AMD Radeon RX 480 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive picture. In the shared tests, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 wins all three recorded comparisons. The most significant margin appears in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RTX 5070 scores 5,077 points against the RX 480’s 966 points. That is a 425.6% advantage, indicating the newer architecture is in a different performance class entirely for this modern DirectX 12 workload.

The gap narrows somewhat in compute-oriented tests, though it remains overwhelming. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 5070 records 172,660 points, which is 354.4% higher than the RX 480’s 37,998 points. The Vulkan test shows a similar story: the RTX 5070 scores 178,923, a 289.2% lead over the RX 480’s 45,968 points. The data indicates that the RTX 5070’s advantage is not confined to one API or one type of workload; it extends across both older and newer compute interfaces.

The database also provides average benchmark scores for context. The RTX 5070 holds an average score of 40,377, while the RX 480 averages 33,997. This places the two cards in different tiers of the overall database. The RX 480’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7950 with a 0.1% delta, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S with a 0.4% delta, and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB with a -0.5% delta. The RTX 5070, by contrast, sits near the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (0.1% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (0.8% delta). The data shows the RX 480 is competing with much older or lower-tier hardware, while the RTX 5070 sits among professional-grade workstation GPUs.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras of GPU design, and the architecture differences explain the performance chasm. The RTX 5070 is built on NVIDIA’s Blackwell 2.0 architecture and uses the GB205 chip. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The RX 480 uses the GCN 4.0 architecture with the Ellesmere chip, produced on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The process node difference is substantial, and the transistor counts reflect it: the RTX 5070 packs 31,100 million transistors, while the RX 480 has 5,700 million. Interestingly, the die sizes are close, 263 mm² for the RTX 5070 versus 232 mm² for the RX 480, but the transistor density is far higher on the newer part: 118.3 million transistors per square millimeter versus 24.6 million.

Core configuration differs massively. The RTX 5070 has 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. It also includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. The RX 480 has 2,304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and only 32 ROPs. It has no dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores. Pixel rate on the RTX 5070 is 201.0 GPixel/s, compared to 40.51 GPixel/s on the RX 480. Texture rate is 482.3 GTexel/s versus 182.3 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 30.87 TFLOPS versus 5.834 TFLOPS.

Memory technologies also differ by a generation. The RTX 5070 uses 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 480 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 256.0 GB/s. The RTX 5070 also supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RX 480 is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are newer on the RTX 5070: HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1b, versus HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a on the RX 480. The RTX 5070 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 480 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 has an average score of 40,377, approximately 18.8% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 480’s 33,997.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5070 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The RTX 5070 scores 5,077 points, a 425.6% advantage over the RX 480’s 966 points.

Q: Does the RX 480 have any ray tracing hardware?

A: No, the RX 480 has no ray tracing cores or tensor cores, while the RTX 5070 has 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores.

Q: Which card has newer memory technology?

A: The RTX 5070 uses GDDR7, while the RX 480 uses GDDR5. The RTX 5070 also has a smaller 192-bit bus but much higher bandwidth at 672.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s.

Q: How do the cards compare in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RTX 5070 scores 178,923, a 289.2% lead over the RX 480’s 45,968.

Q: Which card is currently in production?

A: The RTX 5070 is listed as active, while the RX 480 is marked as end-of-life.

The Verdict

The data points to a one-sided comparison. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 wins all three head-to-head benchmarks, with deltas ranging from 289.2% to 425.6%. Its average score is 6,380 points higher. The RX 480’s only advantage is its lower power draw at 150 W versus 250 W, and its smaller size at 240 mm length versus 245 mm. But those are not factors that compensate for the compute gap.

The RTX 5070 is the choice for any task requiring modern rendering features, ray tracing, or high-end compute. Its 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores make it suitable for workloads the RX 480 cannot handle at all. The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672 GB/s bandwidth also far exceed the RX 480’s 8 GB and 256 GB/s. For a user with a current PCIe 5.0 system, the RTX 5070 is the clear pick.

The RX 480, on the other hand, is an end-of-life card from 2016. Its benchmark scores are comparable to the AMD Radeon HD 7950, which is a much older part. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) but not the Ultimate feature set. It has no hardware ray tracing. For legacy software or low-power systems with a 450 W PSU, it may still function, but it cannot compete with the RTX 5070 in any measured metric.

Specification Differences

• Process Node: The RTX 5070 uses a 5 nm node, the RX 480 uses 14 nm.
• Transistors: 31,100 million versus 5,700 million.
• Die Size: 263 mm² vs 232 mm².
• Transistor Density: 118.3M / mm² vs 24.6M / mm².
• Base Clock: 2325 MHz vs 1120 MHz.
• Boost Clock: 2512 MHz vs 1266 MHz.
• Memory Clock: 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) vs 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective).
• Memory Size: 12 GB vs 8 GB.
• Memory Type: GDDR7 vs GDDR5.
• Memory Bus: 192 bit vs 256 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: 672.0 GB/s vs 256.0 GB/s.
• Shading Units: 6144 vs 2304.
• TMUs: 192 vs 144.
• ROPs: 80 vs 32.
• Ray Tracing Cores: 48 vs none.
• Tensor Cores: 192 vs none.
• Pixel Rate: 201.0 GPixel/s vs 40.51 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: 482.3 GTexel/s vs 182.3 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: 30.87 TFLOPS vs 5.834 TFLOPS.
• TDP: 250 W vs 150 W.
• Power Connectors: 1x 16-pin vs 1x 6-pin.
• Suggested PSU: 600 W vs 450 W.
• Bus Interface: PCIe 5.0 x16 vs PCIe 3.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b vs HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.
• DirectX Support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) vs 12 (12_0).
• Vulkan Support: 1.4 vs 1.3.
• Dimensions: 245 mm length, 115 mm height, 40 mm width vs 240 mm length, 95 mm height, 35 mm width.
• Production Status: Active vs End-of-life.
• Release Date: 2025-03-03 vs 2016-06-28.
• Launch MSRP: 549 USD vs 229 USD.