AMD Radeon RX 480 vs AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 480 and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT represent two distinct eras of AMD graphics architecture, separated by a generational leap in process technology and design philosophy. The RX 480, built on the 14 nm GCN 4.0 architecture, was a foundational card for its generation, while the RX 6700 XT, utilizing the 7 nm RDNA 2.0 architecture, delivers significantly higher performance. Benchmark data confirms this generational gap, with the RX 6700 XT winning all four head-to-head tests by substantial margins, yet the two cards sit surprisingly close in the aggregated database rankings, a nuance that warrants a closer look at their individual strengths and weaknesses.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear performance hierarchy, but the choice between these two cards depends heavily on the specific workload and the user's priorities. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the unequivocal performance leader, winning every head-to-head benchmark by a margin of at least 57.4%. Its most decisive victory comes in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it scores 100730 against the RX 480's 38245, a 62% advantage. Similarly, in the Geekbench Metal test, the newer card nearly triples the older one's output, scoring 129041 versus 51057. For users prioritizing raw compute performance, modern API support, or higher-resolution gaming, the RX 6700 XT is the only logical choice based on this data.

However, the aggregate data introduces an interesting twist. The RX 480 has an average benchmark score of 34059, which is actually 1% higher than the RX 6700 XT's average of 33721, despite the latter winning all direct comparisons. This is reflected in their global percentiles, with the RX 480 sitting at the 78th percentile and the RX 6700 XT at the 77th. This suggests that the RX 480's performance profile is more consistent across a broader range of legacy and diverse tests, whereas the RX 6700 XT's dominance is concentrated in the specific modern workloads tested in the head-to-head. The RX 480's nearest rival list shows a delta of 0% against the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and a -0.9% delta against the NVIDIA TITAN V, indicating it punches well above its architectural weight in certain aggregate metrics. Therefore, for a user running a mix of older applications and APIs, the RX 480 may present a surprisingly competitive, albeit less future-proof, option. The RX 6700 XT is for those who need peak performance in current DirectX 12 and Vulkan titles, while the RX 480 remains a relevant data point for legacy workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 480 has a higher average benchmark score of 34059, compared to the RX 6700 XT's 33721. This represents a 1% difference in favor of the RX 480.

Q: How much faster is the RX 6700 XT in the DirectX 12 Steel Nomad test?

A: The RX 6700 XT scores 2435 in the 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, while the RX 480 scores 966. This yields a delta of -60.3% from the RX 6700 XT's perspective, meaning the RX 480 is 60.3% slower.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The RX 480 features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Does the RX 6700 XT support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 6700 XT is equipped with 40 ray tracing cores. The RX 480 does not have any dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the difference in their DirectX API support?

A: The RX 480 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the RX 6700 XT supports the more advanced DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The RX 6700 XT has a significantly higher transistor count at 17,200 million, compared to the RX 480's 5,700 million. This is a large increase despite the RX 6700 XT having a larger die size of 335 mm² versus 232 mm².

Architecture Differences

The architectural leap between the RX 480 and the RX 6700 XT is substantial, representing a fundamental shift in AMD's GPU design. The RX 480 is based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Ellesmere chip, and was fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. In contrast, the RX 6700 XT employs the RDNA 2.0 architecture, uses the Navi 22 chip, and is built on a more advanced 7 nm process at TSMC. This process shrink allows for a dramatic increase in transistor density, from 24.6M / mm² in the RX 480 to 51.3M / mm² in the RX 6700 XT. The RX 6700 XT crams 17,200 million transistors into a 335 mm² die, while the RX 480 fits 5,700 million into a 232 mm² die.

This architectural change also brings new features and capabilities. The most significant addition in the RDNA 2.0 architecture is hardware-accelerated ray tracing, with the RX 6700 XT featuring 40 dedicated ray tracing cores. The RX 480 has no such hardware. The two cards also differ in their DirectX support, with the RX 6700 XT supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes features like variable rate shading and mesh shaders, while the RX 480 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0). The FP16 compute capabilities also differ; the RX 480 has an FP16 rate of 5.834 TFLOPS, matching its FP32 rate, while the RX 6700 XT doubles its FP32 rate to achieve 26.43 TFLOPS for FP16 operations. This indicates a fundamental redesign in compute throughput.

Specification Differences

A direct comparison of the specification sheets reveals the scale of the RX 6700 XT's generational advantage. The RX 480 has a base clock of 1120 MHz and a boost clock of 1266 MHz, while the RX 6700 XT operates at a much higher 2321 MHz base and 2581 MHz boost clock. The RX 6700 XT also introduces a "game" clock of 2424 MHz, a metric not present for the RX 480. The memory subsystem is another key differentiator. The RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, resulting in 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6700 XT, however, uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus but achieves a higher 384.0 GB/s bandwidth due to faster memory speeds (16 Gbps effective versus 8 Gbps effective).

The core compute configuration is also more robust on the newer card. The RX 6700 XT has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 render output units (ROPs). This compares to the RX 480's 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The theoretical pixel rate of the RX 6700 XT is 165.2 GPixel/s, more than four times the RX 480's 40.51 GPixel/s. Similarly, the texture rate is 413.0 GTexel/s versus 182.3 GTexel/s, and the FP32 throughput is 13.21 TFLOPS versus 5.834 TFLOPS. Power requirements also scale with performance, with the RX 6700 XT having a 230 W TDP and a suggested 550 W PSU, compared to the RX 480's 150 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 6700 XT also requires a more robust power connection setup, using one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector versus the RX 480's single 6-pin. Finally, the RX 6700 XT is a larger physical card, measuring 267 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, compared to the RX 480's 240 mm, 95 mm, and 35 mm, respectively.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data shows a complete sweep for the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, with the performance gap being consistently large across all tested workloads. The smallest margin of victory for the newer card is in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the RX 6700 XT scores 108032, while the RX 480 scores 45968, a delta of -57.4%. This substantial lead in a modern, low-level API demonstrates the architectural efficiency of RDNA 2.0.

The largest performance disparity is found in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the RX 6700 XT scores 100730 against the RX 480's 38245. This represents a 62% performance advantage. This result suggests that the RX 6700 XT's compute capabilities, with its higher shading unit count and FP32 throughput, are far superior for general-purpose GPU workloads. The Geekbench Metal test shows a similar trend, with the RX 6700 XT achieving 129041 points versus the RX 480's 51057, a 60.4% difference. The final test, 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12, also favors the RX 6700 XT, which scores 2435 compared to the RX 480's 966, a 60.3% margin. This test, which is a modern DirectX 12 workload, also highlights the advantages of the newer architecture's feature set. In all four tests, the RX 480 trails by at least 57.4%, confirming that while it may hold its own in aggregate legacy benchmarks, it is thoroughly outclassed in current-generation performance metrics.