AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile vs NVIDIA GRID K2 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in overall average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GRID K2 records an average benchmark score of 8080, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scores 7203. That places the GRID K2 at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs, with the Vega 8 Mobile at the 39th percentile.

Q: Which GPU wins in the only head-to-head benchmark available?

A: The NVIDIA GRID K2 wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 10602 against the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile's 7435, a 42.6% advantage. The head-to-head data shows one win for the GRID K2 and zero for the Vega 8 Mobile.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between the two chips?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, packs 4,940 million transistors into a 210 mm² die, giving a density of 23.5 million transistors per mm². The NVIDIA GRID K2, on TSMC's 28 nm node, contains 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die for a density of 12.0 million per mm².

Q: How do the nearest rivals compare for each GPU?

A: The GRID K2's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost with an average score of 8067, a 0.2% difference. The Vega 8 Mobile's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 at 7222, a 0.3% difference. Interestingly, the GTX 970 appears in the Vega 8 Mobile's rival list with a score of 7157, trailing by 0.6%.

Q: What API support differs between the two?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The NVIDIA GRID K2 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.175. The Vega 8 Mobile also has FP16 capability at 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1), while the GRID K2 has no listed FP16 figure.

Q: What is the release timeline for both products?

A: The NVIDIA GRID K2 was released on May 10, 2013, with a launch MSRP of 5,199 USD. The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile arrived on January 7, 2019, has no launch MSRP, and lists its predecessor as the GCN 3.0 IGP and successor as the Navi II IGP.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA GRID K2 is built on the Kepler architecture, using the GK104 chip manufactured by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The die measures 294 mm² and contains 3,540 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm². This is a discrete, dual-slot card with a 225 W TDP, requiring a 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connector and a 550 W suggested PSU. It connects via PCIe 3.0 x16 and has no display outputs, indicating its purpose as a compute-oriented accelerator.

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile, by contrast, uses the GCN 5.0 architecture with the Raven-M chip, produced by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm node. Its die is smaller at 210 mm² but packs more transistors at 4,940 million, resulting in a much higher density of 23.5 million per mm². As an IGP, it consumes just 25 W, has no power connectors, no slot width beyond its integrated nature, and its memory is system shared. The Vega 8 Mobile's predecessor is the GCN 3.0 IGP, and its successor is the Navi II IGP, showing a clear generational lineage.

The shading unit counts tell a stark story. The GRID K2 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the Vega 8 Mobile has only 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. The GRID K2's pixel rate of 23.84 GPixel/s and texture rate of 95.36 GTexel/s dwarf the Vega 8 Mobile's 8.808 GPixel/s and 35.23 GTexel/s respectively.

The GRID K2's memory subsystem differs fundamentally. The GRID K2 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth and a memory clock of 1250 MHz with 5 Gbps effective speed. The Vega 4 Mobile's memory is entirely system shared with system dependent bandwidth. Clock behavior also diverges: the Vega 8 Mobile has a base clock of 300 MHz and boost of 400 MHz, while the GRID K2 lists no base or boost clock but a 1250 MHz memory clock.

FP32 performance shows the GRID K2 at 2.289 TFLOPS against the Vega 4 Mobile's 1,127.4 GFLOPS half-precision 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1). The GRID K2 is at 2.289 TFLOPS and the Vega 4 Mobile's FP32 is 1,127.4 GFLOPS, making the GRID K2 significantly stronger in raw compute.

The Verdict

The data points to two very different products for two different purposes. The NVIDIA GRID K2, with its 42.6% head-to-head OpenCL advantage and higher average score of 8080, is clearly the more powerful compute device. Its 2.289 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 4 GB dedicated GDDR5, and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface make it suited for workloads that need consistent, high-throughput processing and don't require display output.

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile is an integrated part, designed for portability, with 25 W TDP, no display outputs, and system shared memory. Its 25 W TDP and 1101 MHz boost clock in an IGP form factor, this is a GPU that exists to serve with integrated graphics and portable devices, where power draw and integration matter more than maximum performance.

Users should pick the GRID K2 if they need raw compute without the need for display outputs and have the power budget, a 225 W TDP and the space for a dual-slot card with dedicated memory, 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors, 5,199 USD launch MSRP, 550 W PSU recommendation, 12 (11_0) DirectX support, 4.6 OpenGL support, and 1.2.175 Vulkan support. The Vega 8 Mobile is best for those who value efficiency per watt, 25 W TDP, GCN 5.0 architecture, 14 nm process, and system shared memory, with a 42nd percentile ranking for all GPUs.

The nearest rivals for the GRID K2, the GTX 650 Ti Boost, the 880M, the 945M, and the GTX 650 Ti, are all within 0.2% to 0.5% of its score. The Vega 8 Mobile's rivals, the GTX 750, the GTX 560 SE, the Iris Iris Pro Graphics P580, and the GTX 970, all trail by 0.3% to 0.6% of their scores. The data shows the GRID K2 percentile of 42nd, GTX 650 Ti Boost of the 0.2% of the GTX 650 Ti Boost's average score, the GTX 945M's delta of -0.2%, the GTX 650 Ti's 0.3% delta, and the GTX 880M at 0.5% delta.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The process node diverges: the GRID K2 uses 28 nm at TSMC, while the Vega 8 Mobile uses 14 nm at GlobalFoundries. Transistors are 3,540 million versus 4,940 million, with die sizes of 294 mm² and 210 mm², and densities of 12.0M/mm² versus 23.5M/mm².

Clock behavior differs: the GRID K2 has no base or boost clocks listed, only a memory clock of 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The Vega 8 Mobile has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 1101 MHz, with no separate memory clock because memory is system shared.

Memory configurations are completely different: the GRID K2 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Vega 8 Mobile has system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth. The GRID K2 has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs; the Vega 8 Mobile has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs.

Pixel and texture rates differ significantly: 23.84 GPixel/s and 95.36 GTexel/s for the GRID K2 versus 8.808 GPixel/s and 35.23 GTexel/s for the Vega 8 Mobile. FP32 performance is 2.289 TFLOPS versus 1,127.4 GFLOPS, and the Vega 8 Mobile adds FP16 at 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1), which the GRID K2 lacks.

Power and physical characteristics are opposite: the GRID K2 has a 225 W TDP, is dual-slot, needs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors, a 550 W suggested PSU, PCIe 3.0 x16, and measures 267 mm (10.5 inches). The Vega 8 Mobile has a 25 W TDP, is an IGP with no connectors, no PSU suggestion, an IGP bus interface, and no dimensions listed.

APIs differ: DirectX 12 (11_0) for the GRID K2 versus 12 (12_1) for the Vega 8 Mobile, with Vulkan 1.2.175 versus 1.3. Display outputs are "No outputs" for the GRID K2 versus "Portable Device Dependent" for the Vega 8 Mobile. Release dates are 2013-05-10 versus 2019-01-07, and the GRID K2 has a launch MSRP of 5,199 USD while the Vega 8 Mobile has none.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA GRID K2 scores 10602, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scores 7435. This gives the GRID K2 a win with a delta percentage of 42.6%, a substantial margin.

The wins tally shows 1 win for the GRID K2 and 0 for the Vega 8 Mobile. This is a decisive result in the measured workload, though it is limited to a single test. The GRID K2 also holds a higher average benchmark score of 8080 versus 7203 across all recorded tests.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the GRID K2's Geekbench OpenCL score of 10602 is its stronger result, while its Geekbench Metal score is 5557. The Vega 8 Mobile's Geekbench OpenCL score is 7435, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 6970. The GRID K2's OpenCL score is 42.6% higher than the Vega 8 Mobile's OpenCL score.

The GRID K2's average score of 8080 sits close to its nearest rivals: the GTX 650 Ti Boost at 8067, the GTX 650 Ti at 8053, and the GTX 880M at 8040, with the GTX 945M at 8099. The Vega 8 Mobile's average of 7203 is near the GTX 750 at 7222, the GTX 560 SE at 7171, the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 at 7170, and the GTX 970 at 7157.

These numbers suggest the GRID K2 performs at a level comparable to mid-range discrete GPUs from its era, while the Vega 8 Mobile sits in a lower performance tier, closer to entry-level discrete cards and high-end integrated graphics.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GRID K2 wins decisively in the OpenCL benchmark, with a 42.6% lead over the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile. This suggests compute-heavy workloads that rely on OpenCL would clearly favor the GRID K2, which is consistent with its design as a dual-slot accelerator with no display outputs.

The GRID K2's advantages include higher FP32 performance at 2.289 TFLOPS versus 1,127.4 GFLOPS, more than double the shading units at 1536 versus 512, and a much larger memory bandwidth at 160.0 GB/s versus system dependent. Its pixel rate of 23.84 GPixel/s and texture rate of 95.36 GTexel/s are more than double the Vega 8 Mobile's figures.

The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile wins in areas not directly tied to raw performance. It supports newer APIs, with DirectX 12 (12_1) versus 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.3 versus 1.2.175. It has FP16 support at 2.255 TFLOPS (2:1), which the GRID K2 lacks entirely. This could matter for workloads that leverage half-precision operations.

The Vega 8 Mobile also wins on efficiency and integration. Its 25 W TDP is dramatically lower than the GRID K2's 225 W. It is an IGP with no power connectors, no PSU requirement, and fits in portable devices with display outputs that are "Portable Device Dependent", unlike the GRID K2 which has no display outputs at all.

In terms of manufacturing, the Vega 8 Mobile uses a more advanced 14 nm process with higher transistor density at 23.5M/mm² versus 12.0M/mm², and it was released later in January 2019 versus May 2013. The Vega 8 Mobile also has a defined successor in the Navi II IGP, while the GRID K2 lists no successor.

The use-case split is clear: the GRID K2 is for scenarios where maximum compute throughput is needed, particularly in OpenCL workloads, and where the physical footprint of a dual-slot 267 mm card with dedicated power connectors is acceptable. The Vega 8 Mobile is for integrated, low-power scenarios where API modernity, FP16 support, and minimal power draw matter more than peak performance. The data shows a trade-off between raw capability and integration efficiency, with each GPU winning in its respective domain.