AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT vs AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT represent two completely different approaches to graphics processing, separated by four years of architectural evolution. The Vega M GL is a 2018 integrated graphics processor (IGP) built for compact laptops, while the RX 6650 XT is a 2022 discrete card aimed at mainstream desktop gaming. Their benchmark results reveal a stark contrast: the Vega M GL wins in one compute-oriented test, while the RX 6650 XT dominates in modern graphics APIs. This analysis breaks down where each GPU excels, what separates their designs, and which one you should pick based on your workload.

Where Each One Wins

The data splits cleanly by workload type. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL secures its single win in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 19,549 against the RX 6650 XT’s 10,111. That is a 93.3% advantage for the older chip, a massive margin that points to OpenCL compute performance being a relative strength for the Vega M GL’s GCN architecture. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT dominates the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 81,306 versus 22,757, a 72% lead for the newer card. This suggests the RX 6650 XT is far better suited for modern gaming and graphics workloads that leverage Vulkan’s lower overhead and direct hardware control.

Looking at the broader picture, the Vega M GL’s average benchmark score of 21,153 places it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6650 XT’s average of 19,765 sits at the 65th percentile. Despite the RX 6650 XT’s newer architecture and higher raw specifications, its average score is actually 6.6% lower than the Vega M GL’s. However, this is skewed by the fact that the RX 6650 XT has many more benchmark entries, including several Passmark tests with low scores (e.g., 62 in DirectX 12, 109 in DirectX 10) that drag down its average. The head-to-head results are the more reliable indicator of real-world performance, and they show a clear split: compute-heavy OpenCL favors the Vega M GL, while graphics-heavy Vulkan heavily favors the RX 6650 XT.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures, nodes, and process technologies. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL uses the Polaris 22 chip with a GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It packs 5,000 million transistors into a 208 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 24.0 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, in contrast, uses the Navi 23 chip with a RDNA 2.0 architecture, built by TSMC on a 7 nm process. It contains 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, achieving a density of 46.7 million per square millimeter — nearly double the Vega M GL’s density.

These architectural differences translate into major feature gaps. The RX 6650 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega M GL only supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The newer card also includes 32 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Vega M GL. The RX 6650 XT’s RDNA 2.0 architecture also offers a 2:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio (21.59 TFLOPS FP16 versus 10.79 TFLOPS FP32), whereas the Vega M GL has a 1:1 ratio (2.588 TFLOPS for both FP16 and FP32). This means the RX 6650 XT can double its throughput on half-precision workloads, while the Vega M GL cannot.

Memory technology differs dramatically as well. The Vega M GL uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus with a bandwidth of 179.2 GB/s. The RX 6650 XT uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. Despite having a narrower bus, the RX 6650 XT delivers 56.5% more memory bandwidth thanks to much faster memory clocks (17.5 Gbps effective versus 1400 Mbps effective). The Vega M GL’s HBM2 advantage is its wide bus, but the sheer clock speed difference favors the newer card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two shared benchmarks between these GPUs are Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, and each card takes one decisive victory. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 19,549, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT scores 10,111. That is a 93.3% delta in favor of the Vega M GL, meaning the older card delivers nearly double the OpenCL compute performance. This is surprising given the RX 6650 XT’s higher FP32 throughput (10.79 TFLOPS versus 2.588 TFLOPS), but it indicates that Geekbench’s OpenCL workload does not scale well with RDNA 2.0’s design, or that the Vega M GL’s GCN architecture is better optimized for this specific test.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the tables turn completely. The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT scores 81,306, while the Vega M GL manages only 22,757. The delta is -72% from the Vega M GL’s perspective, meaning the RX 6650 XT is more than 3.5 times faster. This is a massive generational leap and reflects RDNA 2.0’s superior Vulkan implementation, higher clocks (boost up to 2635 MHz versus 1011 MHz), and far greater shading resources (2048 shading units versus 1280). The RX 6650 XT also has 128 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 64 render output units (ROPs), compared to 80 TMUs and 32 ROPs on the Vega M GL, which explains its 168.6 GPixel/s pixel rate versus 32.35 GPixel/s.

These two results tell a clear story: if your workload relies on OpenCL, the Vega M GL is unexpectedly strong; if it relies on Vulkan, the RX 6650 XT is in a different league. The 93.3% OpenCL win for the Vega M GL is the single largest relative margin in either direction, but the 72% Vulkan win for the RX 6650 XT is more consequential for gaming and modern applications.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs differ in nearly every major category. The most glaring difference is process node: 14 nm for the Vega M GL versus 7 nm for the RX 6650 XT, which explains the latter’s higher transistor density (46.7M/mm² versus 24.0M/mm²). The transistor count is 5,000 million versus 11,060 million — the RX 6650 XT has more than double the transistors. Die size is 208 mm² versus 237 mm², so the RX 6650 XT packs far more into a slightly larger area.

Clock speeds are drastically different. The Vega M GL has a base clock of 931 MHz and a boost of 1011 MHz, while the RX 6650 XT has a base of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost of 2635 MHz. The RX 6650 XT’s boost clock is 160.6% higher. Memory clocks also favor the newer card: the Vega M GL runs at 700 MHz (1400 Mbps effective), while the RX 6650 XT runs at 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective). Memory capacity is 4 GB versus 8 GB, and memory type is HBM2 versus GDDR6. Bus width is 1024-bit versus 128-bit, but bandwidth is 179.2 GB/s versus 280.3 GB/s — the RX 6650 XT wins on bandwidth despite the narrower bus.

Compute resources are heavily in the RX 6650 XT’s favor: 2048 shading units versus 1280, 128 TMUs versus 80, and 64 ROPs versus 32. The RX 6650 XT also has 32 ray tracing cores, which the Vega M GL lacks entirely. FP32 performance is 10.79 TFLOPS versus 2.588 TFLOPS, a 4.17x difference. FP16 performance is 21.59 TFLOPS versus 2.588 TFLOPS, a 8.34x difference. Pixel rate is 168.6 GPixel/s versus 32.35 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 337.3 GTexel/s versus 80.88 GTexel/s.

Power and physical specs also contrast strongly. The Vega M GL has a TDP of 65 W and is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a portable-device-dependent display output. The RX 6650 XT has a TDP of 176 W, is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector, requires a 450 W suggested PSU, and uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. The RX 6650 XT supports 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. API support differs as noted: DirectX 12_0 versus 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.3 versus 1.4. Release dates are 2018-01-31 for the Vega M GL and 2022-05-09 for the RX 6650 XT. The RX 6650 XT has a launch MSRP of 399 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL wins decisively in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 19,549 versus the RX 6650 XT’s 10,111 — a 93.3% advantage.

Q: Which GPU is faster for Vulkan workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is far faster, scoring 81,306 in Geekbench Vulkan compared to the Vega M GL’s 22,757, a 72% lead for the newer card.

Q: How much more memory does the RX 6650 XT have?

A: The RX 6650 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, double the 4 GB of HBM2 found on the Vega M GL. The RX 6650 XT also has higher bandwidth: 280.3 GB/s versus 179.2 GB/s.

Q: Does the RX 6650 XT support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 6650 XT has 32 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The Vega M GL has no ray tracing cores and only supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What are the TDP differences?

A: The Vega M GL has a 65 W TDP and is an integrated processor, while the RX 6650 XT has a 176 W TDP and is a dual-slot discrete card requiring a 450 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Vega M GL has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 21,153 versus the RX 6650 XT’s 19,765, though the RX 6650 XT’s average is pulled down by several low Passmark scores.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs depends entirely on your workload, and the data is unambiguous. If your primary applications rely on OpenCL compute, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is the surprising winner — its 19,549 score beats the RX 6650 XT by 93.3%, and its 66th percentile ranking is one point higher than the RX 6650 XT’s 65th. This makes the Vega M GL a reasonable pick for OpenCL-specific tasks, despite its older GCN architecture, lower clocks, and 65 W TDP that suits compact systems.

If your work or play involves Vulkan graphics, modern games, or ray tracing, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the only rational choice. Its 81,306 Vulkan score crushes the Vega M GL’s 22,757, and its 32 ray tracing cores, 8 GB of VRAM, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support put it in a different performance class. The RX 6650 XT’s 10.79 TFLOPS FP32 and 21.59 TFLOPS FP16 performance are 4.17x and 8.34x higher, respectively, than the Vega M GL. Its 280.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 337.3 GTexel/s texture rate are also far superior.

For a desktop builder, the RX 6650 XT is the obvious pick for gaming and modern graphics workloads, despite its higher 176 W TDP and 450 W PSU requirement. For a compact laptop or embedded system where OpenCL compute is the priority and power is limited, the Vega M GL’s 65 W IGP design and superior OpenCL score make it a viable if niche option. The data does not support a universal winner — it supports two different winners for two different jobs.