AMD Radeon RX 480 vs AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE vs AMD Radeon RX 480

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data records two direct head-to-head comparisons, and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE wins both. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows the RX 7650 GRE scoring 2336 against the RX 480's 966, a 141.8% advantage. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a similar pattern, with the RX 7650 GRE at 83109 and the RX 480 at 37998, a 118.7% lead. The RX 480 does not secure a single recorded win in these two tests, giving the RX 7650 GRE a clean 2-0 sweep in the head-to-head segment.

The RX 7650 GRE also holds a higher average benchmark score across the database. Its average is 42723, compared to the RX 480's 33997. This places the RX 7650 GRE in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 480 sits in the 78th percentile. The newer card's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER and NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, both at a 1.2% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile and NVIDIA Quadro M6000 at a 1.3% delta. The RX 480's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7950 at 0.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT at -0.4%, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 0.4%.

The use-case split favors the RX 7650 GRE across both recorded workloads. In the DX12 3DMark Steel Nomad test, the RX 7650 GRE delivers more than double the score of the RX 480. In the compute-oriented Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 7650 GRE again produces a score more than double that of the older card. The RX 480 does retain a Geekbench Metal score of 51057 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 45968 in its own benchmark list, but no direct comparison for those tests exists in the head-to-head data.

Architecture Differences

The RX 7650 GRE uses the Navi 33 chip built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, with the codename Hotpink Bonefish, while the RX 480 uses the Ellesmere chip on GCN 4.0 architecture. The manufacturing process differs significantly: the RX 7650 GRE uses a 6 nm node at TSMC, whereas the RX 480 uses a 14 nm node at GlobalFoundries. Transistor counts reflect this generational gap, with the RX 7650 GRE at 13,300 million transistors on a 204 mm² die, and the RX 480 at 5,700 million transistors on a larger 232 mm² die. Transistor density follows, at 65.2M per mm² for the RX 7650 GRE versus 24.6M per mm² for the RX 480.

Core configurations differ in several ways. The RX 7650 GRE has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, while the RX 480 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 7650 GRE includes 32 ray tracing cores; the RX 480 has none. Neither card has tensor cores listed in the database. Clock speeds are substantially higher on the newer card, with a base of 1720 MHz and boost of 2695 MHz, compared to the RX 480's 1120 MHz base and 1266 MHz boost. The RX 7650 GRE also lists a game clock of 2350 MHz, a field the RX 480 does not have.

Memory architecture shows a clear split. The RX 7650 GRE uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s. The newer card achieves higher bandwidth despite the narrower bus, a result of its faster memory clock at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus the RX 480's 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The RX 7650 GRE also supports PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RX 480 uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

Feature support also differs. The RX 7650 GRE lists DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 480 lists DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. Display outputs differ as well, with the RX 7650 GRE offering 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1, versus the RX 480's 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result is the largest recorded win for the RX 7650 GRE. It scores 2336 against the RX 480's 966, a delta of 141.8%. This means the RX 7650 GRE delivers roughly 2.4 times the score of the older card in this test. The RX 7650 GRE's score of 2336 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 480's 966 places it in the 78th percentile.

The Geekbench OpenCL result shows a similar margin. The RX 7650 GRE scores 83109, while the RX 480 scores 37998, a delta of 118.7%. This is the second consecutive test where the RX 7650 GRE more than doubles the RX 480's output. The average benchmark score difference reinforces this trend: 42723 for the RX 7650 GRE versus 33997 for the RX 480. The RX 7650 GRE's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, averages 43223, a 1.2% delta, meaning the RX 7650 GRE sits within 1.2% of that card's average score. The RX 480's closest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7950, averages 33951, a 0.1% delta.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE scores 2336, which is 141.8% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 480's 966.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE scores 83109, while the AMD Radeon RX 480 scores 37998, a 118.7% advantage for the newer card.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The RX 7650 GRE uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Does the RX 7650 GRE support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 7650 GRE has 32 ray tracing cores. The RX 480 has no ray tracing cores listed in the database.

Q: What is the power consumption of each card?

A: The RX 7650 GRE has a TDP of 170 W with a 1x 8-pin power connector. The RX 480 has a TDP of 150 W with a 1x 6-pin power connector. Both cards suggest a 450 W PSU.

Q: What process nodes do the two GPUs use?

A: The RX 7650 GRE uses a 6 nm process at TSMC, while the RX 480 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to a decisive win for the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by margins exceeding 118%, and its average benchmark score of 42723 is well above the RX 480's 33997. The RX 7650 GRE also holds a higher percentile ranking at 83 versus 78. The RX 480, despite having more shading units and TMUs, cannot overcome the generational advantages of the newer card in clock speed, memory bandwidth, and architecture efficiency.

For users comparing these two directly, the RX 7650 GRE is the clear choice based on every recorded metric. Its nearest rivals in the database, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER at a 1.2% delta, indicate it competes in a much higher performance tier than the RX 480, whose nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and AMD Radeon RX 560 XT. The RX 480 remains a functional card with its own Geekbench Metal score of 51057 and Vulkan score of 45968, but no direct comparison shows it outperforming the RX 7650 GRE in any shared test.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE | AMD Radeon RX 480 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 13,300 million | 5,700 million |

| Die Size | 204 mm² | 232 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1720 MHz | 1120 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2695 MHz | 1266 MHz |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 256.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 2304 |

| TMUs | 128 | 144 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 32 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 172.5 GPixel/s | 40.51 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 345.0 GTexel/s | 182.3 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 22.08 TFLOPS | 5.834 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 170 W | 150 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Length | 204 mm (8 inches) | 240 mm (9.4 inches) |

| Height | 115 mm (4.5 inches) | 95 mm (3.7 inches) |

| Width | Not listed | 35 mm (1.4 inches) |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2025-02-06 | 2016-06-28 |

| Launch MSRP | 279 USD | 229 USD |