AMD Radeon RX 6800M vs NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison between the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is lopsided in favor of NVIDIA, with the RTX A5000 Mobile taking 8 out of 9 benchmark wins. The only exception is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the AMD Radeon RX 6800M wins by 7.5%, scoring 94,766 against 88,144. That single victory highlights AMD's strength in Vulkan workloads, but it is the sole bright spot in an otherwise NVIDIA-dominated record.

The largest margin comes in PassMark GPU Compute, where the RTX A5000 Mobile scores 6,945 versus the RX 6800M's 5,032, a difference of 27.5%. This is a significant gap for compute-oriented tasks, suggesting NVIDIA's architecture handles parallel compute workloads with considerably more efficiency. The second-largest delta appears in PassMark G3D, where the RTX A5000 Mobile posts 15,779 against 13,261, a 16% advantage. For general 3D rendering performance, that gap is meaningful and will translate into higher frame rates or faster render times in most GPU-bound scenarios.

In DirectX 10, the RTX A5000 Mobile leads by 12.2% (115 versus 101), and in DirectX 9, it leads by 13% (169 versus 147). These legacy API tests show NVIDIA maintaining a consistent edge across older graphics interfaces. The DirectX 11 result is closer: 133 versus 127, a 4.5% advantage for NVIDIA. DirectX 12 shows a 9.7% gap (72 versus 65), still favoring NVIDIA but not as decisively as the compute or G3D results.

The PassMark G2D score also favors NVIDIA, with 629 versus 538, a 14.5% delta. This indicates better 2D desktop and UI performance, though this is rarely a deciding factor for discrete mobile GPUs. Overall, the pattern is clear: the RTX A5000 Mobile wins every PassMark test and the OpenCL test, while the RX 6800M only manages to claw back a win in Vulkan.

It is worth remembering the average benchmark scores place these two cards in different neighborhoods. The RX 6800M averages 28,874 across all recorded benchmarks, while the RTX A5000 Mobile averages 24,763. That is a 16.6% difference in favor of AMD. However, this average includes the Geekbench Metal score for the RX 6800M (113,721), which is not present in the RTX A5000 Mobile's dataset, so the averages are not directly comparable across identical test suites. The head-to-head results are the more reliable indicator, and they consistently favor NVIDIA.

Where Each One Wins

If you are targeting Vulkan-based workloads, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M is the clear pick. Its 7.5% lead in Geekbench Vulkan (94,766 versus 88,144) is the only head-to-head win, and it suggests that AMD's RDNA 2.0 architecture handles Vulkan API calls with lower overhead or better driver optimization. For gaming scenarios that rely on Vulkan, such as certain modern titles or emulators, the RX 6800M should hold a modest but real advantage.

For almost everything else, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the stronger choice. Compute-heavy tasks, as measured by PassMark GPU Compute, show a 27.5% advantage for NVIDIA. This matters for rendering, scientific simulations, or any workload that stresses raw FP32 or tensor operations. The RTX A5000 Mobile also leads in every DirectX variant tested: 12.2% in DirectX 10, 4.5% in DirectX 11, 9.7% in DirectX 12, and 13% in DirectX 9. For typical PC gaming, which predominantly uses DirectX 11 or 12, the NVIDIA card is ahead in every scenario, though the DirectX 11 margin is slim enough that it might not be noticeable in real-world frame rates.

The PassMark G3D score, which represents overall 3D performance, shows a 16% advantage for NVIDIA (15,779 versus 13,261). This is the broadest indicator of gaming capability, and it points firmly to NVIDIA. The G2D score (629 versus 538, a 14.5% delta) also favors NVIDIA, though 2D performance is rarely a bottleneck. The OpenCL score (110,877 versus 87,621, a 21% delta) further cements NVIDIA's position for OpenCL compute workloads, which are common in professional applications.

In short: pick the RX 6800M for Vulkan-specific tasks, and pick the RTX A5000 Mobile for DirectX, compute, OpenCL, or general 3D rendering. The RTX A5000 Mobile is the more versatile and consistently faster card across the measured benchmarks.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and fabrication processes. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M uses the Navi 22 chip with RDNA 2.0, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. It packs 17,200 million transistors into a 335 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 51.3 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile uses the GA104 chip with Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It contains 17,400 million transistors across a larger 392 mm² die, giving a lower density of 44.4 million per square millimeter.

The memory subsystems differ significantly. The RX 6800M has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX A5000 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s. That is a 16.7% bandwidth advantage for NVIDIA, which likely contributes to its higher performance in memory-heavy workloads. The RX 6800M runs its memory at 16 Gbps effective, while the RTX A5000 Mobile runs at 14 Gbps effective, but the wider bus more than compensates.

The compute resources tell a similar story. The RX 6800M has 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, 64 ROPs, and 40 ray tracing cores. The RTX A5000 Mobile has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 48 ray tracing cores. NVIDIA also adds 192 tensor cores, which AMD's card lacks entirely. The FP32 throughput is 12.24 TFLOPS for AMD versus 19.35 TFLOPS for NVIDIA, a 58% difference. The FP16 situation is notable: AMD achieves 24.47 TFLOPS at 2:1 ratio, while NVIDIA achieves 19.35 TFLOPS at 1:1 ratio. This means AMD has a theoretical advantage in FP16 workloads that can use the 2:1 rate, but NVIDIA has the edge in FP32 and in tensor-based workloads.

Clock speeds are dramatically different. The RX 6800M runs at a base clock of 2116 MHz and boosts to 2390 MHz, with a game clock of 2300 MHz. The RTX A5000 Mobile runs at a base of only 900 MHz and boosts to 1575 MHz. Despite the lower clocks, NVIDIA's much larger shader count and wider memory bus allow it to outperform AMD in most tests. Power consumption is similar: 145 W for AMD versus 150 W for NVIDIA, a negligible difference.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile is the faster card in nearly every measured benchmark. It wins 8 of 9 head-to-head tests, with margins ranging from 4.5% in DirectX 11 to 27.5% in GPU Compute. The only AMD victory is in Vulkan, where it leads by 7.5%. If your workload is Vulkan-centric, the RX 6800M is the better choice. For DirectX gaming, OpenCL compute, or general 3D performance, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the superior option.

The RTX A5000 Mobile also offers more memory (16 GB versus 12 GB), higher bandwidth (448.0 GB/s versus 384.0 GB/s), and tensor cores that the RX 6800M lacks. These features make it the better fit for professional workloads like machine learning inference, rendering, or large dataset processing. The RX 6800M, despite its higher clocks and smaller die, cannot match NVIDIA's raw throughput in most scenarios.

Given the 27.5% compute gap and the 16% G3D gap, the RTX A5000 Mobile is the recommended choice for anyone who needs consistent performance across a wide range of applications. The RX 6800M is a niche pick for Vulkan enthusiasts, but the benchmark record does not support it as a general-purpose winner.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Vulkan benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800M wins in Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 94,766, which is 7.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile's 88,144.

Q: How much faster is the RTX A5000 Mobile in compute workloads?

A: The RTX A5000 Mobile scores 6,945 in PassMark GPU Compute, which is 27.5% higher than the RX 6800M's 5,032.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The RTX A5000 Mobile has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth from a 256-bit bus, while the RX 6800M has 384.0 GB/s from a 192-bit bus. That is a 16.7% advantage for NVIDIA.

Q: Does the AMD card have any advantage in FP16 performance?

A: Yes, the RX 6800M achieves 24.47 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, while the RTX A5000 Mobile achieves 19.35 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio. However, the RTX A5000 Mobile has higher FP32 throughput at 19.35 TFLOPS versus 12.24 TFLOPS.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile has 6,144 shading units, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800M has 2,560. NVIDIA also has 192 tensor cores, which AMD lacks entirely.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The RX 6800M averages 28,874 across all recorded benchmarks, while the RTX A5000 Mobile averages 24,763. Note that the RX 6800M's average includes a Geekbench Metal score that is not present in the RTX A5000 Mobile's dataset.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Radeon RX 6800M | NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Ampere |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 17,400 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 392 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.3M / mm² | 44.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2116 MHz | 900 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2390 MHz | 1575 MHz |

| Memory Size | 12 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 6144 |

| TMUs | 160 | 192 |

| ROPs | 64 | 96 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 40 | 48 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 192 |

| FP32 Performance | 12.24 TFLOPS | 19.35 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1) | 19.35 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 145 W | 150 W |