AMD Radeon RX 470 vs AMD Radeon RX 560 XT Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded data splits these two Polaris cards cleanly by workload type. The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins both head-to-head benchmark tests in the database, taking the Geekbench OpenCL test and the Geekbench Vulkan test. The RX 560 XT does not win any of the recorded head-to-head comparisons, which means every measured advantage in this direct matchup belongs to the older RX 470.

The RX 470 leads in compute-centric workloads. Its OpenCL result of 33568 beats the RX 560 XT's 31387, a 6.5% advantage. The Vulkan gap is slightly wider: 39884 versus 36879, a 7.5% margin. These are both general-purpose GPU compute tests, not gaming-specific rasterization tests, so the data speaks to raw shader throughput and driver efficiency under compute APIs rather than frame rates in any specific title.

The RX 560 XT's position is more nuanced. While it loses the direct comparisons, it holds a much stronger aggregate standing in the database. The RX 560 XT posts an average benchmark score of 34133 and sits at the 79th percentile across all GPUs. The RX 470, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 28996 and sits at the 74th percentile. This is a notable inversion: the RX 470 wins the two direct head-to-head tests, yet the RX 560 XT has the higher overall database average and percentile rank. The explanation lies in the test set composition. The RX 470's average includes a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 842 and a Geekbench Metal score of 41690, while the RX 560 XT's average is built from only its two Geekbench results. The Metal score in particular, which is very high, inflates the RX 470's average, but the 3DMark result drags it down substantially.

Looking at nearest rival data, the two cards occupy different competitive neighborhoods. The RX 560 XT's closest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (34154, 0.1% ahead), NVIDIA RTX A1000 (34207, 0.2% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 480 (33997, 0.4% behind), and AMD Radeon HD 7950 (33951, 0.5% behind). The RX 470's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28874, 0.4% behind), Intel Arc A370M (29175, 0.6% ahead), AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH (29197, 0.7% ahead), and AMD FirePro W8000 (29211, 0.7% ahead). The RX 560 XT competes against a higher tier of cards entirely, roughly 14% to 18% above the RX 470's rival cluster in average score.

The use-case split is therefore clear. For users running Geekbench-style OpenCL or Vulkan compute workloads, the RX 470 is the stronger part in this direct comparison. For users who care about overall database standing and percentile placement, the RX 560 XT ranks higher. The RX 470 also carries a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result, a modern DirectX 12 test, which the RX 560 XT has no recorded score for in the database. That gives the RX 470 a measurable presence in DX12 raster workloads that the RX 560 XT lacks entirely in the recorded data.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same fundamental silicon. The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT and AMD Radeon RX 470 both use the Ellesmere chip, built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Both integrate 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The architectural core is identical.

The differences emerge in configuration and clocks. The RX 470 carries 2048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units, while the RX 560 XT is cut down to 1792 shading units and 112 TMUs. Both have 32 ROPs. This means the RX 470 has 256 more shaders and 16 more TMUs, a 14.3% shader advantage and a 14.3% texture unit advantage. The RX 560 XT compensates with higher clocks. Its base clock is 1074 MHz versus 926 MHz on the RX 470, and its boost clock is 1226 MHz versus 1206 MHz. The RX 560 XT's base clock advantage is substantial, 148 MHz higher, while the boost clock gap narrows to just 20 MHz.

The clock and shader tradeoff produces mixed throughput results. The RX 470's texture rate is 154.4 GTexel/s versus 137.3 GTexel/s on the RX 560 XT, a 12.5% texture throughput advantage. Its FP32 compute is 4.940 TFLOPS versus 4.394 TFLOPS, an 11.1% advantage. But the RX 560 XT wins pixel rate: 39.23 GPixel/s versus 38.59 GPixel/s, a 1.7% margin, because pixel rate depends only on ROP count and clock speed, and the RX 560 XT's higher clocks overcome the identical 32 ROP count.

Memory is another differentiator. Both use 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, but the RX 560 XT runs its memory at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus 1650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) on the RX 470. This yields 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth for the RX 560 XT versus 211.2 GB/s for the RX 470, a 6.1% bandwidth advantage for the newer card.

Power characteristics diverge sharply. The RX 560 XT is rated at 150 W TDP with a suggested 450 W power supply, while the RX 470 is rated at 120 W TDP with a suggested 300 W power supply. Both use a single 6-pin power connector and are dual-slot cards. The RX 560 XT consumes more power despite having fewer shaders, which reflects its higher clock targets.

Generation and release timing differ. The RX 560 XT belongs to the Polaris (RX 500) generation and was released on 2019-03-12. The RX 470 belongs to the Arctic Islands (RX 400) generation and was released on 2016-08-03. Their predecessor/successor lineage also differs: the RX 560 XT's predecessor is Arctic Islands and successor is Vega, while the RX 470's predecessor is Pirate Islands and successor is Polaris. Both cards share identical API support: DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. Both have the same display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and both use PCIe 3.0 x16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct comparisons between these cards, and the RX 470 wins both.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 470 scores 33568 against the RX 560 XT's 31387. The RX 470 leads by 6.5%. This result is consistent with the shader and FP32 advantage: the RX 470 has 2048 shading units and 4.940 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, against 1792 shading units and 4.394 TFLOPS for the RX 560 XT. OpenCL compute workloads scale with raw shader throughput, so the RX 470's 14.3% shader count lead, partially offset by lower clocks, still nets a 6.5% win.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 470 scores 39884 against 36879, a 7.5% margin. The Vulkan gap is slightly larger than OpenCL, suggesting the RX 470's larger shader array is at least as effective under Vulkan's lower-overhead driver model. The RX 470 also has a Geekbench Metal score of 41690, which is its single highest recorded result. The RX 560 XT has no Metal score in the database, so cross-API comparison on Apple's compute framework is not possible.

The RX 470 additionally holds a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 842. The RX 560 XT has no recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad result, meaning the RX 470 is the only one of the pair with a modern DirectX 12 rasterization benchmark in the database. This is a capability gap, not necessarily a performance statement, but it matters for users who prioritize DX12 gaming workloads.

The average benchmark scores tell a different story. The RX 560 XT averages 34133 across its two recorded tests, while the RX 470 averages 28996 across four tests. The RX 470's average is dragged down by its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 842, which is far below its compute scores. This creates the odd situation where the RX 470 wins every direct comparison but has a 17.7% lower average score. The percentile ranks reflect this: the RX 560 XT sits at the 79th percentile, the RX 470 at the 74th.

Nearest rival data confirms the RX 560 XT's higher competitive tier. The RX 560 XT's closest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB at 34154, only 0.1% above it, and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 at 34207, 0.2% above. The RX 470's closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 28874, 0.4% below it. The RX 470's rival cluster averages around 29,000, while the RX 560 XT's sits around 34,000. The RX 560 XT is competing with substantially more capable parts despite losing to the RX 470 in the direct matchup.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several recorded specification fields.

The RX 470 has 2048 shading units versus 1792 on the RX 560 XT. It also has 128 TMUs versus 112. Both have 32 ROPs.

Clock speeds differ on every axis. The RX 560 XT has a 1074 MHz base clock versus 926 MHz on the RX 470, and a 1226 MHz boost clock versus 1206 MHz. Memory clocks are 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) on the RX 560 XT versus 1650 MHz (6.6 Gbps effective) on the RX 470.

Memory bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s on the RX 560 XT versus 211.2 GB/s on the RX 470. Memory size, type, and bus width are identical: 4 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus.

Pixel rate favors the RX 560 XT at 39.23 GPixel/s versus 38.59 GPixel/s. Texture rate favors the RX 470 at 154.4 GTexel/s versus 137.3 GTexel/s. FP32 and FP16 compute favor the RX 470 at 4.940 TFLOPS versus 4.394 TFLOPS, with both running 1:1 FP16 to FP32.

TDP is 150 W for the RX 560 XT and 120 W for the RX 470. Suggested PSU is 450 W versus 300 W. Both use a single 6-pin connector and dual-slot cooling.

Dimensions are nearly identical. The RX 560 XT is 241 mm (9.5 inches) long; the RX 470 is 240 mm (9.4 inches) long, 95 mm (3.7 inches) high, and 35 mm (1.4 inches) wide. The RX 560 XT has no recorded height or width.

Generation and release dates differ. The RX 560 XT is from the Polaris (RX 500) generation, released 2019-03-12. The RX 470 is from the Arctic Islands (RX 400) generation, released 2016-08-03. The RX 470 has a launch MSRP of 179 USD; the RX 560 XT has no recorded launch MSRP.

Identical specifications include: Ellesmere chip, GCN 4.0 architecture, 14 nm process, GlobalFoundries foundry, 5,700 million transistors, 232 mm² die, 24.6M/mm² transistor density, 4 GB GDDR5 memory, 256-bit bus, 32 ROPs, DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3, PCIe 3.0 x16, and 1x HDMI 2.0b plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. Both are end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the direct benchmark comparisons?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins both recorded head-to-head tests. It scores 33568 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 31387 for the RX 560 XT (6.5% ahead), and 39884 in Geekbench Vulkan versus 36879 (7.5% ahead).

Q: Why does the RX 560 XT have a higher average benchmark score if it loses the head-to-head tests?

A: The RX 560 XT averages 34133 across two Geekbench tests and sits at the 79th GPU percentile. The RX 470 averages 28996 across four tests, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 842 that lowers its average, and sits at the 74th percentile.

Q: What hardware advantage does the RX 470 hold?

A: The RX 470 has 2048 shading units and 128 TMUs versus 1792 and 112 on the RX 560 XT. It also delivers higher texture rate (154.4 GTexel/s versus 137.3 GTexel/s) and higher FP32 compute (4.940 TFLOPS versus 4.394 TFLOPS).

Q: What hardware advantage does the RX 560 XT hold?

A: The RX 560 XT runs higher clocks: 1074 MHz base versus 926 MHz, and 1226 MHz boost versus 1206 MHz. It also has faster memory at 1750 MHz (224.0 GB/s) versus 1650 MHz (211.2 GB/s), and a higher pixel rate of 39.23 GPixel/s versus 38.59 GPixel/s.

Q: How do their power requirements differ?

A: The RX 560 XT is rated at 150 W TDP with a suggested 450 W power supply. The RX 470 is rated at 120 W TDP with a suggested 300 W power supply. Both use a single 6-pin power connector.

Q: Which card is from a newer generation?

A: The RX 560 XT is from the Polaris (RX 500) generation, released on 2019-03-12. The RX 470 is from the Arctic Islands (RX 400) generation, released on 2016-08-03. The RX 470 had a launch MSRP of 179 USD; the RX 560 XT has no recorded launch MSRP.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but counterintuitive picture. For direct compute performance, the AMD Radeon RX 470 is the stronger card. It wins both Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests by 6.5% and 7.5% respectively, and it is the only one of the pair with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score in the database. Its 2048 shading units and 4.940 TFLOPS of FP32 compute simply outmuscle the RX 560 XT's 1792 shaders and 4.394 TFLOPS, despite the newer card's higher clocks.

The RX 560 XT is the better-positioned card in the broader database landscape. Its 34133 average score places it at the 79th percentile, five points above the RX 470's 74th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB and RTX A1000, cards in a substantially higher performance class than the RX 470's rivals, which cluster around the RX 6800M and Arc A370M. The RX 560 XT also offers higher memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s versus 211.2 GB/s) and a higher pixel rate.

Buyers should choose based on workload. For compute-heavy OpenCL or Vulkan tasks where the direct benchmark gap matters, the RX 470 is the documented winner. For users who want the higher overall database ranking, the newer Polaris-generation RX 560 XT, with its faster memory and clocks, holds the better aggregate position. The RX 470's lower 120 W TDP and 300 W suggested power supply also make it the more efficient choice in the recorded specifications, while the RX 560 XT's 150 W TDP and 450 W suggestion demands a stronger PSU. The RX 470 is the faster card in direct competition; the RX 560 XT is the higher-ranked card in the broader database.