AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7700S Comparison

# AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7700S

The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT and AMD Radeon RX 7700S represent two distinct eras of AMD GPU design, with the former being an end-of-life desktop part from the Polaris generation and the latter an active mobile solution built on RDNA 3.0. Benchmark data shows a fascinating split: the RX 7700S dominates OpenCL compute by a massive margin, while the RX 560 XT edges out a narrow victory in Vulkan performance. Their average benchmark scores sit remarkably close — 34,133 for the RX 560 XT versus 33,849 for the RX 7700S — placing both within a fraction of a percent of each other, yet their architectural approaches could hardly be more different.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single largest performance gap between these two GPUs appears in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the AMD Radeon RX 7700S scores 62,983 against the RX 560 XT's 31,387. That represents a 50.2% deficit for the older card — the RX 7700S delivers more than double the raw compute throughput in this workload. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap that reflects the fundamental shift in compute architecture between GCN 4.0 and RDNA 3.0. The RX 560 XT's FP32 output of 4.394 TFLOPS pales next to the RX 7700S's 20.48 TFLOPS, a 4.66x advantage in theoretical peak compute. OpenCL workloads that scale with raw shader throughput will overwhelmingly favor the RX 7700S.

However, the Vulkan results tell a very different story. The RX 560 XT scores 36,879 in Geekbench Vulkan, narrowly beating the RX 7700S's 36,380 — a 1.4% margin in favor of the older card. While the difference is small, it is notable that a 2019 desktop GPU with PCIe 3.0 connectivity can outperform a 2023 mobile part with PCIe 4.0 in this specific API test. The RX 560 XT's Vulkan performance suggests that its architecture handles certain draw-call and driver overhead scenarios efficiently, or that the mobile power constraints of the RX 7700S limit its sustained Vulkan throughput despite its higher specifications. The wins are split evenly at one apiece, making the head-to-head record 1-1.

Looking at their broader benchmark context, both GPUs occupy nearly identical percentile positions among all GPUs — the RX 560 XT sits at the 79th percentile, while the RX 7700S is at the 78th. Their nearest rivals reinforce this parity: the RX 560 XT's closest competitor is the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB with an average score of 34,154 (a 0.1% difference), while the RX 7700S's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7950 at 33,951 (a 0.3% difference). Both cards effectively trade blows with the AMD Radeon RX 480 and the AMD Radeon HD 7950, with each appearing in the other's nearest rival list. The RX 560 XT is 0.4% ahead of the RX 480, and the RX 7700S is 0.4% behind it — a statistical dead heat.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between these two GPUs is vast. The RX 560 XT uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated by GlobalFoundries at 14 nm. It packs 5,700 million transistors into a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per square millimeter. The RX 7700S, by contrast, uses the Navi 33 chip on RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC at 6 nm. It contains 13,300 million transistors in a smaller 204 mm² die, achieving a density of 65.2M per mm² — roughly 2.65 times denser. This density advantage comes from the more advanced process node, allowing the RX 7700S to fit more than double the transistors into a physically smaller package.

Clock speeds reflect the process node advantage. The RX 560 XT operates at a 1074 MHz base clock with a 1226 MHz boost, while the RX 7700S runs at 1500 MHz base, 2200 MHz game clock, and 2500 MHz boost. The RX 7700S's boost clock is more than double the RX 560 XT's base clock. Memory configurations also diverge: the RX 560 XT uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and 1750 MHz memory speed (7 Gbps effective), whereas the RX 7700S features 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 2250 MHz memory (18 Gbps effective). The newer card has half the bus width but compensates with faster GDDR6 memory, achieving 28.6% more bandwidth.

Compute resources differ substantially. The RX 7700S has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, compared to the RX 560 XT's 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 7700S also introduces 32 ray tracing cores, a feature completely absent from the RX 560 XT. Pixel and texture rates tell a dramatic story: the RX 7700S achieves 160.0 GPixel/s and 320.0 GTexel/s, versus 39.23 GPixel/s and 137.3 GTexel/s for the RX 560 XT. The RX 7700S is 4.08x faster in pixel fill and 2.33x faster in texture fill.

FP16 throughput exposes another key difference. The RX 560 XT offers 4.394 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32. The RX 7700S delivers 40.96 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio, meaning it can process half-precision data at twice the rate of FP32. Power consumption runs counter to performance: the RX 560 XT has a 150 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and a 1x 6-pin power connector, requiring a 450 W suggested PSU. The RX 7700S is an integrated mobile part (IGP) with a 100 W TDP, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU rating.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for different use cases. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S is the overwhelming choice for compute-heavy OpenCL workloads, delivering 50.2% higher scores that reflect its 4.66x FP32 advantage and doubled memory capacity. Its 8 GB GDDR6 frame buffer, 32 ray tracing cores, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) make it the future-proof option for modern gaming and content creation. Mobile users benefit from a 100 W TDP in an IGP form factor, consuming 33.3% less power than the RX 560 XT's 150 W while delivering far superior peak performance.

The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT remains relevant only in the narrow Vulkan benchmark, where its 1.4% lead indicates competitive API-level performance despite vastly inferior raw specifications. Its 256-bit memory bus and 4 GB GDDR5 configuration, combined with PCIe 3.0 x16 connectivity, make it a legacy part suited for older systems or budget builds where the software workload favors GCN's Vulkan implementation. The 79th versus 78th percentile ranking shows both GPUs are statistically equivalent in overall benchmark standing, but that equivalence masks the RX 7700S's massive OpenCL superiority.

For anyone choosing between these two today, the RX 7700S is the rational pick unless the workload is exclusively Vulkan-based and the 4 GB memory ceiling of the RX 560 XT is acceptable. The RX 560 XT is end-of-life production, while the RX 7700S is active. The RX 7700S's 13,300 million transistors, 6 nm process, and RDNA 3.0 architecture represent a forward-looking investment, whereas the RX 560 XT's GCN 4.0 and 14 nm node are firmly in the past.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 560 XT | AMD Radeon RX 7700S |

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

| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | RDNA 3.0 |

| Chip | Ellesmere | Navi 33 |

| Generation | Polaris (RX 500) | Navi Mobile (RX 7000M) |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | TSMC |

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

| Die Size | 232 mm² | 204 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 24.6M / mm² | 65.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1074 MHz | 1500 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1226 MHz | 2500 MHz |

| Game Clock | — | 2200 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 4 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 288.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 112 | 128 |

| ROPs | 32 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | — | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 39.23 GPixel/s | 160.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 137.3 GTexel/s | 320.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 4.394 TFLOPS | 20.48 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 4.394 TFLOPS (1:1) | 40.96 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | 100 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | — |

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

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

| Vulkan Support | 1.3 | 1.4 |

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

| Release Date | 2019-03-12 | 2023-01-03 |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has better OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700S is significantly better, scoring 62,983 versus 31,387 for the RX 560 XT — a 50.2% advantage.

Q: Does the RX 560 XT beat the RX 7700S in any benchmark?

A: Yes, the RX 560 XT wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 36,879 against the RX 7700S's 36,380, a 1.4% margin.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: They are nearly identical. The RX 560 XT has an average benchmark score of 34,133, while the RX 7700S scores 33,849 — a difference of 284 points, or roughly 0.8%.

Q: What are the memory capacity and bandwidth differences?

A: The RX 7700S has 8 GB of GDDR6 with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 7700S offers 28.6% more bandwidth and double the capacity.

Q: Does the RX 7700S support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RX 7700S includes 32 ray tracing cores. The RX 560 XT has no ray tracing hardware.

Q: Which GPU consumes less power?

A: The RX 7700S has a 100 W TDP, which is 33.3% lower than the RX 560 XT's 150 W TDP. The RX 7700S is an IGP with no power connectors, while the RX 560 XT requires a 1x 6-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU.