GPU Comparison

AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and NVIDIA A2 are both end-of-life products, but they serve fundamentally different purposes. The data shows the RX Vega 56 holds a 8.1% higher average benchmark score (37507 vs 34690) and sits at the 81st percentile compared to the A2's 79th. However, the A2 is not a direct performance competitor; its 16 GB memory, 10 RT cores, 40 tensor cores, and 60 W power draw target inference and server workloads. The verdict from the data is clear: for raw graphics compute and gaming-era workloads, the RX Vega 56 is the stronger choice, while the NVIDIA A2 is for specialized AI/RT tasks where its unique features outweigh the lower raw scores.

The Verdict

The benchmark data positions the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 as the clear winner in raw compute performance. Its average benchmark score of 37507 is 8.1% higher than the NVIDIA A2's 34690, and it achieves a higher percentile rank (81st vs 79th). In the specific tests available, the RX Vega 56 scores 1501 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 73512 in Geekbench Metal, while the A2 scores 35357 in Geekbench OpenCL and 34023 in Geekbench Vulkan. These are not directly comparable tests, but the average score gap indicates that for general-purpose GPU compute, the AMD card is ahead.

However, the A2 is not a graphics card in the traditional sense; it has no display outputs and is designed for server environments. The data shows the A2 has 10 RT cores and 40 tensor cores, features the RX Vega 56 lacks entirely. For workloads that leverage ray tracing or tensor operations, the A2 is the only viable option between the two, despite its lower FP32 throughput (4.531 TFLOPS vs 10.54 TFLOPS). The recommendation is strict: pick the RX Vega 56 for any rasterized graphics, conventional compute, or gaming-adjacent tasks; pick the A2 for AI inference, ray tracing, or headless server deployments where its feature set and 60 W power draw are decisive.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and foundries. The RX Vega 56 uses the Vega 10 chip built on GCN 5.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.3M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA A2 uses the GA107 chip based on Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It contains 8,700 million transistors on a much smaller 200 mm² die, achieving a higher density of 43.5M per mm².

The memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The RX Vega 56 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus, delivering 409.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The A2 uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 200.1 GB/s. This means the AMD card has over twice the memory bandwidth, while the NVIDIA card has twice the capacity. The A2 also includes hardware features the RX Vega 56 lacks: 10 RT cores for ray tracing and 40 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The RX Vega 56 has no such dedicated units, relying on 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, compared to the A2's 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Clock speeds also differ. The RX Vega 56 runs at a base of 1156 MHz and boost of 1471 MHz, while the A2 runs higher at 1440 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost. However, the AMD card's massive parallel count gives it superior throughput. The FP16 capabilities are contrasting: the RX Vega 56 offers 21.09 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the A2 offers 4.531 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), meaning the A2 does not accelerate FP16 relative to FP32.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no direct head-to-head benchmark results in the data, so the comparison relies on average scores and individual test results. The RX Vega 56's average benchmark score of 37507 is 8.1% higher than the A2's 34690. Looking at the nearest rivals, the RX Vega 56 is within 0.3% of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and within 0.4% of the GeForce RTX 4070 (37648), while being 0.9% ahead of the Radeon PRO W6400 (37157) and 1.6% behind the RTX 4080 Mobile (38135). This places it in a competitive mid-to-high range.

The NVIDIA A2's nearest rivals show a different picture. It is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA T1000 8 GB (34561) and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 (34541), 1% ahead of the NVIDIA TITAN V (34355), and 1.4% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34207). This indicates the A2 sits in a lower performance tier, closer to older or entry-level workstation cards. The biggest win for the RX Vega 56 is its FP32 throughput of 10.54 TFLOPS, which is 2.3 times the A2's 4.531 TFLOPS. The biggest win for the A2 is its memory capacity of 16 GB, which is double the RX Vega 56's 8 GB, and its feature set of 10 RT cores and 40 tensor cores that the AMD card does not offer.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The process node differs: 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) for the RX Vega 56 versus 8 nm (Samsung) for the A2. Transistor count is 12,500 million versus 8,700 million, and die size is 495 mm² versus 200 mm². The RX Vega 56 has a higher base clock (1156 MHz) and lower boost clock (1471 MHz) compared to the A2's 1440 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost. Memory differs in size (8 GB vs 16 GB), type (HBM2 vs GDDR6), bus width (2048-bit vs 128-bit), and bandwidth (409.6 GB/s vs 200.1 GB/s).

Shading units, TMUs, and ROPs are vastly different: 3584 vs 1280 shading units, 224 vs 40 TMUs, and 64 vs 32 ROPs. The A2 has 10 RT cores and 40 tensor cores; the RX Vega 56 has none. Pixel rate is 94.14 GPixel/s vs 56.64 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 329.5 GTexel/s vs 70.80 GTexel/s. FP32 is 10.54 TFLOPS vs 4.531 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 21.09 TFLOPS (2:1) vs 4.531 TFLOPS (1:1). Power draw is dramatically different: 210 W for the AMD card versus 60 W for the NVIDIA card. The RX Vega 56 requires 2x 8-pin power connectors and a 550 W PSU, while the A2 needs no power connectors and only a 250 W PSU.

The RX Vega 56 is a dual-slot card with dimensions of 280 mm length, 111 mm height, and 40 mm width, while the A2 is single-slot with no listed dimensions. The RX Vega 56 has display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the A2 has no outputs. The bus interface differs: PCIe 3.0 x16 for the AMD card versus PCIe 4.0 x8 for the NVIDIA card. API support shows the A2 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX Vega 56 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RX Vega 56 was released in August 2017, while the A2 was released in November 2021.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 has an average benchmark score of 37507, which is 8.1% higher than the NVIDIA A2's score of 34690.

Q: Does the NVIDIA A2 have any features the RX Vega 56 lacks?

A: Yes, the A2 includes 10 RT cores for ray tracing and 40 tensor cores for AI acceleration. The RX Vega 56 has no RT cores or tensor cores in its specification.

Q: How does memory capacity compare between the two?

A: The NVIDIA A2 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is double the 8 GB of HBM2 memory in the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56. However, the RX Vega 56 has a much wider 2048-bit bus and higher bandwidth of 409.6 GB/s versus the A2's 128-bit bus and 200.1 GB/s.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RX Vega 56 has a TDP of 210 W and requires a 550 W PSU, while the NVIDIA A2 has a TDP of 60 W and only needs a 250 W PSU. The A2 also has no power connectors, while the RX Vega 56 needs 2x 8-pin.

Q: Can the NVIDIA A2 be used with a monitor?

A: No, the NVIDIA A2 has no display outputs, making it unsuitable for direct monitor connection. The RX Vega 56 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.

Q: Which card has better FP32 floating-point performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 delivers 10.54 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is 2.3 times the 4.531 TFLOPS of the NVIDIA A2.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 wins in every raw compute metric. It has 2.3 times the FP32 throughput (10.54 TFLOPS vs 4.531 TFLOPS), 2.9 times the pixel rate (94.14 GPixel/s vs 56.64 GPixel/s), and 4.7 times the texture rate (329.5 GTexel/s vs 70.80 GTexel/s). Its memory bandwidth of 409.6 GB/s is more than double the A2's 200.1 GB/s. The RX Vega 56 also has more than double the shading units (3584 vs 1280), TMUs (224 vs 40), and ROPs (64 vs 32). For any workload that depends on raw shader performance, high bandwidth, or heavy rasterization, the RX Vega 56 is the overwhelming choice. Its higher average benchmark score of 37507 versus 34690 confirms this, as does its 81st percentile rank compared to the A2's 79th.

The NVIDIA A2 wins in specialized scenarios. Its 16 GB of memory is double the RX Vega 56's 8 GB, making it better for models or datasets that require larger memory footprints. Its 10 RT cores provide hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a capability the RX Vega 56 completely lacks. Its 40 tensor cores enable AI inference and deep learning workloads, which the AMD card cannot accelerate. The A2's 60 W power draw is 71.4% lower than the RX Vega 56's 210 W, making it far more efficient for dense server deployments where power is a constraint. Its single-slot design and lack of power connectors also make it easier to install in space-constrained environments. The A2's higher clock speeds (1770 MHz boost vs 1471 MHz) and newer architecture (Ampere vs GCN 5.0) provide better per-core efficiency. For headless AI inference, ray tracing, or low-power server applications, the NVIDIA A2 is the only option between the two.