AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q occupy different performance strata despite both being mobile-oriented parts. The recorded data shows the RTX 4060 Max-Q delivers substantially higher raw throughput across every computational category, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU counters with a dramatically lower power envelope and a larger memory pool. The benchmark results indicate the NVIDIA part wins in every performance metric that involves shading, texturing, pixel output, or ray tracing. The AMD part wins in power efficiency per watt and in memory capacity, though the absence of direct head-to-head benchmark scores means the analysis relies on the specification-derived rates.

The RTX 4060 Max-Q produces 9.032 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is 5.5 times the 1.638 TFLOPS delivered by the Ryzen Z2 A GPU. That gap extends to texture work, where the NVIDIA part reaches 141.1 GTexel/s versus 51.20 GTexel/s for the AMD chip, and to pixel throughput, where the RTX 4060 Max-Q hits 70.56 GPixel/s compared to 25.60 GPixel/s. For workloads that can use FP16, the NVIDIA GPU maintains 9.032 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio, while the AMD part manages 3.277 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio, meaning the NVIDIA part also holds a 2.75x advantage in half-precision throughput.

The Ryzen Z2 A GPU wins in memory capacity decisively, offering 16 GB of LPDDR5 against 8 GB of GDDR6 on the RTX 4060 Max-Q. However, the NVIDIA memory subsystem delivers 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 2.5 times the 102.4 GB/s available to the AMD part. The AMD GPU also wins on power draw, with a 15 W TDP versus 35 W for the NVIDIA part, making it suited to scenarios where thermal and power limits are strict.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and use different process nodes. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses the Van Gogh chip built on RDNA 2.0, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The RTX 4060 Max-Q uses the AD107 chip based on Ada Lovelace, fabricated on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The process node difference yields a significant transistor density gap: the Ada Lovelace chip packs 118.9M transistors per mm², while the RDNA 2.0 chip achieves 14.7M per mm². The RTX 4060 Max-Q carries 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die, whereas the Ryzen Z2 A GPU has 2,400 million transistors on a 163 mm² die.

Compute resource counts diverge sharply. The RTX 4060 Max-Q contains 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 48 raster output units, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and 8 RT cores, with no tensor cores listed. The NVIDIA part therefore provides 6 times the shading units, 3 times the TMUs, 3 times the ROPs, and 3 times the RT cores.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API feature coverage is identical. The NVIDIA part adds tensor cores, which enable features that the AMD part cannot accelerate through dedicated hardware. The AMD chip relies on a simpler execution configuration with fewer units per pipeline stage.

Memory architectures differ in type and capacity. The AMD part uses 16 GB of LPDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, while the NVIDIA part uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on the same 128-bit bus width. The GDDR6 memory runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective data rate, compared to 800 MHz with 6.4 Gbps effective on the LPDDR5. This explains the bandwidth advantage for NVIDIA despite identical bus widths.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Without recorded benchmark scores in the database, the comparison must use the specification-derived rates as the basis for performance deltas. The FP32 compute rate shows the RTX 4060 Max-Q at 9.032 TFLOPS versus 1.638 TFLOPS for the Ryzen Z2 A GPU, a 5.51x advantage. This translates directly to general-purpose shader workloads, where the NVIDIA part will complete the same instruction stream in roughly one-fifth the time.

Texture fill rate favors the RTX 4060 Max-Q at 141.1 GTexel/s versus 51.20 GTexel/s, a 2.76x difference. This affects games and applications that rely heavily on textured surfaces, where the NVIDIA part sustains higher detail levels at the same resolution. Pixel fill rate shows an even larger gap: 70.56 GPixel/s versus 25.60 GPixel/s, which is 2.76x in favor of NVIDIA. Higher pixel rates allow the RTX 4060 Max-Q to drive higher resolutions or higher refresh rates with less frame time impact.

Ray tracing resources follow the same pattern. The RTX 4060 Max-Q has 24 RT cores against 8 on the Ryzen Z2 A GPU, a 3x difference. While RT core counts do not map linearly to ray tracing performance, the 3x resource advantage indicates the NVIDIA part handles ray-traced effects with substantially less overhead.

FP16 throughput shows the RTX 4060 Max-Q at 9.032 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to FP32, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU reaches 3.277 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio. For machine learning inference or compute workloads that use half precision, the NVIDIA part provides 2.75x the throughput. The presence of 96 tensor cores on the NVIDIA part further separates the two in AI-accelerated workloads, where the AMD part has no dedicated tensor hardware.

Memory bandwidth is the one area where the gap narrows but still favors NVIDIA. The RTX 4060 Max-Q delivers 256.0 GB/s versus 102.4 GB/s, a 2.5x advantage. This matters for bandwidth-bound scenes, high-resolution textures, and data-intensive compute. The AMD part's 16 GB capacity may reduce the frequency of memory allocation failures in large datasets, but the lower bandwidth limits sustained throughput.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field in the database. Process node: 7 nm for the Ryzen Z2 A GPU versus 5 nm for the RTX 4060 Max-Q. Transistor count: 2,400 million versus 18,900 million. Die size: 163 mm² versus 159 mm². Transistor density: 14.7M / mm² versus 118.9M / mm².

Clock speeds: the AMD part runs at 1000 MHz base and 1600 MHz boost, while the NVIDIA part runs at 1140 MHz base and 1470 MHz boost. Memory clocks: 800 MHz with 6.4 Gbps effective for AMD versus 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective for NVIDIA.

Memory configuration: 16 GB LPDDR5 on a 128-bit bus for AMD versus 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus for NVIDIA. Bandwidth: 102.4 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s.

Compute resources: 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 8 RT cores for AMD versus 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, 96 tensor cores for NVIDIA. Pixel rate: 25.60 GPixel/s versus 70.56 GPixel/s. Texture rate: 51.20 GTexel/s versus 141.1 GTexel/s. FP32: 1.638 TFLOPS versus 9.032 TFLOPS. FP16: 3.277 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 9.032 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP: 15 W for AMD versus 35 W for NVIDIA. Slot width: not specified for AMD, IGP for NVIDIA. Power connectors: not specified for AMD, None for NVIDIA. Bus interface: not specified for AMD, PCIe 4.0 x8 for NVIDIA. Display outputs: 1x USB Type-C for AMD versus Portable Device Dependent for NVIDIA.

Release dates: the Ryzen Z2 A GPU entered production with an active status and a release date of 2024-12-31, while the RTX 4060 Max-Q has a release date of 2023-01-02. The NVIDIA part lists a predecessor of GeForce 30 Mobile and a successor of GeForce 50 Mobile. The AMD part lists no predecessor or successor. Neither part has a launch MSRP in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q delivers 9.032 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is 5.51 times the 1.638 TFLOPS of the AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The AMD part offers 16 GB of LPDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA part offers 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, giving NVIDIA 2.5 times the bandwidth at half the capacity.

Q: What is the difference in ray tracing hardware?

A: The RTX 4060 Max-Q contains 24 RT cores, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU contains 8 RT cores, a 3x resource advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD GPU have tensor cores?

A: No tensor cores are listed for the AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU. The RTX 4060 Max-Q has 96 tensor cores.

Q: Which GPU consumes less power?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU has a TDP of 15 W, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q has a TDP of 35 W, making the AMD part more than twice as power-efficient in terms of TDP.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.