AMD Radeon RX 480 vs AMD Radeon RX 7700S Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 480 and AMD Radeon RX 7700S represent two very different eras of GPU design, yet their average benchmark scores land within 0.4% of each other. The RX 480, a 2016 desktop card built on GCN 4.0, and the RX 7700S, a 2023 mobile part using RDNA 3.0, both sit at the 78th percentile of all GPUs. However, the data shows that this overall parity masks dramatic swings in individual workloads, with the newer chip dominating in some tests while the older architecture pulls off a surprising victory in others.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive win for the AMD Radeon RX 7700S comes in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where it scores 2185 against the RX 480’s 966. That is a 55.8% advantage for the newer card, a massive gap that reflects the fundamental architectural leap between the two generations. In this workload, the RX 7700S delivers more than double the raw performance of the RX 480, making it the clear choice for modern DirectX 12 gaming titles that stress geometry and compute-heavy effects.

The RX 7700S also takes the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 62983 versus 37998 for the RX 480. This 39.7% lead shows the RDNA 3.0 part’s superior general-purpose compute throughput. OpenCL performance often correlates with real-world productivity tasks like rendering and physics simulation, and the data indicates the RX 7700S is significantly more capable in these scenarios. The RX 480’s 5.834 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply outclassed by the RX 7700S’s 20.48 TFLOPS, a 3.5x raw compute advantage that shows up clearly in this benchmark.

However, the RX 480 strikes back in the Geekbench Vulkan test. Here, the older card scores 45968, while the RX 7700S manages only 36380. That is a 26.4% win for the RX 480, a surprising result given the newer architecture’s advantages elsewhere. Vulkan is a low-level API that rewards efficient driver overhead and raw shader throughput, and the data suggests the RX 480’s GCN design handles this particular workload better than the RDNA 3.0 implementation in the RX 7700S. This is the RX 480’s only head-to-head victory, but it is a substantial one that prevents the RX 7700S from sweeping the comparison.

Looking at the broader benchmark picture, the RX 480’s average score of 33997 comes from four tests, including a Geekbench Metal score of 51057 that the RX 7700S does not have a corresponding result for. The RX 7700S’s average of 33849 is calculated from just three tests, missing a Metal result entirely. This discrepancy in test coverage means the averages are not perfectly apples-to-apples, but the head-to-head data provides the clearest picture of relative performance.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different fabrication processes. The RX 480 uses the Ellesmere chip based on GCN 4.0, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The RX 7700S uses the Navi 33 chip based on RDNA 3.0, built on TSMC’s 6 nm process. This node difference is stark: the RX 7700S packs 13,300 million transistors into a 204 mm² die, achieving a density of 65.2 million transistors per square millimeter. The RX 480, by contrast, has just 5,700 million transistors spread across a larger 232 mm² die, yielding a density of only 24.6 million per square millimeter.

The compute resources differ in interesting ways. The RX 480 has more shading units (2304 versus 2048) and more texture mapping units (144 versus 128), but the RX 7700S has double the ROPs (64 versus 32). This ROP advantage helps explain the RX 7700S’s vastly higher pixel rate of 160.0 GPixel/s compared to the RX 480’s 40.51 GPixel/s. The RX 7700S also has 32 ray tracing cores, a feature the RX 480 completely lacks, and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) versus the RX 480’s older DirectX 12 (12_0) implementation.

Clock speeds show the generational improvement clearly. The RX 480 runs at a base of 1120 MHz and boosts to 1266 MHz, while the RX 7700S operates at 1500 MHz base, 2200 MHz game clock, and 2500 MHz boost. Memory technology also advanced: the RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus for 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 7700S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a narrower 128-bit bus but achieves higher 288.0 GB/s bandwidth thanks to faster 18 Gbps effective memory speed.

Feature support diverges on several fronts. The RX 480 offers Vulkan 1.3, while the RX 7700S supports Vulkan 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RX 7700S uses PCIe 4.0 x16, double the bandwidth of the RX 480’s PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. Power efficiency is another major difference: the RX 7700S has a TDP of 100 W and requires no power connectors as an integrated graphics package, while the RX 480 draws 150 W and needs a single 6-pin connector. The RX 480 is a dual-slot card measuring 240 mm in length, whereas the RX 7700S has no listed dimensions and is classified as an IGP, reflecting its mobile design.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the AMD Radeon RX 7700S for most modern workloads. Its 55.8% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 makes it the obvious pick for current DirectX 12 gaming, and its 39.7% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL positions it as the stronger choice for compute-heavy tasks. The RX 7700S also offers ray tracing support, a feature the RX 480 cannot provide. For anyone building a system around recent game releases or productivity applications, the RX 7700S is the data-backed recommendation.

The AMD Radeon RX 480 maintains relevance only in specific scenarios. Its 26.4% win in Geekbench Vulkan suggests that if a workload is heavily optimized for Vulkan on GCN architecture, the older card can outperform the newer one. However, this is a narrow use case. The RX 480’s lower transistor density and older process node mean it is end-of-life production, while the RX 7700S remains active.

Choosing between them comes down to workload priorities. The RX 7700S wins two of three head-to-head tests, and its victories are by larger margins than the RX 480’s single win. The RX 7700S is also more power-efficient, drawing 100 W versus 150 W, and supports newer APIs. The RX 480’s only advantages are the Vulkan benchmark result and a slightly higher average benchmark score (33997 versus 33849, a 0.4% difference). For the vast majority of use cases, the RX 7700S is the superior part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 480 has a slightly higher average benchmark score of 33997, compared to the RX 7700S’s 33849. This is a 0.4% difference, and both cards sit at the 78th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How much faster is the RX 7700S in DirectX 12 performance?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 7700S scores 2185 versus the RX 480’s 966, giving the newer card a 55.8% advantage.

Q: Does the RX 480 win any benchmark against the RX 7700S?

A: Yes, the RX 480 wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 45968, while the RX 7700S scores 36380. This represents a 26.4% lead for the RX 480.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: Both cards have 8 GB of memory. The RX 480 uses GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 7700S uses GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with higher 288.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: Only the AMD Radeon RX 7700S supports ray tracing, featuring 32 ray tracing cores. The RX 480 has no ray tracing cores and uses the older DirectX 12 (12_0) API.

Q: What are the power requirements for each GPU?

A: The RX 480 has a TDP of 150 W and requires a single 6-pin power connector, while the RX 7700S has a lower TDP of 100 W and needs no power connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 7700S dominates in modern gaming and compute workloads. Its 55.8% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 makes it the clear winner for DirectX 12 games, particularly newer titles that leverage advanced rendering features. The 39.7% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL extends this dominance to productivity applications, rendering tasks, and any software that offloads work to the GPU’s compute units. The RX 7700S’s 20.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, 160.0 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 320.0 GTexel/s texture rate provide a strong foundation for demanding visual workloads. Its 32 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support make it future-proof for games that adopt these technologies.

The AMD Radeon RX 480 wins specifically in the Geekbench Vulkan benchmark, where its 45968 score beats the RX 7700S by 26.4%. This suggests that applications or games built with Vulkan that are well-optimized for GCN architecture may run faster on the older card. The RX 480 also has more shading units (2304 versus 2048) and a wider 256-bit memory bus, though the RX 7700S’s faster memory compensates for the narrower bus in bandwidth. The RX 480’s 5.834 TFLOPS of FP32 performance matches its FP16 throughput at a 1:1 ratio, while the RX 7700S doubles its FP16 rate to 40.96 TFLOPS, giving the newer card an edge in FP16-heavy workloads.

For esports titles or legacy games that favor Vulkan and GCN’s particular execution characteristics, the RX 480 can still hold its own. However, the data overwhelmingly points to the RX 7700S as the stronger all-around performer. Its wins are larger in magnitude, it covers more test categories, and it offers modern features like ray tracing and newer API support. The RX 480’s Vulkan victory is notable but narrow in scope, making the RX 7700S the safer choice for a general-purpose gaming and productivity GPU.