AMD Radeon RX 7900M vs NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile Comparison
AMD Radeon RX 7900M
RTX A3000 Mobile
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD Radeon RX 7900M vs NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile
The AMD Radeon RX 7900M and NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile represent two very different philosophies for mobile graphics. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the full picture involves architecture, features, and intended use cases. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, architectural differences, and practical implications based strictly on the provided facts.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The two GPUs share two common benchmark results in the FACT PACK, and the AMD Radeon RX 7900M wins both decisively. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 7900M scores 129,499, while the RTX A3000 Mobile scores 79,091. This gives AMD a significant 63.7% advantage. The gap widens dramatically in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RX 7900M scores 158,760 compared to the RTX A3000 Mobile’s 61,189. That translates to a massive 159.5% lead for the AMD part, meaning the RX 7900M more than doubles the NVIDIA GPU’s Vulkan score. These are not marginal wins; they represent a generational performance gulf in raw compute workloads.
The average benchmark score reinforces this narrative. The RX 7900M posts an average score of 97,487, which places it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The RTX A3000 Mobile, by contrast, has an average score of 70,140, putting it in the 91st percentile. While both are highly ranked, the RX 7900M is clearly a step above. Looking at the nearest rivals for each card provides context. The RX 7900M’s average score is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro VII, 4.3% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000, 5.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60, and 6.3% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A4500. The RTX A3000 Mobile’s average score is 0.2% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro P6000, 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200, 1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE, and 1.7% higher than the NVIDIA CMP 90HX. In short, the RX 7900M competes with much higher-tier workstation cards, while the RTX A3000 Mobile sits at a lower performance tier.
Where Each One Wins
The benchmark data shows that the AMD Radeon RX 7900M wins in both compute (OpenCL) and graphics (Vulkan) workloads. For users running OpenCL-accelerated applications like video encoding, physics simulation, or certain data science tasks, the RX 7900M’s 63.7% lead over the RTX A3000 Mobile means substantially faster processing times. The Vulkan result is even more telling. A 159.5% advantage in Vulkan suggests the RX 7900M is far better suited for modern games and applications that leverage this low-overhead API. If a workload uses Vulkan, the RX 7900M is not just faster; it is in a different league.
The RTX A3000 Mobile, however, does not win any of the shared benchmarks. Its wins would have to come from areas not covered in this data, such as driver optimizations for specific professional software or its Tensor cores, which are present in its specifications but not reflected in the provided test scores. Based purely on the numbers available, the RX 7900M is the default choice for raw performance. The RTX A3000 Mobile’s 91st percentile ranking is respectable, but it is consistently behind the AMD part in every measurable way presented here.
Architecture Differences
The architectural gap between these two GPUs is stark. The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, using the Navi 31 chip on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This allows for a massive 57,700 million transistors packed into a 529 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 109.1 million per mm². The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile uses the older Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process. It contains only 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 44.4 million per mm². The RX 7900M’s process advantage is clear, enabling more than three times the transistor count on a die that is only about 35% larger.
These differences manifest in core counts. The RX 7900M has 4,608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 192 render output units (ROPs). It also features 72 ray tracing cores. The RTX A3000 Mobile has 4,096 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 32 ray tracing cores and 128 tensor cores. Notably, the RX 7900M does not list tensor cores, while the RTX A3000 Mobile includes them, which could be relevant for AI workloads not covered in the benchmarks. The clock speeds also differ dramatically. The RX 7900M has a base clock of 1825 MHz and a boost clock of 2090 MHz, while the RTX A3000 Mobile runs at a much lower 600 MHz base and 1230 MHz boost. This explains a large part of the performance delta.
Memory is another major divider. The RX 7900M comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A3000 Mobile has only 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 264.0 GB/s. The AMD card has over double the memory capacity and more than double the bandwidth. The RX 7900M also uses faster memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) compared to the RTX A3000 Mobile’s 1375 MHz (11 Gbps effective). Power consumption reflects this performance gap: the RX 7900M has a TDP of 180 W, while the RTX A3000 Mobile is rated at 70 W. The RX 7900M’s pixel rate is 401.3 GPixel/s and texture rate is 601.9 GTexel/s, versus 78.72 GPixel/s and 157.4 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA part. FP32 compute is 38.52 TFLOPS for AMD versus 10.08 TFLOPS for NVIDIA, and FP16 is 77.05 TFLOPS (2:1) for AMD versus 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1) for NVIDIA.
FAQ
Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?
A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900M has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 97,487, compared to the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile’s 70,140.
Q: How much faster is the RX 7900M in the Geekbench Vulkan test?
A: The RX 7900M scores 158,760, which is 159.5% higher than the RTX A3000 Mobile’s score of 61,189.
Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?
A: The RX 7900M features 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX A3000 Mobile has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 264.0 GB/s bandwidth.
Q: Which GPU has more ray tracing cores?
A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900M has 72 ray tracing cores, while the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile has 32.
Q: What is the process node difference between the two?
A: The RX 7900M is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, while the RTX A3000 Mobile uses an 8 nm process at Samsung.
Q: Does the RTX A3000 Mobile have any unique hardware feature?
A: Yes, the RTX A3000 Mobile includes 128 tensor cores, a feature not listed for the RX 7900M.
The Verdict
Based on the available data, the AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the superior performer for anyone prioritizing raw speed in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. It wins both shared benchmarks with margins of 63.7% and 159.5%, and its average benchmark score is about 39% higher than the RTX A3000 Mobile’s. The RX 7900M also offers more memory, more bandwidth, more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, and more ray tracing cores. Its 94th percentile ranking versus the RTX A3000 Mobile’s 91st percentile confirms its higher standing. If you need maximum compute and graphics performance in a mobile workstation or gaming laptop, the data points squarely at the RX 7900M.
The NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile is not without merit, however. Its 70 W TDP is far lower than the RX 7900M’s 180 W, suggesting it could be a better fit for thinner, lighter laptops with less demanding cooling solutions. It also has tensor cores, which may be beneficial for specific AI or deep learning tasks that are not captured in the listed benchmarks. That said, the performance trade-off is severe. For users who value battery life and portability over raw performance, the RTX A3000 Mobile might be a reasonable choice. But for any workload where frame rates or compute throughput matter, the RX 7900M is the clear winner based on the facts presented.
Specification Differences
| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7900M | NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | Ampere |
| Process Node | 5 nm | 8 nm |
| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |
| Transistors | 57,700 million | 17,400 million |
| Die Size | 529 mm² | 392 mm² |
| Transistor Density | 109.1M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |
| Base Clock | 1825 MHz | 600 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2090 MHz | 1230 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) | 1375 MHz (11 Gbps effective) |
| Memory Size | 16 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 192 bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 576.0 GB/s | 264.0 GB/s |
| Shading Units | 4608 | 4096 |
| TMUs | 288 | 128 |
| ROPs | 192 | 64 |
| RT Cores | 72 | 32 |
| Tensor Cores | None | 128 |
| Pixel Rate | 401.3 GPixel/s | 78.72 GPixel/s |
| Texture Rate | 601.9 GTexel/s | 157.4 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 38.52 TFLOPS | 10.08 TFLOPS |
| FP16 Performance | 77.05 TFLOPS (2:1) | 10.08 TFLOPS (1:1) |
| TDP | 180 W | 70 W |
| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |