AMD Steam Machine GPU vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 Comparison

The Verdict

The database places both the AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 at the 50th percentile among all recorded GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 0 for each in the current dataset. The recorded data shows a head-to-head benchmark count of zero wins for either side, meaning the two products do not have directly comparable workload results yet. For a buyer choosing strictly from the available data, the Steam Machine GPU offers a higher FP32 compute throughput, a larger texture fill rate, and a higher pixel rate, while the RTX 4060 AD106 counters with more shading units, tensor cores, a smaller process node, and a higher transistor density. The Steam Machine GPU is the choice when raw rasterization throughput and memory bandwidth are the primary concerns, while the RTX 4060 AD106 is the choice when the workload benefits from a larger shader array and dedicated tensor hardware. The Steam Machine GPU also carries a lower thermal design power of 110 W versus 115 W, and it requires no external power connectors, which simplifies installation. The RTX 4060 AD106 is marked end-of-life in the database, while the Steam Machine GPU is active; that production status difference matters for availability and long-term support.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses the Navi 33 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, with the codename Hotpink Bonefish, fabricated by TSMC on a 6 nm process. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 uses the AD106 chip built on Ada Lovelace architecture, also fabricated by TSMC but on a 5 nm process. The process node difference gives the RTX 4060 a density advantage: 121.8 million transistors per square millimeter versus 65.2 million for the Navi 33. The RTX 4060 packs 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die, while the Steam Machine GPU contains 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die.

The shader configurations differ substantially. The Steam Machine GPU has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, 64 raster output units, and 28 ray tracing cores. The RTX 4060 AD106 has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, 48 raster output units, 24 ray tracing cores, and 96 tensor cores. The Steam Machine GPU has no tensor cores recorded. The extra shading units on the NVIDIA side do not translate into higher FP32 throughput because the AMD part achieves 17.56 TFLOPS FP32 versus 15.11 TFLOPS for the RTX 4060. Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The memory architecture is similar in capacity and bus width. Both use 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus. The AMD memory clock runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective data rate, yielding 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA memory clock runs at 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective, yielding 272.0 GB/s. The Steam Machine GPU therefore has a 5.9% bandwidth advantage. The power delivery differs: the Steam Machine GPU has a 110 W TDP and lists no power connectors, while the RTX 4060 AD106 has a 115 W TDP, a single 12-pin connector, and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The Steam Machine GPU is a compact board at 156 mm length, 152 mm height, and 162 mm width, while the RTX 4060 is dual-slot with no recorded dimensions. Display outputs also differ: the Steam Machine GPU has one HDMI 2.1a and one DisplayPort 2.1, while the RTX 4060 has one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a. The bus interface is only recorded for the RTX 4060: PCIe 4.0 x8.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU records 17.56 TFLOPS FP32, which is 2.45 TFLOPS higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 at 15.11 TFLOPS.

Q: Do both cards have 8 GB of memory?

A: Yes, both the AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 use 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus.

Q: Which GPU requires an external power connector?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 uses one 12-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 300 W. The AMD Steam Machine GPU lists no power connectors and has a 110 W TDP.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU is recorded as Active, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 is recorded as End-of-life.

Q: Which GPU has more ray tracing cores?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU has 28 ray tracing cores, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 has 24 ray tracing cores.

Q: Which GPU has tensor cores?

A: Only the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 has tensor cores, with 96 recorded. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has no tensor cores in the database.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every recorded specification except memory capacity, memory type, memory bus width, and supported API versions. The process node is 6 nm for AMD and 5 nm for NVIDIA. Transistor count is 13,300 million for AMD versus 22,900 million for NVIDIA. Die size is 204 mm² for AMD versus 188 mm² for NVIDIA. Transistor density is 65.2M per mm² for AMD versus 121.8M per mm² for NVIDIA.

Clock speeds differ across the board. AMD base clock is 1720 MHz, NVIDIA base is 1830 MHz. AMD boost clock is 2450 MHz, NVIDIA boost is 2460 MHz. AMD has a game clock of 2250 MHz, while NVIDIA has no recorded game clock. AMD memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), NVIDIA memory clock is 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). Memory bandwidth is 288.0 GB/s for AMD versus 272.0 GB/s for NVIDIA.

Compute units differ: AMD has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 RT cores. NVIDIA has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 156.8 GPixel/s for AMD versus 118.1 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rate is 274.4 GTexel/s for AMD versus 236.2 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 is 17.56 TFLOPS for AMD versus 15.11 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. FP16 matches each card's FP32 at 1:1 ratio in both cases.

Power and physical specifications differ. AMD TDP is 110 W, NVIDIA TDP is 115 W. AMD lists no power connectors, NVIDIA lists one 12-pin. NVIDIA suggests a 300 W PSU, AMD has no suggested PSU recorded. NVIDIA is dual-slot, AMD has no slot width recorded. NVIDIA uses PCIe 4.0 x8, AMD has no bus interface recorded. Display outputs: AMD has one HDMI 2.1a and one DisplayPort 2.1; NVIDIA has one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a. AMD dimensions are 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm, NVIDIA has no dimensions recorded. Release dates differ: AMD is 2026-06-28, NVIDIA is 2024-03-31. Production status: AMD is Active, NVIDIA is End-of-life. NVIDIA has a predecessor (GeForce 30) and successor (GeForce 50); AMD has neither recorded.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark entries for this pair, so no direct workload comparison exists yet. The nearest rival lists for both items are empty, and the average benchmark score for each is zero. Without direct measurements, the analysis must rely on the recorded theoretical specifications.

The largest recorded advantages for the AMD Steam Machine GPU appear in fill rates and compute throughput. Its pixel rate of 156.8 GPixel/s is 38.7 GPixel/s higher than the RTX 4060's 118.1 GPixel/s, a 32.8% advantage in raster output throughput. The texture rate of 274.4 GTexel/s beats 236.2 GTexel/s by 38.2 GTexel/s, a 16.2% advantage on texture fill. FP32 compute of 17.56 TFLOPS exceeds 15.11 TFLOPS by 2.45 TFLOPS, a 16.2% advantage in single-precision floating point work. Memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s versus 272.0 GB/s gives AMD a 16.0 GB/s lead, a 5.9% advantage.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 holds its advantages in shader count and tensor hardware. It has 3072 shading units versus 1792, a difference of 1280 units, which is 71.4% more shading units than the AMD part. It also has 96 tensor cores while AMD has none recorded. The NVIDIA base clock is 110 MHz higher at 1830 MHz versus 1720 MHz, and the boost clock is 10 MHz higher at 2460 MHz versus 2450 MHz. The transistor density is nearly double: 121.8M per mm² versus 65.2M per mm².

The memory clocks favor AMD at 2250 MHz versus 2125 MHz, and the AMD game clock of 2250 MHz is a feature the NVIDIA part lacks entirely. The RTX 4060 does not record a game clock, so comparisons with that field are not possible.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Steam Machine GPU wins in scenarios that depend on raw rasterization throughput. The 156.8 GPixel/s pixel rate and 274.4 GTexel/s texture rate indicate higher output capacity for fill-bound rendering, such as high-resolution framebuffer work and heavy overdraw situations. The 17.56 TFLOPS FP32 figure positions it ahead for general-purpose compute that scales with single-precision throughput. The 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth gives it an edge for bandwidth-sensitive workloads that saturate the memory subsystem, and the 28 ray tracing cores outnumber the NVIDIA part's 24, suggesting a possible advantage in ray intersection work if the implementation scales with core count. The 110 W TDP with no power connectors also makes it the simpler installation in constrained systems. The active production status means continued availability in the database.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106 wins in scenarios that use more shading units and tensor cores. The 3072 shading units provide a larger pool for shader-heavy workloads, and the 96 tensor cores enable hardware-accelerated tensor operations that the AMD part cannot perform at all. The 5 nm process with 121.8M transistors per mm² indicates a denser implementation, and the 300 W suggested PSU figure clarifies system power requirements. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is recorded for NVIDIA only, which defines its host connection. The three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs support multi-monitor setups, and the dual-slot design gives a defined physical footprint. The predecessor and successor records (GeForce 30 and GeForce 50) place it within a clear product lineage.

The data shows no measured overlap in applications, so the use-case split follows directly from the recorded specifications. Rasterization-bound, bandwidth-heavy, and fill-rate-limited workloads favor the AMD Steam Machine GPU. Shader-count-heavy, tensor-accelerated, and multi-output display workloads favor the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 AD106.