AMD Radeon R9 M295X vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R9 M295X has a higher average benchmark score at 28,580, compared to the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile at 24,763. However, this average includes different test sets, and the direct head-to-head results tell a different story.

Q: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, what is the performance gap?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile scores 110,877 versus the AMD Radeon R9 M295X at 22,858. That is a delta of -79.4% from the AMD side, meaning the NVIDIA GPU is approximately 4.85 times faster in this compute workload.

Q: How does the RTX A5000 Mobile compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The RTX A5000 Mobile achieves 88,144 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the R9 M295X reaches 29,091. The delta is -67%, indicating the NVIDIA part is roughly 3 times faster in Vulkan-based applications.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The NVIDIA GA104 chip has a transistor density of 44.4 million transistors per square millimeter, while the AMD Amethyst chip has 13.7 million per square millimeter. This reflects the newer 8 nm Samsung process versus the older 28 nm TSMC node.

Q: Which GPU supports hardware ray tracing and tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X lists no RT or tensor core support in the recorded specifications.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The AMD card has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA card has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is 2.8 times the memory bandwidth of the AMD part.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for modern workloads: the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is the superior GPU for compute-heavy and graphics-intensive tasks. It wins both recorded head-to-head benchmarks decisively, with Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores that are multiples of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X results. The NVIDIA card also brings current-generation features such as ray tracing cores, tensor cores, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, none of which exist on the AMD side.

That said, the AMD Radeon R9 M295X holds a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs (74th versus 70th) and a higher average benchmark score (28,580 versus 24,763). This is notable, but it stems from the fact that the AMD card's benchmark set includes Geekbench Metal, which the NVIDIA card does not have, and the NVIDIA card's average includes several PassMark tests for older DirectX versions (9, 10, 11) that drag down its average. For anyone relying on Metal-based applications, the R9 M295X remains relevant, as its Geekbench Metal score of 33,790 is its strongest recorded result.

For professionals or enthusiasts running Vulkan or OpenCL workloads, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the only rational pick. Its 16 GB memory capacity, 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, and 19.35 TFLOPS FP32 performance dwarf the AMD card's 4 GB, 160.0 GB/s, and 2.961 TFLOPS respectively. The RTX A5000 Mobile also operates at a lower TDP of 150 W versus 250 W, which is remarkable given the performance advantage.

The AMD Radeon R9 M295X should be considered only by users locked into legacy systems with MXM-B slots and software that specifically leverages Metal. Its 74th percentile ranking suggests it was a strong part in its era, but the recorded data shows it is outclassed by roughly 3 to 5 times in the shared benchmark tests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct comparisons between these GPUs, and the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile wins both. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA card scores 110,877 against the AMD's 22,858. The delta of -79.4% means the AMD card delivers only about one-fifth of the NVIDIA's compute throughput. This is a massive gap, likely explained by the difference in shading units (6,144 versus 2,048) and FP32 performance (19.35 TFLOPS versus 2.961 TFLOPS).

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX A5000 Mobile scores 88,144, while the R9 M295X scores 29,091. The delta is -67%, meaning the AMD card is at roughly one-third of the NVIDIA's performance. This gap is slightly smaller than in OpenCL, but still decisive. Vulkan workloads often stress driver efficiency and memory bandwidth, where the NVIDIA card's 448.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s gives it a substantial edge.

Interestingly, the AMD card has a Geekbench Metal score of 33,790, which is higher than its OpenCL and Vulkan scores. Since the RTX A5000 Mobile has no Metal benchmark recorded, this is the AMD card's most favorable result, but it cannot be compared directly.

The overall wins tally is 0 for AMD and 2 for NVIDIA in the head-to-head set. There are no benchmark tests where the AMD card wins outright. The closest the AMD card gets is its average benchmark score of 28,580, which exceeds the NVIDIA's 24,763, but this is skewed by the different test compositions, not by any shared workload victory.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has 3 times the shading units, 1.5 times the TMUs, and 3 times the ROPs.

Memory capacity differs sharply: 4 GB GDDR5 on the AMD versus 16 GB GDDR6 on the NVIDIA. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the memory clock speeds differ: 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for AMD versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA. This yields bandwidth of 160.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s.

The power envelopes are also distinct. The AMD card has a TDP of 250 W, while the NVIDIA card is rated at 150 W. The AMD uses an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, while the NVIDIA uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Both have no power connectors listed and are described as "Portable Device Dependent" for display outputs.

Pixel and texture rates favor NVIDIA heavily: 151.2 GPixel/s versus 23.14 GPixel/s, and 302.4 GTexel/s versus 92.54 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance are both 19.35 TFLOPS on the NVIDIA, while the AMD manages 2.961 TFLOPS in both (1:1 ratio).

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The AMD Radeon R9 M295X uses the GCN 3.0 architecture on a 28 nm TSMC process, with a chip named "Amethyst." The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile uses the Ampere architecture on an 8 nm Samsung process, with a chip named "GA104."

The transistor counts illustrate the process leap: AMD packs 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die, yielding a density of 13.7 million per square millimeter. NVIDIA packs 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, yielding 44.4 million per square millimeter. That is over 3 times the transistor density on a similar physical footprint.

The NVIDIA card includes dedicated hardware features that the AMD card lacks entirely: 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. These are absent from the AMD's specification list. The API support also differs: the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD card only supports DirectX 12 (12_0). Vulkan support is newer on the NVIDIA (version 1.4) versus the AMD (version 1.2.170). Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

The release dates are separated by over six years: the AMD card launched in November 2014, while the NVIDIA card launched in April 2021. The AMD card's generation is "Gem System (R9 M200)" with a predecessor of "Solar System" and successor of "Polaris Mobile." The NVIDIA card's generation is "Ampere-MW (Ax000)" with a predecessor of "Quadro Turing-M" and successor of "Ada-MW."

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile wins in every shared benchmark test. For OpenCL compute tasks, it outperforms the AMD card by 79.4%, making it the clear choice for scientific computing, machine learning inference, or any workload that leverages general-purpose GPU compute. In Vulkan-based games or applications, the NVIDIA card is 67% faster, which translates to significantly higher frame rates or faster rendering times.

The NVIDIA card also wins decisively on memory capacity and bandwidth. With 16 GB versus 4 GB, it can handle much larger datasets without spilling to system memory. Its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is 2.8 times the AMD's 160.0 GB/s, which matters for texture-heavy scenes or large compute buffers.

The AMD Radeon R9 M295X has no benchmark wins in the head-to-head data. However, its recorded Geekbench Metal score of 33,790 is its highest single result, and since the NVIDIA card has no Metal benchmark recorded, the AMD card is the only one of the two with proven Metal performance. This makes it a viable option for macOS or Metal-specific applications, though this is a narrow niche.

The AMD card also holds a higher percentile ranking (74th versus 70th) and a higher average benchmark score (28,580 versus 24,763). This suggests that within its own test suite, the AMD card performs relatively better against the broader GPU landscape than the NVIDIA card does within its suite. But this is an artifact of test selection, not a performance advantage in shared workloads.

For ray tracing and AI-accelerated tasks, the NVIDIA card is the sole option, given its 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The AMD card has no such hardware. For users on legacy MXM-B systems with a 250 W power budget, the AMD card is the only fit. For modern PCIe 4.0 systems, the NVIDIA card is the clear winner. The data does not support choosing the AMD card for any workload where both GPUs can be installed.