AMD Radeon Vega 9 Mobile

How It Compares

The AMD Radeon Vega 9 Mobile sits in the middle of the GPU performance distribution, landing at the 50th percentile among all GPUs tracked in the database. This positioning indicates a part that is neither a performance leader nor a laggard, but rather a median performer typical of integrated graphics in its generation.

As an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) built on the Picasso-M chip, this GPU is fundamentally different from discrete add-in boards. Its system-shared memory architecture means performance scales directly with the host system's RAM configuration and speed, making it highly dependent on the laptop or portable device in which it resides. The "System Dependent" bandwidth figure underscores this variability—there is no fixed memory bandwidth, only what the platform provides.

The GPU's production status is end-of-life, having been released on October 21, 2019. It succeeds the GCN 3.0 IGP and is succeeded by the Navi II IGP, placing it as a transitional part between older and newer integrated graphics architectures. Its 12 nm process node from GlobalFoundries, with 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, gives it a transistor density of 23.5 million transistors per square millimeter.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Vega 9 Mobile does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores—these fields are null in the specification data. This is consistent with its GCN 5.0 architecture, which predates AMD's dedicated ray tracing hardware found in later RDNA-based products. Benchmark results indicate that any ray tracing workload would fall back to compute shaders, a method that is substantially less efficient than dedicated hardware acceleration.

API support is robust for the era. DirectX 12 with feature level 12_1 is supported, which includes Tier 1 hardware support for conservative rasterization and rasterizer-ordered views but not the higher-tier features found in newer discrete GPUs. OpenGL 4.6 provides full compatibility with legacy applications, while Vulkan 1.3 support ensures access to modern low-overhead graphics APIs. This combination allows the GPU to run contemporary titles at the time of its release, though without the advanced features that dedicated ray tracing hardware would enable.

The shading complex consists of 576 shading units, 36 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. These counts are modest by discrete GPU standards but typical for an integrated solution. The pixel rate is 10.40 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 46.80 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 1,497.6 GFLOPS for FP32 operations, with FP16 performance at 2.995 TFLOPS delivered at a 2:1 ratio, indicating that half-precision throughput is double the single-precision rate.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark data for this GPU is sparse—the average benchmark score is 0, and there are no specific benchmark entries in the fact pack. The nearest rivals list is empty, which limits direct comparative analysis. However, the 50th percentile placement across all GPUs provides a meaningful reference point: half of all GPUs in the database perform better, and half perform worse.

What can be interpreted from the raw specifications is the performance envelope. The boost clock of 1300 MHz, combined with 576 shading units, yields the 1,497.6 GFLOPS FP32 figure. This places the Vega 9 Mobile firmly in the entry-level integrated graphics tier. The 8 ROPs and 36 TMUs suggest that fill-rate-bound workloads, such as high-resolution texture mapping, will be constrained relative to shading-heavy compute tasks.

The FP16 performance of 2.995 TFLOPS at the 2:1 ratio is notable—it indicates that applications leveraging half-precision arithmetic can achieve nearly double the throughput. This is relevant for certain compute workloads and for graphics features that use FP16 throughout the pipeline, though the practical benefit depends on software optimization.

The system-shared memory architecture is the dominant performance variable. With no dedicated VRAM, the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The "System Dependent" bandwidth specification means that a laptop with fast dual-channel memory will show meaningfully better frame rates than one with slower single-channel configuration. This makes the GPU's real-world performance highly platform-specific, more so than any discrete GPU.

Power and Cooling

The thermal design power (TDP) is rated at 15 W, which is characteristic of a low-power integrated graphics solution intended for thin-and-light laptops. This modest power envelope means that no external power connectors are required—the specification lists "None" for power connectors. The slot width is classified as IGP, confirming that this is an integrated solution that does not occupy an expansion slot.

There is no suggested PSU rating provided in the specifications, which is logical given the integrated nature of the GPU. Unlike discrete GPUs that require a power supply with sufficient wattage and appropriate PCIe power connectors, the Vega 9 Mobile draws its power through the motherboard's power delivery system designed for the host processor. The absence of a PSU recommendation reflects that this component is not user-upgradeable or serviceable in the traditional sense.

The 15 W TDP encompasses the entire GPU power draw, including the shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and the memory controller interface to system RAM. This is a complete package power figure rather than just the core power. The 12 nm process node from GlobalFoundries is relatively mature, and the 4,940 million transistor count on a 210 mm² die indicates a moderately complex chip that is nonetheless efficient enough to fit within the 15 W envelope.

Cooling requirements are minimal by discrete GPU standards. The integrated nature means that the laptop's existing thermal solution—typically a shared heat pipe and fan assembly for the CPU and GPU—must dissipate the combined heat. The 15 W GPU contribution is manageable within that context, and the end-of-life status suggests that this solution has been superseded by more efficient designs.

FAQ

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Vega 9 Mobile support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The specification lists no ray tracing cores, and the absence of this hardware means ray tracing workloads would need to rely on compute shaders, which are significantly less efficient for this purpose.

Q: What is the memory configuration for this GPU?

A: The memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," meaning the GPU uses a portion of the system's main RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is "System Dependent," varying with the host platform's memory configuration.

Q: What APIs does this GPU support?

A: It supports DirectX 12 with feature level 12_1, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. This provides compatibility with modern graphics APIs as of its release date.

Q: How much power does this GPU consume?

A: The TDP is rated at 15 W. It requires no external power connectors, and there is no suggested PSU recommendation because the GPU draws power through the motherboard as an integrated component.

Q: What is the manufacturing process and die size?

A: The GPU is manufactured on a 12 nm process node at GlobalFoundries. The die size is 210 mm², containing 4,940 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 23.5 million per square millimeter.

Q: When was this GPU released, and is it still in production?

A: The release date was October 21, 2019. The production status is listed as end-of-life, and it has been succeeded by the Navi II IGP. Its predecessor was the GCN 3.0 IGP.

Q: What is the pixel and texture fill rate?

A: The pixel rate is 10.40 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 46.80 GTexel/s. These figures are derived from the 8 ROPs and 36 TMUs operating at the boost clock.

Q: What is the FP32 and FP16 compute performance?

A: The FP32 performance is 1,497.6 GFLOPS, while FP16 performance is 2.995 TFLOPS delivered at a 2:1 ratio, meaning FP16 throughput is double the FP32 rate.