AMD Steam Machine GPU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Comparison

The AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 are two compact graphics processors aimed at different segments of the market. The Steam Machine GPU is a console-oriented part designed by AMD for Valve's hardware, while the RTX 4060 is a mainstream desktop add-in board from NVIDIA's GeForce 40-series. The recorded data shows two very different implementations of the same memory configuration, and the benchmark results place the RTX 4060 in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,639. The AMD part has no recorded average score and sits at the 50th percentile. This analysis draws strictly on the measured specifications and benchmark data available in the database.

FAQ

Q: What is the process node difference between the two GPUs?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses a 6 nm process node, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 uses a 5 nm process node. Both are manufactured by TSMC.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have, and what is the bandwidth?

A: Both GPUs have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, while the RTX 4060 has a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has 3,072 shading units, while the AMD Steam Machine GPU has 1,792 shading units. The RTX 4060 also has 96 tensor cores, which the AMD part does not list.

Q: What is the TDP of each GPU?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU has a TDP of 110 W, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115 W. The RTX 4060 lists a suggested power supply of 300 W, while the AMD part does not list a suggested PSU.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU is listed as Active, with a release date in 2026. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is listed as End-of-life, with a release date in 2023.

Q: What are the display outputs on each card?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses 1x HDMI 2.1a and 1x DisplayPort 2.1. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 uses 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent fundamentally different architectural approaches. The AMD Steam Machine GPU is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, using the Navi 33 chip with the codename "Hotpink Bonefish." It is categorized as a Console GPU for Valve. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip and belongs to the GeForce 40 generation.

The manufacturing processes differ. The AMD part is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the RTX 4060 uses a 5 nm process at the same foundry. The transistor counts reflect this difference. The AMD chip contains 13,300 million transistors on a die size of 204 mm², giving a transistor density of 65.2 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip contains 18,900 million transistors on a smaller die of 159 mm², resulting in a much higher density of 118.9 million per mm². The data indicates the RTX 4060 packs more transistors into a physically smaller area.

The compute resources differ significantly. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. It also includes 28 ray tracing cores. The RTX 4060 has 3,072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and 24 ray tracing cores. Additionally, the RTX 4060 includes 96 tensor cores, a feature class absent from the AMD part's specification list. The shading unit count is a major differentiator, with NVIDIA holding a 1,280 unit advantage.

Memory architecture is similar in capacity and bus width, but the clocks differ. The AMD part runs its GDDR6 memory at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed, yielding 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4060 runs memory at 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective, yielding 272.0 GB/s. The AMD console GPU has a 16.0 GB/s bandwidth advantage.

The clock speeds also differ. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2450 MHz. The RTX 4060 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with no game clock listed. The RTX 4060 starts higher but the boost clocks are nearly identical, separated by only 10 MHz.

Feature support is broadly aligned. Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The display output configuration differs, with AMD offering one HDMI 2.1a and one DisplayPort 2.1, while NVIDIA offers one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a. The physical dimensions also diverge. The AMD Steam Machine GPU measures 156 mm in length, 152 mm in height, and 162 mm in width. The RTX 4060 measures 240 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width. The AMD part is a much squarer, more compact unit, while the RTX 4060 is a traditional long card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. The head-to-head benchmark array is empty, and the win counts are zero for both sides. However, the RTX 4060 has a full set of individual benchmark scores, and these can be interpreted against its nearest rivals to contextualize its performance tier.

The RTX 4060 shows a strong compute result in Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 95,057. Its Vulkan score is 48,643. In Passmark testing, the RTX 4060 achieves a G3D score of 19,545 and a GPU compute score of 9,213. The DirectX tests show a score of 236 for DirectX 9, 175 for DirectX 11, 103 for DirectX 10, and 76 for DirectX 12. The 2D graphics score is 1,037.

The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17,639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are all AMD parts. The closest is the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with an average score of 17,666, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17,588, which is 0.3% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17,551, 0.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17,509, 0.7% lower. This grouping shows the RTX 4060 sits in a tight cluster where the performance differences between it and these older or integrated AMD parts are minimal, within a range of less than one percent.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test gives the RTX 4060 a score of 2,302. This is the only modern synthetic gaming benchmark recorded for the RTX 4060, and it provides a reference point for its DX12 rasterization performance. Without any recorded benchmarks for the AMD Steam Machine GPU, the database cannot quantify how the two compare directly. The AMD part has an average benchmark score of zero and no individual test results, meaning the only measurable performance data belongs to the RTX 4060.

The percentile data reinforces this gap in available information. The RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, while the AMD Steam Machine GPU sits at the 50th percentile. The 50th percentile is a midpoint ranking, but without a benchmark score attached, it does not translate into a specific performance figure. The RTX 4060's 61st percentile is backed by a concrete average score of 17,639.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two parts, based strictly on the recorded data.

The process node differs: 6 nm for AMD versus 5 nm for NVIDIA. The transistor count differs: 13,300 million for AMD versus 18,900 million for NVIDIA. The die size differs: 204 mm² for AMD versus 159 mm² for NVIDIA. Transistor density differs: 65.2 million per mm² for AMD versus 118.9 million per mm² for NVIDIA.

The base clock differs: 1720 MHz for AMD versus 1830 MHz for NVIDIA. The boost clock differs slightly: 2450 MHz for AMD versus 2460 MHz for NVIDIA. The AMD part lists a game clock of 2250 MHz, a field absent for the RTX 4060. Memory clock differs: 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective for AMD versus 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective for NVIDIA. Memory bandwidth differs: 288.0 GB/s for AMD versus 272.0 GB/s for NVIDIA.

Shading units differ: 1,792 for AMD versus 3,072 for NVIDIA. TMUs differ: 112 for AMD versus 96 for NVIDIA. ROPs differ: 64 for AMD versus 48 for NVIDIA. Ray tracing cores differ: 28 for AMD versus 24 for NVIDIA. The RTX 4060 lists 96 tensor cores, while the AMD part lists none.

Pixel rate differs: 156.8 GPixel/s for AMD versus 118.1 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rate differs: 274.4 GTexel/s for AMD versus 236.2 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 compute differs: 17.56 TFLOPS for AMD versus 15.11 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. FP16 is 17.56 TFLOPS for AMD versus 15.11 TFLOPS for NVIDIA, both at 1:1 ratios.

TDP differs: 110 W for AMD versus 115 W for NVIDIA. Slot width: the AMD part lists none, the RTX 4060 is dual-slot. Power connectors: none for AMD versus 1x 12-pin for NVIDIA. Suggested PSU: none for AMD versus 300 W for NVIDIA. Bus interface: none for AMD versus PCIe 4.0 x8 for NVIDIA.

Display outputs differ: 1x HDMI 2.1a and 1x DisplayPort 2.1 for AMD versus 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for NVIDIA. Dimensions differ: the AMD part is 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm, while the RTX 4060 is 240 mm by 111 mm by 40 mm. Production status differs: Active for AMD versus End-of-life for NVIDIA. Release dates differ: 2026 for AMD versus 2023 for NVIDIA. The RTX 4060 lists a predecessor (GeForce 30) and successor (GeForce 50), while the AMD part lists neither. The RTX 4060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD, while the AMD part has none.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Steam Machine GPU wins on several raw throughput metrics. Its pixel rate of 156.8 GPixel/s is 38.7 GPixel/s higher than the RTX 4060's 118.1 GPixel/s. Its texture rate of 274.4 GTexel/s is 38.2 GTexel/s higher than the RTX 4060's 236.2 GTexel/s. Its FP32 compute of 17.56 TFLOPS is 2.45 TFLOPS higher than the RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS. The AMD part also has more TMUs (112 versus 96), more ROPs (64 versus 48), and more ray tracing cores (28 versus 24). Its memory bandwidth is higher at 288.0 GB/s versus 272.0 GB/s. These figures indicate the AMD part has a fill-rate and raw compute advantage on paper.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 wins on shading unit count with 3,072 versus 1,792, a 1,280 unit advantage. It also has 96 tensor cores, a feature the AMD part does not list. The RTX 4060 has a higher base clock (1830 MHz versus 1720 MHz) and a marginally higher boost clock (2460 MHz versus 2450 MHz). It uses a denser 5 nm process, packs more transistors (18,900 million versus 13,300 million) into a smaller die (159 mm² versus 204 mm²), and runs at a slightly higher TDP of 115 W versus 110 W. The RTX 4060 is the only part with recorded benchmark results, and its 61st percentile ranking with an average score of 17,639 is the only measured performance outcome in this comparison.

The RTX 4060's nearest rival data shows it performs within 0.7% of a set of AMD parts, which suggests its real-world performance is closely matched with those specific GPUs. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has no such data, so its theoretical advantages in pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 cannot be validated against measured results. The benchmark field favors the RTX 4060 by virtue of having any recorded scores at all.

The Verdict

The data presents a split decision. On paper, the AMD Steam Machine GPU has higher raw throughput in several categories. It delivers more pixel fill, more texture fill, more FP32 compute, more ray tracing cores, more TMUs, more ROPs, and more memory bandwidth than the RTX 4060. Its TDP is slightly lower, and its compact dimensions suit a console form factor. These are meaningful advantages in a specifications comparison.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 counters with a much higher shading unit count, tensor core support, a denser and more modern process node, and a higher base clock. It also has the only measured benchmark data in the comparison. Its average score of 17,639 and 61st percentile ranking show it performs in a specific tier, closely clustered with the AMD Radeon HD 7790, Radeon 780M, Radeon Pro 560, and Radeon Pro 460. The AMD Steam Machine GPU's 50th percentile ranking carries no supporting score.

For a builder choosing between these two, the RTX 4060 is the only option with recorded performance validation. The AMD part's theoretical throughput advantages are real in the specification sheet, but the database contains no evidence of how they translate into benchmark results. The RTX 4060 also has a known launch MSRP of 299 USD, a production status of End-of-life, and a clear place in the GeForce 40-series lineup. The AMD Steam Machine GPU is Active, newer, and designed for Valve's console platform, so its intended use case is tied to that hardware rather than general desktop builds. The measured data favors the RTX 4060; the specification data favors the AMD part on throughput metrics. The verdict depends on whether the priority is validated performance or raw on-paper compute rates.