AMD Steam Machine GPU vs NVIDIA N1X 40SM Comparison

# FAQ

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

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU, a console GPU from Valve based on the Navi 33 chip, and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM, a Blackwell IGP from NVIDIA based on the GB20B chip.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU has a boost clock of 2450 MHz, while the NVIDIA N1X 40SM has a boost clock of 2346 MHz.

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

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the NVIDIA N1X 40SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory.

Q: Which processor has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 40SM has 5120 shading units, compared to 1792 shading units on the AMD Steam Machine GPU.

Q: What is the process node for each processor?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses a 6 nm process node, while the NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses a 5 nm process node, both manufactured by TSMC.

Q: Do both processors have ray tracing cores?

A: Yes, the AMD Steam Machine GPU has 28 ray tracing cores, and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM has 40 ray tracing cores.

# Architecture Differences

The AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM represent two fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD part is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the codename "Hotpink Bonefish," targeting console gaming workloads within the Valve ecosystem. It uses a 6 nm process node from TSMC, with a die size of 204 mm² and 13,300 million transistors. The transistor density works out to 65.2M per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process node from the same foundry, with a larger die size of 382 mm². Transistor count for the NVIDIA chip is listed as unknown.

The memory subsystems diverge sharply. The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite the NVIDIA part having double the bus width, its bandwidth is slightly lower due to the slower memory clock: 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective) versus the AMD's 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective).

Compute resources also differ significantly. The AMD GPU has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. Its ray tracing capability comes from 28 dedicated RT cores. The NVIDIA GPU has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and only 40 ROPs, with 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores. The shading unit count gives NVIDIA a theoretical FP32 throughput of 24.02 TFLOPS, while AMD delivers 17.56 TFLOPS. Both processors achieve their FP16 numbers at a 1:1 ratio with FP32.

Clock behavior reflects their different roles. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has a base clock of 1720 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz, boosting to 2450 MHz. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM operates at a much lower base clock of 741 MHz but boosts to 2346 MHz. The AMD part carries a TDP of 110 W, while the NVIDIA TDP is listed as unknown. Power connectors are absent on both, and the NVIDIA part is classified as an IGP with a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface. The AMD part has no bus interface listed.

API support also separates them. The AMD GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan as N/A, indicating its API support is not documented in the database. Display outputs differ as well: AMD provides 1x HDMI 2.1a and 1x DisplayPort 2.1, while NVIDIA provides only 1x HDMI.

# Where Each One Wins

The AMD Steam Machine GPU wins in situations where raw rasterization throughput matters. Its pixel rate of 156.8 GPixel/s is significantly higher than the NVIDIA N1X 40SM's 93.84 GPixel/s. This suggests the AMD part is better suited for high-resolution rendering that depends on fill-rate limits, such as traditional 1080p or 1440p gaming with heavy post-processing effects. The AMD GPU also has a higher texture rate at 274.4 GTexel/s, though this is below the NVIDIA part's 750.7 GTexel/s. The AMD part's higher clock speeds, particularly the 2450 MHz boost, help it maintain responsiveness in frame-time-sensitive scenarios.

The NVIDIA N1X 40SM wins in compute-heavy and AI-accelerated workloads. Its 5120 shading units and 160 tensor cores give it a substantial advantage in FP32 throughput: 24.02 TFLOPS versus 17.56 TFLOPS. The texture rate of 750.7 GTexel/s is more than 2.7 times the AMD part's, indicating superior performance in texture-heavy scenes or compute shaders that rely on texture fetches. The 128 GB memory capacity is orders of magnitude larger, making the NVIDIA part the clear choice for workloads that require large datasets in memory, such as machine learning inference or large-scale data processing.

The NVIDIA part also leads in ray tracing core count, with 40 RT cores versus 28 on the AMD side. This suggests better ray-traced lighting and shadow performance, though the AMD part's higher pixel rate could compensate in hybrid rendering scenarios. The NVIDIA part's lower base clock of 741 MHz, however, may limit sustained performance in power-constrained or thermally constrained environments, whereas the AMD part's 1720 MHz base clock provides a higher guaranteed floor.

# Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every specification category. The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses a 6 nm process, while the NVIDIA N1X 40SM uses a 5 nm process. The AMD die measures 204 mm² with 13,300 million transistors, while the NVIDIA die measures 382 mm² with an unknown transistor count. The AMD part has a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2450 MHz. The NVIDIA part has a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz, with no game clock listed.

Memory configurations are starkly different. The AMD GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GPU has 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the NVIDIA memory clock is 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective).

Compute unit counts diverge. The AMD part has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 RT cores. The NVIDIA part has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, 40 ROPs, 40 RT cores, and 160 tensor cores. Pixel rates are 156.8 GPixel/s for AMD and 93.84 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rates are 274.4 GTexel/s for AMD and 750.7 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 and FP16 throughput are 17.56 TFLOPS for AMD and 24.02 TFLOPS for NVIDIA.

Power and physical characteristics also differ. The AMD part has a TDP of 110 W, while the NVIDIA TDP is unknown. The NVIDIA part is an IGP with a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, while the AMD part has no bus interface listed. The AMD part measures 156 mm by 152 mm by 162 mm, while the NVIDIA part has no dimensions listed. The AMD part provides 1x HDMI 2.1a and 1x DisplayPort 2.1, while the NVIDIA part provides only 1x HDMI.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark results between the AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM. Both processors have an average benchmark score of 0 and a percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs. Without measured performance data, the comparison must rely on the specification-level differences recorded in the database.

The most significant compute difference appears in FP32 throughput. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM delivers 24.02 TFLOPS, which is 36.8% higher than the AMD Steam Machine GPU's 17.56 TFLOPS. This gap is driven by the NVIDIA part's 5120 shading units, nearly three times the AMD part's 1792 units, even though the AMD part runs at a higher boost clock (2450 MHz versus 2346 MHz).

Texture throughput shows an even larger disparity. The NVIDIA part achieves 750.7 GTexel/s, which is 173.6% higher than the AMD part's 274.4 GTexel/s. This comes from the NVIDIA part's 320 TMUs versus 112 TMUs on the AMD side. The AMD part's higher clock speed cannot overcome the 208 TMU advantage held by NVIDIA.

Pixel throughput tells the opposite story. The AMD Steam Machine GPU achieves 156.8 GPixel/s, which is 67.1% higher than the NVIDIA N1X 40SM's 93.84 GPixel/s. The AMD part's 64 ROPs versus 40 ROPs on the NVIDIA side, combined with the higher clock, explains this advantage.

Memory bandwidth is nearly identical, with the AMD part at 288.0 GB/s and the NVIDIA part at 273.2 GB/s, a difference of 5.4%. However, the memory capacity difference is enormous: 8 GB versus 128 GB. The NVIDIA part's 256-bit bus is offset by its slower memory clock, resulting in only slightly lower bandwidth.

Ray tracing resources favor NVIDIA, with 40 RT cores versus 28, a 42.9% advantage. Tensor cores exist only on the NVIDIA part, with 160 units, giving it a capability the AMD part lacks entirely.

# The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA N1X 40SM serve different primary purposes, and the choice depends on the workload characteristics.

For console gaming with a focus on traditional rasterization, the AMD Steam Machine GPU has clear advantages. Its pixel rate of 156.8 GPixel/s is 67.1% higher than the NVIDIA part's 93.84 GPixel/s, which directly benefits fill-rate-limited scenarios such as high-resolution rendering with anti-aliasing. The AMD part also has a higher boost clock at 2450 MHz, and its 110 W TDP is explicitly documented, making power planning straightforward. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory is appropriate for typical console gaming workloads, and the support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 ensures broad API compatibility.

For compute-intensive tasks, particularly those leveraging AI acceleration, the NVIDIA N1X 40SM is the superior choice. Its 24.02 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is 36.8% higher, and its 160 tensor cores provide dedicated hardware for machine learning workloads that the AMD part cannot match. The 128 GB memory capacity is 16 times larger, enabling datasets that would exceed the AMD part's 8 GB by a wide margin. The 40 RT cores also suggest stronger ray tracing performance, and the texture rate of 750.7 GTexel/s indicates exceptional performance in texture-bound compute shaders.

The absence of measured benchmark scores means the verdict rests entirely on specification analysis. The AMD Steam Machine GPU's higher pixel rate and lower TDP make it the appropriate choice for a power-sensitive gaming device. The NVIDIA N1X 40SM's massive memory pool, tensor core count, and FP32 throughput position it as the appropriate choice for data-heavy and AI-accelerated applications. Neither processor outperforms the other across all metrics, and the database shows a clear trade-off between fill-rate performance and compute capacity.