AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Comparison

The Verdict

The data splits this comparison cleanly by workload. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 wins in OpenCL compute, DirectX 10, DirectX 12, and GPU compute tasks, taking 4 of 10 head-to-head benchmarks. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 wins the other 6, including the modern 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, Vulkan, DirectX 11, DirectX 9, and 2D graphics.

For raw compute throughput in OpenCL, the RTX 3090 is the pick. Its 172758 OpenCL score beats the R9700's 118202 by 46.2%, a massive margin that points to strong general-purpose number crunching. The R9700 counters with a 7006 score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 versus 5118 for the RTX 3090, a 26.9% advantage that signals better modern DirectX 12 gaming performance.

The RTX 3090 sits at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 27565. The R9700 lands at the 69th percentile with a 23315 average. So despite the R9700 winning more individual tests, its overall average is dragged down by the huge OpenCL gap. The RTX 3090's nearest rivals include the RTX 4070 Mobile at 27435 (0.5% ahead) and RX 6700 XT at 27425 (0.5% ahead), while the R9700's closest competitors are older parts like the R9 M290X at 23276 (0.2% behind) and RX 6600M at 23273 (0.2% behind).

Pick the RTX 3090 if your work leans on OpenCL compute, legacy DirectX 12 titles, or GPU compute workloads. Pick the R9700 if you want the stronger showing in Vulkan, direct modern DirectX 12 rasterization, and 2D performance, plus it draws less power and occupies a slimmer dual-slot footprint.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3090 dominates in OpenCL. The 172758 score versus 118202 is not close, and it represents the single largest delta in either direction at 46.2%. That kind of advantage suggests the Ampere architecture's FP32 and FP16 throughput, both listed at 35.58 TFLOPS, translates well into OpenCL compute tasks. The RTX 3090 also wins DirectX 12 (110 vs 83, a 32.5% edge), DirectX 10 (182 vs 155, 17.4% ahead), and GPU compute (15356 vs 15300, a slim 0.4% margin).

The R9700 wins the modern 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test decisively, scoring 7006 against 5118. That 26.9% lead is the second-largest delta in the comparison. It also wins Vulkan with 63550 versus 53927, a 15.1% advantage. In DirectX 11, it scores 272 versus 220, a 19.1% lead. DirectX 9 shows a 26.2% edge (363 vs 268). The 2D test goes to the R9700 at 1236 versus 1063, a 14% difference. The closest contest is Passmark G3D, where the R9700 edges out the RTX 3090 by just 1.2% (26979 vs 26645).

The pattern is clear: NVIDIA wins compute-heavy and older API tests, while AMD wins the modern rasterization and Vulkan tests. The R9700's 47.84 TFLOPS FP32 output, higher than the RTX 3090's 35.58 TFLOPS, likely explains its advantage in shader-bound workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different foundries and process nodes. The RTX 3090 uses the GA102 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process, while the R9700 uses Navi 48 on TSMC's 4 nm node. The transistor counts differ sharply: the RTX 3090 packs 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, giving a density of 45.1 million per mm². The R9700 has 53,900 million transistors on a smaller 357 mm² die, yielding 151.0 million per mm². That is over three times the transistor density.

The RTX 3090 leans on more, smaller compute units: 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with 82 RT cores and 328 tensor cores. The R9700 has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, with 64 RT cores and no tensor cores listed. Despite fewer shading units, the R9700 achieves higher raw throughput: 47.84 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 versus 35.58 TFLOPS for the RTX 3090. Pixel rate also favors the R9700 at 373.8 GPixel/s versus 189.8 GPixel/s, as does texture rate at 747.5 GTexel/s versus 556.0 GTexel/s.

Memory differs in capacity, type, and bandwidth. The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, delivering 936.2 GB/s. The R9700 has 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, at 644.6 GB/s. The R9700 uses a smaller bus but relies on higher memory clocks (2518 MHz, 20.1 Gbps effective) versus the RTX 3090's 1219 MHz, 19.5 Gbps effective. The R9700's 32 GB capacity is a clear advantage for large datasets.

Other differences: the RTX 3090 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, the R9700 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1 with 3x DisplayPort 1.4a on the RTX 3090, versus 1x HDMI 2.1b with 3x DisplayPort 2.1a on the R9700. Power draw is 350 W for the RTX 3090 (suggested PSU 750 W) and 300 W for the R9700 (suggested PSU 700 W). The RTX 3090 is triple-slot with a 1x 12-pin connector; the R9700 is dual-slot with a 1x 16-pin connector.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute throughput?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 lists 47.84 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, versus 35.58 TFLOPS for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. However, in the OpenCL benchmark, the RTX 3090 scores 172758 versus 118202, a 46.2% advantage, so real-world compute results do not align with the theoretical TFLOPS figures.

Q: Which card is better for modern DirectX 12 gaming?

A: The R9700 wins 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 with 7006 points versus 5118, a 26.9% lead. But the RTX 3090 wins the Passmark DirectX 12 test with 110 versus 83, a 32.5% margin. The Steel Nomad test is the more modern workload, so the R9700 likely handles current DX12 titles better.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 936.2 GB/s bandwidth. The R9700 has 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth. The R9700 offers more capacity but lower bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better Vulkan performance?

A: The R9700 scores 63550 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 53927 for the RTX 3090, a 15.1% advantage. This aligns with the R9700's higher FP32 throughput and newer architecture.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 3090 is rated at 350 W with a suggested 750 W PSU, while the R9700 is rated at 300 W with a suggested 700 W PSU. The R9700 also uses a dual-slot cooler versus the RTX 3090's triple-slot design.

Q: Which card has better legacy API performance?

A: The RTX 3090 wins DirectX 10 (182 vs 155, 17.4% ahead) and DirectX 12 (110 vs 83, 32.5% ahead). The R9700 wins DirectX 11 (272 vs 220, 19.1% ahead) and DirectX 9 (363 vs 268, 26.2% ahead). It is split by API generation.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest win for the RTX 3090 is in Geekbench OpenCL. It scores 172758 against the R9700's 118202, a 46.2% delta. That is the single biggest gap in the entire comparison and shows the RTX 3090's strength in OpenCL-heavy compute workloads. The second-largest RTX 3090 win is Passmark DirectX 12 at 110 versus 83, a 32.5% margin. Passmark DirectX 10 also goes to NVIDIA at 182 versus 155, a 17.4% edge. The GPU compute test is nearly a tie: 15356 versus 15300, a 0.4% win for the RTX 3090.

The R9700's biggest win is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, scoring 7006 versus 5118, a 26.9% lead. Passmark DirectX 9 goes to the R9700 at 363 versus 268, a 26.2% margin. DirectX 11 favors the R9700 at 272 versus 220, a 19.1% edge. Geekbench Vulkan shows the R9700 ahead with 63550 versus 53927, a 15.1% delta. The 2D test goes to the R9700 at 1236 versus 1063, a 14% difference. The closest contest is Passmark G3D, where the R9700 wins 26979 versus 26645, only 1.2% ahead.

The overall win count is 6 for the R9700 and 4 for the RTX 3090, but the magnitudes matter. The RTX 3090's OpenCL win is enormous, while the R9700's wins are more distributed. In average benchmark score, the RTX 3090 still leads at 27565 versus 23315, because the OpenCL test carries heavy weight in the database's averaging.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification. Process node: 8 nm Samsung for the RTX 3090, 4 nm TSMC for the R9700. Transistors: 28,300 million versus 53,900 million. Die size: 628 mm² versus 357 mm². Transistor density: 45.1M per mm² versus 151.0M per mm².

Clock speeds: the RTX 3090 has a 1395 MHz base and 1695 MHz boost, while the R9700 runs at 1660 MHz base, 2920 MHz boost, with a 2350 MHz game clock. Memory clocks: 1219 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) for the RTX 3090, 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective) for the R9700.

Memory: 24 GB GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 936.2 GB/s bandwidth for the RTX 3090; 32 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s for the R9700.

Compute units: the RTX 3090 has 10496 shading units, 328 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 82 RT cores, and 328 tensor cores. The R9700 has 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 64 RT cores, with no tensor cores listed.

Rates: pixel rate 189.8 GPixel/s versus 373.8 GPixel/s. Texture rate 556.0 GTexel/s versus 747.5 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 both 35.58 TFLOPS for the RTX 3090, 47.84 TFLOPS for the R9700.

Power and cooling: 350 W TDP with a 750 W suggested PSU for the RTX 3090, triple-slot with a 1x 12-pin connector. The R9700 draws 300 W with a 700 W suggested PSU, dual-slot with a 1x 16-pin connector.

Interface and outputs: PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1 plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the RTX 3090, versus 1x HDMI 2.1b plus 3x DisplayPort 2.1a for the R9700. Dimensions: the RTX 3090 is 336 mm long, 140 mm high, 61 mm wide; the R9700 is 267 mm long, 111 mm high, 40 mm wide. Production status: the RTX 3090 is end-of-life, released in 2020-08-31; the R9700 is active, released in 2025-07-22.