AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU vs NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU and NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation are two mobile graphics processors aimed at different segments of the portable computing market. The recorded data shows both GPUs occupy the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, indicating they deliver comparable overall performance for their respective classes. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is a console-oriented chip built on the Hawk Point design, while the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation is a professional mobile workstation part based on the AD107 chip.

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is the choice for applications that require substantial memory capacity. It ships with 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 128-bit bus, which provides 119.9 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation, in contrast, carries only 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit bus, though it achieves a slightly higher 128.0 GB/s bandwidth. The data indicates the AMD part is better suited for workloads that demand large memory footprints, such as complex shader compilation or multi-instance GPU tasks.

The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation, on the other hand, is the pick for compute-heavy tasks that leverage tensor operations. It integrates 64 tensor cores and 16 RT cores, while the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has 12 RT cores and no tensor core count listed. The NVIDIA part also has 2048 shading units compared to 768 on the AMD chip, which gives it a significant advantage in parallel compute throughput per clock. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU compensates with a higher boost clock of 2700 MHz versus 2025 MHz on the NVIDIA part, but the shading unit deficit remains.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU wins in memory capacity and pixel throughput. Its 16 GB frame buffer is four times larger than the NVIDIA part's 4 GB, and its pixel rate of 86.40 GPixel/s exceeds the 64.80 GPixel/s delivered by the RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation. This makes the AMD chip more capable for high-resolution rendering with large textures or for use cases that require holding multiple large buffers in memory simultaneously.

The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation wins in texture throughput and ray tracing hardware. Both GPUs deliver identical texture rates of 129.6 GTexel/s, but the NVIDIA part achieves this with fewer TMUs operating at lower clocks, indicating better efficiency per texture unit. The NVIDIA chip also has 16 RT cores versus 12 on the AMD part, and it includes 64 tensor cores that the AMD chip lacks entirely. For AI-accelerated workloads, the NVIDIA part has a clear hardware advantage.

The power envelope favors the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU. Its TDP is 28 W, while the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation is rated at 35 W. For thermally constrained devices, the AMD chip offers a lower power draw, though the NVIDIA part's higher TDP suggests it can sustain higher sustained clocks under load.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is built on RDNA 3.0 architecture and fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The chip contains 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 142.6 million transistors per square millimeter. The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation uses Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, with 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die, for a density of 118.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The AMD chip packs more transistors into a slightly larger die.

The clock behavior differs substantially. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has a base clock of 800 MHz and a boost clock of 2700 MHz, a wide dynamic range that allows significant power savings when idle. The NVIDIA part has a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 2025 MHz, a narrower range that reflects a more consistent operating point. Memory clocks also differ: the AMD chip runs at 937 MHz with 7.5 Gbps effective data rate, while the NVIDIA part runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective.

Shader organization is a major differentiator. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation has 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite the 2.67x shading unit advantage for NVIDIA, both parts achieve identical FP32 throughput of 8.294 TFLOPS and identical FP16 throughput of 8.294 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). This indicates the AMD architecture extracts more work per shading unit, likely through higher clock speeds and different instruction scheduling.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA part uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interface, while the AMD part lists no bus interface in the database. The NVIDIA chip is designated as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with slot width IGP, while the AMD part has no slot width listed. Display outputs differ: the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has one USB Type-C output, and the NVIDIA part's outputs are portable device dependent.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory, four times the 4 GB of GDDR6 on the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation.

Q: Do these GPUs have the same compute throughput?

A: Yes, both deliver exactly 8.294 TFLOPS in FP32 and FP16 (1:1) operations, despite having different shading unit counts and clock speeds.

Q: Which GPU has ray tracing support?

A: Both support ray tracing. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has 12 RT cores, while the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation has 16 RT cores.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU is rated at 28 W TDP, and the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation is rated at 35 W TDP.

Q: Are there tensor cores on either GPU?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation has 64 tensor cores. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU has no tensor core count listed in the database.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation achieves 128.0 GB/s, slightly higher than the 119.9 GB/s of the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data shows zero recorded wins for either GPU, meaning the database has no direct comparison tests between these two parts. The absence of benchmark scores in the database for both GPUs means the comparison must rely on architectural specifications and derived metrics.

The most significant performance indicator is the identical FP32 throughput of 8.294 TFLOPS for both GPUs. This equality masks substantial architectural differences. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU reaches this figure with 768 shading units at up to 2700 MHz boost. The NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation achieves the same result with 2048 shading units at up to 2025 MHz boost. The AMD chip's higher clock rate compensates for its lower shader count, but the NVIDIA architecture has more raw execution resources that could be leveraged differently in specific workloads.

Texture throughput is exactly matched at 129.6 GTexel/s for both parts. The AMD chip uses 48 TMUs at a higher clock, while the NVIDIA part uses 64 TMUs at a lower clock. The identical texture rate suggests that texture-bound workloads will perform similarly on both GPUs, all else being equal.

Pixel throughput favors the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU. Its 86.40 GPixel/s exceeds the 64.80 GPixel/s of the NVIDIA part by 33.3%. Both GPUs have 32 ROPs, so the difference comes entirely from the AMD chip's higher boost clock. For fill-rate-limited scenarios, such as high-resolution post-processing effects, the AMD part has a measurable advantage.

Memory bandwidth slightly favors the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation. Its 128.0 GB/s is 6.8% higher than the 119.9 GB/s of the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU. The NVIDIA part uses GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus, while the AMD part uses LPDDR5X on a 128-bit bus. The wider bus on the AMD chip is offset by the higher effective data rate of the GDDR6 memory on the NVIDIA part.

Ray tracing hardware favors the NVIDIA part. Its 16 RT cores represent a 33.3% increase over the 12 RT cores on the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU. The NVIDIA part also includes 64 tensor cores, which the AMD chip lacks. These hardware resources give the NVIDIA part a structural advantage in ray-traced scenes and AI-assisted rendering features.

Transistor economics favor the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU. Its 25,390 million transistors are 34.3% more than the 18,900 million on the NVIDIA part, and its die size of 178 mm² is 11.9% larger than the 159 mm² NVIDIA die. The AMD chip achieves a transistor density of 142.6 million per square millimeter, versus 118.9 million on the NVIDIA part, indicating a denser design that packs more logic into the same area.

Process technology differs by one node generation step. The AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU uses a 4 nm TSMC process, while the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation uses a 5 nm TSMC process. Both are fabricated at TSMC, but the smaller process node on the AMD chip contributes to its higher transistor density.

The release timeline in the database shows the NVIDIA RTX 500 Mobile Ada Generation appeared first with a release date of 2024-02-25, and the AMD Ryzen Z2 GPU followed with a release date of 2024-12-31. The NVIDIA part has a documented predecessor (Ampere-MW) and successor (Blackwell-MW), while the AMD part has neither predecessor nor successor listed. This suggests the NVIDIA part sits in an established product line, whereas the AMD part may represent a newer or more isolated market entry.

Both GPUs are marked as Active in production status and occupy the same 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The average benchmark score is zero for both parts, which reflects the absence of recorded benchmark data rather than a measured performance result. The database records identical API support across DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, meaning software compatibility is not a differentiator between these two parts.