AMD Radeon RX 6450M vs AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark database shows a split between two very different AMD graphics solutions. The AMD Radeon RX 6450M, a discrete mobile GPU from the Radeon RX 6000 series, and the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU, an integrated graphics engine within a Hawk Point console-class processor, serve different use cases despite sharing some architectural traits.

The RX 6450M wins in pure bandwidth and throughput per clock efficiency. Its memory system operates at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective data rate, delivering 128.0 GB/s across a 64-bit GDDR6 bus. That is a narrow bus, but the dedicated memory controller and higher memory clocks give it a decisive edge in memory-heavy workloads where the Z2 GPU's LPDDR5X memory, running at 937 MHz with 7.5 Gbps effective, achieves only 119.9 GB/s despite a wider 128-bit interface.

Where the Ryzen Z2 GPU wins is in raw compute throughput and pixel/texture output. The Z2 GPU reaches 8.294 TFLOPS FP32, more than double the RX 6450M's 3.779 TFLOPS. Its pixel rate of 86.40 GPixel/s and texture rate of 129.6 GTexel/s exceed the RX 6450M's 78.72 GPixel/s and 118.1 GTexel/s. The Z2 GPU also boosts higher, to 2700 MHz versus 2460 MHz on the RX 6450M, and it does so within a 28 W TDP, compared to the RX 6450M's 50 W envelope.

The RX 6450M, however, is a discrete part with its own power delivery and thermal solution. It carries no power connectors and installs as an IGP (integrated graphics processor in the laptop chassis), but it is a standalone chip with a 6 nm process node. The Z2 GPU is part of a larger Hawk Point processor built on 4 nm, sharing the die with CPU cores and other system functions.

In practice, the RX 6450M's advantage shows in sustained memory bandwidth and consistent frame pacing in titles that are bandwidth-limited. The Z2 GPU's advantage shows in compute-heavy scenarios like shader-heavy rendering, higher resolution texture work, or workloads that can use its FP16 throughput at a full 1:1 ratio (8.294 TFLOPS), whereas the RX 6450M halves its FP16 rate to 7.557 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio.

Architecture Differences

The two parts come from different RDNA generations. The RX 6450M uses RDNA 2.0, built on the Navi 24 chip, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU uses RDNA 3.0, built on the Hawk Point chip. The process nodes differ: the RX 6450M is fabricated on TSMC's 6 nm process, the Z2 GPU on TSMC's 4 nm process.

Transistor counts and die sizes reflect the different integration levels. The RX 6450M packs 5,400 million transistors into a 107 mm² die, giving a density of 50.5 million transistors per square millimeter. The Z2 GPU's Hawk Point die contains 25,390 million transistors across 178 mm², a density of 142.6 million per square millimeter. The Z2 GPU's die is larger and far denser because it integrates CPU cores, memory controllers, and other system logic alongside the GPU.

Both parts share the same fundamental shader configuration: 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 32 ROPs, and 12 ray tracing cores. The architectural generation difference shows up in clock behavior and efficiency. The RX 6450M has a base clock of 2000 MHz, a game clock of 2220 MHz, and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. The Z2 GPU starts at a much lower 800 MHz base but boosts to 2700 MHz, indicating a more aggressive boost algorithm and better thermal headroom within its 28 W power limit.

Memory architecture differs significantly. The RX 6450M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Z2 GPU uses 16 GB of LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus with 119.9 GB/s bandwidth. The Z2 GPU has four times the memory capacity but slightly lower bandwidth, a tradeoff that favors capacity-heavy workloads like console-style gaming with large asset pools.

FP16 capability also differs. The RX 6450M delivers 7.557 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32. The Z2 GPU delivers 8.294 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, meaning it processes FP16 and FP32 at the same rate. This makes the Z2 GPU more efficient in mixed-precision workloads.

The RX 6450M uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 bus interface, while the Z2 GPU's bus interface is not recorded in the database. The RX 6450M's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent, while the Z2 GPU offers 1x USB Type-C.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is the stronger compute performer in raw throughput. It more than doubles the FP32 output of the RX 6450M (8.294 TFLOPS versus 3.779 TFLOPS), outputs more pixels and textures per second, boosts higher, and does so at nearly half the power draw (28 W versus 50 W). For any workload that scales with shader count, clock speed, or FP32/FP16 compute, the Z2 GPU is the clear choice.

The AMD Radeon RX 6450M holds a narrower but real advantage in memory bandwidth (128.0 GB/s versus 119.9 GB/s) and a much smaller memory pool (4 GB versus 16 GB). It also has a higher base clock (2000 MHz versus 800 MHz), which can help in lightly threaded or latency-sensitive tasks. However, the Z2 GPU's higher boost clock and larger memory capacity outweigh these factors in most measured scenarios.

For users constrained by power or thermal limits, the Z2 GPU delivers superior performance per watt on paper. For users who need the absolute highest memory bandwidth in a discrete mobile part, the RX 6450M offers that, but its 4 GB capacity will limit modern workloads.

The Ryzen Z2 GPU is the better all-around choice based on the recorded data. The RX 6450M is a niche part for bandwidth-sensitive, low-resolution tasks where its smaller memory footprint is not a bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU delivers 8.294 TFLOPS FP32, more than double the AMD Radeon RX 6450M's 3.779 TFLOPS.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The RX 6450M has 128.0 GB/s across a 64-bit GDDR6 bus, while the Z2 GPU has 119.9 GB/s across a 128-bit LPDDR5X bus.

Q: What are the power consumption figures?

A: The RX 6450M has a TDP of 50 W, while the Z2 GPU has a TDP of 28 W.

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The Z2 GPU has 16 GB of LPDDR5X, while the RX 6450M has 4 GB of GDDR6.

Q: Do both GPUs support ray tracing?

A: Yes, both have 12 ray tracing cores and support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Q: What are the boost clocks?

A: The RX 6450M boosts to 2460 MHz, while the Z2 GPU boosts to 2700 MHz.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single metric gap is in FP32 throughput. The Z2 GPU's 8.294 TFLOPS is 119.5% higher than the RX 6450M's 3.779 TFLOPS, a margin that dominates any compute-bound comparison. In FP16, the gap narrows but remains: the Z2 GPU's 8.294 TFLOPS at 1:1 ratio versus the RX 6450M's 7.557 TFLOPS at 2:1 ratio gives the Z2 GPU a 9.8% lead.

Pixel fill rate favors the Z2 GPU at 86.40 GPixel/s versus 78.72 GPixel/s, a 9.8% advantage. Texture fill rate shows a similar pattern: 129.6 GTexel/s versus 118.1 GTexel/s, an 9.7% lead for the Z2 GPU.

The RX 6450M's wins are smaller but meaningful. Memory bandwidth of 128.0 GB/s beats the Z2 GPU's 119.9 GB/s by 6.8%. Base clock of 2000 MHz is 150% higher than the Z2 GPU's 800 MHz base, which can translate to better responsiveness in low-load scenarios.

The Z2 GPU's memory capacity advantage is massive: 16 GB versus 4 GB, a 300% difference. This alone can decide workloads that require large textures, datasets, or multi-tasking.

The Z2 GPU also wins on process node efficiency. Its 4 nm node versus the RX 6450M's 6 nm node, combined with the 28 W TDP versus 50 W TDP, means the Z2 GPU produces more than double the FP32 per watt.

The RX 6450M has a higher game clock (2220 MHz) than the Z2 GPU's base clock, but the Z2 GPU's boost clock of 2700 MHz exceeds the RX 6450M's boost of 2460 MHz by 9.8%.

In transistor density, the Z2 GPU's Hawk Point die achieves 142.6 million transistors per square millimeter, nearly triple the RX 6450M's 50.5 million per square millimeter, reflecting the newer 4 nm process and tighter integration.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two parts:

• Architecture: RDNA 2.0 (RX 6450M) versus RDNA 3.0 (Z2 GPU)
• Chip: Navi 24 versus Hawk Point
• Generation: Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) versus Console GPU (AMD)
• Process Node: 6 nm versus 4 nm
• Transistors: 5,400 million versus 25,390 million
• Die Size: 107 mm² versus 178 mm²
• Transistor Density: 50.5M / mm² versus 142.6M / mm²
• Base Clock: 2000 MHz versus 800 MHz
• Boost Clock: 2460 MHz versus 2700 MHz
• Game Clock: 2220 MHz (RX 6450M only)
• Memory Size: 4 GB versus 16 GB
• Memory Type: GDDR6 versus LPDDR5X
• Memory Bus Width: 64 bit versus 128 bit
• Memory Clock: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 937 MHz (7.5 Gbps effective)
• Memory Bandwidth: 128.0 GB/s versus 119.9 GB/s
• FP32: 3.779 TFLOPS versus 8.294 TFLOPS
• FP16: 7.557 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 8.294 TFLOPS (1:1)
• Pixel Rate: 78.72 GPixel/s versus 86.40 GPixel/s
• Texture Rate: 118.1 GTexel/s versus 129.6 GTexel/s
• TDP: 50 W versus 28 W
• Slot Width: IGP (RX 6450M only)
• Bus Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4 (RX 6450M only)
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent versus 1x USB Type-C
• Release Date: 2023-01-03 versus 2024-12-31
• Predecessor: Polaris Mobile (RX 6450M only)