AMD Steam Machine GPU vs NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data places the AMD Steam Machine GPU and the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation in the same performance percentile (50th) among all GPUs, with no benchmark wins registered for either side in the head-to-head comparison. This indicates a balanced pairing rather than a clear hierarchy. The AMD part uses a Navi 33 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA part uses AD104 with Ada Lovelace architecture, and both carry a 110 W TDP.

For users whose workload leans on raw compute throughput, the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation shows a clear advantage on paper: it delivers 24.72 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 (1:1), compared to 17.56 TFLOPS for the AMD chip. The NVIDIA part also holds a substantial lead in texture rate (386.3 GTexel/s versus 274.4 GTexel/s) and memory bandwidth (432.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s). These figures suggest the NVIDIA solution is better suited for compute-heavy tasks that scale with shader count and memory throughput.

The AMD Steam Machine GPU counters with a higher boost clock (2450 MHz versus 1665 MHz) and a higher pixel rate (156.8 GPixel/s versus 133.2 GPixel/s). The AMD part also uses a smaller die (204 mm² versus 294 mm²) and a lower transistor count (13,300 million versus 35,800 million), which indicates a more compact design. For rasterization-focused workloads or scenarios where clock speed drives performance, the AMD chip has the edge in specific metrics.

Given the absence of actual benchmark scores, the verdict rests on architectural and specification differences. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation appears stronger for multi-threaded compute, ray tracing, and memory-intensive tasks. The AMD Steam Machine GPU appears more appropriate for scenarios prioritizing pixel throughput, clock speed, and compact physical dimensions.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation wins in several key computational categories based on the recorded data. It has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 58 RT cores, and 232 tensor cores. The AMD Steam Machine GPU has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 RT cores, with no tensor core data recorded. The NVIDIA part also offers 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, versus 8 GB on a 128-bit bus for the AMD part. These differences point to wins in shader-heavy workloads, ray tracing acceleration, and memory capacity.

The AMD Steam Machine GPU wins where clock speed and pixel throughput matter. Its base clock of 1720 MHz and boost clock of 2450 MHz far exceed the NVIDIA part's 1290 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost. The AMD chip also achieves a higher game clock (2250 MHz) and a higher pixel rate (156.8 GPixel/s). Its smaller physical footprint (156 mm length, 152 mm height, 162 mm width) gives it an advantage in space-constrained designs, especially since it requires no power connectors, matching the NVIDIA part in that regard.

The NVIDIA part wins on bandwidth with 432.0 GB/s, which is 50% higher than the AMD part's 288.0 GB/s. This difference matters for data-heavy tasks such as large texture streaming or AI inference. The NVIDIA chip's transistor density of 121.8M / mm² also exceeds the AMD chip's 65.2M / mm², indicating a more densely packed design.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs employ fundamentally different architectures from different process nodes. The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses RDNA 3.0 architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, with a codename of Hotpink Bonefish and a chip designated Navi 33. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation uses Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, with a chip designated AD104. Both are manufactured by TSMC, but the node difference (6 nm versus 5 nm) contributes to the NVIDIA part's higher transistor density.

Transistor counts diverge sharply. The AMD chip contains 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, yielding a density of 65.2M / mm². The NVIDIA chip contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, yielding a density of 121.8M / mm². The NVIDIA part packs nearly 2.7 times the transistors into a die that is only about 44% larger by area.

The memory architecture also differs. Both use GDDR6 memory at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed, but the NVIDIA part uses a 192-bit bus with 12 GB capacity, while the AMD part uses a 128-bit bus with 8 GB capacity. This results in the NVIDIA part's higher bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s.

Feature sets show notable differences. The NVIDIA part includes tensor cores (232) and RT cores (58), while the AMD part has RT cores (28) and no tensor core data. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD part provides display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.1a and 1x DisplayPort 2.1, while the NVIDIA part's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent.

The NVIDIA part is part of the GeForce 40-series and uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface, while the AMD part has no bus interface data recorded. The NVIDIA part also has a predecessor (Ampere-MW) and successor (Blackwell-MW), while the AMD part has neither. The AMD part belongs to the Console GPU (Valve) generation, while the NVIDIA part belongs to the Ada-MW generation.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more memory?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, while the AMD Steam Machine GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU has a base clock of 1720 MHz, a boost clock of 2450 MHz, and a game clock of 2250 MHz. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has a base clock of 1290 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with no game clock recorded.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same APIs?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The AMD part also includes display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.1a and 1x DisplayPort 2.1, while the NVIDIA part lists portable device dependent outputs.

Q: Which GPU has higher compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation delivers 24.72 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (1:1). The AMD Steam Machine GPU delivers 17.56 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (1:1).

Q: What is the physical size of each GPU?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU measures 156 mm in length, 152 mm in height, and 162 mm in width. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation has no recorded dimensions but is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a slot width of IGP.

Q: What process nodes do the two chips use?

A: The AMD Steam Machine GPU uses a 6 nm TSMC process with a die size of 204 mm². The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation uses a 5 nm TSMC process with a die size of 294 mm².

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records zero benchmark wins for either GPU in the head-to-head comparison, and both hold a 50th percentile rank among all GPUs. No actual benchmark scores are available, so the analysis relies on specification differences.

The biggest win for the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation is in raw compute. It delivers 24.72 TFLOPS FP32, which is 40.8% higher than the AMD part's 17.56 TFLOPS. The texture rate also favors NVIDIA: 386.3 GTexel/s versus 274.4 GTexel/s, a 40.8% advantage. Memory bandwidth shows a 50% difference: 432.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA part also has 7424 shading units versus 1792, a 4.14x difference, and 232 TMUs versus 112, a 2.07x difference.

The biggest win for the AMD Steam Machine GPU is in pixel rate. It achieves 156.8 GPixel/s versus 133.2 GPixel/s for the NVIDIA part, a 17.7% advantage. The AMD part also has a significantly higher boost clock: 2450 MHz versus 1665 MHz, a 47.1% difference. Its base clock of 1720 MHz exceeds the NVIDIA part's 1290 MHz by 33.3%. The game clock of 2250 MHz on the AMD part has no direct counterpart in the NVIDIA data.

The AMD part wins on physical efficiency. Its die size of 204 mm² is 30.6% smaller than the NVIDIA part's 294 mm². Its transistor count of 13,300 million is 62.8% lower than the NVIDIA part's 35,800 million. The AMD part also has fewer ROPs (64 versus 80) but a higher pixel rate, indicating its clock advantage compensates for the lower ROP count.

Both GPUs share a 110 W TDP, which is a notable point of parity. Both also use GDDR6 memory at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed, though the bus widths differ. Both have no power connectors listed and support the same DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan versions.

The NVIDIA part's 58 RT cores versus 28 for the AMD part suggests a 2.07x advantage in ray tracing hardware. The NVIDIA part's 232 tensor cores provide AI acceleration capabilities that the AMD part lacks entirely in the recorded data.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Steam Machine GPU | NVIDIA RTX 4000 Mobile Ada Generation |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 13,300 million | 35,800 million |

| Die Size | 204 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 65.2M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1720 MHz | 1290 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2450 MHz | 1665 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2250 MHz | None recorded |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 112 | 232 |

| ROPs | 64 | 80 |

| RT Cores | 28 | 58 |

| Tensor Cores | None recorded | 232 |

| Pixel Rate | 156.8 GPixel/s | 133.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 274.4 GTexel/s | 386.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 / FP16 | 17.56 TFLOPS | 24.72 TFLOPS |

| Slot Width | Not recorded | IGP |

| Bus Interface | Not recorded | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 1x DisplayPort 2.1 | Portable Device Dependent |

| Release Date | 2026-06-28 | 2023-03-20 |

| Predecessor | None recorded | Ampere-MW |

| Successor | None recorded | Blackwell-MW |

The two GPUs also differ in memory type (both GDDR6, but the AMD part uses a 128-bit bus while the NVIDIA part uses a 192-bit bus) and memory clock (both 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective, identical). The AMD part has a codename of Hotpink Bonefish, while the NVIDIA part has no codename recorded. The AMD part belongs to the Console GPU (Valve) generation, while the NVIDIA part belongs to the Ada-MW generation. The AMD part is described as a discrete GPU with physical dimensions, while the NVIDIA part is classified as an IGP with no dimensions recorded.