AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT are closely matched in overall average benchmark score, with the RTX 2070 holding a slim 0.6% lead (18789 vs 18685). However, a closer look at individual workloads reveals a starkly one-sided contest: the RTX 2070 wins all nine head-to-head benchmark comparisons, with margins ranging from a near-tie in DirectX 12 to a dominant 51.8% advantage in DirectX 11. Despite the Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s newer process node and larger memory pool, the data consistently favors NVIDIA’s Turing architecture in compute and graphics tests, making the RTX 2070 the clear performance pick in this pairing.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 2070’s largest victory comes in the PassMark DirectX 11 test, where it scores 129 against the Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s 85, a 51.8% delta. This is not an isolated anomaly; the pattern repeats across API-specific workloads. In PassMark DirectX 10, the RTX 2070 leads 111 to 76 (46.1%), and in DirectX 9, it posts 211 versus 153 (37.9%). These results indicate that NVIDIA’s driver optimization and Turing architecture deliver substantially higher legacy API performance, which can matter for compatibility with older titles or compute frameworks.

The Geekbench Vulkan results show the widest margin of all. The RTX 2070 scores 82521, while the Radeon Pro 5700 XT manages 56593—a 45.8% gap. This is particularly striking because Vulkan is a modern, low-overhead API where AMD’s RDNA architecture is generally expected to compete well. The RTX 2070 also wins Geekbench OpenCL by 34.5% (79966 vs 59467), suggesting that its compute shaders and general-purpose throughput are significantly stronger in these specific workloads.

In the PassMark G3D test, the RTX 2070 scores 16094 versus 12547, a 28.3% advantage. This is a broad 3D graphics benchmark, and the result reinforces the NVIDIA card’s overall graphics dominance. The compute-focused PassMark GPU Compute test is closer, with the RTX 2070 leading 6411 to 5787 (10.8%), but it still wins.

The only near-parity results are in PassMark DirectX 12 (60 vs 59, a 1.7% delta) and PassMark G2D (819 vs 810, a 1.1% delta). These are effectively ties, suggesting that in the most modern graphics API, the two architectures converge. Even so, the RTX 2070 wins these too, meaning it has no outright losses in any measured benchmark. The overall picture is unambiguous: the RTX 2070 outperforms the Radeon Pro 5700 XT in every single test, with an average advantage that is substantial in most cases.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The RTX 2070 uses NVIDIA’s TU106 chip on the Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT uses AMD’s Navi 10 chip on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at the same foundry, with 10,300 million transistors on a much smaller 251 mm² die. The 7 nm node gives AMD a significant transistor density advantage: 41.0M transistors per mm² versus NVIDIA’s 24.3M per mm².

Despite having fewer transistors overall, the Radeon Pro 5700 XT packs more shading units (2560 vs 2304), more texture mapping units (160 vs 144), and the same number of ROPs (64). Its raw FP32 throughput is also higher at 7.675 TFLOPS versus 7.465 TFLOPS for the RTX 2070. However, the RTX 2070 has dedicated hardware that the AMD card lacks entirely: 36 RT cores for ray tracing and 288 tensor cores for AI acceleration. These features are absent from the Radeon Pro 5700 XT, which has no equivalent units listed.

Memory configuration is another point of divergence. The RTX 2070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on the same 256-bit bus, but with lower effective memory speed (12 Gbps vs 14 Gbps), resulting in 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD card’s capacity advantage is clear, but the RTX 2070 has 16.7% more bandwidth, which can be decisive in memory-heavy workloads.

Clock speeds differ as well: the RTX 2070 has a higher base clock (1410 MHz vs 1243 MHz) and boost clock (1620 MHz vs 1499 MHz). The Radeon Pro 5700 XT compensates with a lower TDP of 130 W versus 175 W for the RTX 2070, and it requires no power connectors, operating as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no display outputs. The RTX 2070 is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the Radeon Pro 5700 XT has a 300 W suggested PSU.

Bus interface and API support also differ. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 2070 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. In terms of DirectX, the RTX 2070 supports 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Radeon Pro 5700 XT is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, but the RTX 2070’s higher DirectX feature level and dedicated ray tracing hardware give it a forward-looking edge.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is decisive: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 wins every single head-to-head test, with an average benchmark score of 18789 versus 18685 for the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT. The RTX 2070’s largest margins are in Vulkan (45.8%) and DirectX 11 (51.8%), while its smallest is in DirectX 12 (1.7%). For users prioritizing maximum performance in graphics and compute workloads, the RTX 2070 is the superior choice based on the data.

The Radeon Pro 5700 XT does offer advantages that the benchmarks do not fully capture. It has twice the memory capacity (16 GB vs 8 GB), a more modern 7 nm process, and a much lower TDP (130 W vs 175 W). It also requires no external power connectors and has no display outputs, indicating its design as a specialized compute or professional card rather than a general-purpose graphics solution. However, in pure performance terms, the RTX 2070’s higher clock speeds, greater memory bandwidth, and dedicated RT/tensor cores translate into consistent wins.

The RTX 2070 also holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs (63) compared to the Radeon Pro 5700 XT (also 63), but the RTX 2070’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation at 18954 (-0.9% delta) and the NVIDIA Tesla K80 at 18866 (-0.4% delta). The Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro D500 at 18533 (0.8% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 560X at 18626 (0.3% delta). This places the RTX 2070 in slightly faster company, though the overall tier is similar.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 has an average benchmark score of 18789, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT scores 18685, giving the RTX 2070 a 0.6% advantage.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 2070 in Vulkan?

A: In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RTX 2070 scores 82521 versus 56593 for the Radeon Pro 5700 XT, a 45.8% difference.

Q: Does the Radeon Pro 5700 XT win any benchmark?

A: No. In the head-to-head benchmark results, the RTX 2070 wins all 9 tests, with the Radeon Pro 5700 XT recording 0 wins.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The Radeon Pro 5700 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX 2070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 2070 has 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, compared to 384.0 GB/s for the Radeon Pro 5700 XT, despite the AMD card having more memory.

Q: What are the TDP and power requirements?

A: The RTX 2070 has a TDP of 175 W and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector with a 450 W suggested PSU. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT has a TDP of 130 W, no power connectors, and a 300 W suggested PSU.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 wins in every measured benchmark category, but the degree of dominance varies. Its biggest wins are in legacy and low-level APIs: DirectX 11 (51.8% ahead), DirectX 10 (46.1%), and Vulkan (45.8%). These are the workloads where the Turing architecture’s optimized drivers and hardware scheduling provide the most benefit. For users running older games, OpenCL compute, or Vulkan-based applications, the RTX 2070 is clearly the stronger performer.

The RTX 2070 also wins decisively in general 3D graphics (PassMark G3D, 28.3% ahead) and OpenCL compute (34.5% ahead). Its dedicated RT cores and tensor cores, which the Radeon Pro 5700 XT lacks entirely, make it the only card of the two capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features like DLSS. This is a functional win for the RTX 2070 in any future-looking workload that leverages these features.

The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT wins on paper in specific areas not covered by the benchmark suite: memory capacity (16 GB vs 8 GB), process efficiency (7 nm vs 12 nm), and power draw (130 W vs 175 W). Its smaller die size (251 mm² vs 445 mm²) and higher transistor density (41.0M / mm² vs 24.3M / mm²) show architectural efficiency. However, these advantages do not translate into any benchmark victory. The Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s closest results are in DirectX 12 (1.7% behind) and G2D (1.1% behind), where it nearly matches the RTX 2070, but it still loses.

For users who need a card with no external power connectors and no display outputs—suggesting a server or compute module context—the Radeon Pro 5700 XT’s IGP form factor and 300 W PSU requirement are practical wins. For anyone needing maximum performance, especially in modern APIs like Vulkan or feature-rich DirectX 12 Ultimate, the RTX 2070 is the definitive choice. The data shows no scenario where the Radeon Pro 5700 XT outperforms the RTX 2070 in a benchmark, making the NVIDIA card the winner in every measured performance category.