GPU Comparison

The NVIDIA TITAN V and AMD Radeon RX 480 are both end-of-life products, but they occupy completely different performance strata. Based on the benchmark data, the TITAN V is the definitive winner in every head-to-head test, delivering a 269% higher score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a 313.9% higher score in Geekbench OpenCL, and a 230.9% higher score in Geekbench Vulkan. The RX 480 is a capable performer for its class, but it is not a competitor to the TITAN V; the data shows a generational and architectural gulf that no amount of driver optimization can bridge.

The Verdict

The verdict is unambiguous: the NVIDIA TITAN V is for users who need maximum compute throughput, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 serves those with more modest performance requirements. The TITAN V wins all three head-to-head benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 34,355 compared to the RX 480's 33,997. However, this near-equal average score is misleading, as the TITAN V's average is dragged down by low DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 Passmark scores (213 and 152 respectively), while the RX 480's average is based on a smaller benchmark set.

For compute-heavy workloads, the TITAN V is the clear choice. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 157,265 is 313.9% higher than the RX 480's 37,998, making it vastly superior for general-purpose GPU computing. The RX 480, with its 5.834 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is more than adequate for 1080p gaming and light compute tasks, but it cannot match the TITAN V's 14.90 TFLOPS. The data indicates that the TITAN V is a workstation-class card, while the RX 480 is a mainstream consumer card.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is fundamental. The TITAN V uses the GV100 chip based on the Volta architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It packs 21,100 million transistors on an 815 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 25.9M per mm². In contrast, the RX 480 uses the Ellesmere chip based on GCN 4.0, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, giving a density of 24.6M per mm².

The TITAN V's memory subsystem is drastically different, featuring 12 GB of HBM2 on a 3072-bit bus, delivering 651.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. This 2.5x bandwidth advantage is critical for the TITAN V's compute performance. The TITAN V also includes 640 tensor cores, which are absent from the RX 480 entirely. These tensor cores are designed for deep learning and AI workloads, giving the TITAN V capabilities the RX 480 simply does not possess.

The TITAN V has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, while the RX 480 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This nearly 2.2x difference in shading units and 3x difference in ROPs explains the TITAN V's superior pixel rate of 139.7 GPixel/s versus the RX 480's 40.51 GPixel/s. The TITAN V also doubles FP16 performance at 29.80 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) compared to its FP32 rate, while the RX 480's FP16 is equal to its FP32 at 5.834 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most significant win for the TITAN V is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 157,265 against the RX 480's 37,998, a delta of 313.9%. This massive margin highlights the TITAN V's compute architecture superiority, driven by its higher shading unit count, tensor cores, and memory bandwidth. The RX 480's score is respectable for a mid-range card, but the data shows it is not in the same league.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the TITAN V scores 152,117 versus the RX 480's 45,968, a 230.9% advantage. Vulkan is a low-level API that scales well with raw hardware resources, and the TITAN V's 5120 shading units and 651.3 GB/s bandwidth deliver a crushing blow. The RX 480's 2304 shading units and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient to keep up.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the TITAN V scores 3,565 against the RX 480's 966, a 269% delta. This DirectX 12 benchmark stresses modern rendering features, and the TITAN V's Volta architecture with DirectX 12 (12_1) support outperforms the RX 480's GCN 4.0 with DirectX 12 (12_0). The RX 480's lower feature level in DirectX 12 contributes to its significant deficit.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA TITAN V has 14.90 TFLOPS FP32 performance, which is 2.55x higher than the AMD Radeon RX 480's 5.834 TFLOPS. This is reflected in the 313.9% Geekbench OpenCL delta.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The TITAN V has 651.3 GB/s bandwidth from its HBM2 memory on a 3072-bit bus, while the RX 480 has 256.0 GB/s from GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. This 2.54x bandwidth advantage is a key factor in the TITAN V's benchmark dominance.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The TITAN V supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the RX 480 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). The TITAN V's higher feature level is one reason for its 269% advantage in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The TITAN V has 5120 shading units, compared to the RX 480's 2304. This 2.22x difference directly contributes to the TITAN V's higher texture rate of 465.6 GTexel/s versus 182.3 GTexel/s.

Q: Is the RX 480 competitive in any benchmark?

A: The head-to-head data shows the RX 480 wins zero benchmarks. Its best relative result is in Geekbench Vulkan, where it still trails by 230.9%. The RX 480's average benchmark score of 33,997 is close to the TITAN V's 34,355, but this is due to the limited benchmark set.

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The TITAN V has 21,100 million transistors, while the RX 480 has 5,700 million. This 3.7x difference, combined with the TITAN V's larger die size of 815 mm² versus 232 mm², explains the performance gap.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA TITAN V wins in every measured category. In compute-heavy tasks like OpenCL, its 157,265 score is 313.9% higher, making it the clear choice for scientific simulation, machine learning inference, and any workload that leverages its 640 tensor cores. The TITAN V's 12 GB of HBM2 memory with 651.3 GB/s bandwidth also makes it superior for large datasets that exceed the RX 480's 8 GB GDDR5 capacity.

The RX 480's wins are not in performance but in efficiency and physical footprint. It has a TDP of 150 W compared to the TITAN V's 250 W, and its 240 mm length is shorter than the TITAN V's 267 mm. The RX 480 uses a single 6-pin power connector, while the TITAN V requires 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin. For users with smaller cases or lower wattage power supplies (450 W suggested versus 600 W), the RX 480 is more practical.

The RX 480 also has a lower launch MSRP of 229 USD, compared to the TITAN V's 2,999 USD launch MSRP. However, the performance per dollar is heavily skewed toward the TITAN V in compute workloads. The RX 480's Geekbench Metal score of 51,057 is notable, as it indicates Apple ecosystem compatibility, but the TITAN V does not have a Metal benchmark in this data set.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification. The TITAN V uses a 12 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 480 uses 14 nm at GlobalFoundries. The TITAN V has 21,100 million transistors on an 815 mm² die, versus 5,700 million on 232 mm². Clock speeds differ: the TITAN V has a base of 1200 MHz and boost of 1455 MHz, while the RX 480 has a base of 1120 MHz and boost of 1266 MHz.

Memory is a major differentiator: the TITAN V has 12 GB HBM2 with 3072-bit bus and 651.3 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 480 has 8 GB GDDR5 with 256-bit bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The TITAN V has 5120 shading units, 320 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 640 tensor cores, while the RX 480 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and no tensor cores.

Pixel rate is 139.7 GPixel/s for the TITAN V versus 40.51 GPixel/s for the RX 480. Texture rate is 465.6 GTexel/s versus 182.3 GTexel/s. FP32 is 14.90 TFLOPS versus 5.834 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 29.80 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 5.834 TFLOPS (1:1). TDP is 250 W versus 150 W. The TITAN V is longer (267 mm vs 240 mm), taller (112 mm vs 95 mm), and wider (40 mm vs 35 mm). Both are dual-slot, but the TITAN V needs 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors versus the RX 480's single 6-pin. DirectX support differs (12_1 vs 12_0), while OpenGL is identical at 4.6 and Vulkan is 1.4 for the TITAN V and 1.3 for the RX 480.