AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 vs NVIDIA P102-100 Comparison

The NVIDIA P102-100 and AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 are both end-of-life GPUs, but they target fundamentally different use cases. The P102-100 is a mining-focused card with no display outputs, while the RX Vega 64 is a full-featured consumer graphics card. Benchmark data shows a split decision: the RX Vega 64 dominates in OpenCL compute, while the P102-100 ekes out a narrow Vulkan win. The RX Vega 64 holds a meaningful advantage in raw FP32 throughput and memory bandwidth, but the P102-100 counters with higher clock speeds and a more efficient process node. The P102-100 sits at the 88th percentile of all GPUs, versus the 86th for the RX Vega 64, though the latter’s average benchmark score is dragged down by a single low DirectX 12 result.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for different buyers. If your workload relies on OpenCL compute, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 is the decisive choice: it scores 62,552 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 20.7% ahead of the P102-100’s 49,602. That gap is substantial and reflects the Vega 64’s higher FP32 throughput (12.66 TFLOPS vs 10.77 TFLOPS) and wider memory bus (2048-bit vs 320-bit). For compute tasks that leverage OpenCL, the Vega 64 is simply the faster card.

However, for Vulkan-based workloads, the P102-100 takes a narrow victory: 67,454 vs 67,032, a 0.6% margin. It’s a slim lead, but it shows the Pascal architecture can still hold its own in modern API scenarios. The P102-100 also has a higher base clock (1582 MHz vs 1247 MHz) and boost clock (1683 MHz vs 1546 MHz), which helps in latency-sensitive tasks.

The RX Vega 64 is the only one of the two with display outputs (1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), making it the obvious pick for any gaming or visual output scenario. The P102-100 has no outputs, so it is strictly for compute or mining rigs. If you need a card that can drive a monitor, the choice is trivial. If you are building a dedicated compute node, the Vega 64’s OpenCL advantage makes it the stronger performer, despite its higher 295 W TDP. The P102-100’s 250 W TDP is lower, but that alone doesn’t offset the 20.7% OpenCL deficit.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras and foundries. The NVIDIA P102-100 uses the GP102 chip on the Pascal architecture, built on a 16 nm TSMC process. It packs 11,800 million transistors into a 471 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 25.1M per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 uses the Vega 10 chip on GCN 5.0, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It has slightly more transistors at 12,500 million, on a larger 495 mm² die, yielding a comparable density of 25.3M per mm².

The memory subsystems are radically different. The P102-100 uses 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 320-bit bus, delivering 440.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX Vega 64 uses 8 GB of HBM2 on a massive 2048-bit bus, achieving 483.8 GB/s. That 43.5 GB/s bandwidth advantage goes to AMD, and the larger memory pool is significant for compute workloads.

Compute resources also diverge. The RX Vega 64 has 4096 shading units and 256 TMUs, while the P102-100 has 3200 shading units and 200 TMUs. However, the P102-100 has more ROPs: 80 vs 64. This explains why the NVIDIA card wins in pixel rate (134.6 GPixel/s vs 98.94 GPixel/s), while the AMD card wins in texture rate (395.8 GTexel/s vs 336.6 GTexel/s). FP16 performance is a stark contrast: the Vega 64 delivers 25.33 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), while the P102-100 manages just 168.3 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio). That makes the Vega 64 vastly superior for FP16 compute.

The P102-100 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 64 is limited to Vulkan 1.3. Both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6. The bus interface also differs: the P102-100 uses PCIe 1.0 x4, which is a severe bottleneck, while the Vega 64 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The P102-100’s interface is notably dated and could hamper data transfer in real-world systems.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two cards split their head-to-head benchmark results, with one win each. The biggest margin comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 62,552 against the NVIDIA P102-100’s 49,602. This is a 20.7% advantage for AMD, a decisive win that aligns with the Vega 64’s higher shading unit count (4096 vs 3200) and superior FP32 throughput (12.66 TFLOPS vs 10.77 TFLOPS). The Vega 64’s 483.8 GB/s bandwidth also outpaces the P102-100’s 440.3 GB/s, which likely contributes to the OpenCL performance gap.

The Geekbench Vulkan result is much closer. The P102-100 scores 67,454, narrowly beating the Vega 64’s 67,032 by 0.6%. This is a marginal victory, but it shows the Pascal architecture’s strength in Vulkan workloads despite lower compute specs. The P102-100’s higher clock speeds (1582 MHz base, 1683 MHz boost) may play a role here, as Vulkan tasks often benefit from raw clock frequency.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the picture gets nuanced. The P102-100 has an average score of 58,528 across its two benchmarks (OpenCL and Vulkan), while the Vega 64 has an average of 50,001 across four benchmarks (including 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and Geekbench Metal). The Vega 64’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,669 is notably low, which drags down its average. In terms of percentile ranking, the P102-100 sits at the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the Vega 64 sits at the 86th, reflecting the NVIDIA card’s higher average despite its OpenCL deficit.

The nearest rival data puts the P102-100 in tight competition with the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (0.2% ahead) and Intel Arc A570M (0.5% ahead), while the Vega 64 is nearly tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (0.1% behind) and Intel Arc A550M (0.5% ahead). These comparisons show that both cards are competitive with much newer hardware in synthetic benchmarks, though the Vega 64’s average is skewed by the DX12 result.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification, starting with the process node: the P102-100 uses 16 nm TSMC, while the Vega 64 uses 14 nm GlobalFoundries. The P102-100 has a smaller die (471 mm² vs 495 mm²) and fewer transistors (11,800 million vs 12,500 million), but its transistor density is nearly identical (25.1M vs 25.3M per mm²).

Clock speeds favor NVIDIA: the P102-100 runs at 1582 MHz base and 1683 MHz boost, versus 1247 MHz base and 1546 MHz boost for the Vega 64. Memory clocks also differ, with the P102-100’s GDDR5X running at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective) and the Vega 64’s HBM2 at 945 MHz (1890 Mbps effective).

Memory capacity and type are major differentiators: the P102-100 has 5 GB of GDDR5X on a 320-bit bus, while the Vega 64 has 8 GB of HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus. Bandwidth goes to AMD at 483.8 GB/s vs 440.3 GB/s. The Vega 64 also has more shading units (4096 vs 3200) and TMUs (256 vs 200), but fewer ROPs (64 vs 80).

Power and physical specs: the Vega 64 has a higher TDP at 295 W vs 250 W for the P102-100, though both use dual-slot coolers and 2x 8-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 600 W. The P102-100 is shorter at 267 mm (10.5 inches) vs 280 mm (11 inches) for the Vega 64. The Vega 64 also has height and width dimensions (111 mm and 40 mm), while the P102-100 only lists length.

The bus interface is a notable difference: the P102-100 uses PCIe 1.0 x4, while the Vega 64 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. This gives AMD a massive advantage in host communication bandwidth. Display outputs are exclusive to the Vega 64 (1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), as the P102-100 has none. API support differs slightly: the P102-100 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 64 supports Vulkan 1.3; both support DirectX 12 (12_1) and OpenGL 4.6. Release dates place the Vega 64 first at 2017-08-06, with the P102-100 following on 2018-02-11.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 62,552 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 20.7% higher than the NVIDIA P102-100’s 49,602.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The NVIDIA P102-100 wins narrowly, scoring 67,454 vs 67,032 for the Vega 64, a margin of just 0.6%.

Q: Does the P102-100 have any display outputs?

A: No, the P102-100 has no display outputs. The Vega 64 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has higher bandwidth at 483.8 GB/s, compared to the P102-100’s 440.3 GB/s.

Q: What are the FP16 compute capabilities of each card?

A: The Vega 64 delivers 25.33 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), while the P102-100 manages only 168.3 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), making the AMD card vastly superior for FP16 workloads.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The P102-100 has an average score of 58,528, while the Vega 64 averages 50,001. However, the Vega 64’s average is lowered by a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,669, which the P102-100 does not have.