NVIDIA N1 16SM vs Lisuan Tech LX MAX Comparison

NVIDIA N1 16SM is an integrated graphics processor built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, using the GB20B chip on a 5 nm process from TSMC. Lisuan Tech LX MAX is a discrete, dual-slot graphics card based on the TrueGPU architecture, using the 7G106 chip on a 6 nm process from TSMC. The recorded data shows these two parts occupy the same performance percentile (50th) among all GPUs, yet they are built for entirely different tasks.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA N1 16SM wins in scenarios that demand massive memory capacity and low-power integration. It carries 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. That memory pool exceeds what any discrete card in the database offers, and it sits on an IGP slot width with no power connectors, meaning it draws all its power through the motherboard. The N1 16SM also uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface, which doubles the data transfer lane speed of the LX MAX. For workloads that load large datasets into local memory, such as in-memory databases or large model inference, the N1 16SM provides a capacity advantage that the LX MAX cannot match.

The Lisuan Tech LX MAX wins in raw compute throughput and rasterization. It has 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, compared to 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 24 ROPs on the N1 16SM. The LX MAX delivers 24.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is 2.56 times the 9.609 TFLOPS of the N1 16SM. Its pixel rate of 192.0 GPixel/s is 3.41 times the 56.30 GPixel/s of the N1 16SM, and its texture rate of 384.0 GTexel/s exceeds the 300.3 GTexel/s of the N1 16SM. The LX MAX also has a 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, which is 1.58 times higher than the N1 16SM, despite having far less memory capacity. For gaming, rendering, or any GPU-bound workload, the LX MAX is the clear winner based on these recorded figures.

The LX MAX also wins on software API support. It lists DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, while the N1 16SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. This means the LX MAX can run modern graphics APIs and games, while the N1 16SM has no recorded API support at all.

Architecture Differences

The N1 16SM uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, part of the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. It is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC with a die size of 382 mm². The chip includes 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores, which are dedicated hardware units for ray-traced lighting and tensor/matrix operations respectively. The FP16 compute is listed at 9.609 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio to FP32, meaning the card does not double FP16 throughput. The memory type is LPDDR5X, a low-power memory standard often used in integrated designs.

The Lisuan Tech LX MAX uses the TrueGPU architecture, part of the 7G100 generation. It is built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with no die size recorded. The LX MAX has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed. Its FP16 compute is 49.15 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio to FP32, meaning it doubles throughput for half-precision operations. The memory type is GDDR6, a high-bandwidth discrete memory standard, on a 192-bit bus.

The process node difference is small but real: 5 nm versus 6 nm, both from TSMC. The N1 16SM integrates the memory controller and GPU on a single IGP package with no power connectors, while the LX MAX uses a 16-pin power connector and requires a 550 W suggested power supply. The LX MAX has a 225 W TDP, while the N1 16SM has no recorded TDP, reflecting its integrated nature.

The feature sets diverge sharply. The N1 16SM includes ray tracing and tensor cores, which are absent from the LX MAX. The LX MAX includes a full DirectX 12 Ultimate API suite, which the N1 16SM lacks. The N1 16SM uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the LX MAX uses PCIe 4.0 x16, meaning the N1 16SM has a newer bus interface for data transfer to the host.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no direct head-to-head benchmark results between these two parts, and the win counts are zero for both. However, the specification data provides ample grounds for comparison.

The largest win for the LX MAX is in FP32 compute. The LX MAX delivers 24.58 TFLOPS against 9.609 TFLOPS for the N1 16SM. This is a 155.8% advantage, meaning the LX MAX performs about 2.56 times more single-precision floating-point operations per second. In FP16, the LX MAX reaches 49.15 TFLOPS, which is 5.11 times the 9.609 TFLOPS of the N1 16SM, due to the LX MAX's 2:1 FP16 ratio and higher raw throughput.

The pixel rate tells a similar story. The LX MAX achieves 192.0 GPixel/s, which is 3.41 times the 56.30 GPixel/s of the N1 16SM. This directly impacts fill-rate-bound workloads like high-resolution rendering with heavy overdraw. The texture rate is 384.0 GTexel/s for the LX MAX, a 27.9% advantage over the 300.3 GTexel/s of the N1 16SM. This narrower margin still favors the LX MAX for texture-heavy scenes.

Memory bandwidth is another LX MAX win. The LX MAX has 432.0 GB/s against 273.2 GB/s for the N1 16SM, a 58.1% advantage. This bandwidth difference matters for workloads that stream large amounts of data, such as high-resolution textures or compute kernels that access memory frequently.

The N1 16SM wins on memory capacity. It has 128 GB versus 12 GB for the LX MAX, a 10.67 times difference. This is a massive advantage for datasets that exceed 12 GB, where the LX MAX would need to spill to system memory over the PCIe bus. The N1 16SM can hold the entire working set in its own memory.

The N1 16SM also wins on bus interface. It uses PCIe 5.0 x16, which provides double the per-lane bandwidth of PCIe 4.0. The LX MAX uses PCIe 4.0 x16. For data transfers between the GPU and host, the N1 16SM has a newer and faster interface.

The N1 16SM has 16 ray tracing cores and 64 tensor cores, while the LX MAX has none of either. This means the N1 16SM has dedicated hardware for ray tracing and tensor operations, while the LX MAX lacks those units entirely. In workloads that use ray tracing or tensor operations, the N1 16SM has a functional advantage, though no benchmark scores confirm this.

The LX MAX wins on shading unit count. It has 6144 shading units, which is 3 times the 2048 shading units of the N1 16SM. The TMU count is 192 versus 128, a 50% advantage for the LX MAX. The ROP count is 96 versus 24, a 4 times advantage for the LX MAX.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification field. The process node is 5 nm for the N1 16SM and 6 nm for the LX MAX. The die size is 382 mm² for the N1 16SM, with no die size recorded for the LX MAX. The N1 16SM has a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz, while the LX MAX has no base or boost clock recorded. The memory clock is 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective) for the N1 16SM and 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the LX MAX.

Memory size is 128 GB LPDDR5X for the N1 16SM and 12 GB GDDR6 for the LX MAX. The bus width is 256 bit for the N1 16SM and 192 bit for the LX MAX. Bandwidth is 273.2 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s.

The shading units are 2048 versus 6144. The TMUs are 128 versus 192. The ROPs are 24 versus 96. The N1 16SM has 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores, while the LX MAX has none recorded for either.

Pixel rate is 56.30 GPixel/s versus 192.0 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 300.3 GTexel/s versus 384.0 GTexel/s. FP32 is 9.609 TFLOPS versus 24.58 TFLOPS. FP16 is 9.609 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 49.15 TFLOPS (2:1).

The TDP is unknown for the N1 16SM and 225 W for the LX MAX. The slot width is IGP for the N1 16SM and dual-slot for the LX MAX. The N1 16SM has no power connectors, while the LX MAX has one 16-pin connector. The suggested PSU is null for the N1 16SM and 550 W for the LX MAX.

The bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x16 for the N1 16SM and PCIe 4.0 x16 for the LX MAX. Display outputs are 1x HDMI for the N1 16SM and 4x DisplayPort 1.4a for the LX MAX. The API support is N/A for the N1 16SM and DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3 for the LX MAX.

Dimensions are unrecorded for the N1 16SM, while the LX MAX measures 248 mm in length, 118 mm in height, and 48 mm in width. The release date for the N1 16SM is 2026-05-31, and for the LX MAX it is 2026-03-16. Both are listed as Active in production status.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The Lisuan Tech LX MAX has 432.0 GB/s, which is 1.58 times the 273.2 GB/s of the NVIDIA N1 16SM.

Q: Does the N1 16SM support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the N1 16SM has 16 ray tracing cores. The LX MAX has no ray tracing cores recorded.

Q: Which card is larger physically?

A: The LX MAX is a dual-slot card measuring 248 mm by 118 mm by 48 mm. The N1 16SM is an IGP with no dimensions recorded.

Q: What is the FP16 performance difference?

A: The LX MAX delivers 49.15 TFLOPS FP16 with a 2:1 ratio to FP32. The N1 16SM delivers 9.609 TFLOPS FP16 with a 1:1 ratio. The LX MAX has 5.11 times the FP16 throughput.

Q: Which card uses more power?

A: The LX MAX has a recorded TDP of 225 W and requires a 550 W suggested power supply. The N1 16SM has no TDP recorded and uses no power connectors.

Q: Can the N1 16SM run DirectX games?

A: The recorded data lists DirectX as N/A for the N1 16SM. The LX MAX lists DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

The Verdict

The recorded data shows two fundamentally different products. The NVIDIA N1 16SM is an integrated GPU with a massive 128 GB memory pool, ray tracing and tensor cores, a 5 nm process, and PCIe 5.0 support. Its compute throughput is modest at 9.609 TFLOPS FP32, and it has no API support listed. This part suits workloads that need to hold very large datasets in GPU memory, such as certain data processing or inference tasks, and where a discrete card cannot fit.

The Lisuan Tech LX MAX is a discrete card with 3 times the shading units, 4 times the ROPs, 2.56 times the FP32 throughput, 5.11 times the FP16 throughput, and 1.58 times the memory bandwidth. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, making it the only one of the two with recorded graphics API compatibility. Its 12 GB memory capacity is far smaller, but its 432.0 GB/s bandwidth is higher. The LX MAX requires a 16-pin power connector and a 550 W PSU, while the N1 16SM needs none.

The choice depends on the workload. For any task that requires modern graphics APIs, high pixel fill, or high FP32 compute, the LX MAX is the only option with data supporting it. For tasks that need more than 12 GB of memory, the N1 16SM has a 128 GB pool that the LX MAX cannot match. The N1 16SM also has ray tracing and tensor cores, which the LX MAX lacks. The percentile ranking is identical at 50 for both, but the specification data shows no overlap in their strengths. The LX MAX is a conventional discrete GPU for graphics and compute, while the N1 16SM is an integrated part with an unusual memory capacity and specialized cores.