AMD Radeon PRO W7500 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear overall winner, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 taking 8 out of 9 head-to-head tests. The most decisive victory comes in Passmark DirectX 10, where the RTX 2070 scores 111 against the Radeon PRO W7500's 65, a 70.8% advantage. This is a massive gap that suggests the older Turing architecture handles legacy DirectX 10 workloads far more efficiently than AMD's RDNA 3.0 part.

Compute-oriented tests also favor NVIDIA substantially. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 2070 posts 79,966 versus 58,213 for the W7500, a 37.4% lead. The Vulkan result is similarly lopsided: 82,521 against 68,634, a 20.2% margin. These are not close calls; the RTX 2070 outperforms the W7500 by a wide margin in both major cross-platform compute APIs.

DirectX 12 shows another significant gap, with the RTX 2070 winning 60 to 46, a 30.4% delta. This is noteworthy because DirectX 12 is a modern API where the newer RDNA 3.0 architecture might be expected to excel, yet the data shows NVIDIA's card maintaining a firm lead. The Passmark G3D score reinforces this pattern: 16,094 for the RTX 2070 versus 13,368 for the W7500, a 20.4% difference.

The smaller margins are still informative. Passmark DirectX 11 sees the RTX 2070 ahead by just 3.2% (129 vs 125), and DirectX 9 shows a 5.5% lead (211 vs 200). These are nearly tied results, suggesting that in older DirectX titles, the two cards are effectively comparable in performance. The Passmark GPU Compute test gives the RTX 2070 an 8.5% edge (6,411 vs 5,910), a moderate but consistent advantage.

The single win for the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 comes in Passmark G2D, a 2D graphics test, where it scores 1,174 against 819 for the RTX 2070. This is a 30.2% margin in AMD's favor. It is the only test where the W7500 demonstrates clear superiority, and it points to a specific strength in 2D desktop workloads rather than 3D rendering or compute.

The overall average benchmark score tells the same story: the RTX 2070 averages 18,789 across all tests, while the W7500 averages 16,415. The RTX 2070 sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, while the W7500 sits at the 59th. The nearest rival data for the RTX 2070 shows it trading blows with cards like the NVIDIA Tesla K80 (delta of -0.4%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT (delta of 0.6%). For the W7500, its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (0.3% delta), indicating it lands in a similar performance tier.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is significantly faster, scoring 79,966 compared to the AMD Radeon PRO W7500's 58,213, a 37.4% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, it wins the Passmark G2D test with a score of 1,174 against the RTX 2070's 819, a 30.2% margin. This is its only head-to-head victory out of nine tests.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: The RTX 2070 leads with a score of 60 versus 46 for the W7500, a 30.4% difference. Despite the W7500 being a newer architecture, the older NVIDIA card maintains a solid lead.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX 2070 has an average benchmark score of 18,789, while the W7500 averages 16,415. The RTX 2070 also has a higher percentile rank at 63 versus 59 for the W7500.

Q: Are the two cards close in any DirectX tests?

A: The closest result is in DirectX 11, where the RTX 2070 scores 129 and the W7500 scores 125, a mere 3.2% difference. DirectX 9 is also close at 211 versus 200, a 5.5% margin.

Q: Which card performs better in GPU compute workloads?

A: The RTX 2070 outperforms the W7500 in Passmark GPU Compute, scoring 6,411 versus 5,910, an 8.5% lead. The margin is smaller than in other compute tests but still favors NVIDIA.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different architectural eras. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 uses the TU106 chip built on Turing architecture, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 uses the Navi 33 chip based on RDNA 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. This process difference is significant: the W7500 packs 13,300 million transistors into a 204 mm² die, while the RTX 2070 contains 10,800 million transistors on a much larger 445 mm² die. The transistor density tells the story: the W7500 achieves 65.2 million transistors per square millimeter, while the RTX 2070 manages only 24.3 million per square millimeter.

The RTX 2070 is a Turing part with 36 ray tracing cores and 288 tensor cores, features that are entirely absent from the W7500's specification sheet, which lists no tensor cores and only 28 ray tracing cores. The RTX 2070 also has more shading units (2,304 versus 1,792) and more texture mapping units (144 versus 112), while both cards have 64 ROPs. This gives the RTX 2070 a higher texture rate of 233.3 GTexel/s against 190.4 GTexel/s for the W7500, though the W7500 actually has a slightly higher pixel rate at 108.8 GPixel/s versus 103.7 GPixel/s.

The W7500 compensates for fewer cores with higher raw floating-point throughput. Its FP32 performance is 12.19 TFLOPS, well above the RTX 2070's 7.465 TFLOPS, and its FP16 performance is 24.37 TFLOPS versus 14.93 TFLOPS. This suggests the RDNA 3.0 architecture achieves more work per clock or per core, even with fewer shading units. However, the benchmark data shows that this theoretical advantage does not translate into real-world wins in the recorded tests.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is identical. The memory subsystems differ: the RTX 2070 uses a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the W7500 uses a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both have 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, but the bandwidth advantage clearly belongs to NVIDIA.

The power profiles are dramatically different, with the RTX 2070 rated at 175 W TDP and the W7500 at just 70 W. This reflects both the older process node and the larger die of the NVIDIA card. The W7500 also requires no power connectors and only a 250 W suggested PSU, while the RTX 2070 needs a single 8-pin connector and a 450 W PSU.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The process node is a clear differentiator: 12 nm for the RTX 2070 versus 6 nm for the W7500. The die size also contrasts sharply, with the RTX 2070 at 445 mm² and the W7500 at just 204 mm². Transistor counts are 10,800 million for NVIDIA and 13,300 million for AMD.

Clock speeds favor the AMD card: the W7500 has a base clock of 1,500 MHz and a boost of 1,700 MHz, while the RTX 2070 runs at 1,410 MHz base and 1,620 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ, with the W7500 at 2,000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) and the RTX 2070 at 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). However, the memory bus width is where NVIDIA gains ground: 256-bit versus 128-bit, resulting in 448.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

The core configurations show NVIDIA with more shading units (2,304 vs 1,792), more TMUs (144 vs 112), and equal ROPs (64 each). The RTX 2070 has 36 RT cores and 288 tensor cores; the W7500 has 28 RT cores and no tensor cores listed. Pixel rates are close (103.7 vs 108.8 GPixel/s), but texture rates favor NVIDIA (233.3 vs 190.4 GTexel/s). FP32 and FP16 throughput both favor AMD, with the W7500 delivering 12.19 TFLOPS and 24.37 TFLOPS versus 7.465 TFLOPS and 14.93 TFLOPS for the RTX 2070.

Power and physical specifications diverge significantly: 175 W versus 70 W TDP, dual-slot versus single-slot, 1x 8-pin connector versus none, and 450 W versus 250 W suggested PSU. The dimensions differ as well, with the RTX 2070 being longer (229 mm vs 216 mm) and thicker (35 mm vs 20 mm). Display outputs are also different: the RTX 2070 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, while the W7500 provides 4x DisplayPort 2.1. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for NVIDIA and PCIe 4.0 x8 for AMD.

Production status and release dates are far apart: the RTX 2070 is end-of-life and launched in October 2018, while the W7500 is active and launched in August 2023. The RTX 2070 has a successor (GeForce 30), while the W7500 has none listed.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is the faster card in nearly every benchmark category, winning 8 of 9 head-to-head tests. Its average benchmark score of 18,789 versus 16,415 for the W7500 represents a 14.5% overall advantage. The RTX 2070 dominates in compute APIs (OpenCL, Vulkan), modern DirectX 12, and legacy DirectX 10, with margins ranging from 20% to 70%.

The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 has one clear strength: 2D graphics performance, where it beats the RTX 2070 by 30.2% in Passmark G2D. It also comes close in DirectX 11 and DirectX 9, trailing by only 3.2% and 5.5% respectively. For users whose workloads are dominated by 2D desktop tasks or older DirectX titles, the W7500 is competitive.

However, the W7500's theoretical advantages in FP32 and FP16 throughput (12.19 vs 7.465 TFLOPS and 24.37 vs 14.93 TFLOPS) do not materialize into benchmark wins. The recorded data shows the RTX 2070 consistently outperforming it in compute and 3D rendering. The RTX 2070 also has a higher percentile ranking (63 vs 59), placing it ahead of more GPUs in the overall distribution.

The choice depends on priorities. For 3D rendering, compute workloads, or gaming, the RTX 2070 is the clear pick based on the benchmark evidence. For 2D-oriented tasks or scenarios where power efficiency and a single-slot form factor are paramount, the W7500 has merits, but its single benchmark win does not offset the RTX 2070's broad superiority.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 wins in all compute-heavy scenarios. Geekbench OpenCL shows a 37.4% lead, and Geekbench Vulkan shows a 20.2% lead. Any workload that relies on general-purpose GPU compute, whether through OpenCL or Vulkan, will favor the RTX 2070 substantially. Passmark GPU Compute also goes to NVIDIA, albeit by a smaller 8.5% margin.

In 3D rendering, the RTX 2070 wins the Passmark G3D test by 20.4%. DirectX 12 performance, critical for modern games and applications, favors the RTX 2070 by 30.4%. Even legacy DirectX 10, which might be expected to favor the older card, shows a massive 70.8% lead for the RTX 2070. DirectX 11 and DirectX 9 are close but still favor NVIDIA by 3.2% and 5.5% respectively.

The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 wins only in 2D graphics, as measured by Passmark G2D, with a 30.2% margin. This is a meaningful result for desktop environments, 2D CAD applications, or other non-3D workloads. The W7500 also has architectural advantages that could matter in specific scenarios: it uses far less power (70 W vs 175 W), requires no external power connectors, fits in a single slot, and offers four DisplayPort 2.1 outputs for multi-monitor setups.

For a professional workstation focused on 2D productivity, multi-display output, or power-constrained environments, the W7500's single win and physical attributes make it a sensible choice. For anyone running 3D applications, compute tasks, or modern games, the RTX 2070's eight benchmark wins make it the definitive performer in this comparison.