AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 vs NVIDIA P106-100 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data is unequivocal: the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 wins every head-to-head comparison against the NVIDIA P106-100, with margins that range from substantial to overwhelming. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the R9700 scores 7,006 points against the P106-100's 899 points, a delta of 679.3% — meaning the AMD card delivers nearly eight times the performance in this modern DirectX 12 workload. This is not a close contest; it is a generational gap expressed in raw numbers.

The gap narrows somewhat in compute-oriented tests, but the R9700 still dominates. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card posts 118,202 points versus 35,951 for the P106-100, a 228.8% advantage. The R9700's Vulkan result of 63,550 points against 32,897 for the P106-100 represents a 93.2% lead — the closest margin of the three comparisons, yet still a near-doubling of performance. Across all three head-to-head benchmarks, the R9700 records 3 wins and 0 losses.

The average benchmark score tells a similar story from a different angle. The R9700 averages 23,315 points across its full benchmark suite, while the P106-100 averages 23,249 points across its smaller set of tests. The delta between the two averages is just 0.3%, but this figure is misleading because the P106-100 was only tested in three benchmarks, all of which are heavily compute-oriented. The R9700's average includes additional tests like PassMark G3D (26,979 points) and PassMark GPU Compute (15,300 points), which pull its average down relative to its head-to-head dominance. The percentile rankings reinforce the same conclusion: the R9700 sits at the 69th percentile of all GPUs, while the P106-100 sits at the 68th percentile.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two cards is vast, reflecting nearly a decade of GPU evolution. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture using the Navi 48 chip, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It packs 53,900 million transistors into a 357 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 151.0 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA P106-100, by contrast, uses the Pascal architecture with the GP106 chip, built on a 16 nm process at the same foundry. It contains 4,400 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, with a transistor density of just 22.0 million per square millimeter. The R9700 packs over 12 times more transistors into a die that is only 78.5% larger.

The compute resources differ by a similar magnitude. The R9700 features 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, alongside 64 dedicated ray tracing cores. The P106-100 has 1,280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores at all. The R9700's FP32 compute throughput is 47.84 TFLOPS, while the P106-100 manages 4.375 TFLOPS — an 11-fold gap. The FP16 comparison is even more lopsided: the R9700 delivers 47.84 TFLOPS at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the P106-100 delivers just 68.36 GFLOPS at a 1:64 ratio, making the AMD card roughly 700 times faster in half-precision workloads.

Memory architecture reinforces the performance chasm. The R9700 comes with 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The P106-100 has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 192.2 GB/s. The R9700 offers more than five times the memory capacity and more than three times the bandwidth. Clock speeds also favor the AMD card: the R9700 boosts to 2,920 MHz with a base clock of 1,660 MHz and a game clock of 2,350 MHz, while the P106-100 boosts to 1,709 MHz with a base of 1,506 MHz. The R9700's memory runs at 20.1 Gbps effective, versus 8 Gbps for the P106-100.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 averages 23,315 points across its benchmark suite, while the NVIDIA P106-100 averages 23,249 points. The R9700 leads by 0.3%, though the P106-100's average is based on only three tests.

Q: How do the two cards compare in ray tracing capability?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 includes 64 dedicated ray tracing cores, while the NVIDIA P106-100 has no ray tracing cores listed. The R9700 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes ray tracing features, whereas the P106-100 supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 provides 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth from 32 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The NVIDIA P106-100 provides 192.2 GB/s from 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus. The R9700 delivers 3.35 times the bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 has a transistor density of 151.0 million per square millimeter, compared to 22.0 million per square millimeter for the NVIDIA P106-100. The R9700's density is 6.86 times higher.

Q: Do both cards support the same API versions?

A: Both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. However, the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the NVIDIA P106-100 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1).

Q: What is the power connector requirement for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 requires a single 16-pin power connector and a 700 W suggested power supply. The NVIDIA P106-100 requires a single 6-pin connector and a 300 W suggested power supply.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification field. The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 uses the Navi 48 chip with RDNA 4.0 architecture, while the NVIDIA P106-100 uses the GP106 chip with Pascal architecture. The process node differs: 4 nm for AMD versus 16 nm for NVIDIA. Transistor count is 53,900 million versus 4,400 million, and die size is 357 mm² versus 200 mm². Transistor density is 151.0M per mm² versus 22.0M per mm².

Clock speeds diverge significantly: the R9700 has a base clock of 1,660 MHz and boost of 2,920 MHz, while the P106-100 has a base of 1,506 MHz and boost of 1,709 MHz. The R9700 also has a game clock of 2,350 MHz, which the P106-100 lacks. Memory differs in size (32 GB versus 6 GB), type (GDDR6 versus GDDR5), bus width (256-bit versus 192-bit), and bandwidth (644.6 GB/s versus 192.2 GB/s).

Compute resources show a similar pattern: shading units are 4,096 versus 1,280, TMUs are 256 versus 80, and ROPs are 128 versus 48. The R9700 has 64 ray tracing cores; the P106-100 has none. Pixel rate is 373.8 GPixel/s versus 82.03 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 747.5 GTexel/s versus 136.7 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 47.84 TFLOPS versus 4.375 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 47.84 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 68.36 GFLOPS (1:64).

Power and physical specifications also differ: TDP is 300 W versus 120 W, power connectors are 1x 16-pin versus 1x 6-pin, and suggested PSU is 700 W versus 300 W. The bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 1.0 x16. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a for the R9700, while the P106-100 has no outputs. Dimensions are 267 mm length, 111 mm height, 40 mm width for the R9700, versus 250 mm length for the P106-100. The R9700 is in active production with a release date of 2025-07-22, while the P106-100 is end-of-life with a release date of 2017-06-18.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 wins in every benchmark category where both cards were tested. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it leads by 679.3%. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 228.8%. In Geekbench Vulkan, it leads by 93.2%. The R9700 also offers capabilities the P106-100 simply lacks: ray tracing cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate support, and display outputs. The R9700's 32 GB of memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large datasets and high-resolution textures, while its 47.84 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 performance positions it for compute-heavy workloads.

The NVIDIA P106-100 has no benchmark wins against the R9700. However, it holds advantages in areas that may matter for specific use cases. Its 120 W TDP is less than half the R9700's 300 W, requiring only a 300 W power supply compared to 700 W. Its 6-pin power connector is more universally compatible than the 16-pin connector. Its 250 mm length is slightly shorter than the R9700's 267 mm. The P106-100's PCIe 1.0 x16 interface, while older, is still a functional bus connection. The card's end-of-life status means it occupies a different market position entirely — it was designed for mining workloads, not display output, which explains its lack of video outputs.

The Verdict

The data makes the decision straightforward: the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 is the superior GPU by every measurable benchmark metric. Its 679.3% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 228.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL are not incremental improvements; they represent different performance tiers entirely. The R9700's architectural advantages — 4 nm process, RDNA 4.0, 64 ray tracing cores, 32 GB of memory, and 47.84 TFLOPS of FP32 compute — position it as a modern workstation and AI-oriented card. Its active production status and 2025 release date indicate current relevance.

The NVIDIA P106-100 should only be selected by users with specific constraints that the R9700 cannot meet. Its 120 W TDP and 300 W PSU requirement make it suitable for low-power systems. Its lack of display outputs means it must be paired with a separate graphics solution. Its 6 GB of memory and 192.2 GB/s bandwidth limit it to smaller workloads. The P106-100's end-of-life status means no ongoing support or driver optimizations.

For anyone choosing between these two cards, the verdict is clear: the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 wins on performance, features, memory capacity, and future readiness. The NVIDIA P106-100 is a legacy product that should only be considered when power constraints or system compatibility force the choice. The 0.3% difference in average benchmark scores between the two cards is a statistical artifact of the P106-100's limited test coverage; the head-to-head results tell the real story. The R9700 is the only rational choice for any workload that can use its capabilities. The launch MSRP of 1,299 USD for the R9700 reflects its positioning, though the P106-100's lack of a listed MSRP makes direct price comparison impossible.