6 M255DX scores 4867 in Geekbench Vulkan, beating the AMD Radeon Vega 3's 3961 by 22.9%.

Q: Does the Vega 3 have any benchmark where it leads?

A: The database records no head-to-head win for the Vega 3. It has additional scores in Metal (4880) and OpenCL (3963), but no corresponding R6 M255DX scores exist for those tests.

Q: How do these GPUs compare to their nearest rivals?

A: The R6 M255DX is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX. The Vega 3 is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K3000M but 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The R6 M255DX has 320 shading units, compared to 192 on the Vega 3. It also has more TMUs (20 versus 12) and more ROPs (8 versus 4).

Q: What API level does each GPU support?

A: The R6 M255DX supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Vega 3 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Which GPU has the higher boost clock?

A: The Vega 3 boosts to 1100 MHz, while the R6 M255DX boosts to 855 MHz. The Vega 3 also has a much lower base clock of 300 MHz versus 780 MHz.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for anyone choosing between these two for Vulkan-based workloads: the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX is the faster GPU. Its 22.9% lead in the Geekbench Vulkan test, combined with higher shading unit count, more TMUs, more ROPs, higher pixel rate, higher texture rate, and higher FP32 throughput, makes it the performance pick. The fact that it achieves this with an older architecture and a much smaller transistor budget (690 million versus 4,940 million) is remarkable.

The AMD Radeon Vega 3 is the better choice only if specific newer features matter more than raw performance. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3, has FP16 compute at 844.8 GFLOPS, and carries a confirmed 15 W TDP. Its 1100 MHz boost clock is the highest of the two, and its 12 nm process from GlobalFoundries is far more modern than the 28 nm TSMC node on the R6 M255DX. The Vega 3 also has a recorded Metal score of 4880, which is its strongest result.

For gaming, compute, or any application that relies on Vulkan, the R6 M255DX is the superior part. For users who need the latest API feature sets, FP16 support, or a confirmed low-power integrated GPU, the Vega 3 has legitimate appeal. The benchmark data, however, gives the overall performance crown to the R6 M255DX.