AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 vs AMD Radeon RX 6700M Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6700M and AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 represent two distinct generations of AMD graphics technology, with the former being a mobile-focused RDNA 2.0 part and the latter a professional-grade RDNA 4.0 solution. The benchmark data shows a clear overall winner, but the individual test results reveal a nuanced picture where legacy API performance and specific workloads favor each card differently. The RX 6700M holds a 71st percentile ranking among all GPUs, while the AI PRO R9700 sits at the 69th percentile, yet the newer card's average benchmark score of 23,315 is actually lower than the RX 6700M's 25,633 average, a discrepancy explained by the older card's strong showing in one particular test.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic difference between the two cards appears in the DirectX 12-based 3DMark Steel Nomad test, where the AI PRO R9700 scores 7,006 against the RX 6700M's 1,845. This represents a 73.7% lead for the newer card, making it the largest margin of victory in any benchmark. The R9700's advantage in this modern API test is overwhelming and indicates that the architectural leap from RDNA 2.0 to RDNA 4.0 delivers substantial gains in current-generation gaming workloads.

Compute performance follows a similar pattern, with the AI PRO R9700 achieving 15,300 in Passmark GPU Compute versus 5,191 for the RX 6700M, a 66.1% difference. The R9700 also dominates in OpenCL, scoring 118,202 compared to 77,666, a 34.3% advantage. These results align with the R9700's 47.84 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, which is over four times the RX 6700M's 11.06 TFLOPS, though the benchmark gap is smaller than the theoretical compute difference suggests.

The story inverts completely in Vulkan, where the RX 6700M scores 90,816 against the R9700's 63,550, giving the older card a 42.9% victory. This is the only head-to-head test the RX 6700M wins, yet it is a significant one, indicating that the RDNA 2.0 architecture maintains superior Vulkan optimization or driver maturity in this specific workload. This single win is enough to boost the RX 6700M's average benchmark score above the R9700's, despite losing nine of the ten comparisons.

DirectX 11 and DirectX 9 results show the R9700's generational superiority in legacy APIs, with scores of 272 versus 129 in DX11 (52.6% lead) and 363 versus 155 in DX9 (57.3% lead). The DirectX 10 test shows a 40.6% advantage for the R9700 (155 vs 92), while DirectX 12 in Passmark shows a narrower 21.7% gap (83 vs 65). The R9700 also wins decisively in 2D performance, scoring 1,236 versus 555 in Passmark G2D (55.1% lead), and in the overall Passmark G3D test with 26,979 versus 13,536 (49.8% lead).

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the clear choice for any workload that leverages modern graphics APIs or computational throughput. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 7,006, which is 73.7% higher than the RX 6700M, makes it the superior option for DirectX 12 gaming and ray-traced scenarios. The R9700's compute advantage, demonstrated by its 66.1% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and 34.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL, positions it as the better card for GPU-accelerated compute tasks, machine learning inference, or content creation that uses OpenCL acceleration.

The R9700's dominance extends to legacy DirectX APIs, with substantial leads in DX9 (57.3%), DX11 (52.6%), and DX10 (40.6%). This makes it the safer choice for running older games or applications that rely on these APIs. The card's 2D performance advantage of 55.1% in Passmark G2D also suggests better desktop composition and 2D rendering capabilities, which is relevant for professional productivity workloads.

The AMD Radeon RX 6700M's sole victory in Geekbench Vulkan, where it scores 90,816 versus 63,550, indicates that this card is better suited for Vulkan-based games and applications. This 42.9% advantage is substantial and suggests that the RDNA 2.0 architecture's Vulkan driver implementation is more mature or better optimized than the newer RDNA 4.0 part's. For users whose primary workload is Vulkan gaming or Vulkan-based compute, the RX 6700M would deliver noticeably better performance despite its older architecture.

The RX 6700M also holds a higher overall benchmark average (25,633 vs 23,315) and a higher percentile ranking (71st vs 69th), which reflects the impact of its Vulkan win on the aggregate score. However, this aggregate metric is misleading for most use cases, as the R9700 wins nine of ten individual tests and does so by larger margins in most cases.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The RX 6700M uses the Navi 22 chip based on RDNA 2.0, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the AI PRO R9700 uses the Navi 48 chip with RDNA 4.0, built on a 4 nm process, also at TSMC. This process shrink enables the R9700 to pack 53,900 million transistors into a 357 mm² die, versus 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die for the RX 6700M. The transistor density nearly triples, from 51.3 million per mm² to 151.0 million per mm².

The R9700's compute resources are significantly expanded, with 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 ROPs, compared to the RX 6700M's 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Ray tracing hardware also doubles, with 64 RT cores on the R9700 versus 36 on the RX 6700M. The R9700's FP32 throughput of 47.84 TFLOPS dwarfs the RX 6700M's 11.06 TFLOPS, and the FP16 performance shows a notable architectural shift: the R9700 achieves 47.84 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the RX 6700M reaches 22.12 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio.

Memory specifications differ substantially as well. The R9700 offers 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the RX 6700M has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s. The R9700's clock speeds are higher across the board, with a base clock of 1660 MHz, boost of 2920 MHz, and game clock of 2350 MHz, compared to the RX 6700M's 1489 MHz base, 2400 MHz boost, and 2300 MHz game clock. Power and form factor differences are equally stark: the R9700 is a dual-slot, 300 W card with a 16-pin power connector and a 700 W recommended PSU, while the RX 6700M is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and 135 W TDP.

The R9700 also introduces PCIe 5.0 x16 support and a professional display output configuration (1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1a), while the RX 6700M uses PCIe 4.0 x16 and has portable device-dependent outputs. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The R9700 has a launch MSRP of 1,299 USD.

The Verdict

The benchmark data indicates that the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the superior GPU for virtually all modern workloads. Its 73.7% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad, 66.1% lead in Passmark GPU Compute, and 49.8% lead in Passmark G3D make it the unequivocal choice for DirectX 12 gaming, compute-intensive applications, and general 3D rendering. The R9700's 32 GB memory capacity and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth, combined with its 4096 shading units and 64 RT cores, provide a substantial hardware foundation for these advantages.

Users who rely exclusively on Vulkan-based applications should consider the RX 6700M, which shows a 42.9% performance advantage in Geekbench Vulkan. This is a significant margin and suggests that the RDNA 2.0 Vulkan driver stack is currently better optimized. However, this single advantage does not outweigh the R9700's overwhelming superiority in every other benchmark category, including a 34.3% lead in OpenCL and a 21.7% lead in DirectX 12.

The R9700's higher power draw (300 W vs 135 W) and required 700 W PSU mean it demands more from the system, but the performance returns justify this for desktop professional use. The RX 6700M, as an IGP with no power connectors, is designed for mobile platforms where power efficiency is paramount. For a desktop workstation or high-performance gaming rig, the AI PRO R9700 is the data-backed choice. For a mobile workstation prioritizing Vulkan performance, the RX 6700M holds a specific niche.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher overall average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700M has an average benchmark score of 25,633, while the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 scores 23,315, giving the RX 6700M a higher average despite losing nine of ten head-to-head tests.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest margin is in 3DMark Steel Nomad, where the AI PRO R9700 scores 7,006 versus the RX 6700M's 1,845, a 73.7% difference favoring the R9700.

Q: In which benchmark does the RX 6700M beat the AI PRO R9700?

A: The RX 6700M wins Geekbench Vulkan, scoring 90,816 against the R9700's 63,550, a 42.9% advantage for the older card.

Q: How do the memory configurations differ between the two cards?

A: The AI PRO R9700 has 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 6700M has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the transistor counts and process nodes for each GPU?

A: The RX 6700M uses 17,200 million transistors on a 7 nm process, while the AI PRO R9700 uses 53,900 million transistors on a 4 nm process, both manufactured by TSMC.

Q: What is the FP32 compute performance difference?

A: The AI PRO R9700 delivers 47.84 TFLOPS FP32, which is significantly higher than the RX 6700M's 11.06 TFLOPS, representing a theoretical compute advantage of over four times.