AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture on a 4 nm TSMC process with 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process with 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. The AMD chip has a higher transistor density at 142.6M per mm² versus 118.9M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory with a 128-bit bus and 119.9 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with the same 128-bit bus width but significantly higher bandwidth at 272.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has more shader cores and what does that mean for raw compute?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has 3,072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units, delivering 15.11 TFLOPS FP32. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, delivering 8.294 TFLOPS FP32. NVIDIA's chip provides nearly double the FP32 throughput.

Q: What is the difference in power consumption?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is rated at 28 W TDP and requires no power connectors. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is rated at 115 W TDP, uses a single 12-pin power connector, and requires a 300 W suggested PSU.

Q: What do the benchmark scores show for the RTX 4060?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (delta -0.2%), AMD Radeon 780M (delta +0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (delta +0.5%), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (delta +0.7%).

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is listed as Active production status, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is listed as End-of-life. The RTX 4060 was released on 2023-05-17 with a launch MSRP of 299 USD, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU was released on 2024-12-31.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture built on a 4 nm TSMC process. Its chip, codenamed Hawk Point, packs 25,390 million transistors into a 178 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 142.6M per mm². This is a console-oriented GPU generation design with a thermal envelope of just 28 W and no external power connectors required.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process. The AD107 chip contains 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die, with a transistor density of 118.9M per mm². Despite the larger process node, NVIDIA's design operates at a higher TDP of 115 W and requires a 12-pin power connector with a 300 W suggested PSU.

Feature support is similar on both: each supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 4060 adds 96 tensor cores alongside its 24 ray tracing cores, while the Ryzen Z2 GPU has 12 ray tracing cores and no tensor core count listed. The NVIDIA card also supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the AMD part has no bus interface listed.

Memory architecture diverges sharply. The Ryzen Z2 GPU uses 16 GB of LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus at 937 MHz (7.5 Gbps effective), yielding 119.9 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a similarly 128-bit bus at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective), yielding 272.0 GB/s. NVIDIA's memory clock is more than double, and its bandwidth is roughly 2.3 times higher.

Clock behavior differs as well. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has a base clock of 800 MHz and a boost clock of 2700 MHz. The RTX 4060 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. The AMD part has a lower base but a higher boost, while NVIDIA maintains a more consistent operating range.

Physical characteristics also separate the two. The RTX 4060 is a dual-slot card measuring 240 mm by 111 mm by 40 mm. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no listed dimensions and its display output is a single USB Type-C, whereas the RTX 4060 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU wins in scenarios where power efficiency and compact integration are the primary constraints. Its 28 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it suitable for portable or console-style platforms where thermal headroom is limited. The 16 GB memory capacity is double that of the RTX 4060, which matters for workloads that require large working sets, even if the bandwidth is lower. The AMD part is also the active production product, while NVIDIA has moved the RTX 4060 to end-of-life status.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 wins in raw performance metrics across nearly every measurable category. It has 4 times the shading units, double the TMUs, and 1.5 times the ROPs. Its FP32 throughput is 15.11 TFLOPS versus 8.294 TFLOPS for the AMD part. Memory bandwidth is 272.0 GB/s versus 119.9 GB/s. Pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s versus 86.40 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s versus 129.6 GTexel/s. It also has 24 ray tracing cores versus 12, plus 96 tensor cores for AI-accelerated workloads.

The recorded database benchmarks only list scores for the RTX 4060, covering 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 2302, Geekbench OpenCL at 95057, Geekbench Vulkan at 48643, and multiple Passmark tests. The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no benchmark entries in the database, so all comparative performance analysis relies on the specification differences and the RTX 4060's percentile placement.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two GPUs:

• Process node: 4 nm (AMD) vs 5 nm (NVIDIA)
• Transistors: 25,390 million vs 18,900 million
• Die size: 178 mm² vs 159 mm²
• Transistor density: 142.6M / mm² vs 118.9M / mm²
• Base clock: 800 MHz vs 1830 MHz
• Boost clock: 2700 MHz vs 2460 MHz
• Memory clock: 937 MHz 7.5 Gbps effective vs 2125 MHz 17 Gbps effective
• Memory size: 16 GB vs 8 GB
• Memory type: LPDDR5X vs GDDR6
• Memory bandwidth: 119.9 GB/s vs 272.0 GB/s
• Shading units: 768 vs 3072
• TMUs: 48 vs 96
• ROPs: 32 vs 48
• Ray tracing cores: 12 vs 24
• Tensor cores: not listed vs 96
• Pixel rate: 86.40 GPixel/s vs 118.1 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 129.6 GTexel/s vs 236.2 GTexel/s
• FP32: 8.294 TFLOPS vs 15.11 TFLOPS
• FP16: 8.294 TFLOPS (1:1) vs 15.11 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 28 W vs 115 W
• Slot width: not listed vs dual-slot
• Power connectors: None vs 1x 12-pin
• Suggested PSU: not listed vs 300 W
• Bus interface: not listed vs PCIe 4.0 x8
• Display outputs: 1x USB Type-C vs 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
• Dimensions: not listed vs 240 mm, 111 mm, 40 mm
• Production status: Active vs End-of-life
• Release date: 2024-12-31 vs 2023-05-17
• Predecessor: not listed vs GeForce 30
• Successor: not listed vs GeForce 50
• Launch MSRP: not listed vs 299 USD

Both share a 128-bit memory bus width, DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between these two GPUs. The only recorded benchmark data belongs to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which has an average benchmark score of 17,639 and sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs.

The RTX 4060's nearest rivals in the database are all AMD Radeon parts, and the deltas are tight. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17,666, which is 0.2% above the RTX 4060. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17,588, 0.3% below. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17,551, 0.5% below, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17,509, 0.7% below. This clustering indicates that the RTX 4060's average score sits within a narrow band of comparable GPUs.

Specification analysis provides the clearest comparative signal. In FP32 compute, the RTX 4060 delivers 15.11 TFLOPS, which is 82% higher than the Ryzen Z2 GPU's 8.294 TFLOPS. In texture throughput, the RTX 4060's 236.2 GTexel/s is 82% higher than the Ryzen Z2 GPU's 129.6 GTexel/s. In pixel throughput, the RTX 4060's 118.1 GPixel/s is 37% higher than 86.40 GPixel/s. Memory bandwidth shows the largest gap: 272.0 GB/s compared to 119.9 GB/s, a 127% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

The RTX 4060's individual benchmark scores provide context for its capabilities. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 reflects modern API performance. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 95057 and Vulkan score of 48643 indicate strong compute performance across different APIs. The Passmark G3D score of 19545 and GPU compute score of 9213 round out the picture. The lower Passmark DirectX scores (10 through 12 ranging from 76 to 236) show legacy API performance.

The Ryzen Z2 GPU has no recorded benchmark scores, so its placement in the database is based entirely on its specification sheet and its 50th percentile ranking. That percentile places it at the midpoint of all GPUs in the database, while the RTX 4060 ranks in the 61st percentile.

The Verdict

The data shows two GPUs designed for different operating contexts. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is a 28 W part with no power connectors, 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory, and a 50th percentile ranking. Its specifications align with low-power, integrated or console-style platforms where the 119.9 GB/s bandwidth and 8.294 TFLOPS are sufficient for the target workload. Its 16 GB memory capacity is a notable advantage for memory-intensive tasks, and its active production status means it is currently available in the market.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is an end-of-life desktop card with a 115 W TDP, a 12-pin power connector, and a 300 W suggested PSU. Its 61st percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 17,639 place it above the midpoint of the database. Its nearest rivals cluster within 0.7% of its score, indicating that its performance level is well established. The RTX 4060 delivers approximately double the FP32 throughput, 2.3 times the memory bandwidth, and significantly higher texture and pixel rates compared to the Ryzen Z2 GPU. It also includes tensor cores, which the AMD part lacks.

For users selecting based on recorded benchmark data, the RTX 4060 is the higher-performing GPU in every measurable specification category. For users constrained by power draw, physical footprint, or memory capacity, the Ryzen Z2 GPU offers a 16 GB frame buffer and a 28 W envelope that the RTX 4060 cannot match. The choice depends on whether the priority is peak performance or low-power operation with larger memory capacity.