AMD Radeon RX 470 vs AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two AMD GPUs along generational lines, with the newer Radeon RX 6750 XT dominating modern graphics workloads while the older Radeon RX 470 retains a narrow, compute-focused edge. Across the four recorded head-to-head tests, the RX 6750 XT claims three wins, while the RX 470 takes one.

The RX 6750 XT wins decisively in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, Geekbench Metal, and Geekbench Vulkan. These are the tests that stress contemporary rendering paths, geometry throughput, and API-level features. The 3DMark result is particularly one-sided: the RX 6750 XT scores 2548 versus 842 for the RX 470, a 67% advantage. That gap reflects the architectural leap between GCN 4.0 and RDNA 2.0, plus the substantial increases in shading units, texture units, and memory bandwidth.

The RX 470's single win comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 33568 against 16360 for the RX 6750 XT. This is a 105.2% advantage, meaning the older card more than doubles the newer one in this specific compute workload. This is unusual, as it suggests the RX 470's GCN architecture handles the OpenCL workload more efficiently despite having fewer shading units (2048 versus 2560) and far lower raw FP32 throughput (4.940 TFLOPS versus 13.31 TFLOPS). The result indicates that driver optimization or workload characteristics favor the older design in this particular API path.

For DirectX-focused gaming, the RX 6750 XT is the clear pick. For OpenCL compute tasks that resemble the Geekbench test, the RX 470 shows unexpected strength. The overall average benchmark scores reflect this split: the RX 470 averages 28996 across all recorded tests, while the RX 6750 XT averages 26011. The RX 470's higher average is driven entirely by its OpenCL outlier, as the RX 6750 XT wins the other three tests by large margins.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras. The RX 470 uses the Ellesmere chip based on GCN 4.0, belonging to the Arctic Islands (RX 400) generation. The RX 6750 XT uses the Navi 22 chip based on RDNA 2.0, belonging to the Navi II (RX 6000) series. This is a two-generation jump, and the data shows how far AMD's GPU designs evolved.

The manufacturing process changed significantly. The RX 470 is built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the RX 6750 XT uses a 7 nm process at TSMC. Transistor counts reflect this: the RX 470 packs 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, while the RX 6750 XT fits 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die. Transistor density more than doubles, from 24.6M per mm² to 51.3M per mm², a direct result of the smaller process node.

Clock speeds also jumped substantially. The RX 470 has a base clock of 926 MHz and a boost clock of 1206 MHz. The RX 6750 XT runs at 2150 MHz base and 2600 MHz boost, with a game clock of 2495 MHz. This is roughly a 2.3x increase in boost frequency, which combines with the higher core count to produce a large raw throughput advantage.

Memory configurations differ considerably. The RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 211.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6750 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the newer card delivers more than double the bandwidth thanks to faster memory clocks (2250 MHz versus 1650 MHz, or 18 Gbps effective versus 6.6 Gbps effective). The RX 470's larger bus width does not compensate for the older memory technology.

Core resources scale up across the board. The RX 470 has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6750 XT increases to 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6750 XT also adds 40 ray accelerators, which the RX 470 lacks entirely. Pixel rate rises from 38.59 GPixel/s to 166.4 GPixel/s, and texture rate from 154.4 GTexel/s to 416.0 GTexel/s.

FP32 throughput nearly triples, from 4.940 TFLOPS to 13.31 TFLOPS. The FP16 story is more complex: the RX 470 runs FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32 (4.940 TFLOPS), while the RX 6750 XT runs FP16 at a 2:1 ratio (26.62 TFLOPS). This means the newer card has a massive advantage in FP16 workloads.

The RX 470 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the RX 6750 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16, doubling the available bus bandwidth. Power requirements scale accordingly: the RX 470 has a 120 W TDP with a single 6-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU, while the RX 6750 XT has a 250 W TDP with a 6-pin plus 8-pin configuration and a 600 W suggested PSU. Physical dimensions also grow, from 240 mm length on the RX 470 to 267 mm on the RX 6750 XT.

API support reflects the newer architecture. The RX 470 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 6750 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX 12 Ultimate designation includes features like ray tracing and mesh shaders, which the RX 470 cannot access.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head results show a clear pattern of modern API dominance for the RX 6750 XT, with one notable reversal.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 6750 XT scores 2548 against 842 for the RX 470. The delta is -67% from the RX 470's perspective, meaning the newer card is roughly three times faster. This is the largest proportional margin in the dataset and reflects the combined effect of higher clocks, more cores, and newer architecture on a demanding DirectX 12 workload.

Geekbench Metal shows a similar story. The RX 6750 XT scores 137249 versus 41690 for the RX 470, a -69.6% delta. This is the single biggest absolute score gap of the four tests. Metal is Apple's graphics API, and the result indicates the RDNA 2.0 architecture handles it far more efficiently than GCN 4.0.

Geekbench Vulkan also favors the RX 6750 XT, with a score of 98089 versus 39884 for the RX 470, a -59.3% delta. While not as lopsided as the Metal result, this still represents a 2.5x advantage for the newer card. Vulkan is a cross-platform API that both cards support, but the RX 6750 XT's RDNA 2.0 design extracts more performance from the same workload.

The outlier is Geekbench OpenCL. Here the RX 470 scores 33568, while the RX 6750 XT scores 16360. The delta is +105.2% in favor of the RX 470, meaning the older card is more than twice as fast. This is a stark reversal given the RX 6750 XT's superior hardware specifications. The result suggests that either the OpenCL workload in this test is poorly optimized for RDNA 2.0, or the GCN architecture's compute scheduling handles this specific pattern better. The RX 470's 2048 shading units on a 232 mm² die, with FP32 and FP16 running at the same rate, may contribute to this outcome.

Across all four tests, the RX 6750 XT's wins are massive and consistent in modern APIs, while the RX 470's single win is equally massive in a legacy compute API. The average benchmark scores in the database (28996 for RX 470, 26011 for RX 6750 XT) are skewed by this OpenCL result, but the head-to-head data makes the overall performance hierarchy clear.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 2548, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 842. The RX 6750 XT leads by 67%.

Q: Does the RX 470 win any benchmark against the RX 6750 XT?

A: Yes, in Geekbench OpenCL the RX 470 scores 33568 versus 16360 for the RX 6750 XT, a 105.2% advantage. This is the only test where the RX 470 wins.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 211.2 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6750 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The RX 470 has 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, giving 24.6M transistors per mm². The RX 6750 XT has 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, giving 51.3M per mm².

Q: Does the RX 6750 XT support ray tracing?

A: Yes, it has 40 ray accelerators. The RX 470 has no ray accelerators.

Q: What are the TDP requirements?

A: The RX 470 has a 120 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU. The RX 6750 XT has a 250 W TDP with a 600 W suggested PSU.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to a straightforward choice for most users. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the superior card for DirectX 12 gaming, Vulkan applications, and Metal workloads. Its wins in 3DMark Steel Nomad (2548 versus 842), Geekbench Metal (137249 versus 41690), and Geekbench Vulkan (98089 versus 39884) are decisive, with margins ranging from 59.3% to 69.6%. The newer RDNA 2.0 architecture, 7 nm process, higher clocks, more shading units, and greater memory bandwidth all contribute to this dominance.

The AMD Radeon RX 470 is the niche pick. Its 105.2% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL is remarkable, but it applies only to that specific compute workload. For any graphics-oriented task, the RX 6750 XT is overwhelmingly faster. The RX 470's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 120 W TDP also limit its relevance for modern high-resolution gaming, while the RX 6750 XT offers 12 GB of GDDR6 and 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The database's percentile rankings place the RX 470 at the 74th percentile of all GPUs, slightly above the RX 6750 XT at the 71st percentile. This is a quirk of the average score calculation, which is inflated by the RX 470's OpenCL outlier. The head-to-head results are the more reliable indicator of real-world performance: the RX 6750 XT wins three of four tests by large margins.

For users targeting modern DirectX 12 or Vulkan games, the RX 6750 XT is the clear selection. For users running OpenCL compute workloads that resemble the Geekbench test, the RX 470 shows unexpected value, but that is a narrow use case. The RX 6750 XT's launch MSRP was 549 USD, while the RX 470's was 179 USD, but the performance data justifies the newer card's position in the lineup. The verdict from the measurements: the RX 6750 XT is the generational winner, with the RX 470 retaining only a legacy compute niche.