AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile Comparison

AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile occupy opposite ends of the GPU spectrum, and the benchmark data reflects a decisive performance gap. The RTX 4090 Mobile wins every shared benchmark, delivering roughly 2.5 to 3 times the raw compute throughput of the Vega 64 in OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. However, the Vega 64 holds a distinct advantage in its desktop form factor, power delivery, and established ecosystem, making it a viable choice for legacy systems, while the RTX 4090 Mobile is the clear winner for modern, high-performance portable computing.

Where Each One Wins

The data splits cleanly by workload and platform. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile wins outright on raw compute performance, as shown by its dominance in both Geekbench tests. In OpenCL, it scores 180831, which is 65.4% higher than the Vega 64’s 62552. In Vulkan, the margin is similar, with the RTX 4090 Mobile scoring 170774 against the Vega 64’s 67032, a 60.7% advantage. These are not marginal wins; they represent a generational leap in compute capability, driven by the RTX 4090 Mobile’s 9728 shading units and 32.98 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 wins on platform integration and desktop usability. It is a dual-slot card with 2x 8-pin power connectors and a suggested PSU of 600 W, designed for traditional desktop towers. Its 280 mm length and 111 mm height fit standard cases, and its display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, enabling multi-monitor setups. The RTX 4090 Mobile, by contrast, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no dedicated power connectors and display outputs described as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning it relies entirely on the laptop’s design. So, while the RTX 4090 Mobile crushes the Vega 64 in benchmarks, the Vega 64 wins on being a self-contained, immediately usable desktop component.

In terms of benchmark coverage, the RTX 4090 Mobile has a broader test suite, including PassMark DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute scores. The Vega 64 only has Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan results. This means the RTX 4090 Mobile’s data suggests versatility across legacy and modern APIs, while the Vega 64’s data is limited to cross-platform compute tests. For users prioritizing raw numbers, the RTX 4090 Mobile is the unambiguous winner.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is significantly faster. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 180831 versus 62552 for the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, a 65.4% difference. In Vulkan, the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 170774 against 67032, a 60.7% lead.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has 8 GB of HBM2 memory on a 2048-bit bus, providing 483.8 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4090 Mobile offers double the capacity and higher bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has better transistor efficiency?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is far more efficient. It uses a 5 nm process from TSMC with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, yielding 121.1M transistors per mm². The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries with 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die, yielding 25.3M transistors per mm².

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has a TDP of 295 W and requires a 600 W power supply. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile has a TDP of 120 W and requires no external power connectors, as it is an integrated part of a laptop.

Q: Which GPU supports newer DirectX features?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The RTX 4090 Mobile also includes 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, which the Vega 64 lacks entirely.

Q: How does the average benchmark score compare?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has an average benchmark score of 50001, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile has an average score of 43667, placing it in the 84th percentile. Despite the lower average, the RTX 4090 Mobile wins the specific shared tests by a wide margin.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data is limited to two tests, but the results are emphatic. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile scores 180831, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 62552. This represents a deltaPct of -65.4% for the Vega 64, meaning the NVIDIA card is nearly three times faster. This is consistent with the RTX 4090 Mobile’s 32.98 TFLOPS FP32 performance versus the Vega 64’s 12.66 TFLOPS, a 2.6x raw compute advantage.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin narrows slightly but remains overwhelming. The RTX 4090 Mobile scores 170774, and the Vega 64 scores 67032, a deltaPct of -60.7%. The RTX 4090 Mobile’s Vulkan score is actually lower than its OpenCL score, while the Vega 64’s Vulkan score is higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting the Vega 64 may have relatively better Vulkan driver optimization. However, the absolute gap is still massive.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite, the RTX 4090 Mobile’s PassMark G3D score of 27212 and GPU compute score of 12347 provide additional context. These scores, while not directly comparable to the Vega 64’s Geekbench results, indicate strong DirectX performance and compute capability. The Vega 64’s best Geekbench result is its Metal score of 68750, which is higher than its OpenCL and Vulkan scores, suggesting Apple’s Metal API benefits the GCN architecture. However, no head-to-head Metal test exists, so this cannot be directly compared.

The average benchmark scores tell a different story: the Vega 64 averages 50001, while the RTX 4090 Mobile averages 43667. This is because the Vega 64’s average is calculated from only three high-scoring Geekbench tests, while the RTX 4090 Mobile’s average includes nine tests, many of which (PassMark DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, and G2D) are lower-scoring legacy benchmarks. In the tests that matter for modern compute, the RTX 4090 Mobile is decisively ahead.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 uses a Vega 10 chip on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, with 12,500 million transistors on a 495 mm² die. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile uses an AD103 chip on a 5 nm process from TSMC, with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The RTX 4090 Mobile has nearly 3.7x more transistors in a smaller package.

Memory is another major divergence. The Vega 64 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus with 483.8 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 945 MHz (1890 Mbps effective). The RTX 4090 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The RTX 4090 Mobile offers double the capacity and 19% more bandwidth.

Compute resources show a clear generational shift. The Vega 64 has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 4090 Mobile has 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The RTX 4090 Mobile also adds 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, which the Vega 64 does not have. Pixel rate is 98.94 GPixel/s for Vega 64 versus 189.8 GPixel/s for RTX 4090 Mobile. Texture rate is 395.8 GTexel/s versus 515.3 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 12.66 TFLOPS versus 32.98 TFLOPS.

Power and form factor differ radically. The Vega 64 has a TDP of 295 W, is dual-slot, requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, and a 600 W PSU. The RTX 4090 Mobile has a TDP of 120 W, is an IGP with no power connectors, and no suggested PSU. The Vega 64 is 280 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The RTX 4090 Mobile has no listed dimensions.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is fundamental. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 is built on GCN 5.0, a 2017-era architecture designed for high-power desktop use. Its 14 nm process and 295 W TDP reflect an era when power efficiency was secondary to raw throughput. The Vega 64 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, but lacks any dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile uses Ada Lovelace, a 2023 architecture built on TSMC’s 5 nm process. This is a mobile-first design with a 120 W TDP, emphasizing efficiency and feature density. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Critically, it includes 76 RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and 304 tensor cores for AI workloads, which the Vega 64 cannot match.

The transistor density difference is stark: 121.1M per mm² for the RTX 4090 Mobile versus 25.3M per mm² for the Vega 64. This explains how the RTX 4090 Mobile packs 45,900 million transistors into a 379 mm² die, while the Vega 64’s 12,500 million transistors occupy 495 mm². The RTX 4090 Mobile also uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the Vega 64 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, doubling the interface bandwidth.

The Vega 64’s FP16 performance is 25.33 TFLOPS (2:1), while the RTX 4090 Mobile’s is 32.98 TFLOPS (1:1). This means the RTX 4090 Mobile does not rely on rate-limiting for FP16, offering full throughput, while the Vega 64’s FP16 is halved in practical use. The RTX 4090 Mobile’s FP32 and FP16 are equal, indicating native support for both.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the superior GPU for performance. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 60-65%, has 2.6x the FP32 throughput, double the memory capacity, and higher bandwidth. Its 5 nm architecture, RT cores, and tensor cores make it a modern, feature-complete solution. The 84th percentile ranking and average score of 43667, while lower than the Vega 64’s 86th percentile and 50001 average, are artifacts of a broader test suite that includes older DirectX benchmarks. In any modern compute or graphics workload, the RTX 4090 Mobile dominates.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 should be chosen only by users with specific constraints. Its 86th percentile ranking and 50001 average score are respectable, and its Metal score of 68750 suggests strong performance in Apple-centric workflows. It is a desktop card with standard power connectors and display outputs, making it easier to install in a traditional PC. However, its 2017 release date, 14 nm process, and lack of ray tracing or tensor cores place it firmly in the past. For anyone building a new system, the RTX 4090 Mobile, despite being a laptop component, offers a clear path to superior performance. The Vega 64 is end-of-life, while the RTX 4090 Mobile is active, meaning driver support and future software compatibility will favor NVIDIA. Pick the RTX 4090 Mobile for performance, features, and longevity; pick the Vega 64 only if desktop integration and legacy API support are non-negotiable.