AMD Radeon Pro 5600M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 and AMD Radeon Pro 5600M represent two profoundly different design philosophies: a desktop-focused Ampere monster versus a mobile-first RDNA 1.0 part. The benchmark data is unequivocal in overall performance, with the RTX 3070 winning 8 of 9 head-to-head tests. However, the Radeon Pro 5600M is not without its own unique strengths, particularly in specific API workloads. The RTX 3070 is the clear choice for raw compute and DirectX gaming performance, while the Radeon Pro 5600M holds a distinct advantage in Vulkan scenarios, making it a niche but viable alternative for specific software stacks.

The Verdict

The data dictates a straightforward verdict for most users: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the superior performer. Its average benchmark score of 17208 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, compared to the Radeon Pro 5600M’s average of 16351, which sits in the 59th percentile. The RTX 3070’s closest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (avg score 17083, 0.7% delta) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (avg score 17037, 1% delta), are much closer in performance to it than the Radeon Pro 5600M is. The Radeon Pro 5600M, conversely, sits just 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (avg score 16361) and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (avg score 16408), confirming its position in a lower performance tier.

For gamers and general compute users, the RTX 3070 is the only logical pick. Its wins in DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12 tests are decisive, with deltas ranging from 109.3% to 208.5%. For professionals tied to Vulkan-based applications, the Radeon Pro 5600M’s 54.7% lead in the Geekbench Vulkan test is a significant data point, though it is a single win against eight for NVIDIA. The RTX 3070 is an end-of-life product with a launch MSRP of 499 USD; the Radeon Pro 5600M is also end-of-life, but its integrated nature and 50 W power target make it the only sensible choice for ultra-thin, power-constrained systems where the RTX 3070’s 220 W power draw and dual-slot footprint are simply not feasible.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast and explains nearly every performance differential observed. The RTX 3070 is built on NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture, fabricated on Samsung’s 8 nm process node. It packs 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². In contrast, the Radeon Pro 5600M uses AMD’s RDNA 1.0 architecture on TSMC’s 7 nm node, though its transistor count and die size are not listed in the data.

The compute resources are starkly different. The RTX 3070 houses 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 96 render output units (ROPs). It also features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, which are entirely absent from the Radeon Pro 5600M’s spec sheet (listed as null). The Radeon Pro 5600M has only 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. This disparity in raw hardware translates directly to pixel and texture rates: the RTX 3070 achieves 165.6 GPixel/s and 317.4 GTexel/s, while the Radeon Pro 5600M manages just 73.22 GPixel/s and 183.0 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations also diverge significantly. Both have 8 GB of memory, but the RTX 3070 uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5600M uses HBM2 on a massive 2048-bit bus, yet its effective bandwidth is lower at 394.2 GB/s. Clock speeds tell a similar story: the RTX 3070 boosts to 1725 MHz from a 1500 MHz base, while the Radeon Pro 5600M is heavily power-limited, with a 1144 MHz boost and an 822 MHz base. The FP32 compute power is 20.31 TFLOPS for the RTX 3070 versus 5.857 TFLOPS for the Radeon Pro 5600M, a 3.5x advantage for NVIDIA. The Radeon Pro 5600M does offer a 2:1 FP16 ratio (11.71 TFLOPS) versus the RTX 3070’s 1:1 ratio (20.31 TFLOPS), but this does not compensate for the overall compute deficit.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 wins in almost every measurable category, but its dominance is most pronounced in compute and legacy DirectX workloads. In the Passmark GPU Compute test, the RTX 3070 scores 11195 against the Radeon Pro 5600M’s 4031, a 177.7% delta. This indicates a massive advantage for OpenCL-style general-purpose compute, which is also reflected in the Geekbench OpenCL score of 112821 versus 47783 (a 136.1% delta). For DirectX gaming, the RTX 3070 is the clear victor across all feature levels. Its Passmark DirectX 11 score of 182 versus 59 (208.5% delta) and DirectX 12 score of 85 versus 39 (117.9% delta) show that it is more than twice as fast in the most common gaming APIs. Even in the older DirectX 9 and 10 tests, the RTX 3070 more than doubles the Radeon Pro 5600M’s scores, with deltas of 109.3% and 141.9%, respectively.

The Radeon Pro 5600M’s single victory is in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark, where it scores 46425 against the RTX 3070’s 21022 (a 54.7% delta). This is a substantial lead and suggests that AMD’s architecture, despite having fewer shading units, is far more efficient in this specific API. This could make it a better choice for Vulkan-native applications, particularly in professional visualization or compute workloads that rely on that API. However, it is important to note that this is an isolated result; in the Passmark G3D test, which is a more general gaming metric, the RTX 3070 leads 22214 to 9279 (139.4% delta), and in the G2D test, it leads 1001 to 679 (47.4% delta).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in overall compute tasks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is significantly faster. Its Passmark GPU Compute score of 11195 is 177.7% higher than the Radeon Pro 5600M’s 4031, and its Geekbench OpenCL score of 112821 is 136.1% higher than 47783.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M better for any specific workload?

A: Yes, the data shows it has a clear advantage in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark, scoring 46425 versus the RTX 3070’s 21022, a 54.7% lead. This suggests it is more efficient in Vulkan-based applications.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 3070 has a higher average benchmark score of 17208, placing it in the 61st percentile. The Radeon Pro 5600M averages 16351, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What are the key differences in their memory subsystems?

A: Both have 8 GB of memory, but the RTX 3070 uses GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5600M uses HBM2 on a 2048-bit bus but achieves lower bandwidth at 394.2 GB/s.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro 5600M have ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: The data lists no ray tracing cores or tensor cores for the Radeon Pro 5600M (null values). The RTX 3070 has 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores.

Q: Which GPU has a higher power draw?

A: The RTX 3070 has a much higher power draw at 220 W, while the Radeon Pro 5600M is rated at 50 W. This makes the Radeon Pro 5600M an integrated graphics processor (IGP) suited for power-constrained systems.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive win for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 comes in the Passmark DirectX 11 test. With a score of 182 against the Radeon Pro 5600M’s 59, the RTX 3070 achieves a 208.5% delta, meaning it is more than three times as fast. This is the largest performance gap between the two in any test and highlights the massive difference in raw geometry and pixel processing capabilities. The RTX 3070’s 184 TMUs and 96 ROPs simply overwhelm the Radeon Pro 5600M’s 160 TMUs and 64 ROPs in this legacy API.

Another massive victory for the RTX 3070 is in the Passmark GPU Compute test. The RTX 3070 scores 11195, while the Radeon Pro 5600M scores 4031, resulting in a 177.7% delta. This is a clear indication that the RTX 3070’s 5888 shading units and 184 tensor cores provide a massive advantage in general-purpose compute workloads, far exceeding what the Radeon Pro 5600M’s 2560 shading units can deliver. The FP32 output of 20.31 TFLOPS versus 5.857 TFLOPS is the fundamental reason for this gap.

The Geekbench OpenCL test reinforces this narrative. The RTX 3070 posts a score of 112821, which is 136.1% higher than the Radeon Pro 5600M’s 47783. This shows that NVIDIA’s architecture is not only faster in proprietary APIs but also in the cross-platform OpenCL standard. The Radeon Pro 5600M’s lower power envelope and clock speeds (1144 MHz boost vs. 1725 MHz) severely limit its OpenCL throughput.

The Radeon Pro 5600M’s sole victory is in the Geekbench Vulkan test. It scores 46425, while the RTX 3070 scores 21022, giving AMD a 54.7% lead. This is a significant outlier, especially given that the Radeon Pro 5600M has less than half the shading units (2560 vs. 5888). It suggests that RDNA 1.0’s asynchronous compute and command processor efficiency are exceptionally well-tuned for Vulkan’s explicit multi-threading model, allowing it to overcome its hardware deficit in this specific scenario.

In the remaining DirectX tests, the RTX 3070’s advantage is consistent but varies in magnitude. In DirectX 12, the RTX 3070 scores 85 versus 39, a 117.9% delta. In DirectX 10, it scores 150 versus 62, a 141.9% delta. In DirectX 9, the scores are 247 versus 118, a 109.3% delta. Even in the 2D-focused Passmark G2D test, the RTX 3070 leads with 1001 against 679, a 47.4% delta. Finally, the Passmark G3D test, which aggregates many rendering tasks, shows the RTX 3070 winning 22214 to 9279, a 139.4% delta, cementing its status as the overwhelmingly faster gaming GPU.