AMD Radeon RX 6650M vs NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6650M and NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile are both end-of-life mobile graphics solutions from different architectural generations, and the benchmark data shows a split decision between them. The AMD part, based on RDNA 2.0, delivers a higher average benchmark score of 72,315, while the NVIDIA part, based on Ampere, averages 70,140. Neither GPU holds a decisive overall advantage; each wins exactly one of the two head-to-head tests, and both sit at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. The data indicates that the choice depends heavily on the specific workload, with the RX 6650M excelling in Vulkan-based tasks and the RTX A3000 Mobile dominating OpenCL scenarios.

The Verdict

From the benchmark data alone, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M is the stronger pick for applications that leverage the Vulkan API, where it posts a 28.1% advantage over the RTX A3000 Mobile. Conversely, the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile is the clear choice for OpenCL-heavy workloads, where it leads the RX 6650M by 16.2%. Looking at overall averages, the RX 6650M edges ahead with an average benchmark score of 72,315 versus 70,140 for the RTX A3000 Mobile. That 3.1% gap in favor of AMD is reflected in the rival data from both perspectives: the RTX A3000 Mobile lists the RX 6650M as a rival with a -3% delta, while the RX 6650M lists the RTX A3000 Mobile with a +3.1% delta. Users prioritizing a single API should follow those specific wins; users wanting a balanced profile should note that the AMD card has the higher average, though the difference is modest. The RTX A3000 Mobile also carries a much lower TDP of 70 W compared to 120 W for the RX 6650M, which may influence mobile system design decisions, but raw performance per watt is not directly calculable from the provided data.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile uses the GA104 chip on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung with 17,400 million transistors across a 392 mm² die. Transistor density is similar — 46.7M per mm² for AMD versus 44.4M per mm² for NVIDIA — but the NVIDIA chip is substantially larger and packs more transistors. The RX 6650M has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, while the RTX A3000 Mobile has 4,096 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware differs as well: the AMD part has 28 RT cores, while the NVIDIA part has 32 RT cores. The NVIDIA GPU additionally includes 128 tensor cores, a feature the AMD GPU does not list. Clock behavior also diverges sharply: the RX 6650M runs at a base of 2068 MHz and boosts to 2416 MHz, whereas the RTX A3000 Mobile starts at a low 600 MHz base and boosts to 1230 MHz. That clock disparity helps explain why the AMD part achieves a higher pixel rate of 154.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 270.6 GTexel/s, compared to 78.72 GPixel/s and 157.4 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 compute tells a different story: the RTX A3000 Mobile reaches 10.08 TFLOPS versus 8.659 TFLOPS for the RX 6650M, and the NVIDIA GPU does this at a 1:1 FP16 ratio (10.08 TFLOPS) versus the AMD’s 2:1 ratio (17.32 TFLOPS FP16). Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both use PCIe 4.0, though the RX 6650M runs at x8 while the RTX A3000 Mobile runs at x16.

Where Each One Wins

The head-to-head results split cleanly by API. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 79,091 against the AMD’s 66,275, a 16.2% margin. This suggests the Ampere architecture’s higher shading unit count and FP32 throughput translate directly into OpenCL performance, where the RTX A3000 Mobile’s 4,096 shading units and 10.08 TFLOPS FP32 give it a structural advantage. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 78,355 versus the NVIDIA’s 61,189, a 28.1% margin. That Vulkan win is notable because it occurs despite the AMD part having fewer shading units and lower raw FP32, indicating that RDNA 2.0’s lower clock-dependent design (base 2068 MHz, boost 2416 MHz) and higher texture rate (270.6 GTexel/s) may be more efficiently utilized in Vulkan’s low-overhead model. In terms of nearest rivals, the RX 6650M sits just below the AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition (73,607, -1.8%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE (74,393, -2.8%), while the RTX A3000 Mobile sits just above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69,408, +1.1%) and the Intel Arc A770 (68,809, +1.9%). Neither GPU’s nearest rivals include any other NVIDIA mobile parts, highlighting that the two compete in a crowded field of workstation and enthusiast desktop cards.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650M has an average benchmark score of 72,315, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile averages 70,140, giving AMD a 3.1% lead.

Q: How do the two GPUs split the head-to-head benchmark wins?

A: Each wins one test. The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile wins Geekbench OpenCL with 79,091 versus 66,275 (a 16.2% margin), and the AMD Radeon RX 6650M wins Geekbench Vulkan with 78,355 versus 61,189 (a 28.1% margin).

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650M has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 264.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has 4,096 shading units, compared to 1,792 for the AMD Radeon RX 6650M. The NVIDIA part also has 128 tensor cores, which the AMD part does not list.

Q: What are the TDP levels for each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650M has a TDP of 120 W, and the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has a TDP of 70 W.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same API versions?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test delivers the clearest win for NVIDIA. The RTX A3000 Mobile scores 79,091 against the RX 6650M’s 66,275, a delta of -16.2% from the AMD card’s perspective. That 12,816-point gap is substantial and aligns with the RTX A3000 Mobile’s higher FP32 throughput of 10.08 TFLOPS and its 4,096 shading units. In contrast, the Geekbench Vulkan test flips the result decisively in favor of AMD. The RX 6650M scores 78,355, while the RTX A3000 Mobile manages only 61,189, giving AMD a 28.1% advantage. This 17,166-point margin is actually larger than the OpenCL gap, suggesting that RDNA 2.0’s architecture — with its higher clocks (2068 MHz base, 2416 MHz boost), higher texture rate (270.6 GTexel/s), and higher pixel rate (154.6 GPixel/s) — is particularly well-suited to Vulkan’s driver model. Notably, the RX 6650M’s Vulkan score alone (78,355) is higher than its own OpenCL score (66,275) by 18.2%, while the RTX A3000 Mobile’s OpenCL score (79,091) is higher than its Vulkan score (61,189) by 29.3%. This polarity means the two GPUs are almost perfectly complementary in their API strengths. Looking at the rivals, the RX 6650M’s average score of 72,315 places it 3.1% above the RTX A3000 Mobile’s 70,140, but both GPUs share the same 92nd percentile among all GPUs, indicating they target a similar performance tier overall.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measured specification except for a few shared traits. Both use GDDR6 memory, have 64 ROPs, support PCIe 4.0, and list the same API set (DirectX 12 Ultimate 12_2, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4). They also share the same production status (end-of-life) and use no power connectors. Key differences include: process node (7 nm TSMC for AMD versus 8 nm Samsung for NVIDIA), transistor count (11,060 million versus 17,400 million), die size (237 mm² versus 392 mm²), transistor density (46.7M per mm² versus 44.4M per mm²), base clock (2068 MHz versus 600 MHz), boost clock (2416 MHz versus 1230 MHz), memory size (8 GB versus 6 GB), memory bus width (128 bit versus 192 bit), memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s versus 264.0 GB/s), shading units (1,792 versus 4,096), TMUs (112 versus 128), RT cores (28 versus 32), tensor cores (none listed versus 128), pixel rate (154.6 GPixel/s versus 78.72 GPixel/s), texture rate (270.6 GTexel/s versus 157.4 GTexel/s), FP32 (8.659 TFLOPS versus 10.08 TFLOPS), FP16 (17.32 TFLOPS 2:1 versus 10.08 TFLOPS 1:1), TDP (120 W versus 70 W), bus interface (PCIe 4.0 x8 versus PCIe 4.0 x16), and slot width (IGP versus not listed). The release dates also differ, with the RX 6650M launching on 2022-01-03 and the RTX A3000 Mobile on 2021-04-11. The AMD part’s predecessor is Polaris Mobile, while the NVIDIA part’s predecessor is Quadro Turing-M, and the NVIDIA part has a successor in Ada-MW, while the AMD part lists none.