AMD Radeon RX 470 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD Radeon RX 470, which wins all three shared tests against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti. The most dramatic gap appears in the Geekbench Metal test, where the RX 470 scores 41,690 points against 18,144 points for the GTX 780 Ti, a 129.8% advantage. This is more than double the NVIDIA card's output, and it reflects the RX 470's much stronger showing in Apple's Metal API environment. The GTX 780 Ti, having launched in an earlier API era, simply cannot match the newer architecture's Metal throughput.

The Geekbench Vulkan test also favors the RX 470, though by a smaller margin. The AMD card scores 39,884 points, while the GTX 780 Ti scores 27,238 points, a 46.4% difference. This result indicates that the RX 470's GCN 4.0 architecture handles Vulkan workloads more efficiently than the Kepler-based GTX 780 Ti, which only supports Vulkan 1.2.175. The RX 470's Vulkan 1.3 support likely contributes to this performance gap, as the newer specification allows for better driver optimization and feature utilization.

In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 470 again comes out ahead, scoring 33,568 points versus 27,326 points for the GTX 780 Ti, a 22.8% lead. This is the closest of the three head-to-head results, but it still shows a clear performance advantage for the AMD card in general-purpose compute workloads. The RX 470's FP32 throughput of 4.940 TFLOPS is lower than the GTX 780 Ti's 5.345 TFLOPS, yet the RX 470 still wins in OpenCL, suggesting that architectural efficiency and driver maturity matter more than raw theoretical compute figures.

Looking at the broader database context, the RX 470's average benchmark score is 28,996, placing it at the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28,874 on average, a 0.4% difference, and the Intel Arc A370M, which scores 29,175, a 0.6% difference in the other direction. This means the RX 470 sits in a tight cluster of mid-range performers, within 1% of several comparable cards.

The GTX 780 Ti, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 24,236, placing it at the 70th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, which scores 24,277 on average, a 0.2% difference, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which scores 24,170, a 0.3% difference. Notably, the RTX 2080 SUPER, a much newer and higher-tier card, scores only slightly below the GTX 780 Ti in this database's average, which suggests that the older Kepler card still holds its own in certain legacy workloads but has been overtaken by modern efficiency improvements.

The overall head-to-head record is 3 wins for the RX 470 and 0 wins for the GTX 780 Ti. No single benchmark in the shared set favors the NVIDIA card. This is a clean sweep, and the margin of victory in Metal is so large that it alone would tip the balance, but the RX 470 also secures comfortable wins in Vulkan and OpenCL.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the Geekbench Metal benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 470 wins decisively, scoring 41,690 points against 18,144 points for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, a 129.8% advantage.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Vulkan performance?

A: The RX 470 scores 39,884 points in Geekbench Vulkan, while the GTX 780 Ti scores 27,238 points, giving the AMD card a 46.4% lead.

Q: Is the GTX 780 Ti ahead in any benchmark?

A: No. In the three shared tests (Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), the GTX 780 Ti loses all of them. The closest result is OpenCL, where the RX 470 leads by 22.8%.

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

A: The RX 470 has an average benchmark score of 28,996, while the GTX 780 Ti has an average of 24,236. The RX 470 sits at the 74th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 780 Ti sits at the 70th.

Q: How does the RX 470 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 470's closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28,874 on average, a 0.4% difference. The Intel Arc A370M scores 29,175, a 0.6% difference, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH scores 29,197, a 0.7% difference.

Q: How does the GTX 780 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 780 Ti's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, which scores 24,277 on average, a 0.2% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24,170, a 0.3% difference, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S scores 24,063, a 0.7% difference.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for most users. The AMD Radeon RX 470 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti in every shared benchmark, with advantages ranging from 22.8% in OpenCL to 129.8% in Metal. Its average benchmark score is higher by 4,760 points, and its percentile ranking is 4 points higher. For anyone running Metal-based applications, the RX 470 is the only sensible pick, as its score is more than double the GTX 780 Ti's.

For Vulkan workloads, the RX 470 also holds a substantial edge, which matters for modern games and compute applications that rely on the newer API. Even in OpenCL, where the GTX 780 Ti's higher FP32 throughput might suggest an advantage, the RX 470 still comes out ahead by nearly a quarter. The GTX 780 Ti's only saving grace is its theoretical compute ceiling, but the benchmark results show that this does not translate into real-world wins.

The GTX 780 Ti may still appeal to users with legacy software that is optimized for Kepler or to those who already own one and do not need modern API support. However, the RX 470's newer architecture, higher memory bandwidth relative to its bus width, and superior API support make it the stronger card for current and future workloads. The RX 470 also consumes less power, with a 120 W TDP against the GTX 780 Ti's 250 W, and requires a smaller power supply, with a suggested 300 W PSU versus 600 W. These factors reinforce the benchmark data.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The RX 470 uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries, while the GTX 780 Ti uses a 28 nm process from TSMC. The RX 470 has 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 24.6 million per mm². The GTX 780 Ti has 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, with a much lower density of 12.6 million per mm².

Clock speeds differ as well. The RX 470 has a base clock of 926 MHz and a boost clock of 1206 MHz, while the GTX 780 Ti has a base clock of 875 MHz and a boost clock of 928 MHz. Memory clocks are similar in effective data rate, with the RX 470 running at 6.6 Gbps effective and the GTX 780 Ti at 7 Gbps effective, but the memory configurations are different. The RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 211.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 780 Ti has 3 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 336.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 780 Ti has a wider bus and more bandwidth, but the RX 470 has more memory capacity.

The compute configurations also differ. The RX 470 has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 780 Ti has 2880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The GTX 780 Ti's pixel rate is 55.68 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 222.7 GTexel/s. The RX 470's pixel rate is 38.59 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 154.4 GTexel/s. The RX 470's FP32 throughput is 4.940 TFLOPS, and it supports FP16 at the same rate (1:1). The GTX 780 Ti's FP32 throughput is 5.345 TFLOPS, and it has no FP16 support listed.

Power and physical dimensions differ significantly. The RX 470 has a 120 W TDP, uses a single 6-pin power connector, and requires a 300 W power supply. The GTX 780 Ti has a 250 W TDP, uses a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector, and requires a 600 W power supply. The RX 470 measures 240 mm in length, 95 mm in height, and 35 mm in width. The GTX 780 Ti measures 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width. Both are dual-slot cards and use PCIe 3.0 x16 interfaces.

Display outputs also differ. The RX 470 offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 780 Ti offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. The RX 470 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 780 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175.

Architecture Differences

The RX 470 is built on AMD's GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Ellesmere chip, and belongs to the Arctic Islands (RX 400) generation. Its predecessor is Pirate Islands, and its successor is Polaris. The GTX 780 Ti is built on NVIDIA's Kepler architecture, using the GK110B chip, and belongs to the GeForce 700 generation. Its predecessor is GeForce 600, and its successor is GeForce 900.

The process node difference is substantial: 14 nm for the RX 470 versus 28 nm for the GTX 780 Ti. This explains the RX 470's much higher transistor density despite having fewer total transistors. The RX 470 crams 24.6 million transistors per square millimeter, while the GTX 780 Ti manages only 12.6 million. The RX 470's die is less than half the size of the GTX 780 Ti's, at 232 mm² versus 561 mm², yet it delivers higher benchmark scores in every shared test.

Memory architecture differs as well. The RX 470's 256-bit bus is narrower than the GTX 780 Ti's 384-bit bus, but the RX 470 compensates with a newer process and higher clocks. The GTX 780 Ti's 7 Gbps effective memory rate is slightly higher than the RX 470's 6.6 Gbps, but the RX 470's memory capacity of 4 GB exceeds the GTX 780 Ti's 3 GB. For modern workloads that require more than 3 GB of VRAM, the RX 470 has a clear advantage.

API support is another key differentiator. The RX 470 supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 780 Ti supports Vulkan 1.2.175 and DirectX 12 (11_1). The RX 470's newer API versions allow it to take advantage of more recent graphics features and optimizations. The GTX 780 Ti's Kepler architecture predates many of these features, which limits its performance in modern benchmarks and applications.

The RX 470 also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the GTX 780 Ti has no FP16 support listed. This is relevant for machine learning and certain compute workloads that use reduced precision. The RX 470's GCN 4.0 architecture is designed for efficiency, with a 120 W TDP that is less than half the GTX 780 Ti's 250 W. The GTX 780 Ti's higher power draw and larger physical footprint reflect its older, less efficient design.

In summary, the RX 470 is the newer, more efficient card with better API support, more memory, and higher benchmark scores. The GTX 780 Ti offers more raw compute units and higher theoretical throughput, but the recorded data shows that these advantages do not translate into competitive performance against the RX 470.