AMD Radeon VII vs NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits decisively in favor of the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation. Across the two shared tests, Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan, the NVIDIA card wins both, giving it a 2-0 record in head-to-head comparisons. The AMD Radeon VII, by contrast, does not win a single shared benchmark in the database.

This does not mean the Radeon VII is without merit, but its strengths are not captured in the shared test suite. The Radeon VII has its own exclusive benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where it scores 2304. It also runs Geekbench Metal, scoring 77975, a test the NVIDIA card does not appear in. For users whose workloads rely on Metal, Apple's graphics API, the Radeon VII has the only recorded data point. Similarly, for DX12-focused 3DMark runs, the Radeon VII offers a measurable result.

The NVIDIA card's wins are substantial. In OpenCL, it is 35.7% ahead of the Radeon VII. In Vulkan, the lead narrows to 19.1% but remains a clear victory. The average benchmark score tells a similar story: the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation averages 117088 across all recorded tests, while the Radeon VII averages 66004. That is a gap of roughly 77%, though it is skewed because the Radeon VII's Metal and 3DMark scores pull its average down relative to the OpenCL and Vulkan results.

The percentile rankings reinforce the hierarchy. The NVIDIA card sits in the 95th percentile of all GPUs in the database, whereas the Radeon VII sits in the 90th. Both are high performers, but the NVIDIA card is positioned clearly above.

In terms of use cases, the data suggests the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is the stronger choice for cross-platform compute workloads such as OpenCL and Vulkan. The Radeon VII, meanwhile, has no recorded wins to claim, but its Metal score indicates it can handle Apple-centric environments, and its DX12 result offers a data point for direct gaming or compute scenarios on that API. The investigation points to a simple split: if the workload is OpenCL or Vulkan, NVIDIA wins decisively; if it is Metal or DX12, the Radeon VII provides the only numbers available.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip built on Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 5 nm process. It packs 35,800 million transistors onto a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 121.8 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon VII uses the Vega 20 chip with GCN 5.1 architecture, also from TSMC but on a 7 nm process. It contains 13,230 million transistors on a larger 331 mm² die, resulting in a much lower density of 40.0 million per square millimeter.

The transistor count difference is stark: NVIDIA crams nearly three times as many transistors into a slightly smaller physical area. This density advantage is a direct result of the newer 5 nm node versus the 7 nm node. The die sizes are similar in absolute terms, with AMD's actually being larger, but the internal complexity differs enormously.

Architecturally, the NVIDIA card is built for modern workloads with dedicated hardware. It includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, which the Radeon VII lacks entirely. The Radeon VII has no recorded ray tracing or tensor core counts, meaning it relies entirely on traditional shader processing. The NVIDIA card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Radeon VII is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The API support gap is meaningful. DirectX 12_2 enables features like mesh shaders and advanced ray tracing, which the Radeon VII cannot access. Vulkan 1.4 includes newer extensions compared to 1.3. This positions the NVIDIA card as more future-proof for games and compute applications that adopt these newer standards.

Memory architecture diverges completely. The NVIDIA card uses 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 280.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon VII uses 16 GB of HBM2 on a massive 4096-bit bus, achieving 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth, nearly four times the NVIDIA card's throughput. This is a fundamental design difference: NVIDIA opts for capacity and simplicity, while AMD goes for extreme bandwidth via stacked memory.

The power situation also reflects the architectural gap. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 70 W and requires no power connectors, drawing everything from the PCIe slot. The Radeon VII has a 295 W TDP and needs two 8-pin connectors, with a suggested power supply of 600 W versus NVIDIA's 250 W. The Ada Lovelace architecture's efficiency is evident: far more transistors, dedicated ray tracing and tensor hardware, yet a fraction of the power draw.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The shared benchmark data provides two clear comparison points, both favoring the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA card scores 124812 against the Radeon VII's 91947. This is a 35.7% advantage for NVIDIA. OpenCL is a general-purpose compute API used across many professional and scientific applications, so this result suggests the NVIDIA card handles heterogeneous compute tasks with significantly greater efficiency. The 35.7% delta is the largest margin in any shared test, and it aligns with the NVIDIA card's higher FP32 throughput of 19.17 TFLOPS versus the Radeon VII's 13.44 TFLOPS.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the NVIDIA card scores 109364 against 91788, a 19.1% lead. Vulkan is a low-overhead graphics and compute API common in gaming and real-time rendering. The narrower margin suggests the Radeon VII's high memory bandwidth helps somewhat, but the NVIDIA card's architectural advantages, including dedicated ray tracing cores and newer API support, still secure a comfortable win.

The Radeon VII's exclusive tests offer context but no direct comparison. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2304 is the only DX12 data point in the pair. Its Geekbench Metal score of 77975 is similarly isolated. Without a corresponding NVIDIA result, these numbers cannot be used to declare a winner, but they do show the Radeon VII is functional in those environments.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database adds perspective. The NVIDIA card's average score of 117088 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GB10 (117393, a 0.3% difference) and slightly below the AMD Radeon PRO W7700 (118976, a 1.6% difference). It beats the Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB by 2.4% and the RTX A5500 Mobile by 2.8%. The Radeon VII's average of 66004 places it just below the Tesla T4 (66733, a 1.1% difference) and above the Tesla P40 (65095, a 1.4% difference), the Radeon Pro WX 9100 (64212, a 2.8% difference), and the CMP 30HX (63842, a 3.4% difference). This shows the Radeon VII competes with older professional cards, while the NVIDIA card sits among more modern workstation offerings.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category.

Process and Die: NVIDIA uses a 5 nm TSMC process with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. AMD uses a 7 nm TSMC process with 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die. Transistor density is 121.8M/mm² for NVIDIA versus 40.0M/mm² for AMD.

Clocks: The NVIDIA card has a base clock of 720 MHz and a boost of 1560 MHz. The Radeon VII runs at 1400 MHz base and 1750 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: NVIDIA's GDDR6 runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while AMD's HBM2 runs at 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective).

Memory: NVIDIA offers 20 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 280.0 GB/s bandwidth. AMD offers 16 GB of HBM2 on a 4096-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth.

Compute Units: NVIDIA has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. AMD has 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. NVIDIA also has 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores; AMD has none recorded.

Performance Rates: NVIDIA's pixel rate is 99.84 GPixel/s and texture rate is 299.5 GTexel/s. AMD's pixel rate is higher at 112.0 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 420.0 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput favors NVIDIA at 19.17 TFLOPS versus 13.44 TFLOPS. FP16 favors AMD at 26.88 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) versus NVIDIA's 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

Power and Cooling: NVIDIA has a 70 W TDP, no power connectors, and a 250 W suggested PSU. AMD has a 295 W TDP, two 8-pin connectors, and a 600 W suggested PSU. Both are dual-slot cards.

Physical Dimensions: NVIDIA is 168 mm long (6.6 inches) and 69 mm tall (2.7 inches). AMD is 280 mm long (11 inches), 125 mm tall (4.9 inches), and 40 mm wide (1.6 inches).

Interface and Outputs: NVIDIA uses PCIe 4.0 x16 and has 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a. AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x16 and has 1x HDMI 2.0b plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

API Support: NVIDIA supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. AMD supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

Lifecycle: NVIDIA is Active with a release date of 2023-03-20, predecessor Workstation Ampere, and successor Blackwell PRO W. AMD is End-of-life with a release date of 2019-02-06, predecessor Vega, and successor Navi. AMD's launch MSRP was 699 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation scores 124812 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 35.7% higher than the AMD Radeon VII's 91947.

Q: How much memory bandwidth does each card offer?

A: The Radeon VII provides 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth through its 4096-bit HBM2 interface. The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation offers 280.0 GB/s via a 160-bit GDDR6 bus.

Q: Does the Radeon VII support ray tracing hardware?

A: No, the database records no ray tracing cores for the Radeon VII. The NVIDIA card includes 48 dedicated ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The NVIDIA card has a 70 W TDP and requires no power connectors, with a 250 W suggested PSU. The Radeon VII has a 295 W TDP, needs two 8-pin connectors, and requires a 600 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card supports newer API versions?

A: The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The Radeon VII is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3.

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

A: The RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation averages 117088 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 95th percentile. The Radeon VII averages 66004, placing it in the 90th percentile.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear overall winner: the NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation. It wins both shared benchmarks, has a higher average score (117088 versus 66004), sits in a higher percentile (95th versus 90th), and does so while consuming a fraction of the power. The 70 W TDP with no external power connectors versus the 295 W TDP with two 8-pin connectors is not just a spec sheet difference; it changes where the card can be deployed. The NVIDIA card fits into compact, power-constrained workstation builds, while the Radeon VII demands a full-size slot and a robust power supply.

For compute workloads using OpenCL or Vulkan, the choice is unambiguous. The NVIDIA card is 35.7% faster in OpenCL and 19.1% faster in Vulkan. Its newer API support, including DirectX 12_2 and Vulkan 1.4, also positions it better for future software. The dedicated ray tracing and tensor cores add capabilities the Radeon VII cannot offer at all.

The Radeon VII still has a niche. Its 1.02 TB/s memory bandwidth is unmatched in this comparison, and its higher texture rate (420.0 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (112.0 GPixel/s) show strength in certain memory-bound or texture-heavy tasks. Its FP16 throughput of 26.88 TFLOPS exceeds the NVIDIA card's 19.17 TFLOPS, which could matter for workloads that use half-precision arithmetic. For users on Metal or DX12-only environments, the Radeon VII provides the only recorded data points.

However, the Radeon VII is end-of-life, released in 2019, while the NVIDIA card remains active with a 2023 release date. The specification gap in transistor count, density, and dedicated hardware reflects a generational leap. For most users, especially those in professional or workstation settings, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation is the superior choice based on the recorded data. The Radeon VII's niche is narrow: memory bandwidth, specific APIs, and half-precision compute. Outside that niche, the NVIDIA card wins on performance, efficiency, and modern feature support.