AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT vs NVIDIA P106-090 Comparison

The NVIDIA P106-090 and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT represent two very different answers to the question of what a modern GPU should be. One is a mining-specific card with no video outputs, the other a mainstream gaming card. The benchmark data in our database shows a fascinating split: the older NVIDIA card wins the most demanding DirectX 12 test, while the newer AMD card dominates compute and Vulkan workloads. This analysis breaks down exactly where each card stands.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results in the database are starkly divided. In the 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, the NVIDIA P106-090 scores 509 against the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT's 235. This is a 116.6% advantage for the NVIDIA card, meaning it more than doubles the AMD card's score in this specific workload. This result positions the P106-090 as the clear winner for this type of DirectX 12 rendering task.

However, the tables turn completely in compute-oriented benchmarks. In geekbench_opencl, the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT scores 48289, which is 55.9% higher than the NVIDIA P106-090's 21304. The margin is even larger in geekbench_vulkan, where the AMD card scores 54724 compared to the NVIDIA card's 18596, a 66% difference. These are not small margins; the AMD card is delivering roughly two to three times the performance in these tests.

The aggregate data tells a similar story. The AMD card's average benchmark score is 11842, while the NVIDIA card's is 13470. This puts the NVIDIA card at a 13.7% higher average score across all recorded tests, despite losing two of the three head-to-head matchups. The wins break down as 1 for the NVIDIA card and 2 for the AMD card, but the magnitude of the NVIDIA win in the DX12 test is substantial enough to lift its overall average.

Where Each One Wins

The data suggests a clear use-case split. The NVIDIA P106-090 wins in scenarios that stress traditional rasterization pipelines with heavy DirectX 12 feature usage. Its 116.6% lead in the Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark indicates it has a significant advantage in this specific type of rendering, likely due to its architecture being more efficient at handling the draw calls and shading workloads present in that test.

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is the winner for general-purpose compute and Vulkan-based applications. Its 55.9% lead in OpenCL and 66% lead in Vulkan show that its architecture is far more efficient at executing parallel compute tasks. For users running applications that leverage OpenCL for tasks like video encoding, physics simulation, or machine learning inference, the AMD card is the superior choice. Similarly, games that use the Vulkan API will see substantially higher frame rates on the AMD card.

The niche nature of the NVIDIA card is also a factor. With no display outputs, it is a compute card first and foremost. The benchmark results, however, show it is not a well-rounded compute card. Its strengths lie in a narrow band of DirectX 12 rendering, which is an unusual profile for a card without outputs.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is generational and fundamental. The NVIDIA P106-090 is built on the Pascal architecture, fabricated on a 16 nm process at TSMC. The chip, designated GP106, contains 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die. The transistor density is 22.0M / mm². This is an older design, released in 2017-07-30.

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. Its chip, Navi 24, packs 5,400 million transistors into a much smaller 107 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 50.5M / mm². This is a newer, denser design released on 2022-01-18. The density difference is stark: the AMD chip crams over a billion more transistors into roughly half the die area.

The architecture generation also dictates feature sets. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and includes 16 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the NVIDIA card, which only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). The NVIDIA card has no ray tracing or tensor core hardware at all. The AMD card's compute capabilities are also far higher per clock, as evidenced by its fp16 performance of 11.53 TFLOPS (2:1) versus the NVIDIA card's 36.74 GFLOPS (1:64).

Specification Differences

The specifications diverge significantly across every major category. Here are the key differences recorded in the database:

| Specification | NVIDIA P106-090 | AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT |

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

| Process Node | 16 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 4,400 million | 5,400 million |

| Die Size | 200 mm² | 107 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1354 MHz | 2310 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1531 MHz | 2815 MHz |

| Game Clock | N/A | 2610 MHz |

| Memory Size | 3 GB | 4 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus | 192 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.2 GB/s | 143.9 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 48 | 64 |

| ROPs | 48 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 0 | 16 |

| FP32 | 2.352 TFLOPS | 5.765 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 36.74 GFLOPS (1:64) | 11.53 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 75 W | 107 W |

| Suggested PSU | 250 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 1.0 x1 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a |

The AMD card has higher clocks, more shading units, and a much higher FP32 throughput of 5.765 TFLOPS versus 2.352 TFLOPS. The NVIDIA card counters with a wider 192-bit memory bus, giving it higher bandwidth at 192.2 GB/s despite using older GDDR5 memory. The AMD card's 64-bit bus limits it to 143.9 GB/s. The AMD card also offers a full display output suite, while the NVIDIA card offers none.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA P106-090 has a higher average benchmark score of 13470 compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT's 11842.

Q: How much faster is the AMD card in Vulkan compute?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT scores 54724 in the geekbench_vulkan test, which is 66% higher than the NVIDIA P106-090's score of 18596.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card support ray tracing?

A: No, the NVIDIA P106-090 has no ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT includes 16 RT cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The NVIDIA P106-090 has a memory bandwidth of 192.2 GB/s over a 192-bit bus, while the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT has 143.9 GB/s over a 64-bit bus.

Q: Can the NVIDIA card be used for display output?

A: No, the NVIDIA P106-090 has no display outputs. The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT provides 1x HDMI 2.1 and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT has a much higher transistor density of 50.5M / mm², compared to the NVIDIA P106-090's 22.0M / mm².

The Verdict

The choice between these two cards depends entirely on the target workload. The NVIDIA P106-090 is the pick for specific DirectX 12 rendering tasks where its 116.6% lead in the Steel Nomad benchmark translates to real performance gains. Its higher average benchmark score of 13470 and wider memory bus make it a technically interesting card, but its lack of display outputs and older architecture limit its practical use cases to compute or rendering farms.

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT is the more versatile card. Its 66% advantage in Vulkan, 55.9% advantage in OpenCL, and the presence of ray tracing cores make it a better fit for modern gaming and general-purpose compute. Its higher clocks, more shading units, and significantly higher FP32 throughput of 5.765 TFLOPS show a more capable compute engine. The PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and standard display outputs mean it can be installed in a system and used immediately.

The data is clear: if a user is locked into a workload that favors the NVIDIA card's specific DirectX 12 strengths, it is the better choice. For anyone else, the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT offers broader compatibility and superior compute performance. The NVIDIA card is a specialized tool, while the AMD card is a generalist.