AMD Radeon R9 370X vs AMD Radeon RX 7600 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R9 370X and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 represent two distinct eras of graphics technology, separated by nearly eight years of architectural evolution. The benchmark data reveals a decisive generational leap, with the RX 7600 dominating the shared test suite. However, the R9 370X’s position in the current GPU landscape is more nuanced, as its average benchmark score places it in a surprisingly competitive percentile despite its age.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison between these two cards is stark, with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 winning both shared benchmarks by a wide margin. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 7600 scores 88,051 points against the R9 370X’s 25,893 points. This represents a delta of -70.6% for the older card, meaning the RX 7600 delivers roughly 3.4 times the raw compute performance in this API. The gap in Geekbench Vulkan is even more pronounced: the RX 7600 scores 34,401 versus the R9 370X’s 9,018, a delta of -73.8%. This translates to nearly a 3.8-fold performance advantage for the newer architecture in a modern graphics API.

These results highlight the fundamental compute capability disparity. The RX 7600’s FP32 throughput of 21.75 TFLOPS dwarfs the R9 370X’s 2.637 TFLOPS, an 8.2x difference that directly explains the benchmark scores. The texture rate tells a similar story: 339.8 GTexel/s for the RX 7600 versus 82.40 GTexel/s for the R9 370X, a 4.1x advantage. Pixel rate also favors the newer card at 169.9 GPixel/s versus 32.96 GPixel/s, a 5.2x lead. These figures suggest that in any workload that stresses shader, texture, or pixel processing, the RX 7600 will be decisively faster.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the head-to-head data, the RX 7600 wins in every measurable category. It is the clear choice for modern gaming, particularly at higher resolutions and with demanding graphical settings, given its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The R9 370X, with only 2 GB of GDDR5 and 179.2 GB/s bandwidth, will struggle with contemporary game assets. The RX 7600 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the R9 370X is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. This means the newer card can access features like hardware ray tracing, as indicated by its 32 RT cores, which the older card completely lacks.

However, the R9 370X is not without a niche. Its average benchmark score of 15,862 places it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, which is slightly higher than the RX 7600’s 57th percentile and average score of 15,171. This suggests that in aggregate, across a wider range of legacy tests, the older card holds its own. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (avg score 15,852, delta 0.1%) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (avg score 15,679, delta 1.2%), indicating it performs in a similar class to those cards in general compute. For users with older systems that rely on PCIe 3.0 x16 and 2x 6-pin power connectors, the R9 370X could be a drop-in upgrade path, though its 180 W TDP is higher than the RX 7600’s 165 W. The R9 370X also supports OpenGL 4.6, matching the newer card in that API.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is significantly faster, scoring 88,051 compared to the R9 370X’s 25,893, a delta of -70.6% in favor of the newer card.

Q: Does the R9 370X support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The R9 370X has no ray tracing cores listed, whereas the RX 7600 features 32 RT cores. The RX 7600 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes ray tracing capabilities, while the R9 370X is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1).

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The R9 370X has a higher average benchmark score of 15,862 compared to the RX 7600’s 15,171. The R9 370X also sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, one point higher than the RX 7600’s 57th percentile.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RX 7600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The R9 370X has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 179.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has a boost clock of 2655 MHz, while the R9 370X boosts to 1030 MHz. The RX 7600’s base clock of 1720 MHz is also higher than the R9 370X’s base of 980 MHz.

Q: Are both cards currently in production?

A: No. The R9 370X is listed as end-of-life, while the RX 7600 is active and currently in production.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The RX 7600 features 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the R9 370X has 1280 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 7600’s FP32 performance is 21.75 TFLOPS versus 2.637 TFLOPS for the R9 370X. Memory capacity is 8 GB GDDR6 versus 2 GB GDDR5, with bus widths of 128-bit and 256-bit, respectively. Bandwidth favors the RX 7600 at 288.0 GB/s versus 179.2 GB/s. Clock speeds are also much higher on the RX 7600: base 1720 MHz, boost 2655 MHz, and game 2250 MHz, compared to the R9 370X’s base 980 MHz and boost 1030 MHz. The RX 7600’s memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 1400 MHz (5.6 Gbps effective) on the R9 370X. Power consumption is slightly lower on the RX 7600 at 165 W versus 180 W, and it uses a single 8-pin connector compared to the R9 370X’s two 6-pin connectors. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 on the RX 7600 versus PCIe 3.0 x16 on the R9 370X. Display outputs also differ: the RX 7600 has 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, while the R9 370X has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is immense. The R9 370X is built on GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Trinidad chip, and fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 2,800 million transistors on a 212 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 13.2M / mm². The RX 7600 uses the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip (codenamed "Hotpink Bonefish") and is built on a 6 nm process, also at TSMC. This modern node packs 13,300 million transistors into a slightly smaller 204 mm² die, achieving a density of 65.2M / mm². This represents a nearly 5x increase in transistor density. The RX 7600’s architecture is part of the Navi III (RX 7000) generation, with its predecessor being Navi II and successor Navi IV. The R9 370X belongs to the Pirate Islands (R9 300) generation, with its predecessor being Volcanic Islands and successor Arctic Islands. Crucially, the RX 7600 has 32 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the older GCN design. The RX 7600 also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, whereas the R9 370X has no listed FP16 capability. The RX 7600’s API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, while the R9 370X is capped at DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the superior performer in every direct comparison, offering roughly 3.4x to 3.8x the performance in OpenCL and Vulkan benchmarks. Its 8 GB of memory, modern feature set including ray tracing, and significantly higher compute and texture rates make it the clear choice for any modern gaming or compute workload. The RX 7600 also achieves this with lower power consumption (165 W versus 180 W) and a more efficient power connector setup. Its launch MSRP was 269 USD.

However, the R9 370X’s higher average benchmark score and percentile ranking suggest it remains a capable card for older applications and legacy systems. Its 256-bit memory bus and 2 GB of GDDR5 might be sufficient for older games or non-gaming tasks. The R9 370X's launch MSRP was 199 USD. Users with a PCIe 3.0 system and 2x 6-pin connectors who are not playing the latest titles could still find it functional, but it struggles with modern API support and memory capacity. For any new build or upgrade targeting current software, the RX 7600 is the only logical choice based on the performance data. The R9 370X is a relic of a bygone era, while the RX 7600 is a modern, active product that dominates its older counterpart.