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

FAQ

Q: What are the two processors compared in this analysis?

A: The comparison is between the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU, a console-class GPU from AMD using the Hawk Point chip, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q, a mobile GPU from NVIDIA's GeForce 40-series.

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 performance figure?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q delivers 9.032 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU provides 8.294 TFLOPS, a difference of 0.738 TFLOPS in favor of NVIDIA.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ between the two?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU uses 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 119.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on the same 128-bit bus, but achieves 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has a smaller manufacturing process node?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q uses a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The 4 nm node is smaller.

Q: What are the thermal design power (TDP) ratings for each GPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has a TDP of 28 W, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q has a TDP of 35 W.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

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

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q are built on fundamentally different architectures. The AMD part uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA part uses Ada Lovelace. These architectures dictate different approaches to compute, ray tracing, and tensor operations.

The manufacturing processes differ as well. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC, with a transistor count of 25,390 million on a die size of 178 mm². This yields a transistor density of 142.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q, in contrast, is made on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC, with 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 118.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The AMD chip packs more transistors into a larger die.

The core configurations differ substantially. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operations pipelines (ROPs). It also includes 12 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 24 ray tracing cores, and adds 96 tensor cores, which are absent from the AMD part.

The AMD architecture uses a significantly lower base clock of 800 MHz but boosts up to 2700 MHz. The NVIDIA part has a higher base clock of 1140 MHz but a lower boost clock of 1470 MHz. These clock speeds, combined with the different core counts, lead to distinct performance profiles.

Memory architecture also separates the two. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU uses LPDDR5X memory with a speed of 937 MHz (7.5 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA part uses GDDR6 at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). Both use a 128-bit memory bus, but the effective bandwidth differs greatly.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data in the database shows no recorded head-to-head benchmark entries for these two GPUs. The recorded data indicates zero wins for either side in direct comparisons. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has a percentile score of 50 against all GPUs, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q also holds a percentile score of 50. Both have an average benchmark score of 0, meaning no specific benchmark results are available in the database.

Without direct benchmark scores, the comparison relies on the architectural specifications. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q delivers a higher FP32 throughput: 9.032 TFLOPS versus 8.294 TFLOPS for the AMD part, a 0.738 TFLOPS advantage. The NVIDIA part also has a higher texture rate at 141.1 GTexel/s, compared to 129.6 GTexel/s for the AMD GPU.

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU, however, leads in pixel rate. It achieves 86.40 GPixel/s, while the NVIDIA part delivers 70.56 GPixel/s. This indicates the AMD part can fill more pixels per second, a useful trait for certain rendering workloads.

Memory bandwidth is a clear differentiator. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q has 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, more than double the 119.9 GB/s of the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU. This suggests the NVIDIA part can handle memory-intensive tasks, such as high-resolution textures and large data sets, more effectively.

The NVIDIA part also has a substantial advantage in shading units, with 3072 versus 768. This fourfold difference in shader count, combined with higher FP32 throughput, indicates a stronger raw compute capability for the NVIDIA GPU in parallel workloads. The NVIDIA part also includes 96 tensor cores, which the AMD part lacks entirely.

The AMD part counters with a higher boost clock of 2700 MHz, compared to 1470 MHz for the NVIDIA part. This higher boost clock helps the AMD GPU close some of the gap in compute tasks despite having fewer cores.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in almost every major specification category.

• Process Node: AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU uses 4 nm; NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q uses 5 nm.
• Transistors: AMD has 25,390 million; NVIDIA has 18,900 million.
• Die Size: AMD is 178 mm²; NVIDIA is 159 mm².
• Transistor Density: AMD is 142.6M / mm²; NVIDIA is 118.9M / mm².
• Base Clock: AMD is 800 MHz; NVIDIA is 1140 MHz.
• Boost Clock: AMD is 2700 MHz; NVIDIA is 1470 MHz.
• Memory Clock: AMD is 937 MHz (7.5 Gbps effective); NVIDIA is 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: AMD is 16 GB; NVIDIA is 8 GB.
• Memory Type: AMD uses LPDDR5X; NVIDIA uses GDDR6.
• Memory Bandwidth: AMD is 119.9 GB/s; NVIDIA is 256.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: AMD has 768; NVIDIA has 3072.
• TMUs: AMD has 48; NVIDIA has 96.
• ROPs: AMD has 32; NVIDIA has 48.
• Ray Tracing Cores: AMD has 12; NVIDIA has 24.
• Tensor Cores: AMD has none; NVIDIA has 96.
• Pixel Rate: AMD is 86.40 GPixel/s; NVIDIA is 70.56 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: AMD is 129.6 GTexel/s; NVIDIA is 141.1 GTexel/s.
• FP32: AMD is 8.294 TFLOPS; NVIDIA is 9.032 TFLOPS.
• TDP: AMD is 28 W; NVIDIA is 35 W.
• Bus Interface: AMD has no listed interface; NVIDIA uses PCIe 4.0 x8.
• Display Outputs: AMD has 1x USB Type-C; NVIDIA is Portable Device Dependent.
• Chip: AMD uses Hawk Point; NVIDIA uses AD107.
• Generation: AMD is Console GPU (AMD); NVIDIA is GeForce 40 Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU holds advantages in several areas. It offers a smaller 4 nm process node, which typically indicates better power efficiency per transistor. Its higher boost clock of 2700 MHz allows for faster peak execution in single-threaded or lightly threaded workloads. The AMD part also has a higher pixel rate of 86.40 GPixel/s, which can be beneficial for fill-rate-limited scenarios. Its 16 GB of memory is double the capacity of the NVIDIA part, which is useful for workloads that require large memory pools, such as certain content creation tasks or running large models. The lower TDP of 28 W compared to 35 W also suggests it can fit into more power-constrained designs.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q delivers wins in compute-heavy and memory-bandwidth-heavy scenarios. Its FP32 throughput of 9.032 TFLOPS is ahead of the AMD part, and its texture rate of 141.1 GTexel/s is also higher. The inclusion of 96 tensor cores provides dedicated hardware for AI and machine learning workloads, which the AMD part cannot match. The memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s is more than double that of the AMD GPU, giving it a clear edge in data-intensive operations. The NVIDIA part also has four times the shading units (3072 versus 768), which directly benefits parallel processing tasks. Its ray tracing core count of 24 versus 12 suggests better ray tracing performance, assuming software support is equal.

In terms of connectivity, the NVIDIA part uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, which provides a standardized high-bandwidth connection to the host system. The AMD part does not list a bus interface in the database.

The choice between the two depends on the workload. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU appears suited for power-sensitive, pixel-heavy, or memory-capacity-oriented tasks. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q appears suited for compute-heavy, bandwidth-intensive, AI-accelerated, or ray-traced workloads. The database shows no direct benchmark wins for either, so these conclusions are drawn from the recorded specification differences.