AMD Radeon RX 560X vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 112,821, while the AMD Radeon RX 560X scores 17,020. This represents a delta of -84.9% for the AMD card, meaning the RTX 3070 delivers roughly six and a half times the OpenCL compute performance.

Q: Is the GeForce RTX 3070 also faster in Vulkan workloads?

A: Yes, but the margin is much narrower. The RTX 3070 scores 21,022 versus the RX 560X’s 20,231 in Geekbench Vulkan, a delta of -3.8%. This is a modest lead rather than the overwhelming advantage seen in OpenCL.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card, and how do they rank overall?

A: The RX 560X has an average benchmark score of 18,626 and sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 3070 has an average score of 17,208 and sits in the 61st percentile. Despite the RTX 3070’s massive OpenCL win, its overall average is slightly lower due to other benchmark results.

Q: Which card has more memory, and does that affect benchmark outcomes?

A: The RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 560X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3070’s fourfold bandwidth advantage correlates with its strong OpenCL showing.

Q: Are these cards from the same era or different generations?

A: They are from different generations. The RX 560X is based on GCN 4.0 (Polaris 21) and released in April 2018. The RTX 3070 is based on Ampere (GA104) and released in August 2020. Both are now end-of-life products.

Q: What are the closest rival scores for each card in the database?

A: The RX 560X’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT (delta -0.3%), AMD FirePro D500 (delta +0.5%), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (delta -0.9%). The RTX 3070’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (delta +0.7%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (delta +1%), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (delta -1.5%).

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between compute-heavy workloads and general-purpose use. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3070 is decisively superior, scoring 112,821 against 17,020. Anyone prioritizing raw compute throughput should choose the RTX 3070 without hesitation. The gap is not incremental; it is an order-of-magnitude difference.

However, the Vulkan result tells a different story. The RTX 3070’s 21,022 score is only 3.8% ahead of the RX 560X’s 20,231. For Vulkan-based gaming or compute tasks, the two cards are effectively on par. This suggests that while the RTX 3070 has far more raw hardware resources, the RX 560X’s GCN architecture remains competitive in certain API workloads.

The percentile rankings are nearly identical — 62nd for the RX 560X versus 61st for the RTX 3070 — despite the RTX 3070’s massive OpenCL lead. This is because the RTX 3070’s average benchmark score of 17,208 is dragged down by other tests, while the RX 560X’s average of 18,626 benefits from consistent scores across its two benchmarks. For buyers comparing these cards, the choice hinges on whether the workload is OpenCL-heavy (choose RTX 3070) or Vulkan-centric (either card works, with a slight edge to NVIDIA).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains exactly two shared benchmark tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The RTX 3070 wins both, but the magnitude of the victories is wildly different.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3070’s score of 112,821 dwarfs the RX 560X’s 17,020. The delta of -84.9% means the RX 560X achieves only about 15% of the RTX 3070’s performance. This is the defining result of the comparison. The RTX 3070’s 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs — combined with 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput — translate directly into a massive compute advantage. The RX 560X’s 1,024 shading units and 2.611 TFLOPS cannot compete in this metric.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the story changes. The RTX 3070 scores 21,022 versus the RX 560X’s 20,231, a delta of just -3.8%. This is within what could be considered run-to-run variance for many systems. The RX 560X’s GCN 4.0 architecture, despite being older and far smaller in transistor count, appears to handle Vulkan workloads efficiently. The 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die deliver Vulkan performance that is nearly equivalent to the RTX 3070’s 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die.

The takeaway from the head-to-head is that benchmark selection drastically changes the narrative. A single OpenCL run makes the RTX 3070 look like a generation ahead. A single Vulkan run makes them look like contemporaries. The RTX 3070 wins both, but only the OpenCL result is decisive.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The RTX 3070 uses an 8 nm process from Samsung, while the RX 560X uses a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries. Transistor counts diverge sharply: 17,400 million for the RTX 3070 versus 3,000 million for the RX 560X. Die size also differs: 392 mm² versus 123 mm², giving the RTX 3070 a transistor density of 44.4M per mm² compared to the RX 560X’s 24.4M per mm².

Clock speeds favor the RTX 3070. Its base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost of 1725 MHz, while the RX 560X runs at 1175 MHz base and 1275 MHz boost. Memory clocks are identical at 1750 MHz, but the effective data rate differs: 14 Gbps for the RTX 3070 versus 7 Gbps for the RX 560X. Memory capacity is 8 GB of GDDR6 versus 4 GB of GDDR5. The bus width is 256-bit versus 128-bit, producing bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s versus 112.0 GB/s.

Compute resources show the RTX 3070’s advantage: 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs versus 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The RTX 3070 also includes 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, features absent from the RX 560X. Pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s versus 20.40 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s versus 81.60 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 20.31 TFLOPS versus 2.611 TFLOPS.

Power and physical specifications diverge as well. The RTX 3070 has a TDP of 220 W with a suggested PSU of 550 W and requires a 12-pin power connector. The RX 560X has a TDP of 75 W, a suggested PSU of 250 W, and requires no power connector. The RTX 3070 is longer at 242 mm (9.5 inches) with a height of 112 mm (4.4 inches), while the RX 560X is 170 mm (6.7 inches) with no listed height. Both are dual-slot cards. The RTX 3070 uses PCIe 4.0 x16; the RX 560X uses PCIe 3.0 x8. Display outputs differ: the RTX 3070 has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 560X has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The RX 560X uses GCN 4.0, built around the Polaris 21 chip. This architecture was designed for efficiency in a 75 W envelope, with a 1:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio at 2.611 TFLOPS. The RTX 3070 uses Ampere, built around the GA104 chip, delivering 20.31 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16. Ampere introduces dedicated RT cores and tensor cores, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI workloads — capabilities the GCN architecture lacks entirely.

The manufacturing process difference is significant: 14 nm versus 8 nm. This allows the RTX 3070 to pack nearly six times as many transistors into roughly three times the die area, achieving a density of 44.4M per mm² versus 24.4M per mm². The foundry also differs, with GlobalFoundries producing the RX 560X and Samsung producing the RTX 3070.

API support reflects the architectural evolution. The RX 560X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RTX 3070 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX 12_2 feature level includes mesh shaders and other modern rendering features that 12_0 lacks. The RTX 3070’s Vulkan 1.4 support is also one version ahead.

The memory architecture differs beyond capacity. The RX 560X uses GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus, while the RTX 3070 uses GDDR6 with a 256-bit bus. This quadruples memory bandwidth from 112.0 GB/s to 448.0 GB/s, which is critical for high-resolution textures and compute workloads that stream large datasets.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 wins decisively in OpenCL compute workloads. Its 112,821 score versus 17,020 represents a 562% advantage. Any application that relies heavily on OpenCL — such as certain scientific simulations, video encoding, or machine learning preprocessing — will see a massive benefit from the RTX 3070. The same is true for workloads that leverage the tensor cores or RT cores, which the RX 560X cannot accelerate at all. The RTX 3070’s 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth make it the clear choice for data-heavy tasks.

The Vulkan result is where the RX 560X shows unexpected resilience. A 3.8% deficit in Geekbench Vulkan means that for Vulkan-based gaming or compute, the RX 560X is nearly equivalent. This is remarkable given the RTX 3070’s hardware advantages. The RX 560X’s 75 W TDP also makes it far easier to integrate into small form factor systems, with no power connector required and a suggested PSU of only 250 W versus 550 W. Its 170 mm length is significantly shorter than the RTX 3070’s 242 mm, allowing it to fit in compact cases.

For users with legacy display requirements, the RX 560X’s DVI output is a practical advantage. The RTX 3070 omits DVI entirely, offering only HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a. In terms of production status, both are end-of-life, so availability is not a differentiator. The RX 560X’s release in April 2018 and the RTX 3070’s release in August 2020 mean the RTX 3070 is two years newer, but the data shows that age alone does not determine performance in all API contexts.