AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER represent two vastly different interpretations of what a graphics card should be. The former is a compact, integrated solution designed for portability, while the latter is a full-sized, high-performance add-in board. The benchmark data reveals a stark performance chasm, but also clarifies the specific use cases each product serves.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark results are unambiguous, showing a decisive victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER in every recorded test. The data presents a clear narrative of generational and architectural superiority, with the NVIDIA part delivering multiple times the raw compute throughput of the AMD chip.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 2070 SUPER scores 83,358 points, while the RX Vega M GL manages 19,549 points. This translates to a performance delta of -76.5% for the AMD solution, meaning the NVIDIA card is approximately 4.3 times faster. This is not a marginal difference; it is a chasm that indicates the RTX 2070 SUPER is in an entirely different performance class, likely due to its significantly higher shader count, clock speeds, and memory bandwidth.

The Vulkan API test tells a similar story. The RTX 2070 SUPER achieves a score of 90,637, dwarfing the RX Vega M GL's 22,757. The delta here is -74.9%, once again placing the NVIDIA card roughly four times ahead. This consistent margin across both OpenCL and Vulkan suggests the performance gap is not API-specific but rather a fundamental reflection of the underlying hardware capabilities. The RTX 2070 SUPER's Turing architecture with its dedicated RT and Tensor cores gives it a massive advantage in compute-heavy workloads that the older GCN 4.0 architecture of the Vega M GL cannot overcome.

Ultimately, the head-to-head comparison records 0 wins for the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and 2 wins for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER. The data shows no scenario in the provided benchmarks where the AMD part is competitive. This is a one-sided affair, but the context of each product's intended design purpose is crucial for interpreting the results. The Vega M GL is not designed to compete with a desktop-class, dual-slot graphics card; it is engineered to provide a significant upgrade over typical integrated graphics within a compact form factor.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER scores 83,358 compared to the RX Vega M GL's 19,549, which represents a -76.5% delta, making it roughly 4.3 times faster.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL win any of the head-to-head benchmarks?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows 0 wins for the AMD card and 2 wins for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER across the Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests.

Q: What is the difference in their average benchmark scores?

A: The RX Vega M GL has an average benchmark score of 21,153, while the RTX 2070 SUPER has an average of 20,282. Despite the RTX 2070 SUPER's massive wins in the head-to-head tests, its overall average score is actually 4.1% lower than the AMD part. This is because the average includes a wide range of other tests, some of which may favor the AMD architecture.

Q: How do their performance percentiles compare?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is in the 65th percentile. This indicates that despite their extreme differences in raw compute power in specific tests, they are ranked closely among the broader population of graphics cards in this database.

Q: What is the closest rival to the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL?

A: According to the data, its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, which has an average score of 21,035, a mere 0.6% higher than the Vega M GL's 21,153.

Q: What is the closest rival to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER?

A: The closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, which has an average score of 20,480. This is 1% lower than the RTX 2070 SUPER's average score of 20,282.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear verdict for prospective buyers. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the unequivocal choice for anyone prioritizing raw performance. Its scores in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan are over 70% higher, a margin that translates directly to smoother frame rates and faster rendering in demanding applications and games. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are also substantial advantages for high-resolution textures and data-heavy workloads.

However, the choice is not simply about performance. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is a fundamentally different product. As an integrated GPU (IGP) with a 65 W TDP, it is designed for compact laptops and small-form-factor systems where space and power are at a premium. Its performance, while dwarfed by the RTX 2070 SUPER, is still respectable, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. For a user who needs a capable graphics solution in a thin-and-light chassis without the need for a dual-slot, 267 mm long expansion card, the Vega M GL is the only viable option here.

The GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 215 W TDP and dual-slot design, requires a 550 W power supply and a full-size PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. It is a desktop component through and through. The verdict is therefore dictated by the use case: the RTX 2070 SUPER is for the desktop gamer or content creator who demands maximum performance, while the RX Vega M GL is for the mobile user who needs a significant step up from basic integrated graphics in a power-efficient, space-saving package. Pick the NVIDIA card for its overwhelming performance lead; pick the AMD card for its unique integrated form factor.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs highlight their divergent design philosophies.

• Process Node: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER uses a more advanced 12 nm process from TSMC.
• Transistors: The NVIDIA chip contains 13,600 million transistors, a substantial increase over the AMD chip's 5,000 million.
• Die Size: The RTX 2070 SUPER's die is 545 mm², compared to the Vega M GL's 208 mm².
• Shading Units: The RTX 2070 SUPER has 2560 shading units, double the 1280 found on the Vega M GL.
• Texture Mapping Units (TMUs): The RTX 2070 SUPER has 160 TMUs, while the Vega M GL has 80.
• Render Output Units (ROPs): The RTX 2070 SUPER has 64 ROPs, double the 32 on the Vega M GL.
• Memory: The Vega M GL uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus, while the RTX 2070 SUPER uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.
• Memory Bandwidth: The RTX 2070 SUPER has a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, significantly higher than the Vega M GL's 179.2 GB/s.
• Clock Speeds: The AMD card has a base clock of 931 MHz and a boost of 1011 MHz. The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz.
• Thermal Design Power (TDP): The Vega M GL has a TDP of 65 W, while the RTX 2070 SUPER has a TDP of 215 W.
• Slot Width: The AMD part is an IGP, while the NVIDIA part is a Dual-slot card.
• Power Connectors: The RTX 2070 SUPER requires 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors, while the Vega M GL has no external power connectors.
• Suggested PSU: The RTX 2070 SUPER has a suggested PSU of 550 W, while the Vega M GL has none.
• Bus Interface: The Vega M GL uses an IGP interface, whereas the RTX 2070 SUPER uses PCIe 3.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: The RTX 2070 SUPER features 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The Vega M GL's outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent."
• Dimensions: The RTX 2070 SUPER is 267 mm long, 116 mm high, and 35 mm wide. The Vega M GL has no listed dimensions due to its integrated nature.
• Release Date: The AMD GPU was released on 2018-01-31, while the NVIDIA GPU was released on 2019-07-08.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between the two GPUs is as significant as their performance gap. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Polaris 22 chip. This is a mature, compute-focused design that lacks any dedicated hardware for ray tracing or artificial intelligence. Its FP16 and FP32 performance are identical at 2.588 TFLOPS, indicating a 1:1 ratio, which is typical of GCN designs that do not prioritize half-precision throughput.

In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is based on the Turing architecture and uses the TU104 chip. Turing is a revolutionary design that introduced dedicated RT (Ray Tracing) Cores and Tensor Cores (for AI and DLSS) to consumer GPUs. The RTX 2070 SUPER has 40 RT Cores and 320 Tensor Cores, which are absent on the AMD part. Its FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS, but its FP16 performance is 18.12 TFLOPS, a 2:1 ratio achieved through the use of these specialized Tensor Cores. This architectural advantage allows the NVIDIA card to accelerate workloads that the AMD GCN 4.0 architecture cannot.

Furthermore, the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like hardware ray tracing and variable rate shading. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), an older specification without these modern features. While both support OpenGL 4.6, the NVIDIA card supports Vulkan 1.4, while the AMD card supports Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA GPU also has a higher transistor density of 25.0M / mm² compared to the AMD's 24.0M / mm², reflecting the newer manufacturing process. The Vega M GL is a product of a previous generation, while the RTX 2070 SUPER represents a leap forward in both process technology and architectural features.