AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU vs NVIDIA N1 16SM Comparison

AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU vs NVIDIA N1 16SM

The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU and the NVIDIA N1 16SM represent two distinct approaches to integrated graphics, with the former built on a 4 nm process for a console-oriented Phoenix chip and the latter using a 5 nm process inside NVIDIA’s Blackwell IGP family. The database records no direct benchmark scores for either part, yet their architectural specifications and recorded feature sets allow a comparative analysis of where each design holds an advantage.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU wins in raw pixel throughput, reporting 86.40 GPixel/s against the NVIDIA N1 16SM’s 56.30 GPixel/s. This 30.1 GPixel/s advantage suggests the AMD part is better suited for rasterization-heavy workloads that depend on fill rate, such as high-resolution 2D rendering or early 3D scenes with simple shading. The Z1 Extreme also carries a higher boost clock of 2700 MHz compared to the N1 16SM’s 2346 MHz, which contributes to its pixel dominance.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM wins in texture throughput, delivering 300.3 GTexel/s versus the AMD part’s 129.6 GTexel/s. The N1 16SM’s 128 texture mapping units (TMUs) more than double the Z1 Extreme’s 48 TMUs, making it the stronger candidate for texture-heavy applications like complex 3D environments or procedural content generation. The N1 16SM also leads in raw floating-point performance, recording 9.609 TFLOPS FP32 against the Z1 Extreme’s 8.294 TFLOPS, a difference of 1.315 TFLOPS that favors NVIDIA in compute-oriented tasks.

Memory bandwidth splits the two decisively. The N1 16SM provides 273.2 GB/s through a 256-bit LPDDR5X interface, while the Z1 Extreme offers only 51.20 GB/s over a 64-bit LPDDR5 bus. This 221.99 GB/s gap means the NVIDIA part wins in any scenario where large data sets must stream quickly, such as AI inference, large texture loads, or high-resolution framebuffer operations. The Z1 Extreme counters with a smaller 16 GB memory pool, while the N1 16SM carries 128 GB, giving NVIDIA a clear advantage in capacity-limited workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU boosts to 2700 MHz, while the NVIDIA N1 16SM boosts to 2346 MHz, a difference of 354 MHz in AMD’s favor.

Q: How do the memory sizes compare?

A: The NVIDIA N1 16SM features 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory, while the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU has 16 GB of LPDDR5, an 112 GB difference.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference?

A: The NVIDIA N1 16SM records 9.609 TFLOPS FP32, while the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU records 8.294 TFLOPS, giving NVIDIA a lead of 1.315 TFLOPS.

Q: Which part has more ray tracing cores?

A: The NVIDIA N1 16SM has 16 ray tracing cores, while the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU has 12, a difference of 4 cores.

Q: Are both GPUs on the same process node?

A: No, the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU uses a 4 nm TSMC process, while the NVIDIA N1 16SM uses a 5 nm TSMC process.

Q: What are the thermal design power ratings?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU has a TDP of 30 W, while the NVIDIA N1 16SM’s TDP is listed as unknown in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no recorded head-to-head benchmark scores for these two GPUs, so the comparison relies entirely on the specification-derived rates. The most significant win for the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU appears in pixel fill rate, where its 86.40 GPixel/s outpaces the NVIDIA N1 16SM’s 56.30 GPixel/s by 30.1 GPixel/s. This advantage likely stems from the Z1 Extreme’s higher boost clock of 2700 MHz and its 32 ROPs, which exceed the N1 16SM’s 24 ROPs despite the NVIDIA part’s larger overall shader count.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM dominates texture rate with 300.3 GTexel/s against the Z1 Extreme’s 129.6 GTexel/s, a margin of 170.7 GTexel/s. This stems from the N1 16SM’s 128 TMUs versus 48 TMUs on the Z1 Extreme, a 2.67x advantage in texture units. The FP32 gap is narrower but still favors NVIDIA, with 9.609 TFLOPS versus 8.294 TFLOPS, a 15.8% lead. The N1 16SM also delivers more than five times the memory bandwidth, with 273.2 GB/s compared to 51.20 GB/s, and offers 64 tensor cores while the Z1 Extreme lists none.

The AMD part does retain a lead in memory clock frequency, with its memory rated at 800 MHz and 6.4 Gbps effective, while the N1 16SM’s memory runs at 1067 MHz and 8.5 Gbps effective. The Z1 Extreme’s base clock of 800 MHz also exceeds the N1 16SM’s 741 MHz, but the NVIDIA part’s higher boost clock does not fully close the pixel-rate gap. The Z1 Extreme’s FP16 performance of 16.59 TFLOPS (2:1) doubles its FP32 rate, while the N1 16SM’s FP16 of 9.609 TFLOPS (1:1) matches its FP32, giving AMD a theoretical advantage in half-precision workloads that the NVIDIA part cannot match.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measured specification. The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU uses a 4 nm process with 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, while the NVIDIA N1 16SM uses a 5 nm process with an unknown transistor count on a 382 mm² die. Transistor density for the Z1 Extreme is 142.6M per mm², while the N1 16SM’s density is not recorded.

Memory configurations separate them sharply. The Z1 Extreme has 16 GB of LPDDR5 with a 64-bit bus and 51.20 GB/s bandwidth. The N1 16SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X with a 256-bit bus and 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. Shading units count 768 for AMD versus 2048 for NVIDIA. TMUs are 48 versus 128. ROPs are 32 versus 24. Ray tracing cores are 12 versus 16. Tensor cores are absent on the AMD part but number 64 on the NVIDIA part.

Clock speeds differ, with the Z1 Extreme base at 800 MHz and boost at 2700 MHz, while the N1 16SM bases at 741 MHz and boosts to 2346 MHz. The TDP for the Z1 Extreme is 30 W, while the N1 16SM’s TDP is unknown. The Z1 Extreme’s dimensions are 280 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 21 mm in width, while the N1 16SM is an IGP with no dimensions recorded. The Z1 Extreme lists a display output of 1x USB Type-C, the N1 16SM lists 1x HDMI. The Z1 Extreme supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the N1 16SM lists N/A for all APIs.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture within the Phoenix chip, classified as a Console GPU generation. Its 4 nm process from TSMC allows a transistor density of 142.6M per mm², packing 25,390 million transistors into a 178 mm² die. The architecture uses 12 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, with FP16 performance doubling to 16.59 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio. The power connector is listed as None, and the bus interface is not specified.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture on the GB20B chip, placed in the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. Its 5 nm process from TSMC results in a larger 382 mm² die, though transistor count remains unknown. The architecture includes 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores, with FP16 performance equal to FP32 at 9.609 TFLOPS via a 1:1 ratio. It connects through a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface and also uses no power connectors. The Z1 Extreme’s rendering pipeline emphasizes pixel output with 32 ROPs, while the N1 16SM prioritizes texturing and compute with 128 TMUs and 64 tensor cores.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU is the stronger choice for pixel-bound rendering tasks. Its 86.40 GPixel/s pixel rate, 2700 MHz boost clock, and 30 W TDP suggest a design optimized for efficient rasterization within a constrained power envelope. The 16 GB memory capacity and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate provide a usable feature set for gaming-oriented applications, despite the narrow 64-bit memory bus.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM is positioned for compute-heavy and memory-intensive workloads. Its 300.3 GTexel/s texture rate, 9.609 TFLOPS FP32, 273.2 GB/s bandwidth, and 128 GB memory capacity indicate a part built for large data handling, AI inference, and shader-heavy processing. The 64 tensor cores and 2048 shading units give it a structural advantage in parallel workloads, although the lack of recorded API support and unknown TDP leave its real-world integration unclear.

For users prioritizing fill rate and low-power operation, the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU delivers measurable wins in pixel throughput and half-precision compute. For those needing massive memory pools, high bandwidth, and superior texture throughput, the NVIDIA N1 16SM is the data-backed choice. The two parts address different segments, with no direct benchmark scores to unify them, so the specification-derived advantages define their respective roles.