AMD Radeon Vega 8 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A Comparison
AMD Radeon Vega 8
GeForce GTX 950A
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD Radeon Vega 8 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A
FAQ
Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score in the database?
A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A records an average score of 10273, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 averages 9221. The GTX 950A sits in the 48th percentile of all GPUs, whereas the Vega 8 sits in the 45th percentile.
Q: How large is the performance gap in the shared OpenCL test?
A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 950A scores 10273 against 8822 for the Vega 8, giving the NVIDIA part a 16.4% lead. This is the only head-to-head benchmark recorded.
Q: What is the closest rival to each GPU according to the database?
A: For the GTX 950A, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6500M, which scores 10362 and trails by just 0.9%. For the Vega 8, the closest rival is the AMD Radeon 890M, which scores 9210 and is only 0.1% behind.
Q: Which GPU supports more modern DirectX features?
A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The Vega 8 also lists Vulkan 1.3 versus Vulkan 1.4 for the GTX 950A.
Q: How do their transistor counts compare?
A: The Vega 8 integrates 4,940 million transistors, far more than the GTX 950A's 1,870 million. The Vega 8 also uses a larger die at 210 mm² versus 148 mm² for the GTX 950A.
Q: What is the power draw difference between the two?
A: The GTX 950A has a TDP of 75 W, while the Vega 8 is rated at 25 W. The Vega 8 is an integrated GPU (IGP), while the GTX 950A is an MXM module.
Architecture Differences
The two GPUs come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A is built on the Maxwell architecture using the GM107 chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,870 million transistors into a 148 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The AMD Radeon Vega 8, by contrast, belongs to the GCN 5.0 architecture with the Raven chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Its die is substantially larger at 210 mm², and it houses 4,940 million transistors, achieving a density of 23.5M per mm².
The compute configurations differ markedly. The GTX 950A carries 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The Vega 8 has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs. With fewer ROPs, the Vega 8's pixel throughput is lower, which matters for fill-rate-bound workloads. The GTX 950A also features a dedicated 2 GB DDR3 memory subsystem on a 128-bit bus with 32.03 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 8 relies on system shared memory, making its bandwidth "System Dependent" and its memory type and bus width equally shared.
Clock behavior shows another divergence. The GTX 950A runs at a 993 MHz base with a 1124 MHz boost. The Vega 8 starts much lower at 300 MHz but boosts to 1100 MHz. While the boost figures are close, the sustained operating range differs. The Vega 8 does support FP16 compute at 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1), while the GTX 950A lists no FP16 capability. The GTX 950A's FP32 output is 1,438.7 GFLOPS versus 1,126.4 GFLOPS for the Vega 8.
Where Each One Wins
Based on the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A is the clear winner in raw compute performance. It wins the only shared benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a 16.4% margin. Its dedicated memory also gives it a structural advantage for workloads that require consistent bandwidth, since the Vega 8 must share system memory with the CPU.
The AMD Radeon Vega 8 wins in efficiency and integration. Its 25 W TDP is one-third of the GTX 950A's 75 W, making it suitable for compact systems where power limits are tight. It also supports a newer DirectX feature level (12_1 versus 11_0), which can matter for compatibility with certain modern titles. The Vega 8 further offers FP16 throughput, which the GTX 950A lacks, potentially benefiting compute tasks that use half-precision arithmetic.
For users who need a discrete GPU with its own memory and a higher performance ceiling, the GTX 950A is the choice. For those building a low-power integrated system where the GPU is part of an APU, the Vega 8 is the only viable option here, as the GTX 950A requires an MXM slot and dedicated power delivery.
Specification Differences
The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category. The GTX 950A uses the Maxwell architecture on a 28 nm TSMC process, while the Vega 8 uses GCN 5.0 on a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process. The GTX 950A has a smaller die (148 mm² versus 210 mm²) and fewer transistors (1,870 million versus 4,940 million), but a lower transistor density (12.6M versus 23.5M per mm²).
Clock speeds differ in base and boost: the GTX 950A runs at 993 MHz base and 1124 MHz boost, while the Vega 8 runs at 300 MHz base and 1100 MHz boost. Memory is entirely different: the GTX 950A has 2 GB DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 32.03 GB/s bandwidth, while the Vega 8 uses system shared memory with system dependent bandwidth.
Compute units differ as well: 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs on the GTX 950A versus 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 8 ROPs on the Vega 8. Pixel rate is 17.98 GPixel/s for NVIDIA versus 8.800 GPixel/s for AMD. Texture rate is 44.96 GTexel/s versus 35.20 GTexel/s. FP32 output is 1,438.7 GFLOPS versus 1,126.4 GFLOPS. The Vega 8 adds FP16 at 2.253 TFLOPS, which the GTX 950A does not list.
Power and form factor also diverge: 75 W TDP with an MXM Module slot for the GTX 950A versus 25 W TDP with an IGP slot for the Vega 8. The GTX 950A supports Vulkan 1.4, while the Vega 8 supports Vulkan 1.3, and the DirectX level is 12 (11_0) for NVIDIA versus 12 (12_1) for AMD.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The database records a single direct comparison between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A scores 10273, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 scores 8822. That translates to a 16.4% advantage for the GTX 950A, a substantial margin in a compute-oriented workload.
Context from the nearest rivals helps interpret this gap. The GTX 950A's score sits just below the AMD Radeon RX 6500M (10362, a 0.9% difference) and the NVIDIA Tesla C2075 (10400, a 1.2% difference). It sits above the AMD Radeon R9 M375 (10070, a 2% advantage) and the AMD Radeon RX 550X (10481, a 2% deficit). The Vega 8's 8822 score is closely matched with the AMD Radeon 890M (9210, a 0.1% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9273, a 0.6% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (9294, a 0.8% difference), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M (9302, a 0.9% difference).
The Vega 8 does have additional benchmark entries that the GTX 950A lacks: a Geekbench Metal score of 10706 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 8134. These cannot be directly compared because the GTX 950A has no recorded Metal or Vulkan results. The OpenCL result, however, is unambiguous: the GTX 950A is 16.4% faster in this test.
The Verdict
The data points to a clear performance hierarchy. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950A outperforms the AMD Radeon Vega 8 by 16.4% in the only shared benchmark, and its average score of 10273 versus 9221 reinforces that lead. The GTX 950A also has dedicated memory, which can avoid the contention that system shared memory introduces.
The AMD Radeon Vega 8, however, is not without merit. Its 25 W TDP makes it far more power-efficient than the 75 W GTX 950A. It supports a higher DirectX feature level (12_1) and offers FP16 compute, which the GTX 950A does not. For systems where power is scarce and the GPU must be integrated into the motherboard, the Vega 8 is the practical choice.
For anyone who can accommodate a discrete MXM module, the GTX 950A is the stronger performer in raw compute and memory bandwidth. For those prioritizing power efficiency and modern feature support in an integrated package, the Vega 8 stands out. The choice hinges on form factor and power constraints more than raw speed, because the recorded benchmarks show the GTX 950A as the faster GPU by a meaningful margin.