AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs NVIDIA CMP 30HX Comparison

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is the superior performer in every head-to-head comparison, leading the NVIDIA CMP 30HX by a wide margin in both available compute benchmarks. However, these are fundamentally different products aimed at different use cases, and the choice depends entirely on whether you need a functional graphics solution or a specialized compute-only device.

The Verdict

Pick the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT for any task requiring actual graphics output, modern API support, or maximum compute throughput. Benchmark results show it leads the CMP 30HX by 30.4% in Geekbench OpenCL and by a massive 59.2% in Geekbench Vulkan. It also holds a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs at 92 versus the CMP 30HX’s 89, and its average benchmark score of 78,940 far exceeds the CMP 30HX’s 63,842. The RX 6850M XT is a mobile IGP with portable-device-dependent display outputs, making it a viable option for laptops. Pick the NVIDIA CMP 30HX only if you need a dual-slot, mining-specific card with no display outputs and a lower power draw. Its 125 W TDP is lower than the RX 6850M XT’s 165 W, and it has a physical presence with a 229 mm length and 1x 8-pin power connector. But from a pure performance standpoint, the data shows no contest — the AMD part wins decisively.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and process nodes. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is built on RDNA 2.0 using a 7 nm TSMC process, packing 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die with a transistor density of 51.3M / mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA CMP 30HX uses the older Turing architecture on a 12 nm TSMC process, with just 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die and a density of only 23.2M / mm². This explains the massive compute gap — the AMD chip has more than double the transistor count in a slightly larger package.

The RX 6850M XT features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, 64 raster operation pipelines, and 40 ray tracing cores. The CMP 30HX has 1,408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores at all. The AMD card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the NVIDIA card only reaches DirectX 12 (12_1) with the same Vulkan 1.4 support. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The AMD GPU delivers 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 and 26.43 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the CMP 30HX manages only 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 and 10.05 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The transistor density advantage is stark: 51.3M / mm² versus 23.2M / mm², reflecting the two-generation process gap.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 85,040 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 30.4% higher than the NVIDIA CMP 30HX’s 65,199.

Q: How big is the Vulkan performance gap?

A: The RX 6850M XT scores 99,483 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 62,484 for the CMP 30HX, a 59.2% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: Does the NVIDIA CMP 30HX support display outputs?

A: No. The CMP 30HX has no display outputs, while the RX 6850M XT outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning it can drive displays in a mobile context.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The RX 6850M XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The CMP 30HX has 6 GB of GDDR6 on the same 192-bit bus but with lower 336.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT achieves 165.2 GPixel/s and 413.0 GTexel/s, far exceeding the CMP 30HX’s 85.68 GPixel/s and 157.1 GTexel/s.

Q: How do their overall GPU percentile rankings compare?

A: The RX 6850M XT ranks in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CMP 30HX ranks in the 89th percentile.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT uses a 7 nm process with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, while the NVIDIA CMP 30HX uses 12 nm with 6,600 million transistors on 284 mm². Clock speeds diverge sharply: the RX 6850M XT has a base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost of 2581 MHz, while the CMP 30HX runs at 1530 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost. Memory configuration favors AMD with 12 GB GDDR6 at 432.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 6 GB at 336.0 GB/s. The AMD card has 2,560 shaders, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 40 ray tracing cores; the NVIDIA card has 1,408 shaders, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs with no ray tracing. Power consumption differs too: 165 W TDP for AMD (IGP slot width, no power connectors) versus 125 W TDP for NVIDIA (dual-slot, 1x 8-pin connector, 300 W suggested PSU). Bus interface also varies: PCIe 4.0 x16 for AMD versus PCIe 1.0 x4 for NVIDIA. The CMP 30HX has physical dimensions of 229 mm length, 111 mm height, and 35 mm width, while the AMD card has no listed dimensions as a mobile IGP. Both are end-of-life products, with AMD releasing on 2022-01-03 and NVIDIA on 2021-02-24.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results tell a one-sided story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT posts 85,040 points against 65,199 for the NVIDIA CMP 30HX, a 30.4% advantage. This is a substantial lead that reflects the underlying architectural differences — the RX 6850M XT’s 2,560 shading units and 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 throughput simply overwhelm the CMP 30HX’s 1,408 shaders and 5.027 TFLOPS. The Vulkan test widens the gap further: AMD scores 99,483 versus 62,484, a 59.2% margin. This near-doubling of the performance gap in Vulkan suggests the RX 6850M XT’s modern RDNA 2.0 architecture and DirectX 12 Ultimate support translate to better low-level API efficiency. The AMD card wins both head-to-head tests, with 2 total wins and 0 for NVIDIA. Even the average benchmark scores reflect this dominance: 78,940 for AMD versus 63,842 for NVIDIA. The AMD GPU also sits closer to much higher-end rivals in its nearestRivals list, being only -1.1% behind the GeForce RTX 5090 and -0.6% behind the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, while the CMP 30HX is essentially tied with the Radeon RX 9060 XT LP at 0% deltaPct.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT wins in every performance category measured. It is the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads, delivering 30.4% better OpenCL performance and 59.2% better Vulkan performance. Its 12 GB memory capacity and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth make it more suitable for larger datasets, while its 40 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support enable modern gaming features that the CMP 30HX cannot handle. The RX 6850M XT’s 92nd percentile ranking versus 89th for the CMP 30HX confirms its wider applicability. It also offers flexibility with display outputs, albeit portable-device-dependent, making it usable in laptops.

The NVIDIA CMP 30HX wins only in niche operational aspects. Its 125 W TDP is 40 W lower than the AMD card, which could matter in power-constrained environments. It has a physical dual-slot form factor with a 229 mm length and a 1x 8-pin power connector, making it a drop-in card for mining rigs with a suggested 300 W PSU. Its PCIe 1.0 x4 interface, while slow, is sufficient for mining workloads that don’t require high bandwidth. The CMP 30HX’s launch MSRP was 799 USD, but no pricing data exists for the AMD card. For anyone needing a general-purpose GPU, the data overwhelmingly favors the RX 6850M XT. For a dedicated mining card with no display output and lower power draw, the CMP 30HX has its place — but not as a performance competitor.