AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs NVIDIA A10M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one directly comparable benchmark between the NVIDIA A10M and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA A10M scores 135,230, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 85,040. This gives the A10M a commanding 59% advantage, a decisive margin that underscores the A10M's positioning as a compute-oriented server part.

The A10M's score of 135,230 places it in the 96th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation (135,218, a 0% delta), the AMD Radeon PRO W6800 (135,396, a -0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro W6800X Duo (135,774, a -0.4% delta), and the AMD Radeon PRO V620 (136,472, a -0.9% delta). This clustering shows the A10M sits at the very top of its performance tier, essentially tied with these workstation-class cards, with no rival exceeding it by more than 0.9%.

The RX 6850M XT's OpenCL score of 85,040 is far lower, and its 92nd percentile ranking reflects a broader spread of results. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, a -0.6% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, a -0.8% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842, a -1.1% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (77,712, a 1.6% delta). Notably, the RTX 5090 D is 1.6% ahead of the RX 6850M XT, while the other three rivals trail by less than 1.2%. This indicates the RX 6850M XT is competitive with high-end desktop and datacenter parts from a few generations back, but it is not in the same league as the A10M in raw OpenCL throughput.

The head-to-head delta of 59% is the single largest gap recorded in this comparison. There are no benchmark tests where the RX 6850M XT wins; the A10M takes the sole recorded victory. This outcome is consistent with the architectural and specification differences detailed in the following sections, where the A10M's larger chip, higher transistor count, and greater memory capacity all contribute to its dominance in this particular workload.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA A10M has an average benchmark score of 135,230, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has an average score of 78,940. The A10M is substantially ahead.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA A10M ranks in the 96th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT ranks in the 92nd percentile.

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA A10M in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The A10M scores 135,230 versus 85,040 for the RX 6850M XT, a 59% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT have any benchmark wins over the A10M?

A: In the recorded head-to-head benchmarks, the RX 6850M XT has zero wins. The A10M wins the only test that directly compares the two.

Q: What are the nearest rivals to the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, -0.6%), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, -0.8%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842, -1.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (77,712, +1.6%).

Q: What memory capacities do the two GPUs offer?

A: The NVIDIA A10M has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA A10M is built on the GA102 chip using the Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process by Samsung. It integrates 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 45.1 million per mm². The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT uses the Navi 22 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It contains 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, giving a higher transistor density of 51.3 million per mm².

The A10M features 7,168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. It also includes 56 ray tracing cores and 224 tensor cores, making it a full-featured compute accelerator. The RX 6850M XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, along with 40 ray tracing cores but no tensor cores. This difference is critical: the A10M's tensor cores enable dedicated AI and deep learning workloads, while the RX 6850M XT relies on its general-purpose shader array.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The A10M uses a 320-bit bus with 20 GB of GDDR6, delivering 500.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6850M XT uses a 192-bit bus with 12 GB of GDDR6, providing 432.0 GB/s. The A10M's larger bus and capacity give it a clear edge for large datasets, while the RX 6850M XT's smaller pool may bottleneck memory-intensive tasks.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The A10M has a base clock of 975 MHz and a boost clock of 1635 MHz, while the RX 6850M XT runs at 2321 MHz base and 2581 MHz boost, with a game clock of 2463 MHz. The RX 6850M XT's higher clocks partially compensate for its fewer shading units, but the A10M's raw compute throughput remains higher: 23.44 TFLOPS FP32 versus 13.21 TFLOPS for the RX 6850M XT. In FP16, the RX 6850M XT reaches 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the A10M matches its FP32 rate at 23.44 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

Specification Differences

The table below isolates the key differences between the two GPUs, based solely on the recorded data.

| Specification | NVIDIA A10M | AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT |

|----------------|-------------|------------------------|

| Process node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 7 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 28,300 million | 17,200 million |

| Die size | 628 mm² | 335 mm² |

| Transistor density | 45.1M / mm² | 51.3M / mm² |

| Base clock | 975 MHz | 2321 MHz |

| Boost clock | 1635 MHz | 2581 MHz |

| Game clock | Not specified | 2463 MHz |

| Memory clock | 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Memory size | 20 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory bus | 320 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 500.2 GB/s | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 7168 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 224 | 160 |

| ROPs | 80 | 64 |

| Ray tracing cores | 56 | 40 |

| Tensor cores | 224 | None |

| Pixel rate | 130.8 GPixel/s | 165.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 366.2 GTexel/s | 413.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 23.44 TFLOPS | 13.21 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 23.44 TFLOPS (1:1) | 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 165 W |

| Slot width | Single-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | 8-pin EPS | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | Not specified |

| Display outputs | No outputs | Portable Device Dependent |

| Dimensions | 267 mm length, 112 mm height | Not specified |

| Release date | Not specified | 2022-01-03 |

The A10M is a single-slot server card with no display outputs, while the RX 6850M XT is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) intended for mobile systems, with display outputs dependent on the portable device. The A10M's TDP is lower at 150 W versus 165 W, despite its larger die and higher transistor count, likely due to its lower clock speeds.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA A10M wins the only direct benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a 59% lead. Its strengths are clear: 20 GB of memory versus 12 GB, 500.2 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, 23.44 TFLOPS versus 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, and 224 tensor cores that the RX 6850M XT lacks entirely. These specifications make it suitable for server-side compute tasks, AI inference, and large-scale data processing where memory capacity and raw throughput are paramount. Its 96th percentile ranking and near-identical scores to workstation rivals like the RTX 4000 Ada Generation and Radeon PRO W6800 reinforce its position as a high-end accelerator.

The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT does not win any recorded benchmark against the A10M, but its specification sheet shows where it could excel in different contexts. Its higher pixel rate (165.2 GPixel/s versus 130.8 GPixel/s) and texture rate (413.0 GTexel/s versus 366.2 GTexel/s) indicate faster rasterization throughput per clock, which could benefit graphical workloads that are not compute-bound. Its FP16 performance of 26.43 TFLOPS exceeds the A10M's 23.44 TFLOPS, making it potentially more efficient in mixed-precision tasks where the 2:1 FP16 ratio is usable. The RX 6850M XT also has a higher transistor density (51.3M / mm² versus 45.1M / mm²), reflecting a more compact design on a smaller die.

For mobile applications, the RX 6850M XT's IGP form factor and lack of external power connectors make it inherently portable, while the A10M requires a dedicated single-slot mount, an 8-pin EPS connector, and a 450 W power supply. The RX 6850M XT's higher base and boost clocks (2321 MHz and 2581 MHz versus 975 MHz and 1635 MHz) suggest it is tuned for latency-sensitive, clock-driven tasks rather than massive parallel throughput.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split in purpose. The NVIDIA A10M is the superior choice for compute-heavy workloads that demand maximum raw performance, large memory capacity, and dedicated tensor core support. Its 59% OpenCL lead over the RX 6850M XT, combined with its 96th percentile ranking and near-parity with top workstation GPUs, makes it the appropriate pick for server racks, AI training, and data center deployments where power and space are available.

The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, despite losing the head-to-head benchmark, is not without merit. Its higher pixel and texture rates, superior FP16 throughput, and mobile-oriented design (IGP, no external power connectors, portable display outputs) make it better suited for laptops and compact devices where the A10M's server form factor is impractical. Its 92nd percentile ranking is still strong, and its nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 5090, indicating it holds its own against modern desktop parts in certain tests.

Users who need maximum compute density, 20 GB of memory, and tensor core acceleration should select the NVIDIA A10M. Users who prioritize portability, higher clock speeds, and rasterization efficiency in a mobile chassis should consider the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, accepting its lower overall compute scores. The benchmark record gives the A10M the win, but the RX 6850M XT's specification profile reveals a different, complementary role in the GPU landscape.