AMD Radeon RX 5600M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER and the AMD Radeon RX 5600M represent two entirely different eras and market segments, with the data showing a categorical performance gap. The RTX 4080 SUPER is a desktop flagship from the Ada Lovelace generation, while the RX 5600M is a mobile GPU from the RDNA 1.0 era. Benchmark results confirm the RTX 4080 SUPER dominates every measured workload, delivering between 267.6% and 432.5% higher scores across the head-to-head tests. However, the RX 5600M is not without merit; its 85th percentile ranking versus all GPUs shows it remains a competent performer in its own class, and its architectural efficiency profile differs significantly from the NVIDIA part.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER scores 6600, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600M scores 1320. This gives the RTX 4080 SUPER a 400% advantage, making it the clear winner in this DirectX 12 workload.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a score of 219065, compared to the RX 5600M's 59589. This represents a 267.6% higher score for the NVIDIA GPU, indicating a substantial lead in general-purpose compute tasks.

Q: Which GPU has a better Vulkan score, and by how much?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER leads decisively in Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 260075, versus 48843 for the AMD Radeon RX 5600M. The delta is 432.5%, the largest margin of any head-to-head test.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU, and what does it signify?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, while the RX 5600M averages 46601. Despite the massive gap in individual tests, both GPUs rank close in overall percentile: the RTX 4080 SUPER sits at the 86th percentile, and the RX 5600M sits at the 85th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Are these GPUs from the same manufacturing process or architecture?

A: No. The RTX 4080 SUPER uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm process, while the RX 5600M uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture on a 7 nm process. Both are manufactured by TSMC but represent different design philosophies and generations.

Q: What are the memory specifications, and how do they differ?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5600M has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GPU has over double the VRAM capacity and 2.5 times the memory bandwidth.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is fundamental. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 379 mm² containing 45,900 million transistors. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 5600M uses the RDNA 1.0 architecture on TSMC's 7 nm process, with a smaller 251 mm² die and 10,300 million transistors. The transistor density reflects this: the RTX 4080 SUPER packs 121.1M transistors per mm², whereas the RX 5600M achieves only 41.0M per mm².

Feature support diverges sharply. The RTX 4080 SUPER includes 80 dedicated RT cores and 320 tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads. The RX 5600M has no RT cores and no tensor cores, meaning it lacks these dedicated acceleration units entirely. The RTX 4080 SUPER supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5600M is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both GPUs support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, though the underlying hardware implementations are vastly different.

Clock speeds and shader resources also show the generational leap. The RTX 4080 SUPER has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, with 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The RX 5600M operates at a base clock of 1035 MHz and a boost of 1265 MHz, with 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The compute throughput is stark: the RTX 4080 SUPER delivers 52.22 TFLOPS FP32, while the RX 5600M manages only 5.829 TFLOPS — a ratio of nearly 9 to 1.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data presents an unambiguous picture. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 6600 against the RX 5600M's 1320, a 400% delta. This test measures modern DirectX 12 gaming workloads, and the result shows the NVIDIA GPU delivering five times the performance of the AMD mobile part.

Geekbench OpenCL results confirm the compute advantage. The RTX 4080 SUPER posts 219065, while the RX 5600M reaches 59589, giving the NVIDIA card a 267.6% lead. This test stresses general-purpose GPU compute across a variety of workloads, and the margin reflects the massive difference in shading units, clock speeds, and memory bandwidth.

The most lopsided result comes from Geekbench Vulkan. The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 260075, versus 48843 for the RX 5600M, a 432.5% difference. Vulkan is a low-overhead graphics API, and the NVIDIA GPU's superior architecture and raw resources translate into a dominant win. Across all three head-to-head benchmarks, the RTX 4080 SUPER wins 3 out of 3, with the RX 5600M recording zero wins.

Specification Differences

The specification sheet highlights stark contrasts across nearly every field. The process node differs: 5 nm for the RTX 4080 SUPER versus 7 nm for the RX 5600M. Transistor count is 45,900 million versus 10,300 million, and die size is 379 mm² versus 251 mm². The RTX 4080 SUPER has a base clock of 2295 MHz and boost of 2550 MHz, while the RX 5600M runs at 1035 MHz base and 1265 MHz boost; the RX 5600M also lists a game clock of 1190 MHz, a field absent for the NVIDIA part.

Memory configurations are entirely different. The RTX 4080 SUPER uses 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). The RX 5600M uses 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and a 1500 MHz memory clock (12 Gbps effective). Shading units number 10240 versus 2304, TMUs 320 versus 144, and ROPs 112 versus 64. The RTX 4080 SUPER has 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores; the RX 5600M has neither.

Pixel and texture rates illustrate the throughput gap: the RTX 4080 SUPER achieves 285.6 GPixel/s and 816.0 GTexel/s, while the RX 5600M reaches 80.96 GPixel/s and 182.2 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 52.22 TFLOPS versus 5.829 TFLOPS. Power consumption also differs, with the RTX 4080 SUPER rated at 320 W TDP and the RX 5600M at 150 W TDP. The RTX 4080 SUPER is a triple-slot card with a 16-pin connector and a 700 W suggested PSU, while the RX 5600M is an IGP with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The RTX 4080 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 SUPER wins everywhere in the benchmark data. It dominates 3DMark Steel Nomad, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan with margins ranging from 267.6% to 432.5%. Its architectural advantages — dedicated RT cores, tensor cores, and a 5 nm process — make it the clear choice for any workload involving modern DirectX 12 Ultimate features, ray tracing, or AI acceleration. The 16 GB GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth position it for high-resolution textures and memory-intensive compute tasks.

The RX 5600M wins in the context of its own class. Its 85th percentile ranking against all GPUs shows it competes favorably with peers like the Intel Arc A530M (deltaPct 0) and AMD Radeon RX 6550M (deltaPct -0.2). It is ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A2000 by 1.2% and the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation by 1.4% in average benchmark score. Its 150 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it can fit in portable devices where the triple-slot, 320 W RTX 4080 SUPER would be impractical. The RX 5600M's FP16 performance of 11.66 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) also shows a specific efficiency trait, though it trails the RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1).

The Verdict

The data supports a simple conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is in a different performance tier entirely. It wins all three head-to-head benchmarks with triple-digit percentage margins, has 4.5 times the average benchmark score (54209 versus 46601), and offers features — RT cores, tensor cores, 16 GB VRAM — that the RX 5600M lacks. Anyone building a high-end desktop system for demanding gaming, 3D rendering, or AI workloads should choose the RTX 4080 SUPER, provided the 320 W TDP and triple-slot footprint are acceptable.

The AMD Radeon RX 5600M is not a failure; it is a product aimed at a different use case. Its 85th percentile ranking shows it outperforms several desktop and mobile rivals, and its 150 W TDP with IGP form factor makes it suitable for laptops where the RTX 4080 SUPER cannot physically fit. For users on a portable platform seeking competent 1080p gaming or general GPU acceleration without external power connectors, the RX 5600M remains a viable option based on its performance class. The selection between these two GPUs is therefore not a matter of preference but of platform and workload: the RTX 4080 SUPER for maximum performance, the RX 5600M for mobility and efficiency within its segment.