AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 and the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT occupy vastly different tiers of the graphics card market, separated by nearly a full decade of architectural evolution and a massive performance gulf. The data available for direct comparison is limited to two compute-oriented benchmarks, but the results are unequivocal: the RTX 4070 dominates the RX 560 XT in every measurable way, with performance deltas exceeding 370% in both OpenCL and Vulkan workloads. This analysis examines the head-to-head scores, architectural chasm, and the specific use cases where each card retains relevance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only two benchmarks shared between these cards are Geekbench's OpenCL and Vulkan compute tests. In both instances, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a performance advantage that is not merely incremental but transformative. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 4070 scores 154,858 points against the RX 560 XT's 31,387 points. This represents a delta of 393.4%, meaning the RTX 4070 is nearly five times faster in this compute-heavy workload. The Vulkan result is similarly lopsided: the RTX 4070 achieves 174,152 points, while the RX 560 XT manages 36,879 points, a delta of 372.2%.

These are not close contests, and the margins are so wide that they overshadow the cards' respective positions in the broader GPU hierarchy. The RTX 4070's average benchmark score across all its tested workloads is 37,648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (average score 37,628, a 0.1% difference) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (average score 37,507, a 0.4% difference). The RTX 4070 also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3% and leads the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 by 1.3%. This clustering indicates that the RTX 4070 is a solidly mid-to-upper-tier performer, competing directly with workstation and high-end mobile parts.

In contrast, the RX 560 XT's average benchmark score is 34,133, placing it in the 79th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (average score 34,154, a -0.1% difference), the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (average score 34,207, a -0.2% difference), the AMD Radeon RX 480 (average score 33,997, a 0.4% difference), and the AMD Radeon HD 7950 (average score 33,951, a 0.5% difference). Despite being in a similar percentile band, the absolute score gap between the RTX 4070 and RX 560 XT is 3,515 points, or roughly 10.3% of the RX 560 XT's average. This gap, while smaller in relative terms than the compute deltas, still places the two cards in different performance strata.

The head-to-head data shows a clean sweep: the RTX 4070 wins both available benchmarks, giving it a wins tally of 2 against the RX 560 XT's 0. There is no single test where the older AMD card manages to close the gap or claim a victory. The compute-focused nature of these tests may favor the RTX 4070's dedicated tensor cores and newer instruction set, but the sheer scale of the difference suggests that even in rasterization-heavy workloads, the result would be similarly one-sided.

The Verdict

From the data, the choice is unambiguous for any user seeking modern performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the superior card by every metric recorded. Its 393.4% lead in OpenCL and 372.2% lead in Vulkan compute are not just wins; they are generational leaps. The RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37,648 versus the RX 560 XT's 34,133 further confirms that the newer card is not just faster in synthetic compute tests but also holds a decisive edge in the aggregate of all benchmark results.

For gamers and professionals building a system today, the RTX 4070 is the only rational choice among these two. It offers 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the RX 560 XT's 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s. The RTX 4070's shading unit count of 5,888 dwarfs the RX 560 XT's 1,792, and its 184 texture mapping units and 64 ROPs are significantly higher than the RX 560 XT's 112 TMUs and 32 ROPs. The RTX 4070 also features 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, hardware that the RX 560 XT lacks entirely.

The RX 560 XT, however, is not without a niche. Its 79th percentile ranking and average score of 34,133 place it in the same performance bracket as professional workstation cards like the RTX A2000 and RTX A1000. This suggests that for legacy applications, older DirectX 11 titles, or compute tasks that do not require modern features, the RX 560 XT can still hold its own. Its 150 W TDP and single 6-pin power connector make it a low-power option for budget builds or secondary machines where the RTX 4070's 200 W TDP and 16-pin connector might be overkill. The RX 560 XT's 4 GB of VRAM, while limited, is sufficient for 1080p gaming at medium settings in less demanding titles.

The verdict is clear: the RTX 4070 is the performance champion, and the RX 560 XT is a legacy part for specific, low-intensity use cases. No benchmark in the data suggests the RX 560 XT can compete with the RTX 4070 in any scenario that stresses modern GPU features.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is as wide as the performance delta. The RTX 4070 is built on NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD104 chip fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. This chip contains 35,800 million transistors on a die size of 294 mm², yielding a transistor density of 121.8 million transistors per mm². The RX 560 XT, conversely, uses AMD's GCN 4.0 architecture, with the Ellesmere chip built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Its 5,700 million transistors occupy a die size of 232 mm², resulting in a transistor density of just 24.6 million per mm². The RTX 4070's process node advantage allows for nearly five times the transistor density, which directly translates into its massive shading unit count and feature set.

The memory subsystems reflect their respective generations. The RTX 4070 uses 12 GB of GDDR6X running at 21 Gbps effective, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth over a 192-bit bus. The RX 560 XT uses 4 GB of GDDR5 at 7 Gbps effective, delivering 224.0 GB/s over a wider 256-bit bus. Despite the RX 560 XT's wider bus, the RTX 4070's faster memory type and higher clock speed result in more than double the bandwidth. The RTX 4070's base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, while the RX 560 XT's base and boost clocks are 1074 MHz and 1226 MHz, respectively.

Feature support is another major divider. The RTX 4070 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 560 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RTX 4070's hardware ray tracing cores and tensor cores enable features like DLSS and real-time ray tracing, which are absent on the RX 560 XT. The RTX 4070's FP32 compute throughput is 29.15 TFLOPS, and its FP16 throughput is also 29.15 TFLOPS (1:1), whereas the RX 560 XT manages 4.394 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16 (1:1). This is a 6.6-fold difference in raw compute power.

The cards also differ in connectivity and power. The RTX 4070 uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface and requires a 550 W power supply, with a 200 W TDP and a 1x 16-pin power connector. The RX 560 XT uses PCIe 3.0 x16, needs a 450 W PSU, has a 150 W TDP, and uses a 1x 6-pin connector. Both are dual-slot cards, but the RTX 4070 is slightly shorter at 240 mm (9.4 inches) compared to the RX 560 XT's 241 mm (9.5 inches). The RTX 4070 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the RX 560 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37,648, while the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT has an average score of 34,133. The RTX 4070's score is approximately 10.3% higher.

Q: What is the performance difference in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RTX 4070 scores 174,152 points, and the RX 560 XT scores 36,879 points. This gives the RTX 4070 a 372.2% lead.

Q: Does the RX 560 XT support hardware ray tracing?

A: No. The RX 560 XT has no ray tracing cores listed in its specifications, whereas the RTX 4070 features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores.

Q: What are the memory sizes and types for each card?

A: The RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, while the RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. The RTX 4070's memory bandwidth is 504.2 GB/s, and the RX 560 XT's is 224.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card is in a higher performance percentile?

A: The RTX 4070 is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, and the RX 560 XT is in the 79th percentile. Despite the close percentile ranks, the absolute score gap is significant.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The RTX 4070 has a 200 W TDP and requires a 550 W power supply. The RX 560 XT has a 150 W TDP and requires a 450 W power supply.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 wins in every benchmark category where data exists. It dominates in Geekbench OpenCL with a 393.4% advantage and in Geekbench Vulkan with a 372.2% advantage. Its overall average benchmark score is higher, and it sits in a higher percentile. For users running modern games with ray tracing, using compute-heavy applications, or needing high-bandwidth memory for large textures and datasets, the RTX 4070 is the clear winner. Its 12 GB VRAM capacity and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are suited for 1440p and 4K workloads, and its tensor cores enable AI-accelerated features that the RX 560 XT cannot offer.

The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT, while losing all head-to-head benchmarks, retains a specific niche. Its lower 150 W TDP and 450 W PSU requirement make it a viable option for power-constrained or legacy systems where the RTX 4070's 200 W TDP and 550 W PSU requirement are prohibitive. Its 4 GB of VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p gaming in older titles or for use as a secondary display adapter. The RX 560 XT's nearest rivals include the RTX A1000 and RX 480, indicating it performs at a level suitable for entry-level workstation tasks or budget-conscious builds that prioritize low power draw over raw performance.

In summary, the RTX 4070 wins on all performance metrics, architectural modernity, and feature support. The RX 560 XT wins on power efficiency and system compatibility for older hardware, but the data shows no scenario where it outperforms the RTX 4070 in compute or rendering workloads.