AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in compute workloads according to the database?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is overwhelmingly faster. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 110877 versus 19549 for the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, a 467.2% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the NVIDIA part scores 88144 versus 22757, a 287.3% lead.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 24763, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL has an average of 21153. The RTX A5000 Mobile also sits at the 70th percentile among all GPUs, versus the 66th percentile for the AMD part.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The RTX A5000 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX Vega M GL uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a 1024-bit bus with 179.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What are the transistor counts and process nodes?

A: The RTX A5000 Mobile is built on Samsung's 8 nm process with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. The RX Vega M GL is built on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process with 5,000 million transistors on a 208 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has ray tracing and tensor core support?

A: Only the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile includes dedicated hardware: 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The AMD RX Vega M GL has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The RTX A5000 Mobile has a TDP of 150 W, while the RX Vega M GL has a TDP of 65 W. The AMD part is an integrated graphics processor (IGP), whereas the NVIDIA part is a discrete mobile component.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design generations. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile uses the GA104 chip based on the Ampere architecture, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL uses the Polaris 22 chip based on the older GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. This node gap is substantial: the NVIDIA chip packs 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, while the AMD chip fits 5,000 million transistors into a 208 mm² die. Transistor density reflects this: 44.4M per mm² for NVIDIA versus 24.0M per mm² for AMD.

The compute layout differs dramatically. The RTX A5000 Mobile has 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. The RX Vega M GL has only 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. More importantly, the Ampere design adds dedicated acceleration hardware that the GCN part lacks entirely: 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The RX Vega M GL has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores.

Clock behavior also differs. The RTX A5000 Mobile runs at a 900 MHz base clock and boosts to 1575 MHz. The RX Vega M GL runs at a 931 MHz base clock but only boosts to 1011 MHz. Despite the AMD part starting at a slightly higher base frequency, the NVIDIA chip's much larger boost headroom and far wider execution resources produce enormous throughput differences.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The RTX A5000 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX Vega M GL uses 4 GB of HBM2 on a much wider 1024-bit bus, with memory running at 700 MHz (1400 Mbps effective) for 179.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA part has four times the capacity and 2.5 times the bandwidth, despite the AMD part's wider bus.

API support also separates them. The RTX A5000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX Vega M GL supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA GPU enables the newer DirectX feature level and a newer Vulkan revision.

The integration approach differs as well. The RTX A5000 Mobile connects via PCIe 4.0 x16 and uses no external power connectors. The RX Vega M GL is an IGP, meaning it is integrated into a processor package, uses the IGP bus interface, and has no separate power connector specification. Both are end-of-life products, with the NVIDIA part releasing in 2021 and the AMD part releasing in 2018.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows a one-sided contest, but there are still distinct contexts where each GPU has a role.

The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile wins every recorded benchmark. It dominates in both OpenCL and Vulkan compute tests. For workloads that rely on raw compute throughput, such as rendering, simulation, or GPU-accelerated processing, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the clear choice. Its 19.35 TFLOPS of FP32 performance dwarfs the RX Vega M GL's 2.588 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA part also has the memory capacity and bandwidth needed for large datasets. Its 16 GB frame buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a massive edge in memory-heavy tasks. The dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores also make it suitable for modern graphics features and AI-adjacent workloads, though the database does not include specific ray tracing benchmarks.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL wins only in the context of efficiency and integration. Its 65 W TDP is less than half of the NVIDIA part's 150 W. It is an IGP, so it requires no discrete graphics slot and no external power connectors. For a compact or power-constrained system where the GPU is built into the processor, the RX Vega M GL is the only option in this comparison. It also has a smaller die (208 mm² versus 392 mm²) and far fewer transistors, which reflects its role as a lower-cost integrated solution. However, the database shows no benchmark where the AMD part outperforms the NVIDIA part; its advantages are entirely structural, not performance-based.

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ.

| Specification | NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile | AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GA104 | Polaris 22 |

| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 5,000 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 208 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 24.0M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 900 MHz | 931 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1575 MHz | 1011 MHz |

| Memory Speed | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 700 MHz (1400 Mbps effective |

| Memory Size | 16 GB GDDR6 | 4 GB HBM2 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 1024 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 179.2 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 6144 | 1280 |

| TMUs | 192 | 80 |

| ROPs | 96 | 32 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 48 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 192 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 151.2 GPixel/s | 32.35 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 302.4 GTexel/s | 80.88 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 19.35 TFLOPS | 2.588 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 19.35 TFLOPS (1:1) | 2.588 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 65 W |

| Slot Width | Not specified | IGP |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | IGP |

| Release Date | 2021-04-11 | 2018-01-31 |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | DirectX 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Predecessor | Quadro Turing-M | None |

| Successor | Ada-MW | None |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database includes two direct comparisons between these GPUs, both from Geekbench. The results are not close.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile scores 110877 against the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL's 19549. That is a 467.2% advantage for the NVIDIA part. This is the largest margin in the comparison and reflects the massive gap in shading units (6144 versus 1280), texture rate (302.4 GTexel/s versus 80.88 GTexel/s), and FP32 throughput (19.35 TFLOPS versus 2.588 TFLOPS). The OpenCL test exercises general compute, and the Ampere architecture's wider execution resources simply overwhelm the older GCN design.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile scores 88144 against 22757 for the AMD part, a 287.3% lead. The Vulkan test is also compute-oriented, and while the margin is smaller than in OpenCL, it is still a dominant win. The NVIDIA GPU's newer Vulkan 1.4 support, versus Vulkan 1.3 for the AMD part, may contribute to better driver-level performance in this API.

The NVIDIA part wins 2 out of 2 head-to-head tests. The AMD part wins none. In the broader benchmark context, the RTX A5000 Mobile's nearest rivals in average score are the AMD Radeon RX 590 (0.1% behind), Intel Arc A350M (0.5% behind), AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (1.3% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (2% behind). The RX Vega M GL's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (0.4% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 (0.6% behind), NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.1% ahead), and AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (2.1% behind). Notably, the RX Vega M GL sits close to the RTX A4000 Mobile, another professional mobile GPU, but it is still slightly behind that NVIDIA part in average score.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is the far more capable GPU in every measured dimension. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins of 467.2% in OpenCL and 287.3% in Vulkan. It has a higher average benchmark score (24763 versus 21153), a higher percentile rank (70 versus 66), more memory (16 GB versus 4 GB), more bandwidth (448.0 GB/s versus 179.2 GB/s), more shading units (6144 versus 1280), and more than seven times the FP32 throughput (19.35 TFLOPS versus 2.588 TFLOPS). It also adds ray tracing cores and tensor cores that the AMD part does not have.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL should only be chosen when its integrated nature is the deciding factor. It is an IGP with a 65 W TDP, so it fits into systems where a discrete GPU is not possible. It also uses far less power and has a smaller die. But those are structural advantages, not performance advantages. The database shows no workload in which the AMD part beats the NVIDIA part.

For anyone selecting a GPU for compute-heavy tasks, rendering, or modern graphics features, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the only choice supported by the data. For a compact, low-power integrated system where the RTX A5000 Mobile cannot be installed, the RX Vega M GL is the fallback. The performance gap is so large that the decision should be made on system constraints, not on benchmark results.