AMD Radeon 780M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER and the AMD Radeon 780M represent two fundamentally different approaches to graphics processing: a dedicated, high-power add-in board versus a power-sipping integrated graphics processor. The benchmark data reveals a decisive performance gap, with the RTX 2060 SUPER winning all three head-to-head tests, yet the 780M occupies a unique and relevant position due to its integration and efficiency. This analysis will dissect the architecture, benchmark results, and specifications to provide a clear picture of where each part excels.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is dramatically faster, scoring 2011 compared to the AMD Radeon 780M's 480. This represents a 319% advantage for the RTX 2060 SUPER.

Q: How do the two compare in raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER is significantly ahead. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 76,957 versus 18,602 (a 313.7% lead), and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 77,402 versus 33,683 (a 129.8% lead).

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

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18,093, which places it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon 780M has an average score of 17,588, placing it in the 61st percentile.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER's average score is 18,093, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile's average score of 18,159. This makes the two essentially comparable in overall performance.

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon 780M has a much higher transistor density of 142.6M / mm² on its 4 nm process, compared to the RTX 2060 SUPER's 24.3M / mm² on a 12 nm process. This reflects the 780M's modern manufacturing node.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has a TDP of 175 W and requires a 450 W suggested power supply with a single 8-pin connector. The AMD Radeon 780M is an IGP with a TDP of just 15 W and requires no power connectors.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on entirely different architectural and physical foundations. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a discrete graphics card based on the TU106 chip, utilizing the Turing architecture manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon 780M is an integrated graphics processor, part of the Phoenix chip, using the RDNA 3.0 architecture on a much more advanced 4 nm process, also from TSMC. This fundamental difference in design philosophy is reflected in their physical characteristics.

The RTX 2060 SUPER is a large, power-hungry chip with a die size of 445 mm² and 10,800 million transistors. In contrast, the 780M is a compact IGP with a die size of 178 mm² and 25,390 million transistors, showcasing a significantly higher transistor density. The 780M's integrated nature means it shares system memory, while the RTX 2060 SUPER has its own dedicated 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. The processing core configurations also differ vastly, with the RTX 2060 SUPER featuring 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the 780M has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

Feature support also diverges. The RTX 2060 SUPER includes 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, leveraging the Turing architecture's dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI workloads. The 780M, based on RDNA 3.0, has 12 RT cores but no tensor cores. While both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, the underlying hardware implementations are entirely different. The RTX 2060 SUPER is a PCIe 3.0 x16 card, whereas the 780M connects via PCIe 4.0 x8 as an IGP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results paint a clear picture of dominance by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER across all tested workloads. The most striking difference is in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, a demanding modern gaming benchmark. Here, the RTX 2060 SUPER scores 2011, a staggering 319% higher than the 780M's 480. This indicates that in current-generation DirectX 12 titles, the dedicated GPU provides over four times the rendering performance.

The gap narrows slightly but remains vast in compute-oriented tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2060 SUPER's score of 76,957 dwarfs the 780M's 18,602, representing a 313.7% lead. This test often scales with memory bandwidth and raw compute throughput, both of which favor the dedicated card with its 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth versus the system-dependent bandwidth of the 780M. The RTX 2060 SUPER's FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS is also a factor, though the 780M's 8.909 TFLOPS FP32 figure is nominally higher, suggesting the OpenCL result is heavily influenced by other system factors.

The Vulkan test shows the smallest relative gap, but the RTX 2060 SUPER still wins decisively. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 77,402 outperforms the 780M's 33,683 by 129.8%. While the 780M's RDNA 3.0 architecture is efficient, it cannot overcome the sheer resources and dedicated memory of the RTX 2060 SUPER. The data shows that for any task involving 3D rendering or general-purpose GPU compute, the RTX 2060 SUPER is in a different performance class entirely, securing all three wins in the head-to-head comparison.

Specification Differences

The following table details the key specifications where the two GPUs differ significantly:

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER | AMD Radeon 780M |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | Turing | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 12 nm | 4 nm |

| Transistors | 10,800 million | 25,390 million |

| Die Size | 445 mm² | 178 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.3M / mm² | 142.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1470 MHz | 800 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1650 MHz | 2900 MHz |

| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 2176 | 768 |

| TMUs | 136 | 48 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 34 | 12 |

| Tensor Cores | 272 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 105.6 GPixel/s | 92.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 224.4 GTexel/s | 139.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 7.181 TFLOPS | 8.909 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 14.36 TFLOPS (2:1) | 8.909 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 175 W | 15 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | None |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Release Date | 2019-07-08 | 2024-01-30 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

The AMD Radeon 780M compensates for its smaller core configuration with a much higher boost clock of 2900 MHz versus 1650 MHz, helping it achieve a higher theoretical FP32 throughput. However, its memory system is entirely dependent on the host system's RAM, which is a significant bottleneck compared to the dedicated 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth on the RTX 2060 SUPER.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the overwhelmingly more powerful GPU. It wins all three head-to-head benchmarks by massive margins, from 129.8% to 319%. Its dedicated 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth provide a level of performance that the system-shared memory of the 780M cannot match. Users seeking a discrete graphics card for gaming or content creation should look to the RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs and is competitive with the RTX 3060 Mobile, despite its end-of-life status.

However, the AMD Radeon 780M serves a completely different purpose. As an IGP with a 15 W TDP, its value proposition is not about raw performance. It is a solution for compact, power-efficient systems where a dedicated GPU is not an option. Despite losing every benchmark, its 61st percentile ranking shows it is remarkably capable for an integrated solution, offering performance that rivals discrete GPUs like the AMD Radeon Pro 560 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in average score. The RTX 2060 SUPER is for users who need maximum performance and have the power budget and physical space for a dual-slot card. The 780M is for users who prioritize efficiency and integration, and who need a capable graphics solution that draws almost no power and requires no additional connectors.