AMD Radeon RX 470 vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is in a completely different performance class than the AMD Radeon RX 470, dominating every shared benchmark by a massive margin. The data shows a generational chasm between the two, with the RTX PRO 4500 delivering over 8x the performance in the primary DirectX 12 test. While the RX 470 holds a respectable position in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, the RTX PRO 4500 sits in the 76th percentile, and its average benchmark score of 31,532 is significantly higher than the RX 470's 28,996. The head-to-head results are not close; they are a rout.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive evidence comes from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell scores 7,025 points against the AMD Radeon RX 470's 842 points. This translates to a delta of 734.3% in favor of the NVIDIA card, meaning it is roughly 8.3 times faster in this demanding modern workload. This is not a marginal victory; it represents a fundamental difference in rendering capability that will be felt in any GPU-intensive task.

The second shared benchmark, Geekbench Vulkan, reinforces the same conclusion. The RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell achieves a score of 221,768, while the RX 470 manages 39,884. The resulting 456% delta shows that NVIDIA's advantage persists across different graphics APIs, not just DirectX 12. The Vulkan result is particularly telling because it is a low-level API that often scales well with raw hardware resources, and the RTX PRO 4500's lead here is just as overwhelming as in the 3DMark test.

It is worth noting the benchmark data sets are not identical. The RTX PRO 4500 has results for Passmark's DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU Compute tests, while the RX 470 has results for Geekbench Metal and OpenCL, which are not present for the NVIDIA card. The only fair comparisons are the two head-to-head tests listed above, and NVIDIA wins both decisively. The RTX PRO 4500's Passmark G3D score of 33,360 and GPU Compute score of 19,255 further illustrate its high absolute performance, while the RX 470's Geekbench OpenCL score of 33,568 and Metal score of 41,690 show it is a capable, but dated, performer.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is vast, spanning nearly a decade of GPU design. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using the GB203 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 470 uses the older GCN 4.0 architecture with the Ellesmere chip, produced on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This process difference alone explains a large portion of the performance and efficiency gap.

The transistor counts tell a story of scale. The RTX PRO 4500 packs 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 120.6 million per mm². The RX 470, by comparison, has just 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, with a density of 24.6 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip has 8 times more transistors and nearly double the die area, which directly translates into far more compute resources.

Memory architecture is another major differentiator. The RTX PRO 4500 comes with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 211.2 GB/s of bandwidth. While the bus width is identical, the memory type and capacity are generations apart, giving NVIDIA a 4.2x bandwidth advantage and 8x the VRAM capacity. The RTX PRO 4500 also supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RX 470 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16.

The compute unit counts are equally lopsided. The RTX PRO 4500 features 10,496 shading units, 328 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 82 RT cores, and 328 tensor cores. The RX 470 has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no dedicated RT or tensor cores. This means the NVIDIA card supports hardware ray tracing and AI acceleration, features entirely absent from the AMD card. The RTX PRO 4500 also boasts a higher pixel rate of 269.6 GPixel/s versus 38.59 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 789.5 GTexel/s versus 154.4 GTexel/s.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell wins in every category that matters for modern and professional workloads. Its 50.53 TFLOPS of FP32 performance dwarfs the RX 470's 4.940 TFLOPS, making it over 10 times faster for general compute. The presence of RT and tensor cores gives it capabilities in ray-traced rendering and AI workloads that the RX 470 cannot perform at all. For users working with large datasets or high-resolution textures, the 32 GB VRAM and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are critical advantages that the 4 GB RX 470 simply cannot match.

The AMD Radeon RX 470 has no benchmark wins against the RTX PRO 4500, but it does have its own niche. Its lower TDP of 120 W and smaller physical footprint (240 mm length, 95 mm height, 35 mm width) make it a more compact and power-efficient option for basic systems. The data shows its average benchmark score of 28,996 is close to rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and Intel Arc A370M, indicating it remains competitive within its own vintage segment. For legacy DirectX 9 or 10 applications, the RX 470's Passmark scores of 397 and 204 respectively suggest it can still handle older titles, though the RTX PRO 4500's scores of 397 and 204 in the same tests show parity.

In practical terms, the RTX PRO 4500 is the clear choice for 3D rendering, video editing, scientific computing, or any task that leverages modern APIs like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 470, with its DirectX 12 (12_0) support and Vulkan 1.3, is better suited for basic desktop use or older games that do not require advanced features. The RX 470's Geekbench Metal score of 41,690 indicates it has some utility in macOS environments, a platform where the RTX PRO 4500 has no corresponding benchmark data.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is not a difficult one based on the data. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is the superior product in almost every measurable way, delivering a 734.3% higher score in 3DMark Steel Nomad and a 456% higher score in Geekbench Vulkan. Its architecture is 9 years newer, its memory subsystem is vastly superior, and it includes hardware features like ray tracing and tensor cores that the RX 470 lacks entirely. Anyone needing maximum performance for professional applications, AI development, or high-end gaming should choose the RTX PRO 4500 without hesitation.

The AMD Radeon RX 470 is an end-of-life product with a 74th percentile ranking, and its nearest rivals are all older or lower-tier cards. Its 4 GB of VRAM is a severe limitation for modern workloads, and its lack of RT cores means it cannot handle ray-traced effects. However, for a user with a very limited power budget or a legacy system that only needs basic display output, the RX 470's 120 W TDP and compact size are advantages. It is a functional, if dated, entry-level card, but it cannot compete with the RTX PRO 4500 in any shared benchmark. The verdict is clear: the RTX PRO 4500 is for those who need performance, while the RX 470 is for those who need a minimal, low-power placeholder.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell than the AMD Radeon RX 470 in 3DMark Steel Nomad?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 scores 7,025 compared to the RX 470's 842, which is a 734.3% advantage.

Q: Which GPU has more VRAM?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 470 support hardware ray tracing?

A: No, the RX 470 has no RT cores. The RTX PRO 4500 has 82 RT cores.

Q: What is the transistor count difference between the two cards?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 has 45,600 million transistors, while the RX 470 has 5,700 million.

Q: What API versions do the two cards support?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 470 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX PRO 4500 has an average benchmark score of 31,532, while the RX 470's is 28,996.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell | AMD Radeon RX 470 |

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

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Chip | GB203 | Ellesmere |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 45,600 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 378 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1635 MHz | 926 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2407 MHz | 1206 MHz |

| Memory Size | 32 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 896.0 GB/s | 211.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 10496 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 328 | 128 |

| ROPs | 112 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 82 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 328 | None |

| FP32 Performance | 50.53 TFLOPS | 4.940 TFLOPS |

| Pixel Rate | 269.6 GPixel/s | 38.59 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 789.5 GTexel/s | 154.4 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 200 W | 120 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 16-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

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

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Dimensions (LxHxW) | 267x111x40 mm | 240x95x35 mm |

| Release Date | 2025-03-17 | 2016-08-03 |

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