GPU Comparison
AMD Radeon RX 480
TITAN V
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD Radeon RX 480 vs NVIDIA TITAN V
The Verdict
The benchmark data presents a stark generational and market-tier divide. The NVIDIA TITAN V wins all three head-to-head tests, with the AMD Radeon RX 480 trailing by margins from -69.8% to -75.7%. The TITAN V is categorically the faster card, delivering scores roughly 3.3 to 4.1 times higher depending on the workload. However, the data also shows both cards occupy the same 78th percentile among all GPUs, and their average benchmark scores are nearly identical: the RX 480 averages 34059, while the TITAN V averages 34355, a delta of just 0.9% from the RX 480's perspective. This paradox, dominant head-to-head wins yet nearly equal average scores, indicates the TITAN V's extreme performance in specific compute-heavy tests is offset by weaker results in other database entries.
For buyers strictly following the data, the choice depends on workload. The TITAN V is the pick for users running the specific DirectX 12, OpenCL, and Vulkan tests where it utterly dominates. The RX 480 is the pick for users whose workloads align with the broader set of benchmarks contributing to the average, where it matches the TITAN V within a single percentage point. The RX 480's nearest rival list shows it within -1.1% to 1% of cards like the RX 560 XT and RX 6700 XT, suggesting it remains competitive in its own segment. Conversely, the TITAN V's nearest rivals are all AMD cards, RX 560 XT, PRO W6400, HD 7970, all within -0.5% to 0.9% of its average, which reinforces that its average score is not representative of its peak capability.
Architecture Differences
The two GPUs come from different architectural lineages and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon RX 480 uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The NVIDIA TITAN V uses the GV100 chip on Volta architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 21,100 million transistors on a much larger 815 mm² die, with a slightly higher transistor density of 25.9M per mm².
Memory technology diverges sharply. The RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The TITAN V uses 12 GB of HBM2 on a 3072-bit bus, delivering 651.3 GB/s, more than double the bandwidth. This memory subsystem difference explains much of the TITAN V's compute advantage. The TITAN V also introduces 640 tensor cores, a feature entirely absent from the RX 480, which has no equivalent hardware for tensor operations. Neither card has dedicated ray tracing cores.
Compute capabilities differ fundamentally in floating-point performance. The RX 480 delivers 5.834 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, with a 1:1 ratio. The TITAN V delivers 14.90 TFLOPS FP32 and 29.80 TFLOPS FP16, with a 2:1 ratio, meaning its FP16 throughput is double its FP32. This makes the TITAN V disproportionately faster for mixed-precision workloads. The TITAN V also has 5120 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, versus the RX 480's 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Pixel rate is 139.7 GPixel/s for the TITAN V versus 40.51 GPixel/s for the RX 480, and texture rate is 465.6 GTexel/s versus 182.3 GTexel/s.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The three direct comparisons all favor the NVIDIA TITAN V, but the margins vary by workload. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the TITAN V scores 3565 against the RX 480's 966, a delta of -72.9% from the RX 480's perspective. This means the TITAN V is approximately 3.7 times faster in this DirectX 12 rasterization test. The gap is even larger in Geekbench OpenCL: the TITAN V scores 157265 versus 38245, a delta of -75.7%, translating to a 4.1x advantage. This OpenCL result likely reflects the TITAN V's massive FP32 throughput and memory bandwidth advantage.
The Vulkan test shows the smallest relative gap, though it is still decisive. The TITAN V scores 152117 against the RX 480's 45968, a delta of -69.8%, meaning the TITAN V is roughly 3.3 times faster. The pattern across all three tests is consistent: the TITAN V delivers between 3.3x and 4.1x the performance of the RX 480. The RX 480 wins none of the head-to-head comparisons, and the TITAN V wins all three. However, the average benchmark scores tell a different story. The RX 480's average of 34059 comes from only four benchmarks, while the TITAN V's average of 34355 comes from ten benchmarks, including several Passmark tests with low scores, DirectX 9 at 213, DirectX 10 at 153, DirectX 11 at 152, DirectX 12 at 81, and G2D at 937. These low Passmark results drag the TITAN V's average down to near parity with the RX 480, despite its dominance in the head-to-head tests.
Specification Differences
The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The process node is 14 nm for the RX 480 versus 12 nm for the TITAN V. Transistor count is 5,700 million versus 21,100 million. Die size is 232 mm² versus 815 mm². Clock speeds differ: the RX 480 has a base clock of 1120 MHz and boost of 1266 MHz, while the TITAN V has a base of 1200 MHz and boost of 1455 MHz. Memory clocks are specified differently: the RX 480 runs at 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective, while the TITAN V runs at 848 MHz with 1696 Mbps effective, though the TITAN V's wider bus compensates.
Memory capacity is 8 GB versus 12 GB, with bus widths of 256-bit versus 3072-bit. Bandwidth is 256.0 GB/s versus 651.3 GB/s. Shading units are 2304 versus 5120, TMUs are 144 versus 320, ROPs are 32 versus 96. The TITAN V has 640 tensor cores; the RX 480 has none. FP32 performance is 5.834 TFLOPS versus 14.90 TFLOPS. FP16 performance is 5.834 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 29.80 TFLOPS (2:1). Power draw is 150 W versus 250 W, with power connectors of 1x 6-pin versus 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. The suggested PSU is 450 W for the RX 480 and 600 W for the TITAN V. Physical dimensions differ: the RX 480 is 240 mm long, 95 mm high, and 35 mm wide, while the TITAN V is 267 mm long, 112 mm high, and 40 mm wide. The TITAN V supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 480 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Display outputs are nearly identical: 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the RX 480, versus 1x HDMI 2.0 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the TITAN V. The RX 480 was released on 2016-06-28, while the TITAN V came later on 2017-12-06.
FAQ
Q: Which GPU wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?
A: The NVIDIA TITAN V scores 3565 versus 966 for the AMD Radeon RX 480, a delta of -72.9% from the RX 480's perspective. The TITAN V is approximately 3.7 times faster in this DirectX 12 test.
Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?
A: The RX 480 averages 34059 across four benchmarks, while the TITAN V averages 34355 across ten benchmarks. The TITAN V leads by only 0.9% as reported from the RX 480's nearest rivals list, despite its dominance in head-to-head tests.
Q: Does the RX 480 have any tensor cores?
A: No. The RX 480 has no tensor cores. The TITAN V includes 640 tensor cores, which are absent from the RX 480's GCN 4.0 architecture.
Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?
A: The RX 480 provides 256.0 GB/s over a 256-bit bus with 8 GB GDDR5. The TITAN V provides 651.3 GB/s over a 3072-bit bus with 12 GB HBM2, more than double the bandwidth.
Q: Which card supports a higher DirectX feature level?
A: The TITAN V supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RX 480 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the TITAN V also supports Vulkan 1.4 versus Vulkan 1.3 for the RX 480.
Q: Are the cards similar in overall standing among all GPUs?
A: Yes. Both the RX 480 and TITAN V are in the 78th percentile among all GPUs. Their average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with the TITAN V at 34355 and the RX 480 at 34059, a gap of less than 1%.