Steam Deck GPU
- GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
GPU Equivalents
- an Nvidia GTX 950 or GTX 1050.
- between RX 550 and RX 460 (896 core).
- PS4/1050ti at 1080p (when the Steam Deck runs games at 720p).
- between an RX 460 and a GTX 1050.
When it comes to raw graphics processing power, the Steam Deck is no slouch. Its AMD APU puts it on par with many dedicated video cards on the market. If you’re looking for a portable console that can handle 4k gaming and high-resolution displays, the Steam Deck is a great option.
Of course, there are many different video cards out there, each with its strengths and weaknesses. If you want to know what graphic cards offer similar levels of performance to Steam Deck’s GPU, we can make an educated guess.
Table of Contents
How Powerful is Steam Deck’s GPU?
Firstly, let’s take a quick look at the handheld’s hardware specs:
Van Gogh GPU Specs:
- GPU Name: Van Gogh
- GPU Variant: 100-000000405
- Architecture: RDNA 2.0
- Foundry: TSMC
- Process Size: 7 nm
- Transistors: 2,400 million
- Density: 14.7M / mm²
- Die Size: 163 mm²
- Base Clock: 1000 MHz
- Boost Clock: 1600 MHz
- Memory Clock: 1375 MHz, 5.5 Gbps effective
- Memory Size: 16 GB
- Memory Type: LPDDR5
- Memory Bus: 128 bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 88.00 GB/s
- Theoretical Performance:
- Pixel Rate: 25.60 GPixel/s
- Texture Rate: 51.20 GTexel/s
- FP16 (half): 3.277 TFLOPS (2:1)
- FP32 (float): 1.638 TFLOPS
- FP64 (double): 102.4 GFLOPS (1:16)
RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels)
The Steam Deck’s GPU is manufactured by AMD and is based on the company’s new RDNA 2 architecture. Despite the number of the GPU doesn’t look good on paper, its performance is still boosted thanks to the built-in CPU and RAM.
The device includes a powerful CPU and 16GB of four-channel LPDDR5 RAM, the latest flavor of Low Power Double Data Rate memory. This memory is optimized for mobile hardware, and its four channels provide a large amount of bandwidth to the APU.
The Steam Deck’s excellent performance will be significantly enhanced by its high memory speed. With this much power, the Steam Deck will be able to handle the most demanding games at 720p.
Steam Deck’s GPU is based on a much more power-efficient architecture than a PC’s graphic card. So even with the same raw specs, Steam Deck’s GPU will usually perform worse. The main reason for this is that Steam Deck’s graphics card focuses on portability over raw power.
Graphic Cards with Similar Power to Steam Deck’s GPU
After looking at the specs of the GPU, we can compare the Steam Deck’s GPU to some of the graphics cards on the market.
At 1.6 teraflops at maximum throughput, its power can be loosely equivalent to:
- an Nvidia GTX 950 or GTX 1050.
- between RX 550 and RX 460 (896 core).
- PS4/1050ti at 1080p (when the Steam Deck runs games at 720p).
- between an RX 460 and a GTX 1050.
Final Thought
The Steam Deck is a powerful handheld that can handle many of today’s games at 720p resolution with a high FPS. When comparing raw power, Steam Deck’s GPU can only be compared to low-tier of NVIDIA graphic cards like the GTX 1050. Keep in mind, however, that due to its power efficiency it may not be as powerful as some of the other options on the market. But the CPU and RAM will help increase its performance.