AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB Comparison

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT occupy opposite ends of the GPU spectrum: one is a server-grade compute accelerator built for massive parallel workloads, the other is a high-end mobile graphics processor designed for laptops. Benchmark data from the database shows a single head-to-head result, the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the A100 delivers a score of 183725 against the RX 6850M XT’s 99483, a decisive 84.7% advantage. This single data point, combined with the architectural and specification breakdown, tells a clear story of divergent design goals.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available in the database is the Geekbench Vulkan test. The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183725, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 99483. The delta is 84.7% in favor of the A100, meaning the NVIDIA accelerator is roughly 85% faster in this specific workload. This is a substantial margin, but it must be understood in context: Vulkan is a cross-platform graphics and compute API, and the A100 is a data center part with no display outputs, while the RX 6850M XT is a mobile GPU with portable device dependent outputs. The benchmark result suggests that even in a graphics-oriented API, the A100’s raw compute throughput and memory bandwidth dominate.

The A100’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 183725, identical to its single Vulkan result, and it sits in the 98th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its closest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation at 184664 (0.5% ahead), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell at 182109 (0.9% behind), the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 40 GB at 187147 (1.8% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D at 178050 (3.2% ahead of the A100). These small deltas show that the A100 80 GB is squarely in the top tier of database results, with only the 40 GB variant of itself and the RTX 5000 Ada Generation slightly ahead.

The RX 6850M XT, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 78940, which is heavily influenced by its multiple results: 2257 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 128981 in Geekbench Metal, 85040 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 99483 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its percentile ranking is 92, still strong but well below the A100’s 98. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79396 (0.6% behind), the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at 79605 (0.8% behind), the GeForce RTX 5090 at 79842 (1.1% behind), and the GeForce RTX 5090 D at 77712 (1.6% ahead). Notably, the RX 6850M XT’s average score is dragged down by the Steel Nomad result, but its Metal and Vulkan scores show it is capable in API-specific tests.

In the head-to-head, the A100 wins the only shared test, and the RX 6850M XT has no recorded victories. The database records one win for the A100 and zero for the AMD part. This is not a balanced contest; it is a mismatch driven by fundamentally different hardware designs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB scores 183725, which is 84.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT’s 99483.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in terms of overall benchmark percentile?

A: The A100 sits in the 98th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6850M XT is in the 92nd percentile. The A100’s average score is 183725, and the RX 6850M XT’s average is 78940.

Q: What are the closest rivals for the A100 in the database?

A: The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation (184664) is 0.5% ahead, the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell (182109) is 0.9% behind, the A100 SXM4 40 GB (187147) is 1.8% behind, and the GeForce RTX 4090 D (178050) is 3.2% ahead.

Q: What are the closest rivals for the RX 6850M XT?

A: The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396) is 0.6% behind, the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605) is 0.8% behind, the GeForce RTX 5090 (79842) is 1.1% behind, and the GeForce RTX 5090 D (77712) is 1.6% ahead.

Q: Does the RX 6850M XT have any benchmark wins over the A100?

A: No. In the head-to-head data, the A100 wins the only shared test (Geekbench Vulkan), and the RX 6850M XT has zero recorded wins.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units and tensor cores?

A: The A100 has 6912 shading units and 432 tensor cores. The RX 6850M XT has 2560 shading units and no tensor cores, but it does have 40 ray tracing cores, which the A100 lacks.

Architecture Differences

The NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA100 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 54,200 million transistors on a die size of 826 mm², yielding a transistor density of 65.6 million per square millimeter. The RX 6850M XT uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip, also on TSMC’s 7 nm process, but with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, for a density of 51.3 million per square millimeter. The A100’s die is more than twice the size and holds over three times the transistors, reflecting its data center focus on massive parallel compute.

The A100 is equipped with 6912 shading units, 432 texture mapping units, and 160 render output units. It also includes 432 tensor cores, which are dedicated to AI and deep learning workloads, but it has no ray tracing cores. The RX 6850M XT has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, plus 40 ray tracing cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, but no tensor cores. This is a fundamental divergence: the A100 prioritizes tensor throughput for machine learning, while the AMD part includes ray tracing hardware for gaming and graphics rendering.

Memory architecture is another major difference. The A100 uses 80 GB of HBM2e memory on a 5120-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 2.04 TB/s. The RX 6850M XT uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The A100’s memory bandwidth is nearly five times higher, which is critical for large datasets and compute-heavy tasks. The AMD part’s smaller, slower memory pool is typical for a mobile GPU where power and space are constrained.

Compute rates also differ sharply. The A100 delivers 19.49 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 77.97 TFLOPS of FP16 performance at a 4:1 ratio. The RX 6850M XT offers 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 and 26.43 TFLOPS of FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. Pixel and texture rates follow suit: the A100 reaches 225.6 GPixel/s and 609.1 GTexel/s, while the RX 6850M XT reaches 165.2 GPixel/s and 413.0 GTexel/s. The A100’s FP16 advantage is particularly pronounced, more than tripling the AMD part’s output, which matters for AI inference and training.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field. The A100 has a base clock of 1275 MHz and a boost clock of 1410 MHz, while the RX 6850M XT runs at 2321 MHz base and 2581 MHz boost, with a game clock of 2463 MHz. The AMD part’s clocks are far higher, but this does not overcome the A100’s massive hardware advantage. Memory clocks also differ: the A100 runs at 1593 MHz with 3.2 Gbps effective, while the RX 6850M XT runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective.

Thermal and power figures diverge as well. The A100 has a TDP of 400 W and a suggested PSU of 800 W, while the RX 6850M XT has a TDP of 165 W and no suggested PSU listed. The A100 is an OAM module with no power connectors, while the RX 6850M XT is listed as IGP (integrated graphics processor) with none either, though the latter is portable device dependent. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16 interfaces, but the A100 has no display outputs, while the RX 6850M XT’s outputs are portable device dependent.

API support also differs. The RX 6850M XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The A100 has no recorded API support in the database, reflecting its non-graphics, compute-oriented role. Release dates are separated by over a year: the A100 launched on 2020-11-15, and the RX 6850M XT on 2022-01-03. Both are end-of-life products. The A100’s predecessor is Tesla Turing and its successor is Server Ada, while the RX 6850M XT’s predecessor is Polaris Mobile and it has no successor listed. The A100 belongs to the Server Ampere generation, and the RX 6850M XT to the Navi Mobile generation.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB is the superior performer in the only head-to-head benchmark recorded, with an 84.7% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. Its 98th percentile ranking, 183725 average score, and dominance in shading units, tensor cores, memory bandwidth, and compute rates make it the clear choice for workloads that demand raw throughput. The RX 6850M XT, with its 92nd percentile ranking and 78940 average score, is a capable mobile GPU, but it is not in the same class.

Who should pick the A100? Anyone running AI training, scientific simulation, or large-scale data processing. The 80 GB of HBM2e memory at 2.04 TB/s, the 432 tensor cores, and the 77.97 TFLOPS of FP16 performance are built for exactly these tasks. The lack of display outputs and its 400 W TDP confirm it is a server component, not a desktop or laptop part.

Who should pick the RX 6850M XT? Users who need a mobile GPU with ray tracing support and modern graphics APIs. The 40 ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and portable device dependent outputs make it suitable for high-end laptops. Its lower TDP of 165 W and higher clock speeds (up to 2581 MHz boost) are appropriate for a mobile form factor, and its Metal score of 128981 shows strength in Apple’s ecosystem, though the database does not record a direct A100 comparison there.

Where Each One Wins

The A100 wins in every recorded head-to-head benchmark, and its specification sheet points to additional strengths. In FP16 compute, it offers 77.97 TFLOPS versus 26.43 TFLOPS, a near threefold advantage. In memory bandwidth, it delivers 2.04 TB/s against 432.0 GB/s, a multiple of nearly five. The 80 GB memory capacity dwarfs the 12 GB on the RX 6850M XT, and the 5120-bit bus is over 26 times wider than the 192-bit bus on the AMD part. The A100 also leads in texture rate (609.1 GTexel/s vs 413.0 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (225.6 GPixel/s vs 165.2 GPixel/s). These are the numbers that matter for compute, AI, and high-performance data center workloads.

The RX 6850M XT wins in areas that are not covered by the head-to-head test but are evident in its specification list. It has higher clock speeds: 2581 MHz boost versus 1410 MHz on the A100. It has ray tracing cores, which the A100 lacks entirely, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the A100 has no recorded API support. It also has a much lower TDP at 165 W versus 400 W, making it feasible for mobile implementations. The RX 6850M XT’s Geekbench Metal score of 128981 is its strongest recorded result, and its Vulkan score of 99483, while far below the A100, is still a respectable figure for a mobile part.

In sum, the A100 is the compute monster, and the RX 6850M XT is the efficient mobile graphics chip. The benchmark data shows a single decisive victory for the A100, and the specification differences reinforce that conclusion. For server racks and AI clusters, the A100 is the answer. For gaming laptops and portable workstations, the RX 6850M XT is built for that role, even if it cannot match the A100’s raw numbers.