AMD Radeon Pro 5300M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Comparison

The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 are two end-of-life GPUs from different eras and market segments, and their benchmark data reveals a starkly split personality. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M, built on RDNA 1.0, shows exceptional strength in Apple-centric compute workloads, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, a Pascal-generation desktop card, dominates nearly every traditional rasterization and compute metric. The head-to-head data shows the GTX 1070 winning 8 out of 10 benchmarks, yet the Radeon Pro 5300M claims the two most decisive victories, including one with a 78.9% delta. This is not a simple "one is better" story; it is a tale of two architectures optimized for entirely different software ecosystems.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic result in the entire dataset is in Geekbench Metal, where the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M scores 33,626 against the GTX 1070's 18,801. This represents a 78.9% advantage for the AMD card, making it the single biggest win for either side. The Radeon Pro 5300M also takes Geekbench Vulkan, posting 27,912 versus 22,121 for the GTX 1070, a 26.2% lead. These two wins are not marginal; they indicate that in low-level, cross-platform graphics APIs, the RDNA 1.0 architecture of the Radeon Pro 5300M is substantially more efficient per unit of work than Pascal.

However, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 responds with a broad sweep across the Passmark suite. In Passmark DirectX 11, the GTX 1070 scores 100 against the Radeon Pro 5300M's 37, a 63% deficit for the AMD card. The DirectX 10 test shows a similar story: 82 versus 36, a 56.1% gap. Even in DirectX 9, a legacy API, the GTX 1070 leads 197 to 80, a 59.4% margin. The DirectX 12 test is closer but still favors NVIDIA, with the GTX 1070 at 48 and the Radeon Pro 5300M at 25, a 47.9% difference. The pattern is clear: when the workload is DirectX-based, the GTX 1070's 1920 shading units and higher clock speeds overwhelm the Radeon Pro 5300M's 1280 shading units.

In OpenCL, the NVIDIA card reverses the Metal result. The GTX 1070 scores 44,700 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the Radeon Pro 5300M manages 29,252, giving NVIDIA a 34.6% lead. The compute-oriented Passmark GPU Compute test reinforces this, with the GTX 1070 at 6,102 versus 2,658 for the AMD card, a 56.4% advantage. The GTX 1070 also wins the 2D test, scoring 846 against 582, a 31.2% gap, and the overall Passmark G3D score of 13,498 versus 5,918 shows a 56.2% lead for NVIDIA. The aggregate average benchmark scores confirm the NVIDIA card's edge, with the GTX 1070 averaging 9,780 and the Radeon Pro 5300M averaging 10,013, though the Radeon Pro 5300M actually holds a slight edge in that specific metric due to its massive Metal score.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different process nodes and architectures. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M uses the Navi 14 chip on a 7 nm TSMC process, packing 6,400 million transistors into a 158 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 40.5 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 uses the GP104 chip on a 16 nm TSMC process, with 7,200 million transistors spread across a much larger 314 mm² die, giving a density of just 22.9 million per square millimeter. The Radeon Pro 5300M's smaller, denser die is a hallmark of its newer RDNA 1.0 architecture, while the GTX 1070's larger die reflects the older Pascal design.

These architectural differences manifest directly in the compute resources. The Radeon Pro 5300M has 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 1070 counters with 1,920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. This 50% advantage in shading units and 100% advantage in ROPs for the NVIDIA card explains its dominance in pixel-heavy and texture-heavy workloads. The clock speeds also differ substantially: the GTX 1070 runs at a base of 1506 MHz and boosts to 1683 MHz, while the Radeon Pro 5300M runs at a base of 1000 MHz and boosts to just 1250 MHz. The resulting pixel rate is 107.7 GPixel/s for the GTX 1070 versus 40.00 GPixel/s for the AMD card, and the texture rate is 202.0 GTexel/s versus 100.0 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations are equally divergent. The Radeon Pro 5300M uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 12 Gbps effective. The GTX 1070 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.3 GB/s at 8 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA card has twice the memory capacity and 33% more bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and larger datasets. The FP32 compute throughput tells a similar story: the GTX 1070 delivers 6.463 TFLOPS, while the Radeon Pro 5300M delivers only 3.200 TFLOPS. However, the AMD card has a notable FP16 advantage, offering 6.400 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), whereas the GTX 1070's FP16 is a paltry 101.0 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio). This makes the Radeon Pro 5300M significantly more capable in workloads that leverage half-precision math.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is the clear winner in Apple-centric environments. Its Geekbench Metal score of 33,626 is nearly double that of the GTX 1070, and its Vulkan score of 27,912 is also superior. This suggests that for macOS applications, particularly those using Metal for graphics or compute, the Radeon Pro 5300M is the more capable part. The data also indicates that the RDNA 1.0 architecture's FP16 throughput is a major asset for machine learning inference and other half-precision compute tasks, even though the overall FP32 number is lower. The Radeon Pro 5300M's 85 W TDP and lack of power connectors also make it suitable for portable, power-constrained devices, though the slot width and power connectors are not specified for the AMD card.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the dominant force in every DirectX benchmark, from DirectX 9 through DirectX 12, with leads ranging from 47.9% to 63%. It also wins OpenCL by 34.6% and the Passmark GPU Compute test by 56.4%. This makes it the better choice for Windows-based gaming, DirectX 12 titles, and general OpenCL compute workloads. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of VRAM and 256-bit bus provide a substantial memory advantage, allowing it to handle larger textures and more complex scenes without running out of memory. Its 150 W TDP and dual-slot design, with a single 8-pin power connector and a suggested PSU of 450 W, indicate it is a desktop-oriented card, not a mobile part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has an average benchmark score of 10,013, which is slightly higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070's average of 9,780, despite the GTX 1070 winning more individual benchmarks.

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

A: The largest gap is in Geekbench Metal, where the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M leads by 78.9% with a score of 33,626 versus 18,801 for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 11 performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is far ahead, scoring 100 in Passmark DirectX 11, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M scores only 37, a 63% deficit for the AMD card.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 5300M have better FP16 compute?

A: Yes, the Radeon Pro 5300M delivers 6.400 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio), while the GTX 1070 delivers only 101.0 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), making the AMD card vastly superior in half-precision workloads.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has a transistor density of 40.5 million per mm² on a 7 nm process, whereas the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has a density of 22.9 million per mm² on a 16 nm process.

Specification Differences

• Process Node: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 7 nm; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 16 nm.
• Transistors: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has 6,400 million; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has 7,200 million.
• Die Size: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 158 mm²; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 314 mm².
• Transistor Density: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 40.5M / mm²; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 22.9M / mm².
• Base Clock: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 1000 MHz; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 1506 MHz.
• Boost Clock: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 1250 MHz; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 1683 MHz.
• Memory Speed: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective); NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 4 GB; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 8 GB.
• Memory Type: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is GDDR6; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is GDDR5.
• Memory Bus Width: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 128 bit; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 256 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 192.0 GB/s; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 256.3 GB/s.
• Shading Units: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has 1280; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has 1920.
• TMUs: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has 80; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has 120.
• ROPs: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has 32; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has 64.
• Pixel Rate: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 40.00 GPixel/s; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 107.7 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 100.0 GTexel/s; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 202.0 GTexel/s.
• FP32: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 3.200 TFLOPS; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 6.463 TFLOPS.
• FP16: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 6.400 TFLOPS (2:1); NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 101.0 GFLOPS (1:64).
• TDP: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 85 W; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 150 W.
• Power Connectors: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has none; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has 1x 8-pin.
• Suggested PSU: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is not listed; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 450 W.
• Bus Interface: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is PCIe 4.0 x8; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is PCIe 3.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is Portable Device Dependent; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.
• Slot Width: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is not listed; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is dual-slot.
• Release Date: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is 2019-11-12; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is 2016-06-09.
• Launch MSRP: AMD Radeon Pro 5300M has none; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has a launch MSRP of 379 USD.

The Verdict

The data points to two distinct buyer profiles. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300M is the correct choice for users who prioritize Metal performance, as evidenced by its 78.9% lead over the GTX 1070 in Geekbench Metal and its 26.2% lead in Vulkan. Its compact 7 nm design, 85 W TDP, and lack of power connectors make it ideal for portable systems where power efficiency is paramount. Its superior FP16 throughput is a significant advantage for any application that leverages half-precision compute, which is common in modern machine learning frameworks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the better option for gamers and general-purpose Windows users. It wins every DirectX benchmark by a wide margin, from 47.9% in DirectX 12 to 63% in DirectX 11, and it also dominates OpenCL and compute workloads. Its 8 GB of VRAM and 256-bit bus provide more headroom for modern games, and its higher pixel and texture rates make it far more capable in rasterization-heavy scenarios. The GTX 1070's 150 W TDP and dual-slot cooler require a more substantial power supply, but the performance payoff in traditional graphics workloads is undeniable. In short, the Radeon Pro 5300M is a specialized tool for Apple ecosystems and half-precision compute, while the GTX 1070 is a general-purpose workhorse for DirectX gaming and compute.