AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark comparison between the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 shows a clear pattern across ten recorded tests, with NVIDIA taking eight wins and AMD taking two. The largest margin in favor of the RTX 2070 appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where it scores 82,521 against the RX 5600 XT's 56,218, a difference of 31.9%. This is the most decisive gap in the entire comparison, indicating a substantial advantage for the NVIDIA card in Vulkan-based workloads. The Geekbench OpenCL result follows a similar trend, with the RTX 2070 posting 79,966 versus 68,537 for the AMD card, a 14.3% lead. These two compute-oriented tests suggest that the RTX 2070's architecture handles general-purpose GPU workloads more efficiently, despite the RX 5600 XT being built on a newer manufacturing process.

Moving to DirectX benchmarks, the RTX 2070 maintains its lead across every API level tested. In PassMark DirectX 10, the NVIDIA card scores 111 against 73 for the AMD card, a 34.2% advantage. This is the second-largest delta in the dataset. PassMark DirectX 11 shows a 25.6% gap, with scores of 129 and 96 respectively. The DirectX 12 test narrows the margin considerably, with the RTX 2070 at 60 and the RX 5600 XT at 52, a 13.3% difference. Even the legacy DirectX 9 test favors NVIDIA, though by a smaller 4.3% margin, with scores of 211 and 202. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test breaks this pattern entirely, as the AMD RX 5600 XT wins with a score of 1,669 against 1,569 for the RTX 2070, a 6.4% advantage. This result is notable because it is the only modern, graphics-heavy workload where the AMD card outperforms its rival.

The PassMark G3D test, which typically represents overall gaming performance, gives the RTX 2070 a 16.4% lead, scoring 16,094 versus 13,457. The PassMark GPU Compute test shows a much closer contest, with the NVIDIA card ahead by just 1.8%, scoring 6,411 against 6,296. The second win for the AMD card comes in the PassMark G2D test, which measures 2D graphics performance. Here the RX 5600 XT scores 870 against 819, a 6.2% advantage. This suggests that in desktop, windowed, or other 2D-centric usage, the AMD card has a measurable edge, even though it trails in most 3D and compute scenarios. Overall, the data shows that the RTX 2070 wins most tests with margins ranging from 1.8% to 34.2%, while the RX 5600 XT wins two tests with margins of 6.2% and 6.4%. The average benchmark score from the database reinforces the NVIDIA card's position, at 18,789 versus 20,713 for the AMD card, though this aggregate figure is influenced by the different test suites each card is run through.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the most benchmark tests?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 wins 8 out of 10 head-to-head tests, including all PassMark DirectX variants, Geekbench OpenCL, Geekbench Vulkan, PassMark G3D, and PassMark GPU Compute. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT wins only 2 tests: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and PassMark G2D.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest gap is in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the RTX 2070 leads by 31.9%, scoring 82,521 against the RX 5600 XT's 56,218. The second-largest gap is in PassMark DirectX 10, where the NVIDIA card leads by 34.2%, though this is a slightly smaller percentage than the Vulkan gap.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: In the PassMark DirectX 12 test, the RTX 2070 leads by 13.3%, scoring 60 versus 52. However, in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 5600 XT wins by 6.4%, scoring 1,669 against 1,569. The results differ depending on the specific workload.

Q: Is the AMD card competitive in any compute workloads?

A: The AMD card is competitive in PassMark GPU Compute, where it scores 6,296 against 6,411 for the RTX 2070, a gap of only 1.8%. However, in Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, the NVIDIA card holds larger leads of 14.3% and 31.9% respectively.

Q: What does the PassMark G3D score indicate?

A: PassMark G3D is often used as an overall gaming performance indicator. The RTX 2070 scores 16,094, which is 16.4% higher than the RX 5600 XT's 13,457. This suggests a clear advantage for NVIDIA in general 3D rendering workloads.

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT has a higher average benchmark score of 20,713, compared to 18,789 for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070. This aggregate figure, however, does not reflect the head-to-head results, which mostly favor NVIDIA.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and manufacturing processes. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is built on RDNA 1.0 architecture, using the Navi 10 chip, and is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. This process node allows for a transistor count of 10,300 million on a die size of 251 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, in contrast, uses the Turing architecture with the TU106 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process, also at TSMC. Its transistor count is slightly higher at 10,800 million, but the die size is much larger at 445 mm², giving a transistor density of only 24.3 million per square millimeter. The 7 nm process gives AMD a clear density advantage, packing more transistors per area despite having fewer total transistors.

The most significant architectural difference lies in the presence of specialized hardware. The RTX 2070 includes 36 ray tracing cores and 288 tensor cores, while the RX 5600 XT has neither. This means the NVIDIA card can accelerate ray-traced effects and AI-based workloads such as deep learning super sampling, whereas the AMD card relies entirely on its standard shading units for all tasks. Both cards have 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, so the core compute pipeline is identical in scale. The clock speeds differ, with the RTX 2070 running at a base of 1410 MHz and a boost of 1620 MHz, while the RX 5600 XT runs at a base of 1130 MHz and a boost of 1560 MHz. The AMD card also has a game clock of 1375 MHz, which is not listed for the NVIDIA card.

The memory subsystems diverge considerably. The RX 5600 XT has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The RTX 2070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card's memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the AMD card's memory clock is 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The larger bus and higher memory clock give the RTX 2070 a memory bandwidth advantage of 55.6% over the AMD card. The interface also differs: the RX 5600 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RTX 2070 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The display outputs are different as well, with the AMD card offering 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the NVIDIA card offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The DirectX support also differs, with the AMD card supporting DirectX 12 (12_1) and the NVIDIA card supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specification fields. The process node is 7 nm for the AMD card and 12 nm for the NVIDIA card. Transistor count is 10,300 million for AMD and 10,800 million for NVIDIA. Die size is 251 mm² for AMD and 445 mm² for NVIDIA. Transistor density is 41.0M per mm² for AMD and 24.3M per mm² for NVIDIA. Base clock is 1130 MHz for AMD and 1410 MHz for NVIDIA. Boost clock is 1560 MHz for AMD and 1620 MHz for NVIDIA. The AMD card has a game clock of 1375 MHz, while the NVIDIA card has no listed game clock. Memory clock is 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) for AMD and 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for NVIDIA. Memory size is 6 GB for AMD and 8 GB for NVIDIA. Memory bus width is 192 bit for AMD and 256 bit for NVIDIA. Memory bandwidth is 288.0 GB/s for AMD and 448.0 GB/s for NVIDIA.

The RTX 2070 has 36 ray tracing cores and 288 tensor cores, which the RX 5600 XT does not have. Pixel rate is 99.84 GPixel/s for AMD and 103.7 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. Texture rate is 224.6 GTexel/s for AMD and 233.3 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. FP32 performance is 7.188 TFLOPS for AMD and 7.465 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. FP16 performance is 14.38 TFLOPS (2:1) for AMD and 14.93 TFLOPS (2:1) for NVIDIA. TDP is 150 W for AMD and 175 W for NVIDIA. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16 for AMD and PCIe 3.0 x16 for NVIDIA. The display outputs differ as described above, and the DirectX support differs, with AMD at 12 (12_1) and NVIDIA at 12 Ultimate (12_2). Dimensions also differ, with the AMD card measuring 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length, while the NVIDIA card measures 229 mm (9 inches) in length, 113 mm (4.4 inches) in height, and 35 mm (1.4 inches) in width. The release dates differ, with the RX 5600 XT released on 2020-01-20 and the RTX 2070 released on 2018-10-16. The launch MSRP for the AMD card is 279 USD, and for the NVIDIA card it is 499 USD.

The Verdict

Based on the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is the stronger performer in most workloads. It wins 8 of 10 head-to-head tests, with particularly large margins in Vulkan, OpenCL, and DirectX 10. The RTX 2070 also has a higher PassMark G3D score, indicating better overall 3D rendering capability. Its memory bandwidth advantage, larger memory pool, and specialized ray tracing and tensor cores make it a more versatile card for modern gaming and compute tasks. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, however, wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test and the PassMark G2D test, showing that it can outperform the NVIDIA card in specific scenarios. The RX 5600 XT also has a higher average benchmark score, though this aggregate metric is less meaningful than the direct head-to-head results.

For users prioritizing raw compute performance in Vulkan or OpenCL, the RTX 2070 is the clear choice. For users who focus on 2D desktop performance or the specific workload in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 5600 XT holds an edge. The RTX 2070's ray tracing and tensor cores are features the AMD card cannot match, which is a decisive factor for any workload that leverages those capabilities. The RX 5600 XT, with its smaller die and lower TDP, is a more efficient design per transistor density, but the RTX 2070's higher clocks and wider memory bus compensate in practice.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT wins in two specific areas. The first is the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, where it scores 1,669 against 1,569, a 6.4% lead. This test appears to favor the AMD card's architecture in a modern DirectX 12 gaming scenario. The second is the PassMark G2D test, where it scores 870 against 819, a 6.2% lead. This indicates that the RX 5600 XT is better suited for 2D graphics workloads, such as desktop rendering or lightweight graphical interfaces. The AMD card also has a higher average benchmark score overall, though this is not a head-to-head win. In terms of efficiency, the AMD card has a lower TDP of 150 W versus 175 W for the NVIDIA card, and it uses a smaller die with higher transistor density.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 wins in the remaining eight tests. Its biggest advantage is in Geekbench Vulkan, with a 31.9% lead, making it the preferred choice for Vulkan-based compute and rendering applications. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a 14.3% lead, indicating strong general-purpose compute performance. The PassMark tests all favor NVIDIA, with margins ranging from 4.3% in DirectX 9 to 34.2% in DirectX 10. The DirectX 11 test shows a 25.6% lead, and the DirectX 12 test shows a 13.3% lead. The PassMark G3D test, which is a common gaming indicator, gives the RTX 2070 a 16.4% advantage. The PassMark GPU Compute test is the closest NVIDIA win, at just 1.8%. The RTX 2070 also has more memory (8 GB versus 6 GB), higher bandwidth (448.0 GB/s versus 288.0 GB/s), and includes ray tracing and tensor cores. For users who play games with ray tracing enabled, use AI-accelerated features, or run compute workloads in Vulkan or OpenCL, the RTX 2070 is the stronger option based on the data.