AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU vs NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data for this comparison contains no individual benchmark results, so the analysis must rely on the architectural and specification differences that define each part. The AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU and the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation occupy different tiers of mobile graphics performance, and the numbers in the database make that separation clear.

The most decisive gap appears in raw shading throughput. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 24.72 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU reaches 1.638 TFLOPS. That is a 15.1x difference in favor of the NVIDIA part. Even accounting for the fact that the Ryzen Z2 A GPU is a low-power integrated solution, the FP32 gap is so large that any compute-heavy workload will overwhelmingly favor the RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation.

Memory bandwidth tells a similar story. The NVIDIA part uses a 192-bit bus with GDDR6 memory operating at 18 Gbps effective, yielding 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD part uses a 128-bit bus with LPDDR5 at 6.4 Gbps effective, producing 102.4 GB/s. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has 4.2x the memory bandwidth, which directly impacts texture-heavy scenes, higher resolutions, and any workload that streams large amounts of data through the GPU.

Texture and pixel throughput also favor NVIDIA decisively. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has a texture rate of 386.3 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU manages 51.20 GTexel/s and 25.60 GPixel/s. Those figures represent a 7.5x advantage in texturing and a 5.2x advantage in pixel fill. For modern games that rely on dense geometry and high-resolution textures, the NVIDIA part has clear headroom.

The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation also leads in ray tracing hardware. It has 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU has 8 RT cores and no tensor cores. The 7.25x difference in RT core count means ray-traced effects will run far more smoothly on the NVIDIA part, provided the driver and game support such features.

The only area where the AMD part shows a numerical advantage is memory capacity. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU offers 16 GB of LPDDR5, whereas the RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has 12 GB of GDDR6. That 4 GB difference may matter in specific scenarios where capacity exceeds bandwidth requirements, such as very large datasets that fit poorly into 12 GB. However, given that the NVIDIA part has more than quadruple the bandwidth, the practical benefit of the larger pool is limited.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages. The AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses the Van Gogh chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation uses the AD104 chip built on Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC.

The manufacturing process difference is significant. The 5 nm node allows the NVIDIA chip to pack 35,800 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The AMD chip contains 2,400 million transistors on a 163 mm² die, yielding a density of 14.7M per mm². The NVIDIA part has roughly 14.9x more transistors and an 8.3x higher transistor density, which explains its far higher compute throughput despite a die that is only 1.8x larger.

The memory subsystems reflect different design priorities. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses LPDDR5, a unified-memory-friendly type that integrates well with low-power APU designs. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation uses GDDR6, which is optimized for dedicated graphics memory bandwidth. The bus widths differ accordingly: 128 bit for AMD versus 192 bit for NVIDIA.

The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation includes a full set of dedicated hardware features that the AMD part lacks or only partially includes. Specifically, the NVIDIA part has 232 tensor cores, which enable AI-accelerated features such as DLSS and other neural network-based rendering techniques. The AMD part has no tensor cores at all. The NVIDIA part also has 58 RT cores versus 8 on the AMD part, and while both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), the NVIDIA implementation has far more dedicated hardware for ray tracing.

Power consumption and form factor differ substantially. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has a TDP of 15 W, making it suitable for fanless or ultra-low-power portable designs. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 110 W, which requires active cooling and a larger chassis. The NVIDIA part is listed as an IGP (integrated graphics package) slot width, but its power draw places it in the range of discrete mobile GPUs. The AMD part uses a single USB Type-C display output, while the NVIDIA part's display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by the laptop implementation.

Both GPUs support the same API levels: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD part supports FP16 at a 2:1 ratio relative to FP32, producing 3.277 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA part supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, producing 24.72 TFLOPS. That means the NVIDIA part does not lose performance when switching to half-precision workloads.

The release dates differ by about 21 months. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation launched on 2023-03-20, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU launched on 2024-12-31. The NVIDIA part has a predecessor listed as Ampere-MW and a successor as Blackwell-MW, while the AMD part has no listed predecessor or successor.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 24.72 TFLOPS of FP32, compared to 1.638 TFLOPS on the AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU, a 15.1x advantage.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU uses 16 GB of LPDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA part has 4.2x more bandwidth, while the AMD part has 4 GB more capacity.

Q: Does either GPU support ray tracing?

A: Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes DirectX Raytracing. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has 58 RT cores, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU has 8 RT cores.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has a TDP of 15 W, while the RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has a TDP of 110 W. The NVIDIA part requires significantly more power and cooling.

Q: Are there tensor cores on either GPU?

A: The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has 232 tensor cores. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU has no tensor cores.

Q: Which GPU has higher texture and pixel rates?

A: The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation achieves 386.3 GTexel/s and 133.2 GPixel/s. The Ryzen Z2 A GPU achieves 51.20 GTexel/s and 25.60 GPixel/s.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every measured specification. The table below highlights only the fields where the two parts are not identical.

| Specification | AMD Ryzen Z2 A GPU | NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 2,400 million | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | 163 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 14.7M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 1290 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1600 MHz | 1665 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 800 MHz 6.4 Gbps effective | 2250 MHz 18 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | LPDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 102.4 GB/s | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 32 | 232 |

| ROPs | 16 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 8 | 58 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 232 |

| Pixel Rate | 25.60 GPixel/s | 133.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 51.20 GTexel/s | 386.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1.638 TFLOPS | 24.72 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 3.277 TFLOPS (2:1) | 24.72 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 15 W | 110 W |

| Slot Width | Not listed | IGP |

| Power Connectors | Not listed | None |

| Bus Interface | Not listed | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x USB Type-C | Portable Device Dependent |

| Release Date | 2024-12-31 | 2023-03-20 |

| Predecessor | Not listed | Ampere-MW |

| Successor | Not listed | Blackwell-MW |

Where Each One Wins

The Ryzen Z2 A GPU wins in scenarios that prioritize low power consumption and compact integration. With a 15 W TDP, it fits into handheld or ultra-mobile devices where battery life and thermal limits dominate. Its 16 GB memory capacity is larger than the NVIDIA part, which could help in niche workloads that need more than 12 GB of frame buffer, though the bandwidth penalty will limit that benefit. The single USB Type-C display output suggests a design aimed at simple, portable displays rather than multi-monitor setups.

The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation wins in every performance metric that matters for gaming and compute. Its 15.1x FP32 advantage, 4.2x bandwidth advantage, 7.5x texture rate advantage, and 5.2x pixel rate advantage make it the clear choice for demanding applications. The 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores enable features the AMD part cannot match, such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based upscaling. The 110 W TDP is a cost, but it is the price for that level of throughput.

For a use case like high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p gaming, the RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has the headroom. For lightweight 2D workloads, media playback, or basic productivity on a battery-sipping handheld, the Ryzen Z2 A GPU is sufficient. The data does not support any scenario where the AMD part outperforms the NVIDIA part in frame rate or rendering speed.

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is not a close call on performance. The RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 24.72 TFLOPS of FP32, 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, and 386.3 GTexel/s of texture throughput, while the Ryzen Z2 A GPU delivers 1.638 TFLOPS, 102.4 GB/s, and 51.20 GTexel/s. Any user who needs sustained graphics performance, ray tracing, or AI-accelerated features should select the NVIDIA part.

The Ryzen Z2 A GPU is only viable in systems where the 15 W TDP is a hard constraint. Its 16 GB memory capacity is its only advantage, and that advantage is offset by a 4.2x bandwidth deficit. The database shows no benchmark wins for either part, but the specification gap is so large that the NVIDIA part is the only reasonable choice for performance-oriented workloads.

A builder selecting a GPU for a gaming laptop or a mobile workstation should choose the RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation. A designer targeting a fanless handheld with minimal power draw might consider the Ryzen Z2 A GPU, but they must accept a compute capability that is more than an order of magnitude lower. The data is unambiguous: the RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation is the higher-performing product, and the Ryzen Z2 A GPU is a low-power integrated solution with limited applicability.