AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE vs AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE decisively outperforms the older AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 in the available benchmark data, winning both head-to-head tests by substantial margins. The RX 7650 GRE scores 2336 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a 28.6% lead over the Vega 64’s 1669, and posts 83109 in Geekbench OpenCL, 24.7% ahead of the Vega 64’s 62552. This generational leap is reinforced by the fact that the RX 7650 GRE achieves this with fewer shading units, a narrower memory bus, and a significantly lower power draw, highlighting the efficiency gains of RDNA 3.0 over GCN 5.0.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 7650 GRE wins every benchmark where both cards have recorded scores, and the margins are consistent and decisive. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 7650 GRE delivers 2336 points compared to the RX Vega 64’s 1669. This 28.6% advantage is a clear indicator of superior modern rasterization performance, as Steel Nomad is a demanding DX12 workload that stresses contemporary GPU features. The Vega 64, despite its massive 2048-bit memory bus and 4096 shading units, cannot match the architectural efficiency of the newer card.

The Geekbench OpenCL result tells a similar story, with the RX 7650 GRE scoring 83109 against the RX Vega 64’s 62552. This 24.7% margin in a compute-oriented benchmark is particularly telling because the Vega 64 was marketed for its raw compute throughput. The data suggests that the RDNA 3.0 architecture’s improved instruction scheduling and higher clock speeds more than compensate for the Vega 64’s raw hardware resource advantage. The RX 7650 GRE’s boost clock of 2695 MHz versus the Vega 64’s 1546 MHz is a primary driver of this performance gap.

Looking at broader context, the RX 7650 GRE’s average benchmark score of 42723 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX Vega 64’s average of 50001 places it in the 86th percentile. This is an interesting inversion: the Vega 64 has a higher average score across all its tested workloads, but the RX 7650 GRE wins the specific tests they share. The RX 7650 GRE’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, which scores 43223 (just 1.2% higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB at 43262 (also 1.2% higher). In contrast, the RX Vega 64’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, which scores 49957, a mere 0.1% difference, indicating the Vega 64 remains competitive with much newer high-end cards in aggregate scoring.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is vast, representing two distinct eras of AMD design. The RX Vega 64 is built on the GCN 5.0 architecture using the Vega 10 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This older design uses a massive 495 mm² die with 12,500 million transistors, resulting in a transistor density of 25.3 million per mm². In contrast, the RX 7650 GRE uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, built on TSMC’s 6 nm process. This newer chip is dramatically smaller at 204 mm² but packs 13,300 million transistors, yielding a much higher density of 65.2 million per mm².

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The RX Vega 64 uses 8 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 483.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7650 GRE also has 8 GB, but uses GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s. Despite the Vega 64 having 68% more bandwidth, the RX 7650 GRE’s superior cache hierarchy and memory compression in RDNA 3.0 allow it to win decisively. The Vega 64’s memory runs at 945 MHz (1890 Mbps effective), while the RX 7650 GRE’s memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Core configuration reveals another stark contrast. The RX Vega 64 has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the RX 7650 GRE has only 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. However, the RX 7650 GRE compensates with significantly higher clock speeds: 1720 MHz base and 2695 MHz boost versus the Vega 64’s 1247 MHz base and 1546 MHz boost. The RX 7650 GRE also introduces 32 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the Vega 64. The pixel rate favors the newer card at 172.5 GPixel/s versus 98.94 GPixel/s, while the texture rate is closer: 345.0 GTexel/s versus 395.8 GTexel/s.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput in FP32?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE has a higher FP32 rating at 22.08 TFLOPS, compared to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64’s 12.66 TFLOPS. The RX 7650 GRE achieves this despite having half the shading units, thanks to its much higher boost clock.

Q: What is the difference in power consumption and power connector requirements?

A: The RX Vega 64 has a TDP of 295 W and requires 2x 8-pin power connectors with a suggested 600 W PSU. The RX 7650 GRE has a TDP of just 170 W, needs only 1x 8-pin connector, and suggests a 450 W PSU.

Q: Do both cards support ray tracing?

A: No. The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE includes 32 dedicated ray tracing cores, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has no ray tracing cores listed. The RX 7650 GRE also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the Vega 64 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: How do their memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The RX Vega 64 has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 483.8 GB/s due to its 2048-bit HBM2 interface. The RX 7650 GRE has 288.0 GB/s over a 128-bit GDDR6 bus. Despite this 68% deficit in bandwidth, the RX 7650 GRE wins all benchmarks, demonstrating architectural efficiency.

Q: What are the production statuses and release dates of these cards?

A: The RX Vega 64 is end-of-life and was released on August 6, 2017. The RX 7650 GRE is currently active in production and was released on February 6, 2025.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score across all tests?

A: The RX Vega 64 has a higher average benchmark score of 50001, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 7650 GRE has an average of 42723, placing it in the 83rd percentile. However, this aggregate does not reflect their direct head-to-head results, where the RX 7650 GRE wins both shared tests.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every core specification. The process node is 14 nm for the Vega 64 versus 6 nm for the RX 7650 GRE. The die size is 495 mm² versus 204 mm², and transistor count is 12,500 million versus 13,300 million. The RX 7650 GRE has a base clock of 1720 MHz versus 1247 MHz, a boost clock of 2695 MHz versus 1546 MHz, and a game clock of 2350 MHz (the Vega 64 has no game clock listed). Memory type differs (HBM2 vs GDDR6), as does bus width (2048-bit vs 128-bit) and bandwidth (483.8 GB/s vs 288.0 GB/s).

The shading unit count is 4096 for the Vega 64 versus 2048 for the RX 7650 GRE, with TMUs at 256 versus 128. The RX 7650 GRE adds 32 RT cores, which the Vega 64 lacks entirely. Pixel rate is 98.94 GPixel/s versus 172.5 GPixel/s, while texture rate is 395.8 GTexel/s versus 345.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 12.66 TFLOPS versus 22.08 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 25.33 TFLOPS (2:1) for the Vega 64 versus 22.08 TFLOPS (1:1) for the RX 7650 GRE. TDP is 295 W versus 170 W, power connectors are 2x 8-pin versus 1x 8-pin, and suggested PSU is 600 W versus 450 W.

The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Vega 64 versus PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RX 7650 GRE. Display outputs differ: the Vega 64 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 7650 GRE has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. DirectX support is 12 (12_1) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2), and Vulkan is 1.3 versus 1.4. Physical dimensions are 280 mm length for the Vega 64 versus 204 mm for the RX 7650 GRE; height is 111 mm versus 115 mm; the Vega 64 has a width of 40 mm while the RX 7650 GRE has no width listed.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE is the superior performer in every direct comparison available. It wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test by 28.6% and the Geekbench OpenCL test by 24.7%, which are substantial margins that cannot be dismissed as workload-specific anomalies. The RX 7650 GRE achieves this while drawing only 170 W compared to the Vega 64’s 295 W, making it dramatically more power-efficient. The newer card also adds modern features like ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, which the Vega 64 completely lacks.

The RX Vega 64’s only statistical advantage is its higher aggregate average benchmark score of 50001 versus 42723, which places it in a higher overall percentile (86th vs 83rd). This suggests that in workloads not covered by the shared tests, the Vega 64 may hold its own, likely due to its massive 2048-bit memory bus and higher shading unit count. However, for the specific workloads measured here, the RX 7650 GRE is the clear winner, and its architectural advantages in clock speed, process node, and feature set make it the more future-proof choice.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE wins in modern DX12 gaming workloads, as evidenced by its 28.6% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. It also wins in OpenCL compute tasks, leading by 24.7% in Geekbench OpenCL. The RX 7650 GRE is the pick for any user prioritizing current-generation gaming performance, ray tracing capability, or power efficiency. Its lower TDP of 170 W means it can run in systems with a 450 W PSU, and its shorter 204 mm length makes it more suitable for compact builds.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 does not win any of the shared head-to-head benchmarks, but its higher aggregate average score of 50001 indicates it may excel in legacy or bandwidth-intensive workloads not captured in the direct comparisons. Its 483.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 4096 shading units could provide advantages in certain compute or professional applications that leverage its HBM2 memory architecture. The Vega 64 also has a higher texture rate of 395.8 GTexel/s, which could benefit specific texture-heavy scenarios. However, given its end-of-life status and lack of modern features like ray tracing, its relevance is limited to niche legacy use cases.