AMD Radeon RX 590 GME vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Comparison

The NVIDIA RTX A5000 and AMD Radeon RX 590 GME occupy different corners of the GPU landscape, one a high-end workstation part and the other a legacy consumer card. The benchmark data shows a stark performance gap, but the specifics of that gap, along with deep architectural differences, define their respective roles.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data from the three shared benchmark tests paints a picture of overwhelming dominance by the NVIDIA RTX A5000. In every single test, the A5000 secures a decisive victory, with the margin of victory ranging from substantial to astronomical.

The most extreme disparity is in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the RTX A5000 scores 157,905 compared to the RX 590 GME's 36,294. This represents a 335.1% lead for the NVIDIA card, indicating a massive advantage in compute-heavy workloads that leverage OpenCL. This result is over four times the raw score, suggesting that the A5000's compute architecture is in a completely different class.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows a similar, though slightly less extreme, story. The RTX A5000 achieves a score of 3,783, while the RX 590 GME manages only 1,001. This 277.9% difference highlights the A5000's superior performance in modern DirectX 12 gaming and real-time rendering scenarios, where its feature set and raw throughput come into play.

The closest contest between the two is found in the Geekbench Vulkan test, but "closest" is a relative term. The A5000 scores 137,828, which is 127.8% higher than the RX 590 GME's 60,508. Even in this API where the AMD card performs relatively at its best, it still trails by more than double, underscoring the fundamental performance chasm between the two products.

To contextualize these scores, it's helpful to look at the overall average benchmark scores. The RTX A5000 has an average benchmark score of 33,622, placing it at the 78th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 5 GB, which it trails by a negligible 0.2%, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S, which is 0.7% ahead. This places the A5000 in a performance tier that is competitive with these mid-range cards, despite its workstation pedigree.

The AMD Radeon RX 590 GME, on the other hand, has an average benchmark score of 32,601, putting it at the 77th percentile. Its nearest rivals are a mix of older and newer hardware, including the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (0.4% ahead), and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (0.8% behind). The fact that the RX 590 GME is in the same performance neighborhood as these cards, despite being from an older generation, shows that its performance is still relevant for certain tasks, but it is clearly not in the same league as the A5000.

The head-to-head data shows a clean sweep, with the RTX A5000 winning all three shared benchmarks. The performance delta is so large in each case that it is not a matter of one card being better tuned for a specific API; rather, the A5000 is simply a far more powerful processor.

Architecture Differences

The performance disparity is rooted in fundamentally different architectures designed for different purposes. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA102 chip manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. This is a massive chip, containing 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 45.1 million per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME is based on the older GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Polaris 20 chip built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This chip is much smaller and older, with 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, giving it a density of 24.6 million per mm².

These architectural differences translate into a massive divergence in core counts. The RTX A5000 is equipped with 8,192 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. It also features 64 dedicated RT cores for ray tracing and 256 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The RX 590 GME, by contrast, has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs, with no dedicated RT or tensor cores. This means the A5000 has roughly 3.5 times the shading units and three times the TMUs, explaining its massive lead in raw compute tasks.

The memory subsystems are also in different classes. The RTX A5000 comes with 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 768.0 GB/s. The RX 590 GME has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The A5000 offers three times the memory capacity and three times the bandwidth, which is critical for large datasets and high-resolution textures in professional workloads.

The feature sets reflect their target markets as well. The RTX A5000 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 590 GME is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The A5000 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 590 GME is on the older PCIe 3.0 x16 standard. These differences mean the A5000 is ready for the latest graphics APIs and has a faster interface to the host system.

Clock speeds tell a slightly different story, as the older card runs at higher clocks. The RX 590 GME has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1420 MHz, while the RTX A5000 has a lower base clock of 1170 MHz but a higher boost clock of 1695 MHz. However, the A5000's massive core count advantage makes the clock speed difference irrelevant. The A5000 also has a higher pixel rate of 162.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 433.9 GTexel/s, compared to 45.44 GPixel/s and 204.5 GTexel/s for the RX 590 GME.

The Verdict

The data leads to an unambiguous conclusion: the NVIDIA RTX A5000 is a vastly superior graphics processor in terms of raw performance. Its scores in 3DMark Steel Nomad, Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan are between 127.8% and 335.1% higher than those of the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME. This is not a close contest; the A5000 is in a different performance tier.

The choice between these two cards depends entirely on the user's needs and perspective. For a professional user working with large 3D models, complex simulations, or AI training, the RTX A5000 is the clear pick. Its 24 GB of memory, RT and tensor cores, and massive compute throughput are designed for these tasks. The data shows it can outperform the RX 590 GME by over 300% in compute workloads. Its average benchmark score of 33,622 places it among competitors like the GTX 1060 5 GB and RX 7700S, but its feature set is what truly differentiates it for workstation use.

For a gamer or user on a legacy system, the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME might still be a functional option. Its average benchmark score of 32,601 puts it in the 77th percentile, nearly the same percentile as the A5000. This suggests that in a narrow set of legacy or less demanding tasks, its performance is adequate. However, its lack of modern features like ray tracing and its older API support make it a poor choice for future-proofing. The data shows it is severely outclassed in modern workloads.

The verdict is clear: the RTX A5000 is the superior product by every measurable metric in this data set. The RX 590 GME is a relic of a previous era, and while it may still function, it cannot compete with the A5000's performance and feature set. No user should choose the RX 590 GME over the RTX A5000 if performance is the primary criterion and the budget allows for the A5000.

Specification Differences

The following table outlines the key differences in specifications between the two cards, based on the data provided.

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A5000 | AMD Radeon RX 590 GME |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Chip | GA102 | Polaris 20 |

| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 628 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1170 MHz | 1257 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1695 MHz | 1420 MHz |

| Memory Size | 24 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 768.0 GB/s | 256.0 GB/s |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) |

| Shading Units | 8192 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 256 | 144 |

| ROPs | 96 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 64 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 256 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 162.7 GPixel/s | 45.44 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 433.9 GTexel/s | 204.5 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 27.77 TFLOPS | 6.543 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 230 W | 175 W |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

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

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | April 2021 | March 2020 |

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 has a higher average benchmark score of 33,622, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME's 32,601.

Q: By what percentage does the RTX A5000 lead in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The RTX A5000 leads by 335.1% in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 157,905 versus 36,294 for the RX 590 GME.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME support hardware ray tracing?

A: No, the RX 590 GME has no RT cores listed in its specifications. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 has 64 RT cores.

Q: What is the difference in memory capacity between the two cards?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 has a higher transistor density of 45.1 million per mm², compared to 24.6 million per mm² for the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME.

Q: Are both cards in the same performance percentile?

A: They are close. The RTX A5000 is in the 78th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 590 GME is in the 77th percentile.