AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear split between these two GPUs. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 dominates the overall workload picture, winning 7 of the 9 head-to-head tests, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile takes 2 decisive victories in specific API scenarios.

The largest margin of victory belongs to NVIDIA in the Geekbench Vulkan test. The RTX 4070 Mobile scores 108,367 against the R9700's 63,550, a 70.5% advantage. This is not a small gap; it indicates a fundamental strength in Vulkan-based rendering workloads for the NVIDIA architecture. The R9700's score in this test is its weakest relative showing across the entire benchmark suite.

AMD's biggest win comes in the Passmark GPU Compute test. The R9700 posts 15,300 versus 8,399 for the RTX 4070 Mobile, a 45.1% lead. This suggests substantially higher raw compute throughput, which aligns with the R9700's much higher FP32 and FP16 figures in the specification data. The compute advantage is also visible in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where AMD wins 118,202 to 109,197, a 7.6% margin.

In DirectX legacy tests, AMD's lead widens considerably. The R9700 scores 363 in Passmark DirectX 9 against 223 for NVIDIA, a 38.6% advantage. The DirectX 10 test shows a 25.2% lead for AMD (155 versus 116), and DirectX 11 shows a 34.2% lead (272 versus 179). These consistent wins across older DirectX versions suggest the R9700 handles legacy rasterization workloads with significantly more headroom.

The DirectX 12 test is nearly a tie. NVIDIA edges ahead with 85 versus 83, a 2.4% margin that is within noise. This is notable because it is the only modern API test where NVIDIA wins, and the margin is extremely thin. The Passmark G3D test, which aggregates general 3D performance, goes to AMD by a substantial 27.4% margin: 26,979 versus 19,587. The G2D test also favors AMD heavily, 1,236 versus 763, a 38.3% lead.

Looking at the average benchmark scores in the database, the RTX 4070 Mobile records 27,435 on average, placing it at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs. The R9700 averages 23,315, which is the 69th percentile. This is an interesting inversion: the R9700 wins most individual head-to-head tests, yet its overall average score is lower. The database's nearest rival data explains part of this. The RTX 4070 Mobile sits within 1.5% of the RTX 3090, the RX 6700 XT, and the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell. The R9700, by contrast, is grouped with much older or lower-tier parts like the Radeon R9 M290X, the RX 6600M, and the Pro Vega 16, with delta percentages of only 0.2 to 0.3%. This suggests the R9700's average is dragged down by its weak Vulkan showing and the lack of a 3DMark Steel Nomad score in its favor, even though its Passmark results are strong.

The Passmark DirectX 12 result deserves emphasis. Both GPUs score in the low 80s, which is a far lower absolute number than the DirectX 11 or DirectX 9 scores for both cards. This is a peculiarity of the recorded data, but the relative parity in this test means neither card has a modern-API advantage in this particular benchmark.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile records an average benchmark score of 27,435, while the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 averages 23,315. The NVIDIA part also holds a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs at 73 compared to AMD's 69.

Q: How large is the Vulkan performance gap between the two?

A: In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RTX 4070 Mobile scores 108,367 against the R9700's 63,550. This is a 70.5% advantage for NVIDIA, the largest single-test margin in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: Does the R9700 win any compute-oriented benchmarks?

A: Yes. The R9700 leads the Passmark GPU Compute test with 15,300 versus 8,399 for the RTX 4070 Mobile, a 45.1% advantage. It also wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with 118,202 versus 109,197, a 7.6% margin.

Q: Which GPU performs better in older DirectX versions?

A: The R9700 wins all three legacy DirectX tests. It leads DirectX 9 by 38.6% (363 versus 223), DirectX 10 by 25.2% (155 versus 116), and DirectX 11 by 34.2% (272 versus 179).

Q: What does the DirectX 12 result show?

A: The DirectX 12 test is essentially a tie. The RTX 4070 Mobile scores 85 and the R9700 scores 83, giving NVIDIA a 2.4% lead. This is the only modern API test where NVIDIA wins, and the margin is minimal.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in general 3D performance?

A: In the Passmark G3D test, the R9700 wins decisively with 26,979 points versus 19,587 for the RTX 4070 Mobile, a 27.4% advantage. The R9700 also wins the G2D test by 38.3% (1,236 versus 763).

The Verdict

The data points to a simple conclusion: the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the stronger GPU in the majority of recorded benchmarks, but the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is the better choice for Vulkan-specific workloads. The R9700 wins 7 of 9 head-to-head tests, and its victories are often by large margins. The compute gap is particularly stark, with a 45.1% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and a 7.6% lead in OpenCL. In legacy DirectX tests, the R9700 holds leads of 25.2% to 38.6%. General 3D performance also favors AMD, with a 27.4% lead in the G3D test.

The RTX 4070 Mobile's case rests almost entirely on its Vulkan performance. A 70.5% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is a massive advantage, and for applications that rely heavily on Vulkan, this alone could justify choosing the NVIDIA part. The DirectX 12 result is too close to call, so modern DirectX workloads do not clearly favor either GPU.

The average benchmark score favors NVIDIA, 27,435 versus 23,315, and the percentile ranking favors NVIDIA as well, 73 versus 69. However, this average is skewed by the fact that the R9700's Vulkan score is so low relative to its other results. When examining the individual tests, the R9700 is the more consistent performer.

There is also a physical consideration. The RTX 4070 Mobile is an integrated graphics package with a 115 W TDP and no power connectors, while the R9700 is a dual-slot discrete card with a 300 W TDP and a 16-pin connector. These are very different product categories, and the benchmark results should be interpreted with that in mind.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification. The RTX 4070 Mobile uses the AD106 chip on TSMC's 5 nm process, while the R9700 uses the Navi 48 chip on a 4 nm process. The R9700 has more than double the transistors: 53,900 million versus 22,900 million. The die size also differs significantly, with the R9700 at 357 mm² compared to 188 mm². Transistor density is higher on the R9700 at 151.0M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm².

Clock speeds favor AMD substantially. The R9700 has a base clock of 1660 MHz and a boost of 2920 MHz, with a game clock of 2350 MHz. The RTX 4070 Mobile has a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost of 1695 MHz. Memory differs as well: the R9700 offers 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 4070 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s.

The R9700 has fewer shading units at 4,096 versus 4,608, but it has more TMUs (256 versus 144) and more ROPs (128 versus 48). Ray tracing cores also differ: the R9700 has 64 RT cores while the RTX 4070 Mobile has 36. The R9700 has no tensor core data recorded, while the RTX 4070 Mobile has 144 tensor cores.

Rates and throughput heavily favor AMD. The R9700 achieves 373.8 GPixel/s and 747.5 GTexel/s, while the RTX 4070 Mobile achieves 81.36 GPixel/s and 244.1 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 performance is also much higher on the R9700 at 47.84 TFLOPS for both, compared to 15.62 TFLOPS for both on the NVIDIA part.

Power and physical design differ completely. The RTX 4070 Mobile has a 115 W TDP, is listed as an IGP slot width, and has no power connectors. The R9700 has a 300 W TDP, is a dual-slot card, uses a single 16-pin power connector, and has a suggested PSU of 700 W. The R9700 is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The RTX 4070 Mobile has no recorded dimensions.

The bus interface also differs: the RTX 4070 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the R9700 uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent for the NVIDIA part, while the R9700 offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is between NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace and AMD's RDNA 4.0. The RTX 4070 Mobile is part of the GeForce 40-series, built on the AD106 chip at 5 nm. The R9700 is part of the Radeon Pro Navi (Navi IV Series) on the Navi 48 chip at 4 nm. Both use TSMC as the foundry.

The R9700's RDNA 4.0 architecture comes with 64 ray tracing cores, a substantial count relative to the 36 RT cores in the Ada Lovelace part. The NVIDIA GPU includes 144 tensor cores, which are not recorded for the R9700. This means the RTX 4070 Mobile has dedicated AI acceleration hardware that the R9700 either lacks or does not report.

Both GPUs support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API feature levels are identical on paper. The differences lie in the underlying execution resources. The R9700's higher TMU and ROP counts, combined with its much higher clock speeds, explain its dominance in texture-heavy and pixel-heavy workloads. The RTX 4070 Mobile's higher shading unit count and tensor core presence point to a different design priority, favoring compute patterns that benefit from many parallel ALUs with AI acceleration.

The transistor and die size differences are also architectural. The R9700's 53,900 million transistors on 357 mm² is a much larger and denser chip, while the RTX 4070 Mobile's 22,900 million transistors on 188 mm² is comparatively compact. The 4 nm process on the R9700 allows for a higher transistor density of 151.0M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm² on the 5 nm RTX 4070 Mobile.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the clear winner for compute-heavy workloads. Its 45.1% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and 7.6% lead in Geekbench OpenCL make it the better choice for general-purpose compute, scientific workloads, and any application that leverages OpenCL. The 47.84 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 figures dwarf the RTX 4070 Mobile's 15.62 TFLOPS, and the benchmark results confirm this advantage in practice.

The R9700 also wins decisively in legacy DirectX scenarios. With leads of 38.6% in DirectX 9, 25.2% in DirectX 10, and 34.2% in DirectX 11, it is the better option for older games and applications that rely on these APIs. The 27.4% lead in Passmark G3D further cements its position for general 3D rendering, and the 38.3% lead in G2D suggests stronger 2D and UI rendering performance as well.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile wins in Vulkan workloads by a massive 70.5% margin. For any application that uses Vulkan as its primary rendering API, the RTX 4070 Mobile is the superior choice. The DirectX 12 result is effectively a tie at 2.4%, so neither GPU can claim a meaningful advantage in that API.

The RTX 4070 Mobile also holds the higher average benchmark score at 27,435 and the higher percentile ranking at 73. This makes it the safer general-purpose pick if the comparison is based purely on aggregate database metrics. However, the R9700's 32 GB of memory, 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, and much higher pixel and texture rates indicate that for memory-intensive and high-resolution workloads, the AMD part has substantial headroom.

For users prioritizing Vulkan performance and a compact, low-power integrated package, the RTX 4070 Mobile is the data-backed choice. For users prioritizing compute throughput, legacy DirectX compatibility, general 3D performance, and memory capacity, the R9700 is the clear winner. The R9700's 300 W TDP and dual-slot design require a 700 W PSU, while the RTX 4070 Mobile's 115 W TDP and IGP form factor make it suitable for portable devices.